Justin Bieber and Kanye West
Photo: Getty Images
On Kanye West's re-engineered vision of Justin Bieber's "Runaway Love," which arrived online Monday (August 30), 'Ye and Raekwon take turns trading Wu-homage rhymes in between the teen's vocals.
West sampled the Wu-Tang Clan's 1993 breakout smash "Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F--- Wit" for the number. In his verse, Kanye pays homage to Raekwon's standout verse on Jodeci's "Freek'N You" remix, among other nods to the Staten Island collective. The veteran Wu lyricist also gives a nod to that same verse.
"Yo, 'Ye, what up," Rae spits, opening the track like he did on the Jodeci hit. "You got stacks like the International House of Pancakes/ All alone, ready to phone me and your hand shakes/ Palms is wetted, don's regret/ Never to walk miles for love, I sit in the starter's deck."
"Last name West, and my teeth diamonds," West rapped. "She said, 'Yo, what's your occupation: crazy rhyming?' "
Bieber's vocals are the same as on the original. Raekwon anchors the song with two verses, and Kanye has one verse on the track.
Raekwon spoke to MTV News earlier this month and revealed that only he and West joined forces in the studio for the track. The wordsmith made no mention of Bieber among the celebrities who were present during the session at New York's Electric Lady Studios.
"Kanye was just being Kanye," Rae said. "He was definitely excited. The energy in the room was already speaking for itself. It was time to get up and have fun on the track together. We was drinking, laughing, being normal cats. At the same time, we had a houseful of celebrities in the house as well. [Kanye] was moving through the facility, checking out the studios he had. He had three studios in there.
"You had Akon in the building. Mos Def was just chillin'. Mos is a good friend of 'Ye's," Rae added. "You had Charlie Wilson, the legendary cat from the Gap Band. Chris Rock walked in. These are guys that really respect who 'Ye is. 'Ye's energy is cool. He's a normal cat. A normal Chicago/world cat. Very mature. Having a great time."
The record came together after Kanye West and Justin Bieber talked to each other via Twitter. "Listening to @JustinBieber 'Run Away love,' " West wrote "I love Sunday mornings in the crib."
Bieber responded and the two traded messages about their mutual admiration.
West then added Raekwon in the mix. The producer revealed that the Wu-Tang Clan star performed on one of his favorite remixes of all time, Jodeci's "Freek'N You" redux.
"Maybe me and Rae should hop on Runaway Love! FLEX would drop bombs," West wrote on Twitter, referring to Hot 97 DJ Funkmaster Flex's method for showing his approval of records.
What do you think of Kanye West's "Runaway Love" remix? Let us know in the comments!
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Kanye West
Justin Bieber
Raekwon
Wu-Tang Clan
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