Blame Game

"Blame Game" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).

The song features recording artist John Legend and was produced by West, DJ Frank E, and Mike Dean.

Lyrically, the song contains West's thoughts on past break-ups and explores themes of unrequited love, heartbreak, and spousal abuse.

According to James, after he was sent an early version of "Blame Game" with a heavily timestretched sample of "Avril 14th", he offered to rerecord the piece at a different tempo; West's team replied with "It's not yours, it's ours, and we're not even asking you any more", and tried to avoid paying for its use.

[11][20] The song's soulful sound juxtaposes West's angry lyrics: "been a long time since I spoke to you in a bathroom, ripping you up, fuckin' and chokin' you".

[21][23] Pitchfork writer Ryan Dombal wrote that this effect "bottoms out with a verse in which Kanye's voice is sped up, slowed down and stretched out ...

[27] Chris Rock performs a vulgar, profanity-ridden sketch in which he compliments his lover's dress sense and sexual technique, and asks her who taught her these skills.

[19][29] Andy Gill of The Independent commented that a similar "alliance of aristocratic piano and cello with less rarefied elements underpins 'Blame Game', a brutal rumination on West's sexual appetite".

"[31] Chicago Sun-Times writer Thomas Conner complimented Rock's "hilarious, X-rated spiel" and cited the song as the best example of West's ability "to contrast the light and dark pieces against each other, the profane and the sacred", writing that it utilizes "Legend's soft, pretty voice to sing a smooth, troubling refrain.

"[17] Rolling Stone writer Rob Sheffield called it one of the funniest of West's career, a "confessional" song where he "honestly struggles to figure out why he has to be such a douchebag.

"[22] Steve Jones of USA Today cited the song as the album's pièce de résistance that "plays out with growing hostility over John Legend's moody piano work.

[33] David Browne of Time called it "that rare, effortless fusion of penthouse-boudoir R&B and hip hop grit", but was ambivalent about its segue "into an interminable, decidedly unfunny skit in which a guy keeps asking a woman how she learned such mind-boggling bedroom moves.

"[26] In contrast, Kitty Empire of The Guardian felt that "comedian Chris Rock is hilariously foul-mouthed at the end of Blame Game.

[39] Rose commented that she passed on the video because she "just felt like Chris Rock's part was disrespectful", believing that the song painted her in a negative light.