Hurricane (Kanye West song)
The song was originally slated for inclusion on West's since scrapped album, Yandhi, and went through multiple reiterations prior to release, with the final version being debuted in July 2021.
Digital masked avatars appear in the video, escaping the ADX Florence prison building and watching the baptizing of a faceless representation of Jesus.
Artist Revenue Advocates issued a lawsuit against West for unauthorized elements of "MSD PT2" in July 2024, accusing him of not having obtained a license for usage on the song.
[1] In July 2018, Chance the Rapper announced that West was coming to Chicago to produce a seven-track studio album for him, similar to those recorded during the Wyoming Sessions.
[5] However, when West heard the beat, Boogz recalled that it "sparked something in him", leading to the creation of the song and his now-scrapped album Yandhi, which was set to release two weeks after the demo was recorded.
Over time, "Hurricane" went through several iterations, containing vocals from Ant Clemons, Big Sean, Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, and Rihanna with several leaks of the song surfacing online.
[1][15] After postponing the release of Yandhi twice, West revealed on Twitter that his recording sessions with Chance the Rapper in Chicago had helped himself reconnect with his roots and faith in Jesus.
[17][18][19] Clemons recalled that the sessions eventually "morphed" into West's gospel group the Sunday Service Choir, who performed around the world with the rapper.
[21][22] The Sunday Service Choir were one of the guest appearances on Donda to be revealed at the public listening parties, while they contributed additional vocals to six of the album's tracks outside of "Hurricane".
[24][25] During the session, Lil Baby recorded his verse for "Hurricane" after Kenyan-American singer songwriter KayCyy had suggested that he should contribute to it; having told him that it was one of the most anticipated songs.
[32][33][34] It utilizes West's typical production style, relying on an atmospheric beat,[35][36] while including layered organs, heavy bass, and trap drums.
[54] It was sent to American rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the album's lead single 11 days later, through West's labels GOOD Music and Def Jam.
[56][57] On October 31, 2021, the Sunday Service Choir performed a gospel rendition of "Hurricane" with Canadian singer Justin Bieber for their Halloween concert at an anonymous rooftop location.
[59] On November 7, 2021, a rendition of the song was performed by the Sunday Service Choir for a session in tribute to the victims of a crowd crush at Travis Scott's Astroworld Festival set.
[60][61] On December 9, 2021, West performed the song at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as part of his and Canadian musician Drake's Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert.
[43] Aaron Loose of Christianity Today saw the song as proof that West is still able to orchestrate "a captivating moment", saying it "rolls into earshot like a wrathful omen" and later develops into "a gorgeous R&B prayer" delivered by the Weeknd.
[34] On a similar note, The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica commented that the song shows West maintains the capability "of orchestrating impressive pop music", creating a "disarmingly pretty" track with the Weeknd's "sweet vocals".
[33] Thomas Hobbs from The Guardian observed that West comes across as more authentic on the song and "less like someone delivering the doctrine of a corporate superchurch", while also noting "a massive hook" from the Weeknd, who "projects walk-on-water confidence".
[48] Writing for DIY, Ryan Bell pointed it out as Donda's closest resemblance to the hits that West used to create, attributing this to the Weeknd's "smooth hook" and "an atmospheric beat with an ominous gospel inflection".
[69] Mark Richardson of The Wall Street Journal stated that because of the singer's "gospel-drenched vocals" and the rapper's guest verse, the song "merits repeat plays".
[70] In the Los Angeles Times, Mikael Wood lauded the song as "a heaving R&B jam" and considered "a mournful Lil Baby" to be the main star.
[32] Thompson viewed the collision of digital and choral palettes when the Sunday Service Choir's vocals appear as one of the most interesting moments on the album, opining that they are seemingly "instruments at West's disposal" on the "pleading" song.
In a negative review, Jonny Coleman of The Hollywood Reporter found the song's release coincidentally occurring on the same day as Hurricane Ida impacted the Gulf Coast to be distasteful, while he disregarded it as "another generic snooze-fest with all the usual Kanye production touchstones".
[35] Loud and Quiet reviewer Robert Davidson wrote off the song as possibly the album's most glaring point that West "opts for lyrical platitudes", assuring his collaboration with the Weeknd and Lil Baby passes by "without ever threatening to quicken the heartbeat", defining it as a "damp squib".
[72] It was picked by Slant Magazine as the 24th best song of the year; Charles Lyons-Burt was most impressed by the combination of the Weeknd's "crystal falsetto" with "the magisterial organ and booming trap drums".
[79] This is followed by the army of digital avatars climbing fences of the ADX Florence prison building while lightning strikes, appearing merely as silhouettes initially until they can be seen wearing opaque masks.
[109] On July 17, 2024, Artist Revenue Advocates (ARA) filed a lawsuit against West on behalf of Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard, Sam Barsh, Dan Seeff, and Josh Mease in a Los Angeles Court for copyright infringement.
The lawsuit cited usage of elements from "MSD PT2" on "Hurricane" and fellow Donda track "Moon"; the work was recorded by the four musicians for a composer pack and offered for purchase in 2018.
[110][111][112] West requested permission for usage and ARA refused to give him a license, accusing him of "blatant brazenness" for crediting Hazzard under his stage name of DJ Khalil on the tracks regardless.
