Brothers (Kanye West song)

Song by Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson

"Brothers"

Song by Kanye West featuring Charlie Wilson
Recorded| 2016–2019
Genre|

* Hip-hop
* gospel

Length| 3:45
Songwriter(s)|

* Kanye West
* Dexter Raymond Mills Jr.
* Marcus Vest
* Irving Lorenzo, Jr.
* Roosevelt Harrell III[a]

Producer(s)|

* Kanye West
* Seven
* Irv Gotti
* Bink! (co.)

Audio sample

Part of the first verse to "Brothers"

* file
* help

"Brothers" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring American singer Charlie Wilson. Originating as a demo by musicians Seven and Chris Stylez, it would be gifted to West during sessions for his eighth studio album, Ye (2018). Significant portions of the demo version of "Brothers" were adapted for the song "Violent Crimes". It would debut via the season 2 premiere of BET show Tales, but would fail to release as a single due to miscommunication between its songwriters and alleged interference from record label Def Jam.

## Background

[edit]

### 2016–2017: Demo recordings

[edit]

Seven Aurelius had spent much of his time at Agoura Hills, California during 2016, living with Judge Herb Dobell after the death of his mother. He had convinced himself to write every day, spending hours writing songs on a piano (previously owned by Johnny Mercer) until creating the idea for "Brothers" in July 2016; he felt it would be perfect for West.[1]

In November 2017, Irv Gotti hinted on Instagram that he was working on "something enormous" with West.[2][3] As it turns out, West, Seven, and Gotti met during 2017 sessions for the formers collaborative album with Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghosts (2018). West was keeping a low profile at this time, retreating to his ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to work on music.[1][4] Gotti and Seven asked Chris Stylez to send in his demos after they got into contact with West, and sent over a record called "Love Songs"; West instantly loved the demo, and elements of it would be combined with Seven's demo to make "Brothers".[1]

### 2018–2019: Ye and "Violent Crimes"

[edit]

On June 5, 2019, Irv Gotti stated in an interview on The Breakfast Club that the season 2 premiere of his show Tales would be "a two-hour season premiere of a brand new record produced by me and my production partner Seven from a huge, huge, huge artist."[5] Gotti stated the artist was from the Midwest and that he's "the biggest, hugest artist who's been the most controversial in the last year." DJ Envy responded with "Ok, Kanye West is gonna be on the season premiere of Tales", to which Irv Gotti replied "I didn't say it! But let's say it right. He's not acting in it, but maybe I have a song ... Envy is a fucking genius!"[5]

Prior to the debut of "Brothers", West had adapted elements of it into the track "Violent Crimes" from his 2018 album Ye.[3] Seven and Gotti were unaware that their song was used in "Violent Crimes", as they were under the impression that "Brothers", as they knew it, would appear on the album. Seven recalled his reaction to "Violent Crimes" upon first hearing it in an interview with Forbes: "I didn't hear from him until May or June. And that's when his album came out and I was like, "I hope 'Brothers' is on this thing." And it wasn't. And I was like, "Shit, what happened?" Then I heard a song similar to "Brothers." I'm thinking, "Not only is that very similar to Brothers...that's me playing? What is going on?"[1]

## Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Virgil Abloh (pictured) is heavily referenced in the song's lyrics.

Musically, "Brothers" is a hip-hop and gospel styled track.[6] It features prominent piano and low synth bass sounds.[7] The similarities between the song and "Violent Crimes", which originated from the same demo, has been noted by fans and critics alike.[3]

Regarding his additions to the track, co-producer Bink stated, "7 sent me the reference [track], and I basically treated the reference like a sample and chopped it up. Put the drums on it. Put the bass on it. Structured it.... And it came out dope because it sounded like a loop." The drums on "Brothers" are inspired by those found on West's third album, Graduation (2007), adding that he wanted to give the record an "old school vibe", a feeling Seven shared, as he called Bink due to his work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Bink used the Akai MPC X when programming the songs drums.[1]

West and longtime creative director Virgil Abloh, who had collaborated on many of his album and single covers, were rumored to have fallen out after Abloh had been appointed artistic director of the Louis Vuitton men's branch;[8] West would later confirm this was true in a 2022 interview.[9] The two reunited for Abloh's debut Paris Fashion Week show, hugging in what many saw as an emotionally charged moment.[10] This moment was referenced in "Brothers" with the line "So I ain't embarrassed or above / Flying out to Paris for a hug".[8][11] The song appears to be an apology for Abloh, with lyrics about how West has missed him and that it "takes a real one to keep the other in check".

## Artwork

[edit]

Artist Genesis the Greykid, designer of the single art for "Brothers", created the cover while listening to a demo version of the track. He stated that the art was inspired by the idea of brotherhood transcending both biology and linear time, "whether they were blood brothers or brothers in spirit."[12] In his section of Forbes' piece for "Brothers", Greykid stated, "there were other brothers like Quincy Jones and Frank Sinatra. All the way up to Kanye West and Jay-Z. Seven and Gotti. The whole landscape of different types of brothers." These pairings are written across the songs cover art, alongside multiple other pairings of famous individuals.[1][12]

## Release and promotion

[edit]

The song debuted with the season 2 premiere of the show Tales on July 2, 2019.[13] Speaking on its release, Gotti stated, "producing this new record with my production partner Seven and working with Kanye for a song exclusively for the Tales series has been one of the highlights of my music and TV career".[13] The demo of the track, featuring vocals from Chris Stylez, was released on Seven's website a day later.[14] The track was also posted to Gotti's Instagram in full on July 3, as it was intended to play in full on air, but was cut short due to BET's time slots.[15][6] Seven's manager stated that the song failed to be released due to poor communication between its songwriters;[1] Seven himself stated the release had been blocked by Def Jam Recordings.[16] Seven has tried multiple times to upload versions of the track on streaming services, either instrumentally or with replaced vocals.[17]

## Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tales season 2 episode 1, Forbes,[1] and the BMI Repertoire.

* Kanye West – vocals, songwriter, producer
* Charlie Wilson – featured vocals
* Consequence – songwriter
* Seven – songwriter, producter
* Irv Gotti – songwriter, producer
* Bink! – songwriter, co-producer
* Genesis the Greykid – cover art

## Notes

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1. ^ Find additional credits for the song on the BMI Repertoire by searching the work number #30930040.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g h Lambert, Chris. "What Happened To "Brothers," The Kanye West Song That Vanished?". Forbes. Archived from the original on 7 August 2019. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
2. ^ Justin Ivey (20 November 2017). "Irv Gotti & Kanye West Are Working On Something "Enormous"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on 30 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
3. ^ a b c Lambert, Chris. "'Brothers," Virgil Abloh, and 'Violent Crimes'—An Overview Of Kanye West's New Song". Forbes. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
4. ^ "Where the Hell in Wyoming Is Kanye West Recording His New..." Complex. Archived from the original on 2025-01-25. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
5. ^ a b La Redaction (5 June 2019). "Irv Gotti Leaks Kanye West "TALES" Single Will Kick Off Season 2". Urbantu Magazine. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
6. ^ a b Legaspi, Althea (2019-07-04). "Hear Kanye West, Charlie Wilson's Affirming New Song 'Brothers'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2022-12-26. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
7. ^ Skala, Jemima (2019-07-03). "Kanye West debuts new track 'Brothers'". Mixmag. Retrieved 2025-05-15.
8. ^ a b Moore, Sam (2019-07-05). "Jay-Z or Virgil Abloh? Kanye West's new song 'Brothers' is an emotional call to allies past and present". NME. Archived from the original on 2024-01-21. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
9. ^ Callas, Brad (2022-10-22). "Kanye Says He Felt 'Pain and Jealousy' After Virgil Abloh..." Complex. Archived from the original on 2025-05-13. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
10. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (2018-06-21). "Virgil Abloh and Kanye West share an emotional hug at Paris Fashion Week". NME. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
11. ^ Marie, Erika (2019-07-03). "Kanye West & Charlie Wilson Deliver "Brothers," Irv Gotti Drops Visual". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on 2025-01-15. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
12. ^ a b Courter, Berry (2019-08-07). "Forbes includes Chattanoogan Genesis the Greykid in Kanye West feature | Chattanooga Times Free Press". Chattanooga Times Free Press. Archived from the original on 2022-08-19. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
13. ^ a b Abel Shifferaw (3 July 2019). "Listen to Kanye West's "Brothers" Track f/ Charlie Wilson". Complex. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
14. ^ "Mysite 1". Archived from the original on 2019-07-04. Retrieved 2019-07-04.
15. ^ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
16. ^ hnhh (2019-07-17). "7 Aurelius Says Def Jam Is Blocking The Official Release Of Kanye's "Brothers"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2025-05-14.
17. ^ Fu, Eddie (2019-07-17). "Why Hasn't Kanye West's "Brothers" Been Officially Released? (UPDATE)". Genius. Retrieved 2025-05-14.

* v
* t
* e

Kanye West songs

* Singles discography
* Songs

2000s singles|

* "Through the Wire"
* "Slow Jamz"
* "All Falls Down"
* "Jesus Walks"
* "The New Workout Plan"
* "Diamonds from Sierra Leone"
* "Gold Digger"
* "Heard 'Em Say"
* "Touch the Sky"
* "Drive Slow"
* "Can't Tell Me Nothing"
* "Stronger"
* "Good Life"
* "Flashing Lights"
* "Homecoming"
* "Love Lockdown"
* "Heartless"
* "Amazing"
* "Paranoid"

2010s singles|

* "Power"
* "Runaway"
* "Monster"
* "All of the Lights"
* "H•A•M"
* "Otis"
* "Lift Off"
* "Niggas in Paris"
* "Why I Love You"
* "Gotta Have It"
* "No Church in the Wild"
* "Mercy"
* "Cold"
* "New God Flow"
* "Clique"
* "Black Skinhead"
* "Bound 2"
* "Famous"
* "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1"
* "Pt. 2"
* "Fade"
* "Yikes"
* "All Mine"
* "Follow God"
* "Closed on Sunday"

2020s singles|

* "Hurricane"
* "Life of the Party"
* "Believe What I Say"
* "Off the Grid"
* "Eazy"
* "City of Gods"
* "True Love"
* "Vultures"
* "Talking / Once Again"
* "Carnival"
* "Slide"
* "WW3"
* "Cousins"
* "Heil Hitler"
* "Beauty and the Beast"

Other singles|

* "Impossible"
* "Classic (Better Than I've Ever Been)"
* "Forever"
* "We Are the World 25 for Haiti"
* "Christmas in Harlem"
* "Only One"
* "FourFiveSeconds"
* "All Day"
* "Champions"
* "Lift Yourself"
* "Ye vs. the People"
* "XTCY"
* "I Love It"
* "Wash Us in the Blood"
* "Nah Nah Nah"
* "No Face"
* "Alive"

Featured singles|

* "Selfish"
* "Talk About Our Love"
* "This Way"
* "The Food"
* "I Changed My Mind"
* "Down and Out"
* "The Corner"
* "Go!"
* "Number One"
* "Extravaganza"
* "Brand New"
* "Grammy Family"
* "Number One"
* "Wouldn't Get Far"
* "I Still Love H.E.R."
* "Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')" (remix)
* "Pro Nails"
* "Finer Things"
* "American Boy"
* "Put On"
* "Stay Up! (Viagra)"
* "Swagga Like Us"
* "Go Hard"
* "Knock You Down"
* "Kinda Like a Big Deal"
* "Walkin' on the Moon"
* "Supernova"
* "Make Her Say"
* "Run This Town"
* "Whatever U Want"
* "Live Fast, Die Young"
* "Erase Me"
* "Deuces" (remix)
* "Start It Up"
* "Hurricane 2.0"
* "E.T."
* "Marvin & Chardonnay"
* "Pride N Joy"
* "I Wish You Would"
* "Birthday Song"
* "Thank You"
* "I Won"
* "Nobody"
* "Blessings"
* "U Mad"
* "One Man Can Change the World"
* "Pop Style"
* "Figure It Out"
* "That Part"
* "Friends"
* "Ballin"
* "Tiimmy Turner" (remix)
* "Castro"
* "Feel Me"
* "Love Yourself"
* "Glow"
* "Watch"
* "Cops Shot the Kid"
* "Take Me to the Light"
* "Ego Death"
* "Keep It Burnin"
* "Hot Shit"

Promotional singles|

* "See Me Now"
* "Power" (remix)
* "Devil in a New Dress"
* "So Appalled"
* "The Joy"
* "Flicker" (Kanye West rework)
* "Facts"
* "Real Friends"
* "No More Parties in LA"
* "30 Hours"
* "Tina"
* "Lonely Roads Still Go to Sunshine"

2000s songs|

* "I'll Fly Away"
* "Spaceship"
* "Never Let Me Down"
* "Two Words"
* "Family Business"
* "Jesus Walks" (remix)
* "It's Alright"
* "The New Workout Plan" (remix)
* "Two Words" (cinematic)
* "Never Let Me Down" (cinematic)
* "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (remix)
* "Hey Mama"
* "Gone"
* "Drive Slow" (remix)
* "Good Morning"
* "Champion"
* "I Wonder"
* "Everything I Am"
* "Big Brother"
* "Say You Will"
* "Welcome to Heartbreak"
* "RoboCop"
* "Street Lights"
* "See You in My Nightmares"
* "Coldest Winter"

2010s songs|

* "Dark Fantasy"
* "Gorgeous"
* "Hell of a Life"
* "Blame Game"
* "Lost in the World"
* "Welcome to the Jungle"
* "Who Gon Stop Me"
* "Murder to Excellence"
* "Made in America"
* "To the World"
* "Don't Like.1"
* "On Sight"
* "I Am a God"
* "New Slaves"
* "Hold My Liquor"
* "I'm in It"
* "Blood on the Leaves"
* "Guilt Trip"
* "Send It Up"
* "Say You Will" (remix)
* "When I See It"
* "Ultralight Beam"
* "Feedback"
* "Low Lights"
* "Highlights"
* "Freestyle 4"
* "I Love Kanye"
* "Waves"
* "FML"
* "Wolves"
* "Frank's Track"
* "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)"
* "Saint Pablo"
* "I Thought About Killing You"
* "Wouldn't Leave"
* "No Mistakes"
* "Ghost Town"
* "Violent Crimes"
* "Feel the Love"
* "Fire"
* "4th Dimension"
* "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
* "Reborn"
* "Kids See Ghosts"
* "Cudi Montage"
* "Selah"
* "On God"
* "Everything We Need"
* "Water"
* "God Is"
* "Hands On"
* "Use This Gospel"
* "Jesus Is Lord"

2020s songs|

* "Donda Chant"
* "Jail"
* "Praise God"
* "Jonah"
* "Ok Ok"
* "Junya"
* "24"
* "Remote Control"
* "Moon"
* "New Again"
* "Tell the Vision"
* "Lord I Need You"
* "Pure Souls"
* "Come to Life"
* "No Child Left Behind"
* "Jail pt 2"
* "Ok Ok pt 2"
* "Junya pt 2"
* "Up from the Ashes"
* "Remote Control pt 2"
* "Use This Gospel" (remix)
* "Vultures" (Havoc version)
* "Stars"
* "Back to Me"
* "Hoodrat"
* "Paperwork"
* "Fuk Sumn"
* "Beg Forgiveness"
* "Good (Don't Die)"
* "Fried"
* "Promotion"
* "River"
* "Can U Be"

Featured songs|

* "The Bounce"
* "Champions"
* "Get By" (remix)
* "Excuse Me Miss" (remix)
* "Back Like That" (remix)
* "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" (remix)
* "Us Placers"
* "Beat Goes On"
* "Billie Jean 2008"
* "Everyone Nose (All the Girls Standing in the Line for the Bathroom)" (remix)
* "Therapy"
* "Ego" (remix)
* "Blazin'"
* "Welcome to the World"
* "Sanctified"
* "Drunk in Love" (remix)
* "All Your Fault"
* "Smuckers"
* "Jukebox Joints"
* "All We Got"
* "Pussy Print"
* "Mama"
* "One Minute"
* "Mixed Personalities"
* "Go2DaMoon"
* "Like That" (remix)

Unreleased songs|

* "I Feel Like That"
* "Brothers"
* "LA Monster"
* "New Body"

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Charlie Wilson

Discography

Studio albums|

* You Turn My Life Around (1992)
* Bridging the Gap (2000)
* Charlie, Last Name Wilson (2005)
* Uncle Charlie (2009)
* Just Charlie (2010)
* Love, Charlie (2013)
* Forever Charlie (2015)
* In It to Win It (2017)

Singles|

* "Without You"
* "There Goes My Baby"
* "I Wanna Be Your Man"
* "Goodnight Kisses"

Featured singles|

* "Computer Love"
* "Snoop's Upside Ya Head"
* "Vapors"
* "Beautiful"
* "Signs"
* "That Girl"
* "Download"
* "All of the Lights"
* "Peaches N Cream"
* "Tiring Game"
* "Attitude"

Other songs|

* "See Me Now"
* "Brothers"

Related articles|

* The Gap Band

* v
* t
* e

Wyoming Sessions

Albums|

* Daytona
* Ye
* Kids See Ghosts
* Nasir
* K.T.S.E.

Tracks|

* "4th Dimension"
* "All Mine"
* "Cops Shot the Kid"
* "Cudi Montage"
* "Feel the Love"
* "Fire"
* "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
* "Ghost Town"
* "I Thought About Killing You"
* "If You Know You Know"
* "Kids See Ghosts"
* "No Mistakes"
* "Reborn"
* "The Games We Play"
* "Violent Crimes"
* "We Got Love"
* "Wouldn't Leave"
* "XTCY"
* "Yikes"

Related articles|

* "Brothers"
* Kids See Ghosts
* "Take Me to the Light"

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