"Blame Game" | ||||
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Song by Kanye West featuring John Legend | ||||
from the album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | ||||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Genre | Hip hop, R&B | |||
Length | 7:49 | |||
Label | Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam | |||
Songwriter(s) | Kanye West, Justin Franks, Khloe Mitchell, Mike Dean, John Stephens, Richard James | |||
Producer(s) | Kanye West, DJ Frank E, Mike Dean | |||
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy track listing | ||||
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"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, Justin Franks, and Mike Dean. The song features a hip hop skit provided by comedian Chris Rock. It contains a sample of "Avril 14th", written by Richard D. James, known primarily by his pseudonym, Aphex Twin. Lyrically, the song contains West's thoughts on past break-ups and explores themes of unrequited love, heartbreak, and spousal abuse. Midway through the song, Rock delivers an extended monologue as the new boyfriend of West's past lover.
Critics were generally complimentary and praised Legend's vocal delivery. The appearance by Rock was widely noted as a surprising element of the song and received mixed criticism, though some critics described it as a highlight. It charted on the South Korean Gaon Chart at position 81. West and Legend performed "Blame Game" together on Vevo Presents GOOD Music at SXSW. The song was featured in West's 2010 short film Runaway. West planned to produce a music video for the song featuring Amber Rose but she declined the offer of appearing and West scrapped the video.
"Blame Game" was recorded in Oahu, Hawaii, where most of the sessions for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy took place. West opted to work with more familiar songwriters to maintain artistic privacy and keep a low profile after several of his publicized controversies. West recorded the song with vocalist John Legend, a frequent collaborator of his since West's 2004 debut album The College Dropout. During an appearance on Ustream, West announced that Legend was set to appear on a song from his currently upcoming album, titled "Blame Game". During the announcement, West cited "Blame Game" as his favorite song from the album, which was at the time unfinished. The song developed from Legend and West's brainstorming, which also led to several other tracks, including "All of the Lights". Rapper Pusha T was erroneously reported to have provided backing vocals on the song.