Monster
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Intro: Justin Vernon
I shoot the lights outHide 'til it's bright outOh, just another lonely nightAre you willing to sacrifice your life? (Ah)Verse 1: Rick Ross
Bitch, I'm a monster, no-good bloodsuckerFat motherfucker, now look who's in troubleAs you run through my jungles, all you hear is rumblesKanye West samples, here's one for exampleChorus: Kanye West
Gossip, gossip, nigga, just stop itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertProfit, profit, nigga, I got itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' handsVerse 2: Kanye West
Uh, the best living or dead hands down, huhLess talk, more head right now, huhAnd my eyes more red than the devil isAnd I'm 'bout to take it to another level, bitchMatter who you go and get, ain't nobody cold as thisDo the rap and the track, triple-double, no assistsAnd my only focus is stayin' on some bogus shitArguin' with my older bitch, actin' like I owe her shitI heard the beat, the same raps that gave the track painBought the chain that always give me back painFuckin' up my money so, yeah, I had to act saneChi nigga, but these hoes love my accentChick came up to me and said, "This the number to dialIf you wanna make your number one your number two now"Mix that Goose and Malibu, I call it "Malibooyah"Goddamn, Yeezy always hit 'em with a new styleKnow that motherfucker, well, what you gon' do now?Whatever I wanna do, gosh, it's cool nowKnow I'm gonna do, ah, it's the new nowThink you motherfuckers really, really need to cool out'Cause you'll never get on top of thisSo, mami, best advice is just to get on top of thisHave you ever had sex with a pharaoh?Ah, put the pussy in a sarcophagusNow she claiming that I bruised her esophagusHead of the class and she just won a swallowshipI'm livin' in the future so the present is my pastMy presence is a present, kiss my assChorus: Kanye West, Kanye West & JAY-Z, JAY-Z
Gossip, gossip, nigga, just stop itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concert (Yeah)Profit, profit, nigga, I got itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' handsVerse 3: JAY-Z
Sasquatch, Godzilla, King Kong, Loch NessGoblin, ghoul, a zombie with no conscienceQuestion, what do these things all have in common?Everybody knows I'm a motherfuckin' monsterConquer, stomp ya, stop your silly nonsenseNonsense, none of you niggas know where the swamp isNone of you niggas have seen the carnage that I've seenI still hear fiends scream in my dreamsMurder, murder in black convertibles, IKill a block, I murder the avenues, IRape and pillage your village, women and childrenEverybody want to know what my Achilles heel isLove, I don't get enough of itAll I get is these vampires and bloodsuckersAll I see is these niggas I made millionairesMillin' about, spillin' they feelings in the airAll I see is these fake fucks with no fangsTryna draw blood from my ice-cold veinsI smell a massacreSeems to be the only way to back you bastards upChorus: Kanye West
Gossip, gossip, nigga, just stop itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertProfit, profit, nigga, I got itEverybody know I'm a motherfuckin' monsterI'ma need to see your fuckin' hands at the concertI'ma need to see your fuckin' handsVerse 4: Nicki Minaj
Pull up in the monster, automobile gangstaWith a bad bitch that came from Sri LankaYeah, I'm in that Tonka, color of Willy WonkaYou could be the king, but watch the queen conquerOkay, first things first, I'll eat your brainsThen I'ma start rocking gold teeth and fangs'Cause that's what a motherfuckin' monster doHair dresser from Milan, that's the monster 'doMonster Giuseppe heel, that's the monster shoeYoung Money is the roster and a monster crewAnd I'm all up, all up, all up in the bank with the funny faceAnd if I'm fake, I ain't notice 'cause my money ain'tSo let me get this straight, wait, I'm the rookie?But my features and my shows ten times your pay?50K for a verse, no album outYeah, my money's so tall that my Barbies got to climb itHotter than a Middle Eastern climate, violentTony Matterhorn, dutty wine it, wine itNicki on them titties when I sign itThat's how these niggas so one-track-mindedBut really, really, I don't give an F-U-C-K"Forget Barbie, fuck Nicki, sh-she's fake""She on a diet," but my pockets eatin' cheesecakeAnd I'll say, bride of Chucky, it's child's playJust killed another career, it's a mild dayBesides, Ye, they can't stand besides meI think me, you, and Am' should ménage FridayPink wig, thick ass, give 'em whiplashI think big, get cash, make 'em blink fastNow look at what you just saw, this is what you live forAh, I'm a motherfuckin' monster!Outro: Justin Vernon & Charlie Wilson
I, I crossed the limelightAnd I'll, I'll let God decide, 'cideAnd I, I wouldn't last these showsSo I, I am headed home (Headed home)I, I crossed the limelightAnd I'll, I'll let God decide, 'cide (No)And I, I wouldn't last these showsSo I, I am headed home (Head home)I, I crossed the limelight (No, the limelight)And I'll, I'll let God decide, 'cideAnd I, I wouldn't last these showsSo I, I am headed homeWhat the song means
"Monster" is a song about fame, ego, and the price of being watched. It opens with a lonely, almost haunting intro that asks what you would sacrifice for success, setting a tone of exhaustion beneath the bravado. The verses that follow are full of swagger and boasting. Rappers present themselves as larger than life, and the monster is a metaphor for the ego that feeds on attention and money. The repeated chorus, with its demands about hands in the air at the concert, turns the crowd into a kind of audience that both celebrates and consumes the performer.
The middle of the song shifts toward predators. Jay-Z's verse fills the track with mythical creatures such as vampires, bloodsuckers, and Sasquatch to describe people who drain the artist and pretend to be friends. The story moves from self-glorification to suspicion and a sense of being hunted. The mood grows darker before the outro returns to the intro's weariness.
Key images such as the "limelight" and "headed home" point to a wish to step away from the spotlight. The monster is both the image the artist builds for himself and the trap he feels caught in.
Key phrases explained
- shoot the lights out
- to perform extremely well, to dominate a stage or event — Here it's an opening image of a performer giving everything on stage, mirroring the song's focus on fame.
- triple-double, no assists
- a basketball term for a player with three double-digit stat categories who gets points without help — A sports metaphor for doing everything alone and being the best without needing anyone.
- dutty wine
- a Jamaican dancehall dance move involving sensual hip movement — Nicki Minaj's slang reference to a flashy, confident dance that adds to her boastful tone.
- crossed the limelight
- stepped out of the spotlight, or moved past the center of public attention — In the outro, it signals a desire to leave fame behind and go home.
- Malibooyah
- a playful name for a drink mixing Goose and Malibu — A coined, humorous word that shows Kanye's love of inventing names and lifestyle brands.
Song info
- Release date
- 2010-08-27
- Album
- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
- Written by
- Kanye West, Justin Vernon, Rick Ross, JAŸ-Z, Nicki Minaj, Malik Yusef
- Produced by
- Kanye West
- Featuring
- Bon Iver, Rick Ross, JAŸ-Z, Nicki Minaj
- Interpolates
- Lil Wayne – A Milli
