"Selfish": Slum Village ft. John Legend & Kanye West
Production: Kanye West
Album: Detroit Deli: A Taste of Detroit
Kanye has never been one to shy away from a feature. With over 70 guest verses since 2004, Ye's output has ranged from the sublime ("Knock You Down", "Wouldn't Get Far") to the truly ridiculous ("Birthday Song", "E.T.", - 'They callin' me an alien, a big headed astronaut/ maybe it's because ya boy Yeezy get ass a lot'.
I mean, come on.
His appearance on Slum Village's "Selfish", alongside fellow G.O.O.D. music signee John Legend, belongs to the former camp. The song itself is tight and enjoyable, with a classic Aretha sample nicely interwoven into Legend's soulful hook. The verses from Slum Village residents T3 and Elzhi are also strong, as they adapt Jay-Z's well-known template for his hit "Girls, Girls, Girls" to highlight their own lyrical prowess, and their own skills at philandering.
But it is Kanye's verse, and particularly its second half, that truly elevates the track, as he abandons his initial braggadocio to concentrate on forming complex rhyme schemes. His last sign-off is so full of quotables that I'm just going to leave it here:
"And this one here is a heatrocks, spit like a beat box The way the beat rocks, new version of Pete Rock But for that Benz, I get CL love So I switch my girls around like 3L-dub"