It was late February 2015. The Brit Awards were happening at the O2 Arena in London. Kanye West stepped onto the stage, flanked by a literal army of guys in black tracksuits and hoodies—including then-rising stars like Stormzy and Skepta—and unleashed a flamethrower. Literally. Two giant flamethrowers blasted fire into the air while a heavy, distorted riff shook the room. That was the world's introduction to the all day song kanye west fans had been hearing rumors about for months. It wasn't just a song launch; it was a hostile takeover of a polite British awards show.
Honestly, looking back, "All Day" represents a very specific, chaotic era of Kanye’s career. It’s that weird transitional period between the industrial rage of Yeezus and the gospel-infused maximalism of The Life of Pablo. For a long time, we thought this track was the lead single for an album called So Help Me God, an album that never actually came out in its original form.
The Weird Anatomy of the All Day Song Kanye West Released
Most people don't realize how many cooks were in the kitchen for this one. If you look at the official credits, there are about 20 writers listed. Twenty. That includes everyone from Kanye himself to Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott, Vic Mensa, and even Mike Dean. But the most surprising name on that list? Paul McCartney.
Yeah, Sir Paul McCartney.
The main melody of the song—that whistling hook that pops up—is actually based on a sketch McCartney wrote back in 1969. Kanye took a tiny fragment of a melody from a rock legend and turned it into a heavy, aggressive drill-adjacent anthem. That’s the Kanye genius, or at least the Kanye method. He’s a curator. He collects sounds like a magpie.
The song itself is a marathon. It’s over five minutes long. It’s built on this relentless, thumping beat that feels like a heartbeat after three energy drinks. Lyrically, it’s classic mid-2010s Kanye: boastful, paranoid, and obsessed with his own longevity. He’s talking about how long he can go, how long he’s been in the game, and how he’s not going anywhere. "All day, n***a." It became a mantra.
The Kendrick Lamar Connection You Might Have Missed
There’s a version of "All Day" floating around the internet that features a full verse from Kendrick Lamar. It’s one of those "what if" moments in hip-hop history. In the final version, Kendrick is only credited as a writer and provides some subtle background vocals, but his influence is all over the cadence of the verses.
Kanye has always been open about how much he admired Kendrick’s pen at that time. He was reportedly so impressed by Kendrick that he reworked his own verses multiple times to keep up. When you listen to the all day song kanye west put out, you can hear that technical density. The rhyme schemes are tighter than what he was doing on Yeezus. It’s bouncy but menacing.
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Why the Brit Awards Performance Was Everything
You can't talk about this song without talking about that performance. It was pure theater. Kanye brought the entire UK grime scene on stage with him. At the time, grime was still fighting for mainstream respect in the US, and Kanye—ever the disruptor—decided to give them the biggest platform possible.
The audio was censored so heavily on the live broadcast that viewers at home mostly just heard silence and static for five minutes. It was a mess. But for the people in the room, it was legendary. Taylor Swift was seen dancing in the crowd. Kim Kardashian was watching from the wings. It felt like the center of the musical universe.
That performance solidified the song's identity. It wasn't just a radio hit; it was a statement of power. It showed that Kanye didn't need a traditional rollout. He just needed a flamethrower and a vision.
The Production Masterclass
The sound of "All Day" is incredibly dense. It’s got that signature Mike Dean distortion—that fuzzy, warm, but aggressive low end that makes your car speakers rattle.
- The Bass: It’s an 808-heavy track, but the 808s are processed to sound "dirty."
- The Whistle: That McCartney-inspired melody provides a weird, haunting contrast to the heavy drums.
- The Outro: The song ends with a beautiful, stripped-back section featuring Paul McCartney on acoustic guitar and some soulful vocals from Theophilus London and Allan Kingdom.
It shouldn't work. On paper, mixing a 1969 McCartney sketch with 2015 Chicago drill influences sounds like a disaster. But it works because Kanye knows how to bridge those gaps.
The "So Help Me God" Mystery
For fans, the all day song kanye west dropped was supposed to be the start of a new chapter. The artwork for the single was a 13th-century monastic symbol for the Virgin Mary. It was dark, religious, and intense.
Then, everything changed.
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Kanye scrapped the So Help Me God title. He changed it to SWISH. Then he changed it to Waves. Eventually, it became The Life of Pablo. In that shuffle, "All Day" and its sister track "Only One" (another McCartney collaboration) were basically orphaned. They didn't make the final cut of the album.
This happens a lot in Kanye’s discography. Some of his best work ends up as "loose singles" that don't have a home on a major project. Because of that, "All Day" sometimes gets overlooked when people talk about his "greatest hits," but in terms of raw energy and production complexity, it’s top-tier.
The Impact on the UK Scene
We have to give credit where it’s due: Kanye putting Skepta and Stormzy on that stage was a massive moment for UK music. It wasn't just a cameo. It was a co-sign that resonated across the Atlantic.
Skepta has talked about how that moment changed things for him. It gave him a level of visibility in the States that he hadn't had before. It showed that Kanye was paying attention to what was happening in the streets of London, not just the studios of LA.
A Critical Look: Does it Hold Up?
If we're being honest, some parts of the song haven't aged perfectly. The sheer number of writers sometimes makes the track feel a bit like "rap by committee." There are moments where you can tell Kanye is trying really hard to be "the greatest" rather than just being himself.
But then the beat drops again.
And you realize that the all day song kanye west made is one of the most aggressive "workout" tracks ever recorded. It’s got an infectious energy that is hard to deny. It’s a song designed to be played loud. It’s a song designed to make you feel invincible.
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The Allan Kingdom hook is also a highlight. Kingdom, an artist from St. Paul, Minnesota, was relatively unknown at the time. His high-pitched, melodic contribution gave the song a "world music" feel that balanced out Kanye’s gruff delivery. It was a risky choice that paid off.
How to Experience the Best Version of the Song
If you really want to dive into this era, don't just listen to the Spotify version. You need to go find the video of the Brit Awards performance. The energy is different. You can see the steam coming off the performers. You can see the confusion in the faces of the industry executives in the front row.
There are also several high-quality fan edits that combine the Kendrick Lamar verse with the final production. Those are worth seeking out if you want to hear what the "ultimate" version of the track could have been.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
If you're revisiting the all day song kanye west era, here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Watch the 2015 Brit Awards Performance: This is the definitive way to experience the track. The choreography (or lack thereof) and the raw fire create an atmosphere you don't get from the studio recording.
- Listen to "Only One": This was the other major collaboration from the McCartney sessions. It’s the polar opposite of "All Day"—soft, autotuned, and emotional—but it shows the range Kanye was working with at the time.
- Explore the Credits: Look up the artists involved, particularly Allan Kingdom and Theophilus London. Their solo work from that era (like Kingdom’s Northern Lights) carries a similar experimental vibe.
- Check out the "So Help Me God" Leaks: If you're into the lore, there are plenty of forums and YouTube channels dedicated to the unreleased tracks from this specific 2014-2015 period. It's a fascinating rabbit hole of "what could have been."
"All Day" serves as a reminder of a time when Kanye West was obsessed with the intersection of high art, street culture, and rock history. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s unapologetically bold. Whether you love it or hate it, you can't deny that it demanded your attention.
Summary of the "All Day" Legacy
The song remains a staple for many because of its sheer audacity. It wasn't trying to be a "Gold Digger" or a "Stronger." It was trying to be a riot. By bringing together a Beatle, a future Pulitzer winner (Kendrick), and the kings of London grime, Kanye created a cultural artifact that still feels heavy today.
When you play it now, it doesn't sound like 2015. It sounds like a frantic, fiery moment in time that hasn't quite cooled down. It's a testament to the fact that even when Kanye is "all over the place," he's usually exactly where he needs to be to shake things up.
To dive deeper into the technical side of this era, you can look into Mike Dean's production techniques from 2015, specifically his use of the Moog Voyager and heavy saturation. Understanding the "wall of sound" approach used in these sessions helps explain why the track feels so physically imposing. If you're a producer, try deconstructing the transition between the main riff and the McCartney outro; it's a masterclass in shifting keys and moods without losing the listener. Finally, revisit the The Life of Pablo as a follow-up to see which DNA markers from "All Day" actually made it into the final "gospel-rap" evolution.