New Day [Kanye Verse] (BREAKDOWN)

This song is about Kanye West & Jay-Z's future sons. Ironically they both had girls after this song was made.

And I’ll never let my son have an ego
He’ll be nice to everyone, wherever we go
Kanye West is not stranger to being called egotistical. In fact, that might be one of his claims to fame. Here he's saying that he doesn't want his son to be like him. He wants to make sure he turns out a nice person.

I mean, I might even make ‘em be Republican
So everybody know he love white people
Republicans have statistically been a high majority white. In fact in 2012 it was reported 89% of Republicans are white compared to 60% Democrat. Kanye considers making his son be Republican to show that he likes white people.

And I’ll never let ‘em leave his college girlfriend
And get caught up with the groupies in the whirlwind
Kanye left his long term girlfriend, and once fiancee, Alexis Phifer, left him. He's blaming it on getting caught up with the luxuries of fame, and wants to make sure his son doesn't do that. 

And I’ll never let ‘em ever hit the telethon
I mean even if people dyin’ and the world ends
One of Kanye's most memorable moments was during the Hurricane Katrina telethon in which he said, "George Bush doesn't care about black people." They have since made up, but that follows Kanye for the rest of his life. He's making sure his son doesn't get in a situation like that by not letting him on on telethons.

See, I just want ‘im to have an easy life, not like Yeezy life
Just want ‘im to be someone people like
Don’t want ‘im to be hated, all the time judged
Don’t be like your daddy that would never budge
He wants his son to have an easy life because his has been far from it. He constantly is being hated by people for things hes done, and doesn't want his son to be hated in the same way.

And I’ll never let ‘im ever hit a strip club
I learned the hard way, that ain’t the place to get love
In reference to Amber Rose, his other ex-girlfriend. She tended to be more toxic to him than positive, so he's saying he doesn't want his son finding a girl there.

And I’ll never let his mom move to L.A.
Knowin’ she couldn’t take the pressure, now we all pray

Kanye believes that one of the reasons he lost his mother is because of her move to Los Angeles. He feels she wouldn't have gotten the life ending surgery had she stayed back.

Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) [BREAKDOWN]

From his sophomore album, Kanye speaks on the Blood Diamond trade in Sierra Leone.

Good Morning, this ain't Vietnam still
People lose hands, legs, arms for real
Little was known of Sierra Leone
And how it connect to the diamonds we own
A reference to the Robin Williams film Good Morning Vietnam. Kanye is comparing The Vietnam War to the Blood Diamond issue going on in Sierra Leone. Although not quite as bad as Vietnam, there is still plenty of bloodshed happening over in that part of Africa.

When I speak of Diamonds in this song
I ain't talkin bout the ones that be glowin
I'm talkin bout Rocafella, my home, my chain
Roc-a-Fella records, the label that first believed in Kanye's talent, has a hand sign that makes a diamond. This is in reference to the original "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" track in which Kanye talked about the label he's signed to. Not blood or conflict diamonds.

These ain't conflict diamonds, is they Jacob? don't lie to me mayne
Kanye asks if the prominent jeweler Jacob & Co is selling him things with blood diamonds in them.

See, a part of me sayin' keep shinin',
How? when I know of the blood diamonds
He's having a hard time bringing himself to keep wearing diamond studded watches and necklaces because he knows that people may be dying to make them.

Though it's thousands of miles away
Sierra Leone connect to what we go through today
Over here, it's a drug trade, we die from drugs
Over there, they die from what we buy from drugs
Now he's showing how American ghettos are connected to Sierra Leone. People sell drugs to make a living and buy things that they need and want in parts of America, while people from Sierra Leone die from what people buy from selling drugs.. diamonds.

The diamonds, the chains, the bracelets, the charmses
I thought my Jesus Piece was so harmless
'Til I seen a picture of a shorty armless
he's having second thoughts about all of the diamond studded jewelry he bought. Seeing someone in Sierra Leone without their arms because of blood diamonds makes him feel bad.

And here's the conflict
It's in a black person's soul to rock that gold
Spend ya whole life tryna get that ice
On a polo rugby it look so nice
How could somethin' so wrong make me feel so right, right?
He's conflicted about the entire thing. On one hand the thought of buying diamonds is ingrained in the culture he was raised in. He even says people spend their whole life getting them, and when they do they feel great. So how could something that makes him feel great, also make him feel bad at the same time?

'Fore I beat myself up like Ike
You could still throw ya Rocafella diamond tonight, 'cause
He closes the verse saying that although he's worried, people can let go and still throw up the Roc-a-Fella sign.