“Hurricane” by Kanye West (ft. The Weeknd and Lil Baby)

Kanye West’s “Hurricane” commences with a chorus rendered by The Weeknd, someone whose artistry we’re familiar enough with to know that he isn’t a religious person in the common sense of the word. 

But alas, in this case he is teaming up with Yeezus. So the first statement he makes along those lines is more in tune with what we would expect combining all of the above, i.e. Abel stating that he he’s ‘found the god within’ himself, which reads more new age-ish than, say Christian. 

However, he does reference Jesus’s ‘walking on water’ miracle, though in relation to himself being able to pull it off, which we would presume is a symbolic assertion. But The Weeknd does mention the “Father” in a more proper context later in the verse, as Someone who loves him and is able to save him from trouble. 

And it can be said that the overall theme of the passage centers on the vocalist’s ability to survive hardship, thus setting the thematic stage for the rest of the piece.

Lil Baby

Meanwhile the first verse, as held down by Lil Baby, reads primarily as a come-up narrative. The only direct religious reference – if you want to term it as such – that he makes therein comes at the beginning of the passage, when the rapper speaks over forsaking his “sins”. 

But again, as far as what’s actually being said in bulk, he doesn’t stick to such a topic. Instead the primary goal appears to be convincing the listener that whereas there was a time in Lil Baby’s when life presented its fair share of financial challenges, in the present he’s the man as far as income generation is concerned.

The Weeknd

The bridge that follows is more overtly religious in that The Weeknd appears to be directly addressing the Most High. And what he is speaking to is the faithfulness of God, i.e. the idea that He won’t desert those who believe in Him, such as Kanye and co., even in times of need. Therefore such individuals are able to “sleep” peacefully knowing that they have such high-powered backup.

Kanye West

Near the beginning of the second verse, West does make it clearer that what the title is in fact alluding to hardship. And he also points to struggles he personally went through in a more detailed manner than his predecessor. 

For instance, Yeezus harps back to being a college dropout and notes that even during his earlier days as a poppin’ musician, there were still serious internal issues he had to deal with. But the implication throughout it all, even though the lyrics get a bit confusing for a moment there, is that it was God who had seen him through. 

And to illustrate that point some parts of the verse do in fact read like Baby’s, with ‘Ye being able to boast of owning a “$60,000,000 home” for instance. He also explicitly namedrops his equally famous/rich wife, Kim Kardashian, in the passage. And he uses said reference to point to the overall idea of “true love” being hard to find.

The Conclusion of “Hurricane”

And the song concludes more or less as it began, with The Weeknd acknowledging a Higher Power for holding him down. But stretching the premise of this piece a bit, we can say that it is based on hardships, disappointments, discouragements, etc. being an unavoidable part of life. 

But the conclusion is that with some divine grace and application, such challenges are, against the odds, very much surmountable.

“Hurricane” Facts

Primary Artist(s): Kanye West
Featured Artist(s): The Weeknd and Lil Baby
Album/EP: “Donda“

Was “Hurricane” a single release?

Yes. It was released as such from the rapper’s 10th album, “Donda”.

Writing

“Hurricane” was written by Kanye West alongside The Weeknd, Lil Baby and the following:

• Mark Mbogo
• Sam Barsh
• Ronald Spence, Jr.
• Jahmal Gwin
• Daniel Seeff
• Khalil A. Rahman
• Mike Dean
• Josh Mease

“Hurricane” was subsequently produced by West, DJ Khalil, Ronny J, BoogzDaBea and Mike Dean.

Chart Performance

“Hurricane” was a top-10 hit in many countries, including these:

• Australia – 4
• Iceland – 7
• Ireland – 7
• New Zealand – 3
• Norway – 8
• Switzerland – 9
• UK – 2

The “Donda” Album

After many delays and high anticipations, Universal records released the much-awaited tenth studio album of American songwriter and rapper, Kanye West on August 29, 2021. According to the rapper, he named the album Donda because as special tribute to his deceased mother, Donda West. 

Donda contains 27 songs of hip-hop and gospel genres. The lyrics of the songs on the album explore sensitive subjects, including addiction, racism, religion, and mental health. Kanye also reflects on his issues on the album, such as his relationship with his wife Kim Kardashian and family, his bipolar disorder and ego, and his love for Christianity and his late mother.

He also featured many top rappers and musicians, including Jay-Z, Travis Scott, Pop-smoke, Lil Baby, Young Thug, Chris Brown, The Weeknd, and Roddy Ricch. However, just like one of his previous albums, The Life of Pablo LP, Kanye did not credit any of the featured artists on the official tracklisting of Donda.

Donda debuted at number one on Billboard’s 200 charts and sold over quarter of a million copies in its first week.