“New Again” by Kanye West (ft. Chris Brown)
“New Again” is the first song we’ve come across, chronologically going down the playlist of Donda that has a distinct romantic undertone. Or at least the earlier parts of “New Again do. That is to say during the intro and first verse, Kanye appears to be addressing a romantic interest. And instead of coming off as most rappers do, i.e. as a playa, well, Yeezus does let it be known that he’s had his fair share of “wives” in the past.
But he definitely doesn’t come off as like a sex fiend or someone whose primary goal with his wealth is to chase women. In fact he is most pointedly letting the addressee know that he’s a serious, experienced dude and accordingly demands such respect in a relationship. For instance, somewhat disrespectfully we can say, he lets such women know that they “could never live up to (his) ex”.
And if said ex he is referring to is in fact Kim Kardashian, whom Kanye is sorta having a tough time with in the era of this song’s dropping, then yes, we would also have to agree that there aren’t many woman out there, at least not in the eyes of the world, of Kim K.’s status.
But that said, West concludes the verse by bringing all of these assertions home to ultimately point to the idea that if he is to get involved with someone new, then it would have to be akin to a very-serious relationship.
And again, we know that Kanye is not trying to present himself as some type of conceited playa because in the pre-chorus he is actually, repenting to God. However, he is doing so in advance of ‘everything he’s going to do again’, i.e. knowing that he’s bound to repeat his sins, so then again who really knows.
Chris Brown
The chorus, which is led by Chris Brown, highlights what this song is about, at least conceptually. And that is Breezy entreating the Most High to ‘make him new again’. Or, as led in by the aforementioned pre-chorus, this can be interpreted as the vocalist expressing a desire for his sins to be forgiven.
Kanye West steps in again
The second verse features Kanye West advising listeners on how to live their lives. He doesn’t get too specific or preachy but rather first off is generally admonishing addressees to remain wise when dealing with others.
Later in the passage, he once again redirects the attention more to God. He uses some repetitive lingo in that regard, but the main idea Yeezus seems to be putting forth is that even when people do you dirty, God – presumably if He’s on your side – will make things right.
And in that regard he makes a roundabout reference to the well-known Red Sea miracle, as depicted in the Book of Exodus. So this is something which Kanye wants us all to “remember”, seemingly the point being that at the end of the day, even conducting yourself wisely still grimy people are not anything to get bent too out of shape about, as their ill will ultimately, through divine science if you will, works out for good.
What “New Again” is all about
So conclusively, this is a dual-subjected song. One on hand we have Kanye, even if relatively briefly, harping on the status of his love life and the ideologies thereof. But the primary focus of the song, as with the entirety of Donda we can confidently say by this point, is admonishing listeners to build and maintain a right relationship with God.
Facts about “New Again”
Primary Artist: Kanye West
Featured Singer: Chris Brown
Album: “Donda”
Was “New Again” a single release?
No.
Who are the Writers of this Song?
“New Again” was written by Kanye West and Chris Brown in association with the following:
- Mia Wallis
- Nizzy
- Mark Williams
- Dem Jointz
- BoogzDaBeast
- 88-Keys
- Raul Cubina
- The Prynce
Note: In addition to writing this song, Kanye also acted as one of its many producers.
What Genre(s) is “New Again”?
- Gospel
- Progressive rap
- EDM
When did Kanye West release “New Again”?
August 29th, 2021 happens to be New Again‘s official date of release.
Are there any Samples in this song?
Yes. Kanye samples a 1991 song by Black Sheep. The song in question is titled “The Choice is Yours”.
