“Ultralight Beam” by Kanye West (ft. Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream)

First of all concerning the title of this track, in the chorus Kanye seems to synonymize “ultralight beam” with “a God dream”. But to note, the titular term actually originated from a freestyle session he conducted alongside Chance the Rapper and Justin Bieber, the latter of whom didn’t make the final cut of the song. 

So the implication would be that when created it didn’t have any particular meaning. However the lyrics themselves read a lot like a gospel, even featuring Kirk Franklin, who is considered to be a straight-up Christian act. 

So such a meaning was likely ascribed to the titular term since such what the song itself ended up being about, i.e. a religious piece. Or put differently, don’t try too hard to derive a definitive meaning from the title alone.

But as for the rest of the lyrics, once again they are more overtly spiritual. In fact this song commences with what can be considered a prayer, complete with favorable references to “God” and “Jesus” and rebuking of “Satan” and “devils”. Indeed Yeezus has come out with quite a few Christian-themed songs throughout the years. But this is one of the most undeniable in terms of establishing a Biblical-inspired theme from the jump.

Kanye West

In fact it is Kanye himself who subsequently breaks this mold of clarity, via the utilization of ambiguous language, in the chorus that follows. For instance, we all have a general understanding of what it means when someone says they’re trying to ‘keep their faith’. But then the title, which once again doesn’t have any specific meaning, is uttered. 

Yeezus follows up afterwards by declaring this piece is “a God dream”, a statement which a listener has to be adept in West’s personal religious philosophies in order to really comprehend. And so it goes with the line that follows, when the vocalist declares that “this is everything”.

But once the first verse commences, we get a better idea of what he is putting forth as being akin to a prayer itself. And in that regard he is asking for the gifts of “serenity”, “peace” and “loving”. 

‘Ye also seems to assert that he and others are in need of a palpable blessing, thus adding to the earnestness of his heaven-bound entreaty. He then goes on to aim these blessings at specific groups. 

One would be the victims of the horrifying terrorist attacks which took place in Paris on 13 November 2015, with Paris being a city Kanye has a known affinity for. And the other would be parents, i.e. Yeezus being sympathetic to individuals tasked with raising children in today’s world. 

He then concludes the verse by referring to “this”, which we would presume is a reference to the song itself, as “a God dream”, as with the chorus. And all things considered, it would probably be best if we left the interpretation of that phrase up to individual listener deciphering.

The-Dream

The-Dream serves as the lead vocalist of the refrain which follows shortly thereafter. Like Kanye, he is also ‘trying to keep his faith’. But simultaneously, he desires to increase it also. Or rather, more to the poetic point is that he is looking for divine intervention concerning his own internal spiritual battles. So he reads like someone who is having a difficult time maintaining his godly beliefs in the world.

Kelly Price

And perhaps the second verse, as led by Kelly Price, reveals why he feels so. In this segment the vocalist is depicted as someone who is being oppressed by the powers that be, so to speak.  These are those who persecute, i.e. take advantage of, “the weak”. Against such odds she feels overwhelmed. So she is looking to a higher power to protect her. But on a more global scale, she is also requesting divine intercession in righting the wrongs of the world.

Chance the Rapper

Now the beginning of the third verse, which follows directly thereafter, has been interpreted as Chance putting up a defense for Jesus. But considering how Kelly’s section ended, it is also arguable that he is stating something like a willingness to protect spiritual rebels, if you will, such as himself. 

Also by this point, it becomes apparent that this me-against-the-world type of mentality is a subtheme of “Ultralight Beam”. And by the world we mean in a Biblical sense, i.e. the system of things which is presented as being intrinsically at odds with the spiritually pure.

But on a more personal note, Chano also presents himself as someone whom the mainstream is after, in a manner of speaking. And it can be said that the main purpose of his verse is to illustrate that he is spiritually grounded, or let’s say confident that God has his back. And part of this confidence is founded in the fact that he has used his stardom to propagate the Word

He also shows Kanye major love, acknowledging him as a mentor who encouraged Chance to put out his game-changing Coloring Book (2016) album. Before closing out the extended passage, the Rapper also levies more praises towards the Most High, in addition to implying that this verse, as alluded to earlier, is part freestyle, i.e. the vocalist “having fun with it”. 

And with that in mind he concludes on a completely-different note, i.e. observing how his ex-girlfriend must now be distraught for losing him, on top of giving a shoutout to actor Wesley Snipes, director Spike Lee and his home city of Chicago.

Kirk Franklin

Kirk Franklin then renders the outro with an even more standard prayer than the one that began the song. What he is most basically doing is praying for the spiritually lost and downtrodden, i.e. those being the types of individuals whom this track is dedicated to.

What “Ultralight Beam” is all about

So going back to the origin of Ultralight Beam, this is a work that was founded by three mainstream artists – Kanye West, Chance the Rapper and Justin Bieber – who are all known for having Christian inclinations. 

And whereas the song does not stick entirely to a religious theme, about 95% of the lyrics do. So it is clear that the featured artists take their relationship with God, we can more seriously than your average celebrity musician. Also, they clearly perceive the world at large as being in a state whereas a divine presence is sorely needed.

“Ultralight Beam” Facts

Primary Artist(s): Kanye West
Featured Artist(s): Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin and The-Dream
Album/EP: “The Life of Pablo” 

Release: February 14 of 2016

Was “Ultralight Beam” a single release?

No.

Writing: 

It was written by Kanye West, Chance and eleven others namely:

• Mike Dean
• Kelly Price
• Terius Nash
• Samuel Griesemer
• Noah Goldstein
• Nico Segal
• Kirk Franklin
• Kasseem Dean
• Jerome Potter
• Derek Watkins
• Cydel Young

Production: 

The production was done by West, Chance, Mike Dean and Swizz Beatz.

Genre(s):

• Hip hop
• Gospel

Awards/Honors:

In 2017, the song was nominated for “Best Rap/Sung Performance” and “Best Rap Song” awards at the Grammys. It lost both awards to Drake’s “Hotline Bling”.

The “Best Rap/Sung Performance” category was made up of:

• Beyoncé alongside Kendrick Lamar – “Freedom”
• DRAM with Lil Yachty – “Broccoli”
• Kanye West and Rihanna – “Famous”

The “Best Rap Song” category had:

• “All the Way Up” (Fat Joe & Remy Ma alongside Infared  and French Montana)
• “Famous” (Kanye West and Rihanna)
• “No Problem” (Chance the Rapper alongside Lil Wayne and 2 Chainz)

Other Accolades:

According to Pitchfork’s ranking of 100 best songs, “Ultralight Beam” was the best song of 2016 and it was part of their ranking of 200 best songs of the decade (2010’s).

On Rolling Stone’s list of 50 Best Songs of 2016, it was number 5.

RIAA certified it Platinum in the US in March of 2018 while BPI gave it a Silver certification in the UK in March of 2018.

Chart Performance:

• Sweden – 5
• UK – 15
• US – 67

Legal Issues:

West was sued for “illegally” sampling parts of the song. “Ultralight Beam” has a sampled voice of a young child in the short spoken word portion at the beginning of the song. It was sampled from an Instagram video posted by the child’s mother. The litigation however ended after an undisclosed settlement was agreed on.

Covers:

• Local Natives (2016)
• Sunday Service Choir (2019)
• Naaz (2018)
• Cub Sport (2016)

Sampling:

• Georgio (French Rapper) – “L’espoir Meurt en Dernier” (2016)
• Lido – “Life of Peder (Part One)” (2016)
• Kota the Friend – “Ultralight BEAM Freestyle” (2017)
• Mouthpi3ce – “More or Less” (2017)
• The Hood Internet – “40 Years of Hip Hop” (2017)