Songfacts®:

• Kanye West announced on July 4, 2020 that he would run in the 2020 presidential election. Some political pundits speculated his presidential candidature was a publicity stunt to promote his music, but once they saw the rapper's name on ballots, they saw he was serious. West starts off this song with the chorus, where he talks about his presidential bid:
  
  Boy, we wasn't never no joke, nah, nah, nah
  All summer, murder he wrote, nah, nah, nah
  
  The first verse finds West continuing to refer to his run for presidency.
  
  Next time you text, can it wait?
  You are talkin' to a presidential candidate
• On September 14, 2020, West took to Twitter to complain about his contract with Sony and Universal, and their ownership of his masters. Over the next few days, he continued to outline his belief that the artist should have full rights to their music and repeatedly compared his record contract to slavery. West talks during the song's bridge about the way Sony and Universal have been handling his contract and master recordings.
  
  If I put myself in harm's way to get my own masters
  They'll put theyself in harm's way to stay the master
  
  The second verse finds West calling out the news media. He feels they haven't given the black community due credit for their influence on American culture.
  
  All the stars came from us
  All the styles came from us
  All the talent came from us
  All the shoes came from us
  But the news ain't on us
• West first previewed the song on Twitter on October 14, 2020. He referred to it as "theme music," calling it "so energized." The rapper made the full version available on all streaming platforms two days later.
• West co-produced the song with Dem Jointz. The California producer also worked with Dr. Dre on his Compton album and with Janet Jackson on her Unbreakable set. He collaborated extensively with Yeezy during 2020, including his single with Travis Scott, "Wash Us In The Blood."
• Kanye West dropped a remix on October 29, 2020 featuring verses from DaBaby and 2 Chainz.