Sanctified

Album: Mastermind (2014)
Charted: 78
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This Mastermind cut features a verse from Kanye West in which he pokes fun at the public perception that he's too aggressive. The rapper brought along G.O.O.D. Music signee Big Sean to spit the hook. Big Sean put out his verse that didn’t make the song as a free download a couple of days after the release of Mastermind.
  • DJ Mustard supplied the gospel-laced beat. The producer recalled to Billboard magazine how he got a call to meet West for the first time in a studio in Santa Barbara, California ."I didn't know who's project it was for, I just knew that I was going to get to work with Kanye," he said. "I've been a fan of his for a minute, so I was just kind of soaking up game and watching him do what he does."
  • That's Soul great Betty Wright singing the intro and bridge. The Miami-based singer-songwriter joined the family gospel group the Echoes of Joy in 1956 and made her first records for Deep City at the age of thirteen. She won fame in the 1970s with the hits "Clean Up Woman" and "Where Is The Love," winning the 1975 Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues song for the latter.

    Wright's songs have been much sampled over the years, but producer Mike Dean confirmed that her contribution on this cut is not borrowed - they got the soul legend to come into the studio and croon some notes.
  • The song took a long time to complete. Ross recalled to The Sun newspaper: "The chorus started out as a sample. Then we tried a vocalist, then another, then another... In the end, we just said: 'Let's get a real gospel singer to give us that feeling.' I reached out to look beautiful, talented, Betty Wright, who has always been shining in Miami, and she showed some love and it paid off."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Roger McGuinn of The Byrds

Roger McGuinn of The ByrdsSongwriter Interviews

Roger reveals the songwriting formula Clive Davis told him, and if "Eight Miles High" is really about drugs.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Colbie Caillat

Colbie CaillatSongwriter Interviews

Since emerging from MySpace with her hit "Bubbly," Colbie has become a top songwriter, even crafting a hit with Taylor Swift.

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song Spoofs

A Monster Ate My Red Two: Sesame Street's Greatest Song SpoofsSong Writing

When singers started spoofing their own songs on Sesame Street, the results were both educational and hilarious - here are the best of them.