RoboCop

"RoboCop" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song contains background vocals from Tony Williams and Jeff Bhasker. It was solely produced by West, who served as a songwriter alongside Esthero, Malik Yusef, Consequence, Kid Cudi, Williams, Bhasker, T-Pain, and Young Jeezy. Due to the embodiment of Patrick Doyle's work, a songwriting credit for him was added. The song was recorded in 2008 across numerous studios, being tweaked to perfection. Manny Marroquin explained how it was a challenge to make, confirming that multiple versions were created. An art pop number with an orchestral style, it embodies portions of "Kissing in the Rain", performed by Doyle. In the lyrics of the song, West reflects on his break-up with Alexis Phifer. After having experienced an internet leak in October 2008, "RoboCop" was included as the seventh track on the album in November. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly applauded the composition. Some selected it as an album highlight and reception of West's vocals was lukewarm, though a few critics disliked the structure. West recorded an accompanying music video with Amber Rose, though it was never released. West performed the song in February 2009 for his second live album, VH1 Storytellers (2010). Background and recording West's 2007 hit single "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was passed on to him by American rapper and his Def Jam labelmate Young Jeezy, who performs ad-libs on the song. Following the success of "Can't Tell Me Nothing", Young Jeezy felt as if he deserved a feature from West and later guested him on his single "Put On" (2008). West subsequently featured the rapper on 808s & Heartbreak track "Amazing", marking the second collaboration between the two of them. Speaking of "RoboCop" in 2008, Young Jeezy referred to how people can "hear some songs and they just sound big", calling the song an example of this and saying it immediately "just sounds like a big hit". On the album's 10th anniversary in 2018, fellow rapper Consequence described the song as "so conceptual" and said it "would've probably been an easier rhyme to write". In an interview for Complex a year later, he likened West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King (2019) to 808s & Heartbreak creatively; he cited writing the song's chorus as part of his challenging involvement.