Through the Wire by Kanye West Song Info
"Through the Wire" is the lead single from Kanye West's debut album The College Dropout. It samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire". In 2002 while living in Los Angeles, Kanye was severely injured in a car accident and had to have his jaw wired shut. "Through the Wire" was originally recorded while West was in the hospital, and first appeared on the Get Well Soon mixtape. "Through the Wire" peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received positive reviews from music critics. It was certified Platinum and Gold in the United States and United Kingdom, respectively. The song was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance, but lost to Jay-Z's "99 Problems". The music video was financed by West, who was inspired by an Adidas advertisement. It won Video of the Year at the 2004 Source Hip-Hop Awards. On October 23, 2002, West was in a California recording studio producing music for Beanie Sigel, Peedi Crakk, and The Black Eyed Peas. After leaving the studio at around 3 a.m. in his rented Lexus, he had a near-fatal crash when he was cut off by a car, ran head-on into traffic, and collided with another car near the W Hotel. He was taken to the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, mentioned in the song as "the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died," and had his jaw wired to his face in reconstructive surgery. Two weeks after being admitted to the hospital, he recorded the song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. Consequence recalls West started rapping the lyrics to the song three days after the crash. "The song's title refers to the wires used to hold his broken jaw together. When asked about how the incident changed his music, West stated: Well, the only thing this accident's is saying is, "I am about to hand you the world, just know at any given time I can take it away from you." To nearly lose your life, to nearly lose your mouth, your voice, your whole face, as a rapper...and I had to be on TV! My face looks crazy to me now... But I have to just thank God for the situation that I am in... "Through The Wire" is the worst thing that could've possibly happened to me, and now it's obviously the best thing. Look how it exploded!"
