Never Let Me Down (Kanye West song)
| "Never Let Me Down" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy | |
| from the album The College Dropout | |
| Released | February 10, 2004 |
| Recorded | May 2002–03 |
| Studio | Baseline Recording (New York, New York) The Record Plant (Hollywood, California) Larrabee Sound North (Los Angeles, California) |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Length | 5:24 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | West |
"Never Let Me Down" is a song by American rapper and producer Kanye West featuring fellow artists Jay-Z and J. Ivy, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was released as the album's eighth track, produced solely by West, and samples "Maybe It's the Power of Love" by American rock group Blackjack. As such, Blackjack members Michael Bolton and Bruce Kulick have writing credits on the song. West and Ivy each provide one verse–the latter being a poem–while Jay-Z has two verses.
Music critics mostly had praise for the track, released on the 10th of February, 2004, but tended to view Jay's appearance in a negative light. Although the song was not released as a single and, thus, did not chart, it was certified gold on the 21st of April, 2022. Previously, in 2011, Billboard listed the song as the second greatest collaboration between Kanye and Jay. Although an accompanying music video wasn't ever produced for "Never Let Me Down", the audio of the track was used in one of West's videos for fellow College Dropout track "Jesus Walks". The song has developed a significant legacy over time, despite never having an official single release.