Solo Artist · Yeezy
Most frequent collaborator: Mike Dean · 54 tracks
Holds writing credit on 199 of 203 tracks
Yes. Kanye West is credited as a writer on nearly every track across the albums covered here. He almost always writes with a large group of collaborators, since his songs are built around samples and studio production, but he is a lyricist and composer on his own material from 'Jesus Walks' to 'Ultralight Beam.'
Across all 203 tracks: how many Kanye West wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Share of all 203 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Kanye West's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
Where Kanye West sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
None of the signature songs above fall in this category.
Covers 13 studio albums. Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) are credited to the ¥$ joint project with Ty Dolla $ign. Watch the Throne (2011, collaborative album with Jay-Z) and Donda 2 (2022, streaming-exclusive/unfinished release) are not included.
Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam
Def Jam
GOOD Music / Def Jam
GOOD Music / Def Jam
GOOD Music / Def Jam
GOOD Music / Def Jam
West Corporation / Def Jam Recordings
YZY
YZY / Gamma
No albums from this decade.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. MD Mike Dean · CY Cydel Young · MY Malik Yusef · MJ Malik Jones · TG Tyrone Griffin Jr. · MW Mark Williams
Data Insight
Kanye West is one of the few hip-hop artists who scores near-100% on BOTH lyricist and composer credits, he writes all his own rap verses AND produces most of his own beats. This makes him the closest equivalent in hip-hop to what Jared Leto represents in rock: total creative authorship from writing to production to performance. His production credits are among the most influential in modern music history.
Quick Facts
Creative Fingerprint
A producer-first author: Kanye West is credited as a writer on nearly every track he releases, but almost always alongside a crowd of co-writers, sample composers, and producers. His songs are built collaboratively in the studio, not written alone.
The Story
Kanye West is a rapper, record producer, and fashion designer widely regarded as one of the most influential and polarizing figures in modern music. Emerging from Chicago's South Side, he first gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records before proving himself a formidable MC with his debut album The College Dropout in 2004. Over the following two decades he has consistently reinvented his sound, from soulful chipmunk-soul to orchestral hip-hop, minimalist electronic experimentation, and gospel rap, earning 24 Grammy Awards and reshaping the genre with nearly every release.