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"Keep My Spirit Alive" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album, Donda (2021). The song features vocals from fellow American rappers Conway the Machine and Westside Gunn and originally featured additional vocals from KayCyy.

Background and recording

Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn and Benny the Butcher toured as Griselda in USA in early 2020. The day after the tour finished, Griselda went to West's Sunday Service and were invited to go Wyoming and record with West. On March 12, 2020, Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine were spotted in Wyoming recording for West's album. Westside Gunn would later confirm the collaboration in an interview with Elliot Wilson on Tidal. Conway the Machine confirmed in an August 2020 interview that he had songwriting credits on Donda, as well as a record with Westside Gunn and West. Royce da 5’9 also has punch in lines throughout West’s verse. Though Westside Gunn went to Wyoming in early 2020, his verse on "Keep My Spirit Alive" was not recorded until the end of the recording sessions for his album Who Made the Sunshine. Westside Gunn said the following in an interview with Complex about the collaboration:

"That verse is old. I went to Wyoming, but I didn't do that in Wyoming. I actually recorded that when I was making the Who Made The Sunshine album. When I was making it, he hit me and was like, "Yo, I got a joint for you, man." You know, Donda been pushed back 57 times. Donda been was supposed to have came out. So when he hit me with the "I need this", I made it on the spot. When he sent me that beat, I sent that shit back to him in less than an hour, since I was already working. I was already in album mode."

Release and promotion

The song was officially first previewed during a private listening party for Donda in Las Vegas on July 19, 2021. The song was absent from the album's first public listening party on July 22, 2021, which took place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The subsequent second listening party at the same stadium on August 5, 2021, featured the song. An alternate version of the song played at the third and final public listening party in Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois on August 26, 2021; this alternate version featured West singing the chorus instead of the album version's KayCyy chorus. The song that originally released on August 29 had KayCyy singing the chorus.

On September 28, 2021, a new version of "Keep My Spirit Alive" was uploaded onto streaming platforms that replaced the original version where West performed the chorus instead of KayCyy. The version with KayCyy on the chorus was later included in the deluxe track listing for Donda, released November 14, 2021, and was renamed "Keep My Spirit Alive pt 2" to differentiate it from the version with West on the chorus.

Personnel

• Master and mix engineering – Maurizio "Irko" Sera
• Record engineering – Alejandro Rodriguez-Dawsøn, Josh Berg, Kalam Ali Muttalib, Mikalai Skrobat and Rashade Benani Bevel
• Vocal editing – Louis Bell and Patrick Hundley
• Drums – Darius Woodley and Rico Nichols
• Vocals – Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine
• Additional vocals – KayCyy

Charts

References

1. Gelenidze, Remy (14 January 2020). "Griselda announces WWCD Tour!". Southpawer. Archived from the original on January 26, 2020. Retrieved 18 September 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
2. The Bootleg Kev Podcast (17 August 2020). "Conway The Machine on working with Kanye West in Wyoming". YouTube. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
3. Jones, Jiggy (March 12, 2020). "Could a Griselda and Kanye West Collaboration happen in 2020?". The Source. Archived from the original on October 5, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
4. Gelenidze, Remy (March 13, 2020). "Griselda, Kanye West, Havoc, Cyhi the Prynce spotted in Wyoming". Southpawer. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
5. Williams, Aaron (April 6, 2020). "Westside Gunn Explains How His Collaboration With Kanye West Was Derailed". Uproxx. Archived from the original on May 18, 2020. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
6. The Bootleg Kev Podcast (17 August 2020). "Conway The Machine says he hates the ridicule that Kanye West receives". Retrieved 18 September 2021.
7. ^ Gee, Andre (3 September 2021). "Why Westside Gunn Wants His Collaborators to Outshine Him on Every Song". Complex. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
8. Eustice, Kyle (14 September 2021). "Westside Gunn Knew Marilyn Manson Photo Would Have People Shitting On Themselves". HipHopDX. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
9. Caraan, Sophie (September 28, 2021). "Kanye West Seemingly Updates 'Donda' Mixes and Featured Artists". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
10. "Kanye West – Keep My Spirit Alive". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
11. "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
12. "Kanye West – Keep My Spirit Alive" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
13. "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
14. "2021 35-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
15. "Kanye West – Keep My Spirit Alive". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
16. "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: 27/08/2021 to 02/09/2021". The Official South African Charts. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
17. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
18. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
19. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
20. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
21. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
22. "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
23. "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.

• 2021 songs
• Kanye West songs
• Songs written by Kanye West
• Song recordings produced by Kanye West
• Songs written by Dem Jointz
• Songs written by KRS-One