Touch the Sky (Kanye West song)

"Touch the Sky" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Kanye West, from his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features Lupe Fiasco on his career debut. It was produced solely by Just Blaze, standing as the album's only track to not include production from West. The song was released in the UK as a digital EP through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on January 1, 2006. On February 14, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to US mainstream radio stations as the album's fourth single. The next month, it was released in various countries for digital download by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and as a CD single through Universal Music, respectively.

"Touch the Sky"
Single by Kanye West featuring Lupe Fiasco
from the album Late Registration
ReleasedJanuary 1, 2006
Recorded
GenreHip hop
Length
  • 3:57 (album version)
  • 3:56 (radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Just Blaze
Kanye West singles chronology
"Heard 'Em Say"
(2005)		 "Touch the Sky"
(2006)		 "Impossible"
(2006)
Lupe Fiasco singles chronology
"Touch the Sky"
(2006)		 "Kick Push"
(2006)
Music video
"Touch the Sky" on YouTube

After Just Blaze played West multiple beats, "Touch the Sky" was the one that he felt most passionate about. It is a hip hop track that includes a slowed sample from the Curtis Mayfield song "Move On Up" (1971). The song's lyrics center around West encouraging others to have as much confidence in themselves as he does. It was met with universal acclaim from music critics, with Lupe Fiasco's appearance gathering praise from the majority of them, though some critics were complimentary towards the production. The accompanying music video was released in February 2006 and directed by Chris Milk. Within it, West portrays the daredevil Evel Kanyevel in homage to Evel Knievel's unsuccessful jump across the Snake River Canyon. Evel Knievel sued West over the video in December 2006, though the two ultimately settled the lawsuit in November 2007. The visual received multiple nominations at award shows.

"Touch the Sky" reached the top ten of the charts in Australia, Scotland and the United Kingdom in 2006. That same year, the song also attained top 20 positions in Finland, Ireland and New Zealand. It has since been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in the United States and Australia, respectively. In the United Kingdom, the song has been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). West performed the song live at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards and the 2006 Brit Awards.

Background and development

During a July 2014 interview with DJ Skee for SKEE TV, American rapper Lupe Fiasco revealed that he and West didn't meet through Chicago connections even though they both came from the city as West "was always in a different world."[1] Initially, Lupe Fiasco didn't want to feature on "Touch the Sky", with him not "feeling the vibe" of the song at the time.[2] After being persuaded by his partner telling him "Nah, you gotta trust me. You gotta do this," Lupe Fiasco ultimately agreed on the collaboration and stated of working with West that "from there on we kind of clicked up and kept it moving up until this day."[1] The feature stands as Lupe Fiasco's career debut.[2] American hip hop producer Just Blaze was asked to produce for West during a phone call with Roc-A-Fella Records, with the call leading to him being signed to the label and Just Blaze recalled "a lot of great music" being made.[3] Throughout West's production career, comparisons have been made between him and Just Blaze.[4]

A speed alteration method of sampling was first present within West's music on his debut single "Through the Wire" (2003) and this sampling method was used in West's music throughout his career.[5] Just Blaze had been listening to American singer-songwriter Curtis Mayfield at the time of sampling his work.[6] The song was one of the tracks that helped West achieve mainstream success in the United States.[7] When guest-hosting the radio station Beats 1 in December 2015, Just Blaze shared a number of previously unheard records from Roc-A-Fella musicians. An alternative take on "Touch the Sky" with American singer Robert Glasper featured was among the records played by him.[8]

Composition and recording
The record production of the track was done by Just Blaze.

Musically, "Touch the Sky" is a hip hop song.[9] A slowed sample is included of Mayfield's 1971 recording "Move On Up" within the song, as written by him, alongside Latin horns.[5][10][11] Lyrically, the song sees West give encouragement and inspiration to people for them to have a high level of self-confidence like him.[12] A brief history of bright clothes in New York rap is provided by West, dating back to when he first signed to Roc-A-Fella years before the song's release.[13] West insists with certain lyrics that even though he tried to right his wrongs, they helped him with songwriting.[11] Lupe Fiasco performs the third verse, in which he uses a number of double entendres and metaphors.[14]

Just Blaze solely handled the song's production, making it the only track on Late Registration to not be produced by West and also the only track from the album that the former worked on.[10] He tried the Mayfield sample after nothing was really clicking in the studio and it was the beat that West felt passionate about when he played West multiple beats.[6] When asked on Twitter about the story behind "Touch the Sky" in May 2016, Just Blaze revealed that he completed the production 20 minutes before West arrived at Baseline Studios.[15] While "Touch the Sky" was produced by Just Blaze, the track was written by West, Lupe Fiasco and Justin Smith. It was recorded by Anthony Kilhoffer and Andrew Dawson at The Record Plant (Hollywood, CA) and Chalice Recording Studios (Hollywood, CA), respectively. The track was mixed by Mike Dean at Chalice Recording Studios, with assistant engineering from Richard Reitz, Matt Green, Nate Connelly and Mike Mo. Vlado Meller mastered the track.[10]

Release and reception

"Touch the Sky" was released on August 30, 2005, as the third track on West's second studio album Late Registration.[16] On January 1, 2006, a digital EP was released in the United Kingdom for the song through West's labels Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam, which contains three tracks.[17] The song was later sent to mainstream radio stations in the United States by West's labels on February 2 as the album's fourth single.[18] On March 7, it was released for digital download in numerous countries through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam, with a radio edit and the instrumental included.[19] A CD single was later released by Universal Music for the song on April 24, 2006, with the single consisting of three tracks.[20]

The track received universal acclaim from music critics, who generally praised Lupe Fiasco's feature. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian pointed out the track as where West "wittily acknowledges the familiarity of the "Move on Up" (1971) sample by humming distractedly along."[21] Sean Fennessey of Pitchfork called Lupe Fiasco an "impressive newcomer" and described Just Blaze's production on the track as "life-affirming."[22] The lyrics "I'm trying to right my wrongs/ But it's funny, the same wrongs help me write the songs" were branded by Chris DeVille of Stereogum as "one of a handful of lines that could work as a thesis statement for Kanye West's career."[23] DeVille elaborated: "He's as inflammatory and conflicted as ever here, and it lends Late Registration the same feeling of rawness and spontaneity that inspired Kanye's comment about George Bush."[23] Keertana Sastry of Bustle ranked the track as the fourth best from the album and wrote of it: "Now this is the kind of monster hit track that I can get behind, and the track also gave us the genius that is Lupe Fiasco."[24] David Browne of Entertainment Weekly called the track where West "throws his diploma-free success in our faces, marveling at his good fortune" and claimed for it to be "powered by" the sample of "Move on Up", while also writing of West's performance that he "can still be funny, as when he sings a snippet of 'Leaving on a Jet Plane'."[25] In reference to the track's position on Late Registration, Spence D. of IGN claimed: "The groove gets a slight bump, thanks to horns and a more energetic stance from West on 'Touch The Sky.'"[26] He described Lupe Fiasco as "who offers up call-and-response chanting in an echo chamber manner before he drops a buttery verse toward the end of the track."[26] Luke McManus of RTÉ cited the musical style of the song as being "sample-based and classic," claiming for the Mayfield sample to be in reference to "the golden age of 1970s soul."[27]

Accolades

Live About ranked the song at number 18 on their top 50 list of the best hip hop songs in 2005.[28] On Pitchfork's list of the 200 best songs from the 2000s, "Touch the Sky" was listed at number 157 and the staff described the song as "Kanye at his humblest: Detailing his struggles and failures before exploding into that glorious chorus, outsourcing the beat [from producer] Just Blaze because nobody could've flipped that Curtis Mayfield sample harder."[29] NME placed it at number 18 on their list of West's 25 best songs, with Larry Bartleet of the publication calling the sample "the beaming basis for this tune."[30] Lupe Fiasco's verse was ranked at number 50 on a list published by Complex of the 50 best guest verses of all time.[14]

Music video

Background and synopsis

West financed the music video himself after he did not like the first version Def Jam paid for.[31] Just Blaze commented on this in an interview:

"I remember him pulling me to the side when we were on the 'Touch The Sky' video set and being like, 'Yo, I spent my last dime to re-film this video.' Def Jam paid for a 'Touch The Sky' video that nobody has ever seen. He came back after the fact and specked out this whole movie deal that we know with the cannon and the Evel Knievel thing and whatever. And I want to say that was something like 700, 800 thousand dollars."[32]

Prior to directing the accompanying music video for "Touch the Sky", Chris Milk had directed for West in 2004 on the video for his single "All Falls Down".[33] American rock band Fall Out Boy were originally supposed to star in it as reporters, though the band didn't appear due to being in Europe at the time of filming.[34] The production cost for the video was approximately $1 million, which is the 25th most expensive music video of all time.[35] The visual was debuted on MTV in February 2006, and filmed as a '70s style short movie about daredevil Evel Kanyevel, played by West, and his failed attempt to fly a rocket across a gorge.[36] It was done in homage to Evel Knievel's unsuccessful jump across the Snake River Canyon in 1974 and West uses the music video to make fun of his huge ego.[36][37] West also pokes fun at his anti-Bush outburst from 2005 and the possibility of his career arc ending with a crash-and-burn.[37] The video features a cameo from Canadian-American actress Pamela Anderson, who opposes the daredevil character that West portrays.[38] American actresses Nia Long and Tracee Ellis Ross also make appearances in it.[39]

Lawsuit

In December 2006, Evel Knievel filed a lawsuit against West in the U.S. District Court of Tampa, Florida for trademark infringement.[36] Specifically, Knievel's lawsuit cites the red, white and blue costume worn by West in the music video as being a copy of the jumpsuit that the stuntman wore on a September 1974 Sports Illustrated cover when preparing for his Snake River Canyon jump, with him including a copy of the cover as an exhibit to the complaint.[36] Evel Knievel also took issue with the persona put on by West. West's attorneys argued that the music video amounted to satire and therefore was covered under the First Amendment. Just days before his death in November 2007, Evel Knievel amicably settled the suit after being paid a visit from West, saying, "I thought he was a wonderful guy and quite a gentleman," and stated that him and West "settled the lawsuit amicably." However, the two of them made an agreement to not publicly discuss the terms of their dispute.[40]

Reception

Sydney Scott of Essence pointed out the cameos within the music video as what "definitely made for an interesting video."[39] West reacted negatively to the video not receiving any nominations at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards, saying during an interview, "It didn't get any nominations, but it's one of the most memorable videos of the year for me."[41] However, at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, the music video was nominated for Best Video.[42] After not winning the latter award, West thought he should have won because the visual "cost a million dollars, Pamela Anderson was in it. I was jumping across canyons."[41] The video earned a nomination for Best International Video - Artist at the 2006 MuchMusic Video Awards.[43] It was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Styling at the 2007 Music Video Production Awards.[44] At the same ceremony, the music video was awarded Best Hip-Hop Video.[45] Complex named it the fourth best music video of the 2000s decade.[46]

Commercial performance

North America

Though not released as a single initially, "Touch the Sky" reached number 72 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the issue dated November 5, 2005.[47] After its single release, the song entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 90 for the issue date of February 25, 2006.[48] On March 4, it climbed 20 places to number 70 on the chart.[49] The song experienced a similar jump the next week, rising 18 places to number 52.[50] After two weeks, the song then entered the top 50 of the Hot 100 on March 18 at number 47.[51] The next week, it peaked at number 42 on the chart, attaining similar performance to West's single "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" that reached number 43 on the Hot 100 in 2005.[52][53] "Touch the Sky" remained on the chart for a total of nine weeks.[52] On the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song reached its peak of number 23 on March 11.[54] That same week, the song attained its highest position on a Billboard chart by reaching number ten on the US Hot Rap Songs chart.[55] The song peaked at number 35 on the US Billboard Mainstream Top 40 for the issue of March 25, 2006.[56] On September 23, 2020, "Touch the Sky" was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 1,000,000 certified units in the United States.[57]

Europe and Oceania

The song had its best performance in the United Kingdom, peaking at number six on the UK Singles Chart, giving West his fifth top ten single in the country.[58] It remained on the chart for a total of 15 weeks.[58] On the year-end list of the best selling tracks in the UK for 2006, the song ranked at number 93.[59] It was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of 400,000 units on April 27, 2018.[60] In Scotland, the song performed similarly, reaching number seven on the Scottish Singles Chart.[61] It peaked at number 14 on the Irish Singles Chart, giving West his fourth top 20 single on the chart.[62] Similarly, the song peaked at number 15 on the Finish Singles Chart.[63] "Touch the Sky" experienced less commercial success in the Russia and Germany charts, peaking at number 62 and 97, respectively.[64][65]

"Touch the Sky" was successful in Australia, peaking at number ten on the ARIA Singles Chart;[66] it stood as West's second top ten single in the country, following on from "Gold Digger" reaching number one in 2005.[66] In 2015, the song was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for exceeding 70,000 shipped copies.[67] On the NZ Singles Chart, the song reached number 16 and stayed on the chart for seven weeks.[68] West had previously reached the same position in 2003 with "Through the Wire", which also remained on the NZ Singles Chart for seven weeks.[68]

Live performances
West performed the song live during the Touch the Sky Tour in 2005.

West's first televised live performance of "Touch the Sky" occurred at the premiere of season 31 of Saturday Night Live, with West transitioning from a melody of "Gold Digger" into a performance of the song.[69] On October 11, 2005, West performed it live as the opener to the kickoff show of the Touch the Sky Tour at the University of Miami's Convocation Center.[70] During the performance, West wore a light-colored shirt and pants, a suit jacket and sunglasses with white frames.[70] West requested the crowd to shout lyrics of the song and they followed through with his request.[70] During the same tour, it was performed by West at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on November 9, opening his concert again.[71] A performance of the song was delivered at Abbey Road Studios by West for his 2006 live album Late Orchestration.[72] West performed a medley of "Touch the Sky", "Stronger" (2007), "Good Life" (2007) and other singles at the inauguration of Barack Obama as President of the United States on January 20, 2009.[73] While performing, West told the crowd: "Let's make some noise for our new president, Obama. It feels so good to be standing here," while also noting that his mother Donda West would be proud to see him performing for the president.[73] In February 2009, West delivered a rendition of the track for his 2010 live album VH1 Storytellers.[74] The performance began in a musically stripped down style, with only the bass and drums being present alongside West's vocals.[74] When the track reached its climax, West revealed his "greatest pain in life."[74] Towards the end of his performance, West showed self-awareness by admitting to having been "an asshole for so long."[74]

On June 7, 2010, West performed the track live at Chicago's Farragut Career Academy during a concert for school children; this concert marked West's first live appearance since his incident with Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAS.[75] It was performed by West as part of his set at the 2011 Coachella Festival.[76] For his headlining live show at the Festival Mawazine: Rhythms of the World in Rabat on May 22, West delivered a performance of the track.[77] At a concert in Atlanta's Philips Arena on October 28, 2011 during West and Jay-Z's Watch the Throne Tour, West came out to perform "Touch the Sky" after a wardrobe change.[78] During the performance, he wore a tribal-type jacket, leather kilt, leather pants underneath and his glow-in-the-dark Air Yeezys, and Rob Markman of MTV called the outfit worn by Jay-Z at the concert "no match" for West's.[78] When performing at Austin X's Music festival on June 8, 2014, West omitted Jay-Z's name from the song's lyrics, which he also did when performing "Blood on the Leaves" (2013) and "Cold" (2012) at the festival.[79] West stopped the opening of the song when performing it live at the 2015 Glastonbury Festival, walking off after stating "that's not what we rehearsed in the dressing room."[80] For his performance of the song, West entered a cherry picker that elevated to 30m in the air and floated over the crowd, who sung along with him.[5] West performed the song live at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto during the Saint Pablo Tour on August 30, 2016.[81] As part of the same tour, it was the 26th song to be performed by West during his 4th concert on the tour at The Forum in Inglewood, California on November 1 of that year and West got "rowdy" during the performance.[82]

Other versions

A cover version of "Touch the Sky" was played by eight-piece American brass ensemble The Soul Rebels that included horns and was released on their mixtape Power = Power in 2013.[83][84] American hip hop group The LOX, which consists of Sheek Louch, Styles P and Jadakiss, freestyled over the song in 2005 with a feature from Ace Hood.[85] Urban Noize released a remix in April 2012 that includes vocals from English musician Florence Welch alongside their interpretation of West and Lupe Fiasco's vocals.[86]

Track listings

Digital download[19]

  1. "Touch the Sky" (feat. Lupe Fiasco) [Radio Edit] – 3:56
  2. "Touch the Sky" (feat. Lupe Fiasco) [Instrumental] – 3:57

US CD single[20]

  1. "Touch the Sky" (Album Version)
  2. "Jesus Walks" (Album Version)
  3. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (AOL Sessions)
  4. "Heard 'Em Say" (Michel Goundry/ Video)
  5. "Touch the Sky" (MTV Version/ Closed Captioned/ Video)

UK Digital EP[17]

  1. "Touch the Sky" – 3:57
  2. "Jesus Walks" – 3:14
  3. "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" (Sessions@AOL) – 4:12

Credits and personnel

Information taken from Late Registration liner notes.[10]

Recording

Personnel

Charts

Certifications
Certifications and sales for "Touch the Sky"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[67] Platinum 70,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[57] Platinum 1,000,000

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Release dates and formats for "Touch the Sky"
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United Kingdom January 1, 2006 Digital EP
[17]
United States February 14, 2006 Mainstream radio [18]
Various March 7, 2006 Digital download [19]
United States April 24, 2006 CD single Universal [20]

See also

References
  1. Balfour, Jay (July 3, 2014). "Lupe Fiasco Says He Didn't Want To Appear On Kanye West's "Touch The Sky"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 24, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  2. Smith, Trevor (July 4, 2014). "Lupe Fiasco Had To Be Talked Into Doing Kanye West's "Touch The Sky"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  3. Baker, Soren (March 17, 2014). "Just Blaze Reveals Jay Z's Role On "Higher" & Details Call That Paired Him With Kanye West & Rockwilder At Roc-A-Fella Records". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  4. Karp, Jensen (March 17, 2014). "When Kanye Was the 'Urkel' of the Studio: A Former Rapper Writes About Meeting West in His Youth". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  5. Jones, Lucy (June 17, 2013). "Kanye's 'Yeezus' – Why His Sampling Still Sets Him Apart". NME. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  6. Bychawski, Adam (October 3, 2014). "Just Blaze Geeks Out on How He Made His Biggest Hits". Noisey Vice. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. Horner, Al (June 28, 2015). "Kanye West Headlines Glastonbury 2015: Five Huge Talking Points". NME. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  8. Kaye, Ben (December 14, 2015). "Just Blaze shares unreleased music from Kanye West, Jay Z, more on Beats 1 Radio". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
  9. Pasori, Cedar (October 28, 2014). "The happiest songs in hip-hop right now". Dazed. Archived from the original on July 11, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  10. Late Registration (Media notes). Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records. 2005.CS1 maint: others (link)
  11. Caramanica, Jon (September 2005). "The Man Who Would Be King". Spin. 21 (9): 99–100. Archived from the original on June 3, 2016. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  12. Kinsella, Carl (2015). "Kanye West's Late Registration turns 10 this week, JOE ranks its five best songs". JOE. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  13. Thompson, Paul (January 15, 2016). "Every Pop-Culture Reference Kanye West Has Ever Made". Vulture. Archived from the original on April 23, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  14. Ettelson, Robbie (February 7, 2017). "The 50 Best Guest Verses of All Time". Complex. Archived from the original on June 1, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  15. Bristout, Ralph (May 30, 2016). "Just Blaze Hosts Impromptu Twitter Q&A, Teases Jay Z "Song Cry 2"". REVOLT. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  16. Kellman, Andy. "Late Registration – Kanye West". AllMusic. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  17. "Touch The Sky – EP by Kanye West". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  18. "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Archived from the original on January 5, 2006. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  19. Citations regarding the digital release of "Touch the Sky":
  20. "Kanye West – Touch the Sky". Amazon.com. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
  21. Petridis, Alexis (August 19, 2005). "CD: Kanye West, Late Registration | Music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 27, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  22. Fennessey, Sean (August 28, 2005). "Kanye West: Late Registration Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  23. DeVille, Chris (August 28, 2015). "Late Registration Turns 10". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 8, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  24. Sastry, Keertana (August 30, 2015). "Ranking Kanye West's 'Late Registration' Tracks, From "Touch The Sky" To "Gold Digger"". Bustle. Archived from the original on May 29, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  25. Browne, David (August 30, 2005). "Kanye West and Bob Dylan". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 17, 2013. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  26. D., Spence (August 30, 2005). "Kanye West - Late Registration". IGN. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  27. McManus, Luke (October 3, 2005). "Kanye West - Late Registration". RTÉ. Archived from the original on August 17, 2019. Retrieved August 17, 2019.
  28. Adaso, Henry (May 24, 2019). "Top 50 Hip-Hop Songs of 2005". Live About. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  29. "The 200 Best Songs of the 2000s". Pitchfork. August 21, 2009. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  30. Bartleet, Larry (February 7, 2017). "Kanye West's 25 Best Songs". NME. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  31. Polly Leider (February 8, 2006). "Kanye West, Jamie Foxx Take Spotlight". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 30, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  32. Brian Zisook (October 7, 2016). "Kanye West "Spent His Last Dime" to Bankroll "Touch The Sky" Video". DJ Booth. Archived from the original on February 22, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  33. Parkin, Sam (June 30, 2014). "Chris Milk: the digital artist making music videos fly into the future | Art and design". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  34. Montgomery, James (January 18, 2007). "Fall Out Boy Hope To Rush Kanye Remix Onto Upcoming Album". MTV. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  35. "Pamela Anderson in Kanye West's "Touch the Sky" from Celebrity Music Videos Cameos". E! News. Archived from the original on May 19, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  36. "Evel Knievel Sues Kanye West". The Smoking Gun. Archived from the original on December 15, 2006. Retrieved December 13, 2006.
  37. Ryan, Amy (February 21, 2006). "Snap Judgment: Kanye West's 'Touch the Sky' video". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  38. "Pamela Anderson In Kanye West's 'Touch The Sky'". Capital FM. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  39. Scott, Syndey (August 16, 2017). "Video Superstars: 14 Memorable Music Video Cameos". Essence. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  40. "Evel Knievel, Kanye West settle lawsuit". USA Today. Gannett Co. Inc. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved November 27, 2007.
  41. "Kanye West a sore loser at MTV Europe awards". Today. The Associated Press. November 3, 2006. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  42. "Nominations for MTV Europe Music Awards announced". NME. September 16, 2006. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  43. "Countdown Is On To M.M.V.A.s". Toronto City News. June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on May 4, 2018. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
  44. "Milk Tops 2007 MVPA Awards". Creative Planet Network. February 14, 2007. Archived from the original on November 20, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  45. Steven Gottlieb (March 26, 2007). "2007 MVPA Award Nominees". Video Static. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  46. "The Best Music Videos of the 2000s". Complex. October 25, 2017. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  47. "Chart Search – Kanye West – Touch the Sky (2005)". Billboard. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  48. "Music: Top 100 Songs – February 25, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 4, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  49. "Music: Top 100 Songs – March 4, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 13, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  50. "Music: Top 100 Songs – March 11, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  51. "Music: Top 100 Songs – March 18, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  52. "Kanye West – Touch The Sky – Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  53. "Kanye West – Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  54. "Kanye West – Touch The Sky – Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  55. "Rap Music: Hot Rap Songs – March 11,2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved December 23, 2019.
  56. "Kanye West Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  57. "American single certifications – Kanye West – Touch the Sky". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 29, 2020. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  58. "Kanye West | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  59. "UK Singles Chart 2006" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  60. "British single certifications – Kanye West – Touch the Sky". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 28, 2018. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Touch the Sky in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  61. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  62. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kanye West". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  63. "Kanye West: Touch the Sky" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  64. "Kanye West – Touch The Sky" (in Russian). Tophit. Archived from the original on June 6, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  65. "Suche − Kanye West". Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  66. "Discography Kanye West". australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  67. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
  68. "Discography Kanye West". Hung Medien. Archived from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  69. Jackson, Reed (November 18, 2013). "A Timeline Of Kanye West's Up-And-Down Relationship With 'SNL'". XXL. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  70. Reid, Shaheem (October 12, 2005). "Kanye West Made Sure To Touch The Sky At Tour Launch". MTV. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  71. Khanna, Vish (January 1, 2006). "Kanye West Air Canada Centre, Toronto ON - November 9, 2005". Exclaim!. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  72. "Late Orchestration - Live at Abbey Road Studios by Kanye West". iTunes Store (GB). Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  73. Vena, Jocelyn (January 21, 2009). "Kanye, Fall Out Boy, Kid Rock Raise Roof At 'Be The Change' Youth Ball". MTV. Archived from the original on November 24, 2018. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  74. Young, Alex (January 20, 2010). "Kanye West | VH1 Storytellers | Album Reviews". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved July 12, 2019.
  75. Michaels, Sean (June 10, 2010). "Kanye West makes first live appearance since Taylor Swift incident | Music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  76. Idolator Staff (May 9, 2011). "Listen To Kanye West's Full Set From Coachella". Idolator. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  77. "Kanye West Headlines Festival Mawazine in Morocco [Video]". Rap-Up. May 22, 2011. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  78. Markman, Rob (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". MTV. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  79. Michaels, Sean (June 11, 2014). "Kanye omits Jay Z's name from lyrics, prompting rumours of rappers' spat | Music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  80. Halliday, Josh (June 28, 2015). "I disrupted Kanye West's Glastonbury set for Taylor Swift, says Lee Nelson | Music". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  81. Doherty, Mike (September 1, 2016). "Kanye West tour review – Saint Pablo's floating stage takes Yeezy to new heights | Music". The Guardian. Toronto. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  82. Barlow, Eve (November 2, 2016). "Kanye West Lights it Up, Lets Crowd Do the Talking at Fourth Forum Concert". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  83. "8 Soul Rebels Covers That Will Make You Want More". Brooklyn Bowl. February 18, 2016. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  84. Karaslamb (2013). "The Soul Rebels Drop 'Power = Power' Mixtape". Okayplayer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2019.
  85. Pierznik, Christopher (November 7, 2016). "Classic Non-Album Cuts: The LOX". The Passion of Christopher Pierznik. Archived from the original on January 3, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  86. Kujundzic, Petar (April 5, 2012). "Kanye West featuring Florence Welch & Lupe Fiasco - Touch the Sky (Urban Noize Remix)". Hypebeast. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  87. "Australian-charts.com – Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco – Touch the Sky". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  88. "Offiziellecharts.de – Kanye West – Touch the Sky". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  89. "Charts.nz – Kanye West feat. Lupe Fiasco – Touch the Sky". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  90. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  91. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  92. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  93. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  94. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
  95. "Pop 100 Singles – April 1, 2006". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 25, 2006. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
  96. "End Of Year Charts – Top 50 Urban Singles 2006". ARIA. Archived from the original on February 28, 2019. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.