"Homecoming" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West. It was included as the twelfth song on his third studio album Graduation (2007). The track was produced by West with Warryn Campbell and features a guest appearance from Chris Martin, lead vocalist of the British alternative rock band Coldplay. Martin sings the song's chorus and outro. The song is a hip hop beat with pop-oriented refrains while also integrating elements of post-punk and new wave with arena rock sensibilities. "Homecoming" is written as a tribute dedicated to West's hometown of Chicago, Illinois. His conceptual lyricism expresses an extended metaphor where he personifies Chicago as a childhood sweetheart to convey his relationship with the city.
A reworking of a track entitled "Home (Windy)," the song first originated from a 2001 demo tape. While the lyrical content of the verses largely remain the same, the lyrics of the chorus for the original incarnation of "Homecoming" are different and were sung by singer John Legend. In addition, this recording had exhibited West's once trademark soulful vocal sample production style. "Homecoming" came about when West met Martin for the first time by chance at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London in February 2006. Afterwards, the two held an impromptu jam session and recorded the track, with Martin requesting that West alter the tone of his approach to the songwriting and production.
Although it was intended be the lead single of Graduation, the song was released as the fifth and final single from the album on February 18, 2008. The song charted at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while reaching number 15 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. It was more successful in Europe, peaking at number five in Ireland and number nine in the United Kingdom, becoming West's eighth top-10 single in the latter territory. The song attained top 40 positions in 11 other countries, including Norway and Denmark. In the United States, the song was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It has been certified platinum in both Denmark and the UK by IFPI Danmark and the British Phonographic Industry, respectively.
Upon its release, "Homecoming" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Though West was complimented for his introspective lyricism and storytelling abilities, Martin's contribution was met with polarizing reactions, with many criticizing his appearance due to him not being from Chicago. An accompanying music video for the single was directed by Hype Williams and filmed in Chicago. Shot entirely in black-and-white, the video features a montage of West traversing the streets of Chicago and showcases its landmarks, monuments and people. The music video was very well-received and praised for the way West's hometown is visually paid homage. It was nominated for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.
Background
The famed Abbey Road Studios, where Kanye West and Chris Martin first met by chance and one of five different studio locations the recordings took place.
"Homecoming" was produced by West and record producer Warryn Campbell, who served as co-writers with Coldplay's lead vocalist Chris Martin.[1] Martin stands along with T-Pain as one of only two major singers to appear on Graduation.[2] For the song, sharp piano flourishes were placed over booming, stadium-sized drums to accompany a sing-along chorus.[3][4][5] On February 13, 2006, Coldplay played a live show for BBC Radio 2 at London's Abbey Road Studios, where West was in attendance. West had wanted Martin to appear on "Homecoming", working together with him on the song after the show.[6][7] The rapper felt them being in the same place showed the collaboration was meant to be and was brought by God, saying he "serve[s] as a vessel".[8] Alongside Coldplay, during the period of the recording and production of Graduation, West was listening to bands including Keane, the Killers, and Radiohead for heavy inspiration.[2] In December 2008, West described Coldplay's music as consistent and praised how the band represent British stadium music.[9] After fellow rapper Jay-Z heard the song himself, he decided to invite Martin to make a guest appearance on one of his songs. The collaborators worked on "Beach Chair", released before Graduation on the rapper's Kingdom Come in 2006.[10] On fellow album track "Big Brother", West references the tension that came from Jay-Z having a feature from Martin after West told him of their collaboration.[11]
"Homecoming" was a reworking of West's track known as "Home (Windy)", which was recorded for a demo tape in 2001.[12][13] The track relied on a looped sample of harmonious vocals from Patti LaBelle and the BlueBelles's 1963 cover of the show tune "You'll Never Walk Alone", accompanied by West's boom bap production.[5][14][15] It featured a different beat and a hook about soldiers who did not make it back home, performed by singer John Legend under his real name of John Stephens.[12][13][16] "Home (Windy)" circulated under the new title "Home" on numerous mixtapes that West released over the years, including Get Well Soon... in 2003.[13][17][18] "Home" was also available on an advance copy of West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), the same year that Legened released his debut Get Lifted with production from the rapper.[12][15][19] However, this version of the album was never released due to being leaked months before its intended initial release date of August 12, 2003.[18][20][21] West used the opportunity to refine The College Dropout, as the project was significantly remixed, remastered, and revised prior to being released.[18] In the end, certain original album tracks were subsequently retracted, with "Home" being among them.[19] The track was focused on West's hometown of Chicago, with the term "Wendy" in its original title referring to the city's nickname of Windy City.[13][14][21] West revised or reused lyrics from his early demo and mixtape tracks, with using "Home" for "Homecoming" being a prominent instance.[22]
The composition was later described as "very emotional" by Kanye West during a retrospective interview with Concrete Loop on October 5, 2007.[23] In the interview, he imparted that "Homecoming" was among his three most favorite songs from Graduation.[23] The track paid lyrical tribute to Kanye West's hometown of Chicago.[24] Its deeply personal lyrical content expounds upon West's relationship with Chicago, expressing a metaphoric narrative which features a feminized personification of his hometown.[25] During the story, West nostalgically rhymes about growing up Chicago, his love for the city, and his guilt over leaving "her" in order to pursue his musical dreams.[26][27][19] Dressed in a new Chris Martin chorus but primarily containing the same rap lyrics, "Homecoming" still manages to resonate as a jubilant, loving ode to West's Chicago upbringing.[28][29][30] It is but one of several references to footsteps which once propelled him forward as a hip-hop artist that are found throughout his introspective third album Graduation.[28][31]
Writing and development
A new beat was entirely made for "Homecoming" despite using verses from "Home", while Legend's hook was replaced by a chorus from Martin that maintained the Chicago theme.[22][32] West kept most of his lyrics from the original, which were inspired by his labelmate Common's "I Used to Love H.E.R." (1994) and he changed certain ones as Martin requested him to.[22][33] He led Martin to forgo his typical midtempo balladry for the song, favoring flashier, inspirational piano work.[5][34] Martin's pounding piano particularly displays a gospel influence recurrent in West's productions, while he contributes reggae to the chorus.[35][36][37] Inspired by his worldwide stadium tour with Irish rock band U2 from 2005 to 2006, West redesigned the song to be able to be chanted.[2][38] Accordingly, the new composition expresses soaring, infectious vocal melodies and hooks in addition to memorable singalong choruses.[39] Meanwhile, the piano accompaniment is laden with energetic minor chords and results in arena rock.[40][41] Martin's piano was looped in such a way that it began off-beat to give the recording a rawer, hip-hop sound.[3]
West divided its lyrics into two separate sixteen-bar verses and them organized around a chorus section. Even though his lines were mostly unchanged, West would rap them in a tighter, more assured flow with clearer enunciation than on the original version, indicative of years of experience and increased lyrical dexterity.[2] Compared to John Legend's soulful singing, Chris Martin delivers the pop chorus of "Homecoming" with a smoother, straightforward rendition.[10][42] He recites his elastic refrain and bridge in a breezy sing-along manner, making the record come off more upbeat.[10][5][43] Martin's singing laspes into a soft, ethereal falsetto and uses laid-back crooning to maintain a sense of nostalgic wistfulness.[26]
Recording
The original incarnation of the song featured a different chorus sung by John Legend.
West and Martin met each other for the very first time coincidentally when Coldplay played a show at Abbey Road on February 13, 2006, around the same time the rapper was in the studios recording "Impossible" to accompany the 2006 film Mission: Impossible III.[6][8][44][45] He originally spent a one-day session in the venue's Studio Two recording strings, then decided to book the Studio Three for the rest of his week. Engineer Mirek Stiles spent this time working with different vocals takes and loops alongside the production team of West, who was then joined by Martin in the control room.[6] West and Martin engaged in an impromptu jam session that included Martin singing into a Neumann U 47 and resulted in "Homecoming", with the singer coming up with the concept.[7][8] The rapper played him a beat intended for his 2005 single "Heard 'Em Say", to which he responded by suggesting it should be "more like a homecoming or something".[8] Studio Two, used for an initial session, was the same studio the Beatles recorded in and West later had his photo on the wall of Abbey Road alongside the band in 2021.[6][46] At the time of recording, West was traveling around the world to meet collaborators. This was a different approach to his later years when people visited him to collaborate, and he frequented the Record Plant in Hollywood, joined by percussionistJon Brion.[1][44] Sessions were also held for "Homecoming" at the Sony Music Studios in New York City (NYC), the Fever Recording Studio in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, and Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood. The song was mixed at Chalice Recording Studios in Hollywood and Chung King Studios in NYC.[1]
West retracted the looped soul sample repeated that was throughout "Home" and had it replaced insead with a pompous piano riff, which he decorated over stadium-friendly drums.[10][47][19] Most of the tracks on Graduation had contained glossy, layered synthesizer-based productions influenced by West's experimentation with electronic music.[48][49] But on "Homecoming," he opted for different, more stripped-down instrumental to complement the introspective quality of its triumphant yet melancholic lyrics.[50][39][31]
For the track, West reduced usage of synthesisers and effects, stripping its backbeat down to the sparest stomp and clap to accommodate his poignant storytelling rhymes.[31][40][51][29] Rather than synths, the syncopated piano part acts as the centerpiece of the song and works with a ponderous, melodic bassline to form a rhythmic figure which generates interlocking grooves.[29][52] The track was ornamented with the use of additional percussion and is subtly layered by a monotonous presence of crowd cheers that West injected into the mix to supplement the beat.[1][37][53]
Composition
The song was originally known as "Home" and is written as a tribute to West's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.
Musically, "Homecoming" is a midtempo hip-hop song that runs for a duration of three minutes and twenty-six seconds.[3][1] The track is a gospel-inflected piano jam which harbors various instrumental nuances and vocal cues from music genres encompassing reggae, pub rock, post-punk, new wave, and pop rock.[26][54][55] Essentially, the basis of the musical composition involves a synthesis of the sparse rhythmic pulse of reggae with the punchy yet articulate structure and brevity of post-punk alongside quirky new wave sound effects.[40][56][49] Furthermore, the soaring refrains and strident piano riff implement catchy pop hooks and breezy melodies that express an arena rock aesthetic.[57][10][58][26] The track's rhythmic instrumentation consists of staccato piano chords, percussion-backed drums, and syncopated, melodic bass lines.[42][59]
According to the sheet music published at Musicnotes.com by EMI Music Publishing, the song is set in the time signature of common time, with a moderate tempo of 88 beats per minute.[60] "Homecoming" is written in the key of E minor, and Chris Martin's vocal range spans from a low of D4 to a high of E5.[60] The musical composition uses four-measurephrases which follow a basic sequence of Em–D/F#–Em/G–G–Am7–D/C–Cmaj7–Bm7 as its chord progression.[60] Opening with a hammering E minortriad, "Homecoming" begins West shouting, "Yeah! And you say Chi city! Chi city! Chi city!" over a prominent piano motif.[60][61] The uplifting piano accompaniment runs throughout the entire composition as its main instrument.[29] The piano arrangement begins on the off-beat and each period ends with a single note stab followed by nearly a bar of silence.[62][60] All throughout the track, the noisy sounds of a cheering crowd can inexplicably be heard lurking in the background.[53][37]
Within two verses, West does his emotive rapping atop a heavy yet buoyant, percussion-backed drum beat.[23][17][1] West raps his less intricate verses at a gradual pace with a flow that relies on end rhymes and manages to punctuate both the piano melodies and rhythms of the song.[2][47] There are momentary rests and occasional piano flourishes at certain intervals within the instrumental to highlight West's lyricism and indicate transitions between sections.[3] Meanwhile, Chris Martin supplies the energetic piano playing and sings the freewheeling chorus.[40][63] His keening, high countertenor vocals garnered comparisons to that of musician and singer-songwriter Sting, frontman of the British post-punk band The Police.[54][64] Martin sings a percussive yet melodic refrain with smooth, laid-back crooning hooks over a bouncing groove generated by the chugging piano progressions, lumbering bassline and stomping rhythm of the track's off-beat kick drum, yet another an element of reggae.[42][59][56] Towards the end, Chris Martin even opts to perform the song's outro in a manner strongly reminiscent to a reggae singer.[37][56] His usage of "le-yo-oh-oh" ululations invokes that of the vocal stylings of Jamaican musician Bob Marley.[37]
A 20-second sample of West rapping nostalgic lyrics about his Chicago upbringing. West utilises an extended metaphor that personifies the city as a long lost childhood sweetheart. The composition is laced with reggae-tinged rhythmic grooves built from its heavy yet buoyant drum beat and gospel-inflected piano riff. The noise of a cheering crowd is inexplicably heard in the background.
Lyrically, "Homecoming" serves as an homage to Kanye West's hometown of Chicago, Illinois.[24] In comparison to previous records, Graduation was at times thematically distanced, introspective and characterized by more conflicted, confessional storytelling.[65][26] The jubilant ode to his Chicago upbringing is among many touching callbacks to the footsteps that propelled West forward in his journey as a hip-hop artist found on his third studio album.[28] "Homecoming" is where West finds himself rapping about growing up in Chicago from the perspective of a local youth returning to his old neighborhood, recalling memories of old friends and a past love interest.[27] Throughout the romantic narrative, West employs an extended metaphor in which he personifies the city as a childhood sweetheart named Wendy.[10][13] He rhymes about his love for Chicago and his guilt over leaving "her" to pursue his musical dreams.[19] West tells the story of how the childhood sweetheart slipped through his fingers with vivid lines.[66] His evocative wordplay captures his bittersweet relationship with the place that made him which he once called home.[13][25] Both the opening and closing lines lyrically reference "I Used to Love H.E.R.," a similar metaphoric rap song written by West's close friend, label affiliate, and fellow Chicago hip-hop artist Common.[67] After each verse, Chris Martin sings a triumphant chorus about West making his return: "Do you think about me now and then? / 'Cause I'm coming home again."[68][31][61]
Release and promotion
In January 2007, West told Billboard in an interview that he was planning to release the song as a single for the album.[69] He stated that "Homecoming" was likely to be released as the lead single for his third album Graduation (2007).[69] However, the track "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was released as the album's lead single instead, while "Homecoming" whereas was subsequently released as the fifth and final single. "Homecoming" was first heard by music listeners when the digital radio station BBC Radio 1Xtra hosted an exclusive "Audience With Kanye West" venue at the BBC Radio Music Theatre in London on August 13, 2007.[70] West guided a specially selected audience through Graduation, playing the album in its entirety directly from his MacBook Air laptop via a speaker system.[70] The premiere was part of an extensive promotional campaign that West embarked on for his third album during a trip to the United Kingdom.[71] Two weeks later, "Homecoming" was one of the tracks that West played while hosting an album listening session for Graduation in NYC. The late-night album listening session was held at the New World Stages on August 28, 2007.[72] Inside an auditorium, West explained the influences and aspirations that went into the making of his third album.[72] Throughout the night, he played previews of its songs from start-to-finish without interruption, some with video accompaniment to match.[73][74] When an audience member asked Kanye why the production of "Home" had been altered and become "Homecoming," he replied that he believed the original hip-hop beat wouldn't rock stadiums, but the song's lyrics were too good to go to waste.[75]
Critical reception
Following its release, "Homecoming" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Nick Levine from Digital Spy describes the track as an "impressive slow jam" and refers to Chris Martin as "the Sting of our times."[64] Giving the single four out of five stars, Levine noted, "This could quite easily have become a crass exercise in mutual back-slapping, but, thankfully, Martin seems to have brought out West's inner softie, making 'Homecoming' the bragging rapper's most affecting moment to date."[63]Pitchfork Media's Mark Pytlik wrote that the song feels like it hits all the right notes.[76] After his admittance that "Homecoming" exceeded his expectations, Jackie Im of Treblezine called the track's hook incredibly catchy and summarizes the composition as a "nice little pop song that leads into Kanye's most earnest moment." He also compared Chris Martin's piano playing to that of English singer, pianist and composer Elton John.[58] Similar sentiments were expressed by Jon Caramanica from The New York Times, who thought the piano jam recalls that of early Billy Joel.[77] Writing for NME, Louis Pattison reported "Homecoming" as being a "solid" track while NOW Magazine editor Jason Richards labeled it as the highlight of Graduation.[66][78] While he upholds the belief that Graduation contains "a couple of real clunkers," Kyle Ryan of The A.V. Club wrote that with songs like "Homecoming," the album also has "its usual share of West gold."[79]Slant Magazine quipped that in contrast to Jay-Z's earlier collaboration with Chris Martin on "Beach Chair" from his comeback album Kingdom Come, West's track "just might make Coldplay acceptable for the cool kids again."[59]Ann Powers, writer for Los Angeles Times, also held the belief that Kanye bests Jay-Z's use of Martin's vocal abilities.[80] Sharing a similar sentiment, Paste reviewer Ross Bonaime wrote that when comparing the songs, West uses Martin in a much more successful manner and regards the combination of the two recording artists as "undeniably pretty great."[67]
Several music critics were divided in regards to Chris Martin's guest appearance.
On the other hand, several music journalists questioned the authenticity of "Homecoming" due to the fact that Chris Martin doesn't hail from the city of Chicago. Calling the song an "interestingly flawed venture," Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian chided, "If you're rapping about growing up in Chicago, don't duet with a singer from Devon. Emote though he may, Chris Martin can't convince anyone that he is moved by the memory of 'fireworks over Lake Michigan.'"[27]Nathan Rabin from The A.V. Club views the collaboration as a demonstration of how West's a broad musical palette can occasionally get him into trouble, saying that Chris Martin doesn't embody the rich musical heritage of Chicago.[81]Exclaim!'s Del Cowie remarked that due in part to Martin's guest appearance, "Homecoming" doesn't evoke the emotional connection that a hometown ode should elicit.[82] Labeling the track as one of the album's transgressions, Noah Love of ChartAttack stated that he could have done without Chris Martin crooning over the record and believed West was still finding his lane as a lyricist.[83]Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot was dismissive of the song's instrumentation, saying, "Chris Martin coos over a cornball piano riff." He denounces that "Homecoming" falls flat and adds up to being the album's biggest misstep.[84]
Accolades
Despite divided opinions regarding Chris Martin, "Homecoming" has managed to appear on several lists of West's best songs. Paste magazine ranks "Homecoming" as West's fifty-first best album track.[67]Complex listed both the original John Legend version and the Chris Martin version of "Home"/"Homecoming" at thirty-eight among West's one-hundred best songs.[13] "Homecoming" was also declared the fiftieth greatest Chicago rap song by Complex.[85] To honor his thirty-ninth birthday, The Jamaica Observer composed a list of the top ten best songs Kanye West has ever made, in which "Homecoming" was included.[86]Highsnobiety cited "Homecoming" as the fortieth best Kanye West song, referring to it as a "classic Kanye cut."[87] For their list of Kanye West's 10 Most Stripped-Down, Minimal Songs, head writer Jordan Darville of ChartAttack placed "Homecoming" at number four. In regards to the track's inward lyricism, he wrote, "The synth-rap epics on Graduation are on a race to outdo each other, which make its introspective moments that much more deeply felt."[31]Billboard cited "Homecoming" as among West's ten most romantic songs and stated that it is one of the most loving hometown tributes that rap music has to offer.[88]CraveOnline ranked "Homecoming" at the very top of their list of Kanye West's fifteen best songs. When summarizing the composition, it stated, "Even though this storytelling track is very personal, and therefore not directly relatable, Kanye reaches its high point topically and instrumentally, proving his expertise as both a producer and a rapper. Coldplay's singer Chris Martin features on the chorus, but the main star of this track is the piano instrumental ... The love ode to Chicago turns out to be familiar to everyone, regardless of their location, class, gender or whether they've left their first home."[29] Jeva Lange of The Week named it as West's best track, though Lange voiced the opinion that "With the exception of myself, nobody will tell you 'Homecoming' is West's magnum opus."[89] "Homecoming" received a nomination for Best R&B/Hip-Hop Track at the 2008 Teen Choice Awards.[90]
Commercial performance
"Homecoming" was most successful in Europe, charting highest in Ireland at number five and also marking West's eighth top-10 single in the United Kingdom.
"Homecoming" debuted at number 96 on the US Billboard Hot 100 for the issue dated June 7, 2008.[91] The next week, it rose to number 83 on the Hot 100.[92] The track then moved up 12 spaces, a week before peaking at number 69 on the chart.[93][94] "Homecoming" entered the US BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 68 on the issue dated May 22, 2008, standing as the highest debut of the week.[95] Thereafter, the track peaked at number 33 on the chart issue dated June 14.[96] That very same week, "Homecoming" debuted at number 19 on the US Hot Rap Songs chart.[97] Around a month later, the track reached its peak position of number 15 on the Hot Rap Songs chart issue dated July 12, 2008.[98] By August 2015, "Homecoming" had been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for amassing 1,000,000 certifiable units in the United States, standing as one of West's 10 platinum singles in the country for 2015.[99] It was later awarded a triple platinum certification by the RIAA for reaching 3,000,000 certified units in the US on August 8, 2023.[100]
"Homecoming" was commercially successful across Europe. The track debuted at number 19 on the Irish Singles Chart for January 10, 2008, marking the week's highest entry.[101] Two weeks later, it peaked at number five on the chart.[102] The track debuted at number 77 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue date September 29, 2007.[103] It then exited the chart, re-entering at number 69 on December 30.[104] The track peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart on January 20, 2008. It became West's eighth top-10 track in the UK and his seventh as a solo artist, while lasting for 20 weeks on the chart.[105] At the end of 2008, the track ranked as the 91st most successful release on the UK Singles Chart.[106] The track stands as West's 20th biggest hit of all time in the UK up to August 5, 2021.[107] On September 9, 2022, "Homecoming" received a platinum certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for selling 600,000 units in the country.[108] The track debuted at number 11 on Norway's Topp 40 Singles chart, while it entered the Finnish Singles Chart at number 17 and peaked four positions higher after fluctuating for a few weeks.[109][110] "Homecoming" charted at numbers 15 and 16 in Denmark and Turkey, respectively.[111][112] The track further attained top 40 positions in Germany,[113] Sweden,[114] the Netherlands,[115][116] Austria,[117] and Switzerland.[118] On October 17, 2023, the track was awarded a platinum certification from IFPI Danmark for shipments of 90,000 units in Denmark.[119] In Oceania, the track reached number 22 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. "Homecoming" peaked at number 32 on the ARIA Singles Chart in Australia, where it was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipping 35,000 copies on December 31, 2015.[120][121]
Music video
Background
The Harold L. Ickes Homes housing project was a principle location for the filming of the Chicago-based music video.
The accompanying music video for "Homecoming" was directed by Hype Williams and filmed on location in the city of Chicago on November 6, 2007.[122] It was the latest in a long history of collaborations between Williams and West, as the two had previously worked together in the past on several music videos, including for that of "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Stronger," the lead singles of West's third studio album, Graduation (2007). The music video was filmed entirely in black-and-white, with Williams taking a simplistic approach for the visuals. For the video, West dressed in a designer classic-fit Stüssy flannel madras plaid shirt beneath a sleeveless jacket and wore a keffiyeh as a scarf around his neck.[123][124]
Prior to its premiere, West posted up screenshots taken from the video as previews on his official blog on March 6, 2008.[125] Exclusive behind-the-scenes images taken from the "Homecoming" video shoot later made available.[123] Additionally, behind-the-scenes footage of the filming of the music video was later released by Channel ZeroTV. The footage reveal that several of West's friends and affiliates were present for the video shoot, including rappers Bump J of Major Figgas and Wildstyle of Crucial Conflict as well as GOOD Music recording artist Malik Yusef. The video shoot also featured appearances from Don Crowley, Virgil Abloh, Ibn Jasper, music video director Morocco Vaughn and students of Orr Academy High School.[126] Kanye West premiered the music video for "Homecoming" through his official Vimeo account and blog on April 1, 2008.[127][128]
Synopsis and reception
A screenshot of Kanye West standing in front of the iconic Cloud Gate (The Bean) sculpture at Millennium Park in the black-and-white video.
The music video features a monochromatic montage of West wandering throughout the many different areas of Chicago, with slow-motion shots and angles highlighting the city's streets, buildings, monuments and citizens.[122] Among the several various locations and landmarks that he visits and are shown include the Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park, DuSable Museum of African American History, Tribune Tower, Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Sears Tower, and the Cabrini–Green and Harold L. Ickes housing projects.[13] Some of West's old friends, early supporters of his music, and local hip-hop acts such as L.E.P. Bogus Boys can be seen following him around the city.[13][122] Most notably, his friend, label affiliate and fellow Chicago rapper Common, who is referenced during the song, makes two cameo appearances.[67] Throughout the video, these scenes are interspersed with animated silhouette outlines and shots of West rapping the song's verses while surrounded by reflective mirrors on top of a moving vehicle and Chris Martin singing the chorus while playing an upright piano.[122][125]
The music video was generally very well received by fans and media outlets. VH1 ranked the video for "Homecoming" as the fifth greatest music video filmed in an artist's hometown, writing, "Chi-town shinned under the spotlight in Yeezus' video 'Homecoming.' The edgy shots of Chicago were on point and Coldplay's Chris Martin was the perfect touch."[129] On their list of Kanye West's forty-two best music videos, Complex placed the "Homecoming" video at number twenty-seven.[122] The music video for "Homecoming" was listed at number eighty-four on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2008 countdown.[130] It received a nomination for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[131]
Live performances
West included "Homecoming" as one of the closing performances of the setlist on his Glow in the Dark Tour, which began on April 16, 2008 at the KeyArena in Seattle, Washington.[132] The composition is but one of the many, various songs taken from West's first three studio albums that West utilises for his conceptual concert.[133] They serve to form a space opera storyline that tells the tale of how a stranded space traveler struggles for over a year making attempts to escape from a distant planet while on a mission to bring creativity back to Earth.[132] In the narrative, West performs "Homecoming" towards the end when he finally manages to return home to the planet of Earth. Near the end of the tour's North American leg, with singers and a percussionist/DJ behind him, West performed "Homecoming" during the final night of Lollapalooza 2008 in August in his hometown of Chicago, where he co-headlined the festival with Nine Inch Nails.[134] "Homecoming" was among a list of songs that West performed during a 90-minute set when he headlined the annual dance music festival Global Gathering on July 25, 2008, becoming the very first hip-hop artist to do so.[135][136] He was accompanied by backup singers, a disc jockey and three pairs of drums while the concert featured a liberal use of lighting and smoke effects.[137]
Kanye provided a live rendition of "Homecoming" during his appearance on VH1 Storytellers on February 28, 2009.[138] The performance wasn't included in the original broadcast but was later featured on the bonus DVD of the live album release.[139] West performed "Homecoming" before an audience of 3,000 students during his annual free Stay In School benefit concert at the Chicago Theatre on July 11, 2009.[140][141] The concert was held in an effort to raise awareness of West's charity foundation, and he later partnered with Fuse to broadcast the live performance on television on July 25, 2009.[142] On December 31, 2010, Kanye made a surprise appearance and joined Chris Martin and rapper Jay-Z for a performance of "Homecoming" at the Marquee Nightclub during the grand opening of the luxury resort casino and hotel Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. Jay-Z co-headlined the New Year's Eve celebration with Chris Martin and it was the very first time that West and Martin performed the song together.[143][144] West performed the song live at the 2011 Coachella Festival.[145]
Cover versions
"Homecoming" has been covered and remixed by other hip-hop artists. The Kickdrums created a mashup of "Homecoming" and the song "Ain't No Love (Heart of the City)" by rapper Jay-Z. Entitled "No Love Coming Home," the track interpolates the sung chorus of "Homecoming" and combines it with verse-raps of "Ain't No Love (Heart of the City)." It was included on Viva La Hova, a collaborative mixtape hosted by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban composed entirely of mashups of Jay-Z and Coldplay songs that was approved by both the rapper as well as the rock band.[146] A remix for "Homecoming" was produced by DiscoTech for inclusion on Sky High, a remix mixtape that was mixed and compiled by DJ Benzi and Plain Pat.[147] The mixtape features remixes by various DJs and record producers of songs taken from West's first three studio albums. It was made in anticipation of the release of his fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak.[147] The remix project was commissioned by Kanye West himself the year prior. He handed over a cappellas and other session tapes to DJ Benzi, who then spent his time trying to match different and DJs and producers to certain tracks.[147] Like every of the other tracks, "Homecoming" (DiscoTech Remix) had at least five revisions recorded before being completely finished. The song's instrumental was given a new club-friendly dance theme.[147]
Rockabye Baby! featured an interpretation of "Homecoming" as the closing track of their tribute album, Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Kanye West. Intended for infants, the gentle cover is a wordless lullaby instrumental, substituting pianochords and drums in favor of xylophones and bells.[148] Producer Carlos Serrano created a mashup of "Homecoming" and "Born to Die" by the baroque pop singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. Entitled "Coming to Die," the song has a sultry yet cinematic atmosphere conceived from layering the vocal track of West's emotive rapping and Chris Martin's lush singing over the sentimental "Born to Die" instrumental.[149] The Florida production duo Urban Noize dedicated to Kanye a remix EP entitled Mr. West that features eight remixes of his songs. A remix of "Homecoming" was among them, and the sonic textures of the track's instrumentation is tailored with a laid-back jazz vibe.[150]
^Love, Noah (September 11, 2007). "Kanye West — Graduation". CHARTattack. Chart Communications, Inc. Archived from the original on February 10, 2009. Retrieved November 16, 2007.((cite web)): CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ abWest, Kanye (March 6, 2008). "Home.....Coming.....Soon!!!!". kanYe West BLOG. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2008.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
^West, Kanye (April 1, 2008). "Homecoming (Ft. Chris Martin)". kanYe West BLOG. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2008.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
