"Stronger" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his third studio album, Graduation (2007). The song was written and produced by West, with an extended outro handled by Mike Dean. Daft Punk were credited as co-writers due to their work being sampled; West decided to sample "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" after first hearing the duo's work when touring in 2006, then made the beat and spent months re-writing his verses; Daft Punk voiced their approval of the song, finding West made the sample suitable for his personality as he ventured outside of hip-hop. Edwin Birdsong also received a credit for a master use of "Cola Bottle Baby". After West published a snippet in May 2007, as part of the promotional mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing (2007), "Stronger" was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio stations as the second single from the album on July 31, 2007, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings.
A maximalist hip-hop song also based in electronica and described by West as an emancipation from his previous mistakes, the song addresses the theme of self-empowerment. The lyrics present someone who finds that his patience strengthens him when he is lustful for a girl on the chorus, paraphrasing Friedrich Nietzsche's dictum: "What does not kill him, makes him stronger." The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly highlighted the sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger". Focus was placed on West's innovation through the combination of electronica and hip-hop, while critical assessments of his rapping were somewhat mixed.
"Stronger" was named to year-end lists for 2007 by multiple publications, including Spin and The Village Voice. The song was awarded Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, alongside winning Best Rap/Hip Hop Dance Track at the 2008 International Dance Music Awards. Later appearing on retrospective lists of numerous outlets, it was ranked number 493 on Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2024. The song topped the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming West's third number-one single in the United States and ranking as his third biggest hit of all time there as of 2018. The top spot was also achieved in Canada, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom, while it reached the top 10 of six other countries and the European Hot 100 Singles chart. The song became West's first single to receive a diamond certification in the US from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in 2021, five years before being certified fourteen-times platinum by the RIAA. It was also awarded octuple and triple platinum certifications in Australia and the UK by the Australian Recording Industry Association and British Phonographic Industry, respectively.
The accompanying music video, inspired by anime film Akira (1988), juxtaposed shots of Tokyo with West rapping, and won Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2007 BET Hip Hop Awards. West performed "Stronger" live on his Glow in the Dark Tour (2007–08), with Daft Punk at the Grammys, and at several festivals, including Wireless and Glastonbury. The song has been featured in several pieces of media, such as the film The Hangover Part II (2011) and the series Girls. Retrospectively, the song has been credited for influencing hip-hop artists to move towards electronica elements and also the revival of disco-infused music in the late 2000s.
Background and development
"Stronger" was conceived as a challenge to compete with producer Timbaland and singer Justin Timberlake, as West's fiancée at the time was a huge fan of their 2006 hit single "SexyBack", to his chagrin. West was struggling to produce the drums on the record and initially went to producers Pharrell Williams and Swizz Beatz for assistance, but the song was not sounding the way he intended. Before its release, West first shared a snippet of "Stronger" on his mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing in May 2007. The song was playlisted by BBC Radio 1, appearing on DJ Tim Westwood's "Top Five Heavy Hits" for July 31, 2007. The song's cover art was released through West's website with a video teaser on June 29, 2007. It was designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, who handled the artwork of singles and the creative direction for Graduation. The cover artwork features a cartoon version of West's mascot "Dropout Bear", wearing the rapper's white sunglasses.
"Stronger" musically derives from a vocal sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" (2001) by French house duo Daft Punk. The sample was requested by West through Pedro Winter, Daft Punk's manager at the time. The duo, who enjoyed the track, granted approval and were open-minded towards producing for rappers after the sample increased their popularity in hip hop; they found the genre "exciting and interesting". In June 2007, West acknowledged that he was not the first rap producer to sample Daft Punk, as Swizz Beatz had sampled their single "Technologic" for rapper Busta Rhymes' 2005 track "Touch It". West later met the Daft Punk musicians, Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo, at Chicago music festival Lollapalooza in 2007. West was convinced "Stronger" was inferior to "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" when he heard it after release, although Daft Punk disagreed and were delighted with how the song turned out. The two first heard it on Power 106 when awaiting a San Francisco flight; Homem-Christo recalled that the DJ transitioned from their original into the song and expressed how West's sound "was really fat". He clarified that they may not have collaborated in the studio, but the original's vibe separately connected with West's work.
Speaking on Tim Westwood TV in 2007, West said that his label executives were skeptical of "Stronger" since they thought people would not understand its sample, which he used to cross creative boundaries. For a Spin story with West and Bangalter in January 2008, the rapper stated that he had accomplished a new level of musicality with how the song was crafted, particularly the end, and described his previous shortcomings at reaching this level as "still way better than everything else in hip-hop". Bangalter was intrigued by West making the sample suitable for his own personality, noticing how the rapper distorts its meaning like Daft Punk's musical attempts to express their ideas universally. He also said that the combination of genres for "Stronger" was done at a time of "open-mindedness on the part of both the musicians and the audiences", while West recalled receiving criticism from the electronic community for sampling a "holy grail" and the hip hop community for venturing outside his genre. West said that hip hop is about innovation and crafting previously unheard combinations. Bangalter echoed his views on influence; he explained that "what you want is the next generation to destroy what you've done" and start over again, emphasising the importance of taking risks when famous. He also would not comment about a future collaboration with West, though Daft Punk later contributed production to his sixth album Yeezus in 2013, including its lead single "Black Skinhead".
On annotations for Genius in 2015, Canadian DJ A-Trak detailed the origins of the sample. A-Trak and West heard the sample of "Technologic" in Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" on a tour bus during 2006; the rapper was a fan of the beat, but did not know who Daft Punk were at the time. The two went to a hotel and the DJ played "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" to West, who was insistent on sampling the track after taking a liking. A-Trak felt reluctant because of a 1990s "mentality in terms of sampling" for using unknown records, although retrospectively believed West's choice was correct and that culture had accelerated musically. West sent him an early demo of "Stronger" as they were on tour and A-Trak appreciated the sample, after which West made the beat and re-wrote his verses for months. The DJ ultimately contributed scratching to the song, decided by West since "it's only right". A-Trak later spoke about the sample at the Meadows Music & Arts Festival 2017 in New York City (NYC), crediting West's "curiosity period" when genres were largely separated and focusing on his strength at "identifying these [great] things". The DJ also recapped his initial reluctance as he offered that "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" remained "an international hit" despite West not having heard of Daft Punk, feeling the usage could come across as cheap.
Writing and recording "Stronger" paraphrases a dictum from German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, whose content is related by West to the more physical subject of a girl. West was particularly proud of his comparison between her and actress Apollonia Kotero, honoring how the reference stood out for its purity as opposed to rappers using "prefabricated metaphors and similes" about subjects from guns to sports. The track's production was handled by West and utilizes a vocal sample of "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" by Daft Punk, the instrumental of which samples "Cola Bottle Baby" (1979), a song by the funk keyboardist Edwin Birdsong. Bangalter and Homem-Christo were credited as co-writers of "Stronger" because of the vocal sample, while Birdsong received a writing credit due to the master use of "Cola Bottle Baby". West sought to give his sample a cinematic sound and he slowed it down, loosening the rhythm and overdubbing throbbing synths. The rapper and record producer Mike Dean, who handled the outro, layered and re-arranged the sample to create their crescendos. West accompanied it with his rapping and singing, which transformed "a robotic feel into something much more soulful".
The song was recorded at Ape Sounds in Tokyo, Sony Music Studios in NYC, and the Record Plant in Hollywood, California. Its recording sessions placed attention to detail and were a turning point in the production process for Graduation, following West having previously been "aimlessly making songs". Video director Hype Williams inspired West to move towards a futuristic direction after he heard the song when it had no drums, which the rapper also did for the music video and the album: "It inspired a whole movement." He returned to the studio to resume working on songs like "Stronger", finding creative inspiration from films such as Total Recall (1990). West reflected on his past mistakes, admitting he had become caught up in criticism and negativity; he channeled his frustration into the song's first verse for expression. He elaborated that rather than an apology, he used the song as "an emancipation". The rapper also said that he offered the message to his fans of him "coming back after a time away and I need you right now", looking for their help in his comeback. Inspired by his worldwide stadium tour with Irish rock band U2 from 2005 to 2006, West redesigned the song for it to be chanted. He said that the song offered the "bigger sound" of stadium music, providing "a throw-your- hands-up-in-the-sky vibe". West explained the song has a "heavy melody", and that it features a digital hi-hat as opposed to a snare drum. West worked on "Stronger" with 8 audio engineers and 11 mix engineers at Larrabee North Studios in Universal City, California and Battery Studios in NYC, recording over 50 versions of the track.