One of the most infamous cross-generational collaborations of all time is between Kanye West and Paul McCartney on “Only One.” Released in 2014, the single peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Gold Certification from the RIAA. However, the accolades are far from the most important thing this collaboration produced. Rather, it was the contemporary and modern musical tools Kanye West introduced to Paul McCartney.
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When both these names appear on the same project it is bound for glory, and it achieved just that. Although, McCartney learned some invaluable career lessons while working with Kanye, and even though he is quite a controversial figure, his musical talents are one of a kind. Hence, Paul McCartney was able to learn a great deal from the “Runaway” Rapper.
Paul McCartney & Kayne’s “Modern Process”
When it came time to write with Kanye, the two of them holed up in a cottage at the Beverly Hills Hotel in LA. When McCartney sat down with Kanye, he humorously recalled, “Kanye was looking at his iPad, basically scrolling through images of [his wife] Kim [Kardashian West],” per Billboard.
After Kanye finished looking at pictures of his former wife, the two got to work. In his usual fashion, McCartney starts a song by just strumming a tune and figuring it out as he goes. Though, Kayne had a far more direct approach and it all came as a result of McCartney’s iconic “Let It Be” story. After hearing McCartney’s story, McCartney remembered Kanye saying, “I’m going to write a song about my mother.”
The surprising element of this experience was how Kanye worked, and that is what opened up Paul McCartney’s musical mind. He attested to the fact by stating, “It’s this modern process that I was happy to open myself up to.” “You’ve got loads of stuff, and the skill is to distill it,” added McCartney.
Following the collaboration, McCartney had nothing but nice things to say about his illustrious writing partner. During an interview on BBC Radio 4 Mastertapes, McCartney said, “I love Kanye” and “People say he’s eccentric, which you’d have to agree with, but he’s a monster, yeah… He inspires me.” It seems Paul McCartney’s comments came from the bottom of his heart, as the two musicians collaborated again in 2015 on “Four Five Seconds” with Rihanna.
Paul McCartney & Kanye West attends The 57th Annual GRAMMY Awards per Getty Images
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