Blood on the Leaves

About Blood on the Leaves

"Blood on the Leaves" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). In the song West presents his thoughts on how fame can cause the destruction of relationships, while making comparisons of contemporary times to the lynching of African Americans in the United States during the pre-civil rights era. West delivers his vocals through an Auto-Tune processor, like on his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. It contains samples of both singer Nina Simone's 1965 rendition of Billie Holiday's song "Strange Fruit", and "R U Ready" by the duo TNGHT, who co-produced the track. The song received universal acclaim from music critics, with many commenting on its lyrical message and praising its samples. It was named one of the best tracks of 2013 by multiple publications. Pitchfork later placed the track on their list of the 200 best songs of the 2010s. Despite not being released as a single, the song managed to enter charts in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Australia in 2013. A music video was set to be directed by American filmmaker David Lynch, but plans were abandoned. Since its release, West has performed the song live on multiple occasions, including at the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards and on the 2016 Saint Pablo Tour. more »