Kevin Chiao

A10635461
Tyler Borden W: 11-11:50
Mus 17
All Falls Down
Insecurity is the root of all evil. This phrased is used commonly in the context of
human behavior and appearance and is quickly found in how others behave and act. Whether it
be physical insecurity or psychological insecurity, people will always find out. In Kanye Wests
song All Falls Down, Kanye explores and scrutinizes peoples lack of self-confidence and
insecurity through his first person storytelling approach and through his clever lyrical content.
More specifically, the manifestation of low self-confidence and insecurity will often be covered
up materialistic attempts, and this is an important realization that we will explore more in depth.
Along the way, well analyze not only the social context of the song itself but also the
production, performance, and overall content to see why Wests song is not only a catchy tune
but also an important message that resonates within us.
Actually, before we analyze the deeper implications of the song, lets start with what we
hear at the superficial level. The opening hook starts with Syleena Johnson singing Oh when it
all, it all falls down. Im telling you all, it all falls down (Genius), which was sampled from
Lauryn Hills The Mystery of Iniquity. The original samples context dealt with the inequity of
Americas consumerism and how it is approaching a point where it will collapse. Already we can
see what message Kanye is about to give (it all falls down when one is insecure), and this is the
opening verse! Accompanying this verse is a guitar strum that also strums down in pitch in
unison with the words, It all falls down which demonstrates clever composition while utilizing
accompanying rhythmic fluency and sound.

The composition as written here is defined as the result[s] from the timbral mosaic
created by the interaction between lead voice, chorus, rattle (Perry 67), from a section of
Imani Perrys analytical book on hip hop structure titled Stinging like Tabasco: Structure and
Form in Hip Hop Compositions. This also is an example of punning, as it all falls down is a
play on the words as the pitch falls down, she also is saying it falls down. Another instance of
introducing a unique sound is the section of music where the voice sounds hollow and seems as
if Kanye is in a restroom. You can hear the sound of the faucet running while Kanye raps and
these two coupled together seems like Kanye is describing an account of a person going to the
restroom to wash his/her face, presumably to relax and calm down. This is yet another unique
application of sound to fit the mood.
Moving onwards from the sound is the underlying narrative Kanye is revealing. Again,
the intention of the narrative used in this context is defined by Perry as a kind of storytelling
Oftentimes it contains elements of a morality play. (Perry 78). Diving into the opening lyrics,
Kanye is giving a narrative account of female whos so self-conscious She has no idea what
shes doing in collegeBut she wont drop out, her parents will look at her funny and how
insecurity of the female prevents her from making independent choices. Shes fine with
stay[ing] down here [to] do hair Cause thats enough money to buy her a few pairs of new
Airs, which is certainly not something that seems rewarding in the long run. Her insecurity also
is projected by her materialistic behavior since She be dealin with some issues that you cant
believe. Single black female addicted to retail This is a powerful statement as the listener is
given a first-hand account of a [probably] fictitious person whom is consumed by insecurity and
subsequently makes poor choices. Her choice of dropping out of college, going against the

wishes of her parents, and becoming a hair stylist to feed her shopping addiction is haunting
example of what may happen to an individual on the same path.
Continuing onwards, Kanye now narrates another story of insecurity, however this time
he is referring to himself: Man I promise, Im so self-conscious, Thats why you always see me
with at least one of my watchesI cant even go to the grocery store without some Ones thats
cleanEven if you in a Benz, you still a nigga in a coupe. What is particularly haunting and
powerful is the last verse. Even if a black man/woman becomes successful to the point of
purchasing high end cars, many people still perceive him/her as a nigga, which is sad to say, and
doesnt help the cause of insecurity. Interestingly enough, Kanye also incorporates some punning
in the homophonic use of coupe to refer as coop as in a chicken coop, since they feel like
theyre still trapped within themselves.
One last style of hip hop that Kanye uses is his metaphorical imagery in narration. The
metaphoric imagery, which is probably the most relatable, is the use of this POV (point of view)
footage in his music video. The entire music video is shot from Kanyes perspective, and many
of the things Ive talked about is echoed in the production. Starting with the account of the selfconscious girl, we see Kanyes presumed girlfriend just stepped out of a limousine wearing very
expensive designer wear. She asks Kanye for money and he hands her a handful of 100 dollar
bills, showing her materialistic possessions. As Kanye transitions into his second verse talking
about himself, it shows him in the restroom rapping with the echoed voice talking to himself in
the mirror, which is another allusion to those who are insecure that talk to themselves (through
the mirror). Finally, the last verse is accompanied by Kanyes multiple failures to pass the metal
detector, which is pretty interesting as you can see him constantly taking off a piece of expensive

jewelry while being scrutinized by everyone. This with the addition of the constant hook sung by
Syleena is pretty convincing that it all falls down.
To tie all the topics Ive mentioned above is the production of the song. Kanye West is
famous for being the producer of his own songs, as opposed to others who have someone else
produce the song for them. This is very important as during the early 2000s hip hop and R&B
were dominated by producers who worked using samples but were mostly making programmed
beats (Burr). This is a good example of Kanyes production as he samples Lauryn Hills The
Mystery of Iniquity, retaining her spoken words and the guitar strums while adding in electronic
bass kicks to the background of the song. Nowadays it is becoming increasingly rare to find
songs that have the artist both singing/rapping and producing the song/album.
The social implication is centered on the point that peoples lack of self-confidence
ultimately prompts materialism (Marshall). Since insecurity is the root of all evil, a fact that may
resonate with some people is that by not giving the girl a name, Kanye strips her sense of identity
that stems with the emptiness of materialism. While this may not be clear at first, Kanye
continues to attempt to connect with his viewers with his personal account of his insecurity as
well as his point-of-view music video. Instead of going to school because of societal
expectations (which happened to him), one should pursue education only if that is their desire
(also a first-hand account of Kanye, though he didnt choose to pursue education). Kanye wants
his listeners to be true to themselves and pursue the things in life that they want to pursue. Kanye
is speaking from past experience (Genius) and wants to relay his message to his listeners, which
is why he assembles multiple clever devices.
Another important social context that is intertwined with the cause of low self-esteem is
that of reaching the American dream. The American Dream is a national ethos of the United

States in which opportunities for prosperity and success as well as an upward social mobility for
family and children are achieved through hard work from successes and failures. Certainly many
people would agree that the American Dream is a goal worth fighting for, yet Kanye states that
the people highest up got the lowest self-esteem. Maybe this is his opinion, or maybe this is
prevalent in most people that have achieved success through hard work, but those to achieve the
dream are often left unfulfilled because of the sacrifices they had to make to get there that
leaves them feeling empty and meaningless.
Finally, as mentioned before many times, insecurity ultimately prompts materialistic
behavior and this is made clear many times in the song as well as this report. Since materialism
is often used to display status, rather than the utility in which they hold, people that suffer from
discrimination and low self-esteem buy items as a crutch or stepping stone to rise to the level that
people who are wealthy are on, even to the point of self-degradation: We shine because they
hate us, floss cause they degrade us, We trying to buy back our 40 acres, and for that paper, look
how low we a stoop...you still a nigga in a coupe.
One must keep in mind that while a song at face value sounds really good or is very
chill and easy to vibe to, there is often more than meets the ears in this case. These hip hop
songs carry deep meanings that have many social implications that a listener may have to listen
multiple times before he/she can understand fully what the artist is trying to get at. Skillful artists
such as Kanye West intertwine complex story telling with different elements of rhythmic fluency
and sound, and blends the song into not only a great track to get stuck in your head, but also a
powerful message that lasts.

Works Cited
Perry, Imani Prophets Of The Hood: Politics And Poetics In Hip Hop Durham: Duke University
Press, 2004. Chapter 3 Stinging Like Tabasco: Structure and Format in Hip Hop Compositions
p58101
"All Falls Down." Genius. Genius Media Group, n.d. Web. 27 May 2016.
Jackson, Robyn. "ALL Falls Down by Kanye West Rhetorical Analysis." Prezi.com. Prezi, 18
Nov. 2013. Web. 28 May 2016.
Marshall, Jason. "Rhetoric of Kanye Wests All Falls Down." Jason Marshall Rhetoric Civic
Life Blog. Penn State, 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 28 May 2016.