171-405: " Low Lights " (also stylized as " Lowlights ") is a song by American recording artist Kanye West from his seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo (2016). It was produced by West, DJDS and Mike Dean , while the lyrics were written by West, Dean, Jerome Potter, Samuel Griesemer and Sandy Rivera . DJDS worked on the album for three consecutive weeks after meeting West, with the latter sharing
342-478: A 529 plan to fully cover college tuition for Floyd's daughter. West made cameo appearances as himself in the films State Property 2 (2005) and The Love Guru (2008), and in an episode of the television show Entourage in 2007. West provided the voice for "Kenny West", a rapper, in the animated sitcom The Cleveland Show . In 2009, he starred in the Spike Jonze -directed short film We Were Once
513-533: A Hurricane Sandy benefit concert . In January 2019, West donated $ 10 million towards the completion of the Roden Crater by American artist James Turrell . In June 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd and the following protests , he donated $ 2 million between the family of Floyd and other victims of police brutality , Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor . The donation funded legal fees for Arbery and Taylor's families, as well as establishing
684-546: A consistent life ethic . In October 2022, he was widely condemned and lost many sponsors and partnerships—including his collaborations with Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga —after making a series of antisemitic statements, including denying the Holocaust . West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta , Georgia. After his parents divorced when he was three years old, he moved with his mother to Chicago , Illinois. His father, Ray West,
855-405: A manifesto on his architectural goals during a visit to Harvard Graduate School of Design . In May 2018, West announced he was starting an architecture firm called Yeezy Home, which will act as an arm of his already successful Yeezy fashion label. In June 2018, the first Yeezy Home collaboration was announced by designer Jalil Peraza, teasing an affordable concrete prefabricated home as part of
1026-448: A social housing project. In March 2015, it was announced that West is a co-owner, with various other music artists, in the music streaming service Tidal . The service specialises in lossless audio and high definition music videos. Jay-Z acquired the parent company of Tidal, Aspiro , in the first quarter of 2015. Sixteen artist stakeholders including Jay-Z, Rihanna, Beyoncé, Madonna, Chris Martin , Nicki Minaj co-own Tidal, with
1197-541: A string orchestra for his second album Late Registration . West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion , who served as the album's co-executive producer for several tracks. Late Registration sold over 2.3 million units in the United States alone by the end of 2005 and was considered by industry observers as the only successful major album release of the fall season, which had been plagued by steadily declining CD sales. When his song " Touch
1368-542: A "gospel-heavy song" and a "powerful track." Iyana Robertson of Vibe wrote that "a passionate testimony of deliverance is shared with West's congregation." Zach Schonfeld of Newsweek viewed the song as what "comes in the form of a spoken testimony to Christ." When Premier Gospel looked into The Life of Pablo possibly being the gospel album of 2016, Jamie of the site voiced the belief that if "Low Lights", " Jesus Walks " or fellow album track "Ultralight Beam" had been put out by anyone else, then "we'd be hailing them as
1539-434: A 90-minute length, and sketches that have made it as far as the live rehearsal may be removed. This often results in less than two days of rehearsal for the eight to twelve sketches that have made it to the stage that then may appear on the live broadcast. The opening monologue, spoken by the guest host, is given low priority and can be written as late as Saturday afternoon. According to an interview with Tina Fey in 2004,
1710-411: A Fairytale (2009), playing himself acting belligerently while drunk in a nightclub. West wrote, directed, and starred in the musical short film Runaway (2010), which heavily features music from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . The film depicts a relationship between a man, played by West, and a half-woman, half- phoenix creature. Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live ( SNL )
1881-587: A February 1981 episode, cast member Charles Rocket used the profanity "fuck" during a sketch. Rocket later said he was trying to kill time before the show's close and had not meant to utter the word. Following this episode, Doumanian was dismissed after only ten months on the job. Although some executives suggested SNL be cancelled, the show received a reprieve, and Dick Ebersol was hired as producer. Ebersol's sketches leaned towards more accessible, broad comedy, which alienated some long-time fans, writers, and cast members. His distaste for political humor led
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#17328691725522052-485: A Lame-O ", that had critiqued Silverman's job performance. Unable to secure the deal that he wanted, Michaels chose to leave NBC, and Jean Doumanian was given his position. Almost every writer and cast member, including Michaels, left the show after the May 24, 1980, season finale. Doumanian's rapidly-assembled new cast faced immediate comparisons to the previous cast, and was not received favorably by critics or audiences. In
2223-470: A Monday with a free-form pitch meeting between the cast, writers, producers, including Michaels and the guest host in Michaels's office over two hours. The host is invited to pitch ideas during this meeting. Although some sketchwriting may occur on the day, the bulk of the work revolves around pitching ideas. Tuesday is the only day dedicated purely to writing the scripts, a process that usually extends through
2394-501: A Paris hotel. Determined to "undermine the commercial", he once again brought together close collaborators and attempted to incorporate Chicago drill , dancehall , acid house , and industrial music . Primarily inspired by architecture, West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach. Initial promotion of his sixth album included worldwide video projections of
2565-413: A cast member at any time. In the first season of the show the cast was paid $ 750 per episode, rising to $ 2,000 by season two, and $ 4,000 by season four. By the late 1990s, new cast members received a salary between $ 5,000 and $ 5,500 per episode, increasing to $ 6,000 in the second year and up to $ 12,500 for a cast member in their fifth year. Performers could earn an additional $ 1,500 per episode for writing
2736-422: A company owned by NBC, Paramount Pictures , and Michaels. The new contracts were reportedly developed after many previously unknown cast members, such as Mike Myers and Adam Sandler , gained fame on SNL only to leave and make money for other studios. In a 2010 interview, Wiig was reported to be contracted to SNL for a total of seven years. The contracts also contain a network option that allows NBC to remove
2907-706: A concert in Haikou , China at the Wuyuan River Stadium , West announced his eleventh solo album Bully , debuting the track "Beauty and the Beast". West's musical career is defined by frequent stylistic shifts and different musical approaches. In the subsequent years since his debut, West has both musically and lyrically taken an increasingly experimental approach to crafting progressive hip hop music while maintaining accessible pop sensibilities. Ed Ledsham of PopMatters said that "West's melding of multiple genres into
3078-590: A contender for Album of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards was viewed as a "snub" by several media outlets. 2011 saw West embark on a festival tour to commemorate the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy performing and headlining numerous festivals including; SWU Music & Arts , Austin City Limits Music Festival , Oya Festival , Flow Festival , Live Music Festival , The Big Chill , Essence Music Festival , Lollapalooza and Coachella which
3249-460: A controversial video for " Famous ", which depicted wax figures of several celebrities (including West, Kardashian, Taylor Swift, businessman and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump , comedian Bill Cosby , and former president George W. Bush) sleeping nude in a shared bed. In August 2016, West embarked on the Saint Pablo Tour in support of The Life of Pablo. The performances featured
3420-457: A cost of $ 250,000. By 1975, Michaels had assembled the show's initial cast, including Dan Aykroyd , John Belushi , Chevy Chase , Jane Curtin , Garrett Morris , Laraine Newman , Gilda Radner , and George Coe . The cast was nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime-Time Players", a term coined by show writer Herb Sargent . Much of the talent pool involved in the inaugural season was recruited from The National Lampoon Radio Hour , including
3591-586: A decision yet at that point. Michaels has worked with Fey several times since her SNL tenure ended, including on 30 Rock . Michaels earlier said in 2021 that the show's fiftieth anniversary would be "a really good time to leave". Kenan Thompson , the show's longest-serving cast member, speculated in 2022 that SNL may come to an end altogether after its fiftieth season, saying that it could make financial sense for NBC. However, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in September 2024, Michaels denied that he
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#17328691725523762-432: A frequent source of controversy due to his conduct on social media , at award shows and public settings, as well as his comments on the music and fashion industries , U.S. politics , race , and slavery . His Christian faith, high-profile marriage to Kim Kardashian , and mental health have also been topics of media attention. In 2020, West launched an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for
3933-571: A mobile stage suspended from the ceiling. West postponed several dates in October following the Paris robbery of several of his wife's effects. On November 21, 2016, West cancelled the remaining 21 dates on the Saint Pablo Tour, following a week of no-shows, curtailed concerts and rants about politics. He was later admitted for psychiatric observation at UCLA Medical Center . He stayed hospitalized over
4104-410: A musical guest, a solo act, or a band, who performs two or three musical numbers. Occasionally, the musical guest simultaneously serves as the host, and may also appear in comedy sketches. As of October 11, 2020, Dave Grohl is the most frequent musical guest, performing on fourteen shows since 1992. Michaels does not allow musical guests to perform using lip-synching tracks, believing it diminishes
4275-664: A new album entitled Yeezus II slated for a 2014 release, West announced in March 2015 that the album would instead be tentatively called So Help Me God . In May 2015, West was awarded an honorary doctorate by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for his contributions to music, fashion, and popular culture. The next month, West headlined at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, despite
4446-588: A new shoe collaboration deal with West. After months of anticipation and rumors, West confirmed the release of the Adidas Yeezy Boosts. In 2015, West unveiled a Yeezy clothing line, premiering in collaboration with Adidas early that year. In June 2016, Adidas announced a new long-term contract with Kanye West that extended the Yeezy line to a number of stores, planning to sell sports performance products like basketball, football, and soccer, although Adidas terminated
4617-528: A petition signed by almost 135,000 people against his appearance. Another petition aimed to block West from headlining the 2015 Pan American Games , garnering 50,000 supporters. West announced in January 2016 that Swish would be released on February 11, and later that month, released new songs " Real Friends " and a snippet of " No More Parties in LA " with Kendrick Lamar. On January 26, 2016, West revealed he had renamed
4788-449: A record deal as a rapper. Multiple record companies, including Capitol Records , denied or ignored him because he did not portray the gangsta image prominent in mainstream hip hop at the time. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella as a recording artist. A 2002 car accident, which shattered his jaw, inspired West; two weeks after being admitted to
4959-518: A recording artist. West's debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), was met with critical acclaim and yielded the Billboard Hot 100 -number one single " Slow Jamz ". He peaked the chart on four other occasions with the singles " Gold Digger " (2005), " Stronger " (2007), " E.T. " (2011, as a featured artist), and " Carnival " (2024). West's second and third studio albums, Late Registration (2005) and Graduation (2007), both debuted atop
5130-407: A scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997 and began taking painting classes. Shortly after, he transferred to Chicago State University to study English. At age 20, he dropped out to pursue his musical career. This greatly displeased his mother, who was also a professor at the university, although she would later accept the decision. West began his early production career in
5301-556: A significant increase in ratings and a "shot of relevance" for the show, according to Vanity Fair . Trump disliked Baldwin's impression, tweeting in 2019 that the Federal Election Commission or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should look into stopping SNL from "knocking the same person (me), over & over, without so much of a mention of 'the other side.'" In 2021, sources close to
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5472-502: A significant overhaul, including Beck Bennett , Kyle Mooney , and Sasheer Zamata . Longtime head writer and cast member Seth Meyers also exited midway through that season, and was replaced by fellow writer Colin Jost in the Weekend Update segment. The show frequently parodied Donald Trump in and around his first presidency ; an ongoing impression by actor Alec Baldwin led to
5643-467: A sketch that made it to air. In 2001, Ferrell became the highest-paid cast member, being paid $ 350,000 per season (approximately $ 17,500 per episode). As of the 2022–23 season, Kent Sublette, Alison Gates , and Streeter Seidell are the show's co-head writers. Seth Meyers became a co-head writer in the 2005-06 season, became the single head writer from 2008 to 2012 , and then left in 2014 . Current Update anchor Colin Jost has himself been
5814-526: A snippet of the song on Saturday Night Live the day before release in February 2016. The vocals used in "Low Lights" are sampled from the a cappella version of "So Alive" by Kings of Tomorrow. A gospel track that looks at spirituality and references God throughout, "Low Lights" is the sixth track on The Life of Pablo , and leads into " Highlights ". The song received positive reviews from music critics, commending its religious nature. Alicia Keys sampled
5985-505: A snippet of the song while he stood onstage by himself. West segued from the snippet into a performance of "Highlights" joined by Young Thug , El DeBarge , Kelly Price and The-Dream . The song was one of five that West added to The Life of Pablo 's tracklist on the day of release. During a Twitter rant in February 2016, West sent out various tweets related to the album. He explained the song's presence, tweeting: "I put Lowlights [ sic ] on my album just thinking about all
6156-451: A style of hip-hop production dubbed "chipmunk-soul", a sampling technique involving the manipulation of tempo in order to chop and stretch pitched-up samples from vintage soul songs. On his debut studio album, The College Dropout (2004), West formed the constitutive elements of his style, described as intricate hip-hop beats, topical subject matter, and clumsy rapping laced with inventive wordplay. The record saw West diverge from
6327-507: A supporting act. The tour was met with rave reviews from critics. Rolling Stone described it as "crazily entertaining, hugely ambitious, emotionally affecting (really!) and, most importantly, totally bonkers". Writing for Forbes , Zack O'Malley Greenburg praised West for "taking risks that few pop stars, if any, are willing to take in today's hyper-exposed world of pop", describing the show as "overwrought and uncomfortable at times, but [it] excels at challenging norms and provoking thought in
6498-509: A time, West acted as a ghost producer for Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie . Due to his association with Angelettie, West was not able to release a solo album, so he formed the Go-Getters, a hip hop group composed of him and fellow Chicago natives GLC , Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar. The Go-Getters independently released their first and only studio album, World Record Holders in 1999 through West's company, Konman Productions . West spent much of
6669-441: A trilogy of albums, with each of the album's three volumes set to be released on February 9, March 6, and April 5, 2024. In January 2024, West co-signed 4Batz and called him his favorite new artist. On February 8, 2024, West released the first volume's second single, " Talking / Once Again " featuring his eldest daughter North. A day later, producer Erick Sermon revealed in an interview that West's upcoming eleventh studio album
6840-409: A way that just isn't common for mainstream musical acts of late". West subsequently released a number of singles featuring Paul McCartney , including " Only One " and " FourFiveSeconds ", also featuring Rihanna . In November 2013, West stated that he was beginning work on his next studio album, hoping to release it by mid-2014, with production by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip . Having initially announced
7011-524: A writer since 2005 and was one of the head writers from 2012 to 2015 before being renamed head writer, from 2017 until 2022 . Current Update co-anchor Michael Che has been a writer since 2013 . He temporarily left the show in the summer of 2014, but came back that fall to anchor Update and reclaimed his status as a writer, then serving as a co-head writer alongside Jost for five years. The Weekend Update segment has its own dedicated team of writers led by head writer Pete Schultz (who has been writing for
Low Lights - Misplaced Pages Continue
7182-485: A year to make his second album. West was inspired by Roseland NYC Live , a 1998 live album by English trip hop group Portishead , produced with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra , incorporating string arrangements into his hip-hop production. Though West had not been able to afford many live instruments around the time of his debut album, the money from his commercial success enabled him to hire
7353-403: Is "done with [his] contract with Sony and Universal". On October 16, he released the single " Nah Nah Nah ". West held several listening parties at Mercedes-Benz Stadium for his upcoming album Donda in the summer of 2021, where he had taken up temporary residence in one of the stadium's locker rooms, converting it into a recording studio to finish the recording. After multiple delays, Donda
7524-417: Is King (2019) and Donda (2021), and psychedelic music on Kids See Ghosts (2018). Early in his career, West made clear his interest in fashion and desire to work in the clothing design industry. He launched his own clothing line in spring 2006, and developed it over the following four years before the line was ultimately cancelled in 2009. In January 2007, West's first sneaker collaboration
7695-722: Is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Ray later became a Christian counselor, and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland , with startup capital from his son. West's mother, Donda C. West (née Williams), was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University before retiring to serve as his manager. West
7866-472: Is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC . The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night . The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members . Each episode
8037-410: Is considered to have had a significant effect on hip-hop music, encouraging other rappers to take more creative risks with their productions. While Taylor Swift was accepting her award for Best Female Video at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards , West went on stage and grabbed the microphone from her to proclaim that Beyoncé deserved the award instead. He was subsequently removed from the remainder of
8208-418: Is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that is usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, " Live from New York, it's Saturday Night! ", properly beginning the show. In 1980, Michaels left
8379-603: Is notoriously secretive about the company's operations, maintaining neither an official website nor a social media presence. Contemporary critics have noted the consistent minimalistic aesthetic exhibited throughout Donda creative projects. West expressed interest in starting an architecture firm in May 2013, saying "I want to do product, I am a product person, not just clothing but water bottle design, architecture ... I make music but I shouldn't be limited to one place of creativity" and then later in November 2013, delivering
8550-836: Is the house band for SNL . Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore served as the first musical director, from 1975 to 1980, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band and (backing a U.S. Coast Guard chorus) Howard Shore and the Shore Patrol. Over the years, the band has featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker (the early 1980s), Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter), Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981 to 1985), and G. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). As of 2017,
8721-433: Is the show's longest-serving cast member. Currently, the cast consists of 17 members, with 14 repertory players and 3 featured players: The cast were often contracted from anywhere between five and six years to the show, but starting with the 1999–2000 season, new hires were tied to a rewritten contract that allowed NBC to take a cast member in at least their second year and put them in an NBC sitcom. Cast members are given
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#17328691725528892-541: Is what you have to do.'" West recorded the remainder of the album in Los Angeles while recovering from the car accident. It was leaked months before its release date, and West used the opportunity to remix, remaster, and revise the album before its release; West added new verses, string arrangements , gospel choirs , and improved drum programming. The album was postponed three times from its initial date in August 2003, and
9063-555: The Billboard 200 , the latter becoming West's most commercially successful to date. Three of his subsequent albums, 808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), and The Life of Pablo (2016), were certified triple platinum , and Yeezus (2013) was certified double platinum. While not as well-received critically as his previous efforts, Ye (2018), Jesus Is King (2019), and Donda (2021) continued West's series of consecutive number one debuts on
9234-452: The 1984–1985 season . Though this season was considered one of the series' funniest, it diverged significantly from Michaels' innovative approach. Like Michaels before him, Ebersol informed NBC that he would only return if the show took a hiatus to recast and rebuild, and diverge significantly from the established live format. NBC rejected these requests and instead decided to approach Michaels to return as producer. Michaels returned for
9405-413: The 1985–1986 season ; the show was again recast, with Michaels borrowing Ebersol's idea to seek out established actors. Writers struggled with the cast, and Michaels cleaned house again for the 1986–1987 season , seeking unknown talent such as Dana Carvey and Phil Hartman instead of known names. This new cast was successful at reviving the show's popularity in the eyes of critics and audiences. In
9576-470: The 2005–2006 season . Before the start of the 2006–2007 season , the show suffered budget cuts that led to a smaller cast. The following season was also cut short by the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike , which led to several cancelled episodes. Fey later returned to the show during the 2008 presidential election for several critically acclaimed guest appearances as vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin . Writer Robert Smigel later said it
9747-549: The Billboard 200. West has also released the collaborative albums Watch the Throne (2011) with Jay-Z , Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Kid Cudi , as well as Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024) with Ty Dolla Sign . In fashion design, he has collaborated with Nike, Inc. , Louis Vuitton , and Gap Inc. on clothing and footwear, and led the Yeezy collaboration with Adidas . One of
9918-719: The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum . On January 5, 2022, West was announced as one of the 2022 headliners of Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival . Later that month on January 15, West released the first single for his upcoming album Donda 2 , " Eazy " featuring The Game , to be executive produced by American rapper Future . West hosted a listening event for the album at LoanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, on February 22. In April, shortly before Coachella, West pulled out as headlining act, then proceeded to pull out of headlining Rolling Loud . West and The Game performed
10089-486: The SNL cast who appear on camera, many of the writers have been able to find their own success outside the show, such as Conan O'Brien , who was brought into SNL from The Groundlings in 1988, went on to write for The Simpsons , and eventually began hosting his own show . Former head writer Adam McKay , along with performer Ferrell, founded the successful comedy website Funny or Die . In 1999, Tina Fey (a year before joining
10260-470: The a cappella version of "So Alive" by American dance duo Kings of Tomorrow for the entirety of it, which is layered over piano chords and synth bass production. The vocals are not by West but by an unknown woman who was sampled for "So Alive". Throughout "Low Lights", the woman is heard preaching about God and his connection to spirituality. Lyrically, a descriptive picture is painted of faith in God by her and
10431-633: The 2009–10 season. In 2010 the 92-year-old Pardo was reported to be again considering his retirement, but continued to serve as announcer until his death at age 96 on August 18, 2014, following the 39th season. Apart from a brief period in 2006 in which Pardo pre-recorded his announcements at his home in Arizona, he flew to New York City to perform his announcing duties live, until 2010 when he began recording permanently from Arizona. Former cast members Joe Piscopo and Darrell Hammond have also impersonated Pardo and fulfilled his announcing duties during times Pardo
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#173286917255210602-491: The 39th season (2013–14) had a budget of over $ 70 million, for which it received a subsidy from New York State in the amount of $ 12.3 million. Edie Baskin was the original SNL photographer. She was hired after Michaels saw her photographs of Las Vegas and other work. Baskin helped create the opening title sequence for the show by taking photos of New York City at night. The first episode used publicity photos of host George Carlin as transitional bumpers between
10773-667: The Kanye West Foundation in Chicago in 2003, tasked with a mission to battle dropout and illiteracy rates, while partnering with community organizations to provide underprivileged youth access to music education. In 2007, West and the Foundation partnered with Strong American Schools as part of their "Ed in '08" campaign. As spokesman for the campaign, West appeared in a series of PSAs for the organization, and hosted an inaugural benefit concert in August of that year. In 2008, following
10944-477: The Kardashians, Charlie Wilson , and Kid Cudi. West previewed a new song, " Water " at his "Sunday Service" orchestration performance at Coachella 2019, which was later revealed to feature on his upcoming album Jesus Is King ; West released the album on October 25, 2019. It became the first to ever top the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Albums, Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums at
11115-609: The Simulation , later clarifying that he was sharing the book "in real time" on Twitter and began posting content that was likened to " life coaching ". Later that month, he also announced two new albums, a solo album and self-titled collaboration with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts , both of which would be released in June. Additionally, he revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor , as well as Nas . Shortly thereafter, West released
11286-620: The Sky " failed to win Best Video at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards , West went onto the stage as the award was being presented to Justice and Simian for " We Are Your Friends " and argued that he should have won the award instead. Hundreds of news outlets worldwide criticized the outburst. On November 7, 2006, West apologized for this outburst publicly during his performance as support act for U2 for their Vertigo concert in Brisbane . He later spoofed
11457-536: The Thanksgiving weekend because of a temporary psychosis stemming from sleep deprivation and extreme dehydration. Following this episode West took an 11-month break from posting on Twitter and the public in general. It was reported in May 2017 that West was recording new music in Jackson Hole, Wyoming , with a wide range of collaborators. In April 2018, West announced plans to write a philosophy book entitled Break
11628-736: The US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and lasted for one week. Alongside its debut on the Bubbling Under Hot 100, the track peaked at number 1 on the US Bubbling Under R&;B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and spent a total of two weeks on it. The track opened at number 134 on the UK Singles Chart . American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys sampled the track's monologue in her 2017 song "That's What's Up", from her album Here (2018). An accompanying music video for
11799-467: The United States . The show format has been developed and recreated in several countries, meeting with different levels of success. Successful sketches have seen life outside the show as feature films, including The Blues Brothers (1980) and Wayne's World (1992). The show has been marketed in other ways, including home media releases of "best of" and whole seasons, and books and documentaries about behind-the-scenes activities of running and developing
11970-599: The Weekend Update hosts have gone on to find greater success outside the show, including Dennis Miller , Seth Meyers , Norm Macdonald , Colin Quinn , and Jimmy Fallon . As of Season 49, SNL has featured 164 cast members including, besides the above-mentioned players, Rachel Dratch , Amy Poehler , Chris Rock , David Spade , Will Forte , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Tracy Morgan , Chris Parnell , Maya Rudolph , Andy Samberg , Molly Shannon , and many others. Kenan Thompson
12141-702: The White House told The Daily Beast that in 2019, Trump repeatedly asked his advisers and lawyers to stop his negative portrayals on SNL and other shows such as Jimmy Kimmel Live! through the interference of the FCC or the Department of Justice . In 2021, James Austin Johnson assumed the Trump impression from Baldwin. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , SNL ' s 2019–2020 season
12312-451: The album from Swish to Waves . In the weeks leading up to the album's release, West became embroiled in several Twitter controversies. Several days ahead of its release, West again changed the title, this time to The Life of Pablo . On February 11, West premiered the album at Madison Square Garden as part of the presentation of his Yeezy Season 3 clothing line. Following the preview, West announced that he would be modifying
12483-576: The album was released through several other competing services starting in April. In February 2016, West stated on Twitter that he was planning to release another album in the summer of 2016, tentatively called Turbo Grafx 16 in reference to the 1990s video game console of the same name . In June 2016, West released the collaborative lead single " Champions " off the GOOD Music album Cruel Winter , which has yet to be released. Later that month, West released
12654-429: The album's music and live television performances. Yeezus , West's sixth album, was released June 18, 2013, to rave reviews from critics. It became his sixth consecutive number one debut, but also marked his lowest solo opening week sales. In September 2013, West announced he would be headlining his first solo tour in five years , to support Yeezus , with fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar accompanying him as
12825-461: The availability of either can mean the photoshoot for both occurs as late as Thursday. Matthews employs flattering portrait lighting with hard lights to achieve a Hollywood style. On the lighting, Matthews commented: "I think it just helps the image pop off the screen ... If you use soft or flat lighting, it becomes not as dimensional ... The [classic Hollywood lighting] gives a little more contrast, and if I use edge lights and then light
12996-519: The band is under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett , keyboardist Leon Pendarvis , and Eli Brueggemann, who does not play in the band on the live show. The band plays instrumentals leading in and out of station breaks; affiliates who run no advertising during these interludes hear the band play complete songs behind a Saturday Night Live bumper graphic until the program resumes. The band plays "Closing Theme (Waltz in A)", written by Shore, at
13167-481: The camera. Others associated with the show, such as writers, have gone on to successful careers creating, writing, and starring in television and film. Broadcast from Studio 8H at NBC's headquarters in the Comcast Building at 30 Rockefeller Plaza , SNL has aired 975 episodes since its debut and began its 50th season on September 28, 2024, making it one of the longest-running network television programs in
13338-575: The cast and becoming a Weekend Update anchor) became the first woman SNL head writer and successfully made the transition to starring on the show, as well as writing and starring in feature films, ultimately creating and starring in her own show 30 Rock , which was partly based on her SNL experiences. In 2005 Fey was paid $ 1.5 million per season for her dual role as head writer and performer. Writer John Mulaney has also found success outside of SNL through well-received stand-up specials, his Broadway act The Oh, Hello Show , and
13509-452: The cast, causing a divide between the veteran members and the new, younger talent. This led to increased competition for the show's limited screen time, and an increasing reliance on "younger", less subtle humor. The show lost Carvey and Hartman, two of its biggest stars, between 1992 and 1994. Wanting to increase SNL ' s ratings and profitability, NBC West Coast president Don Ohlmeyer and other executives began to actively interfere in
13680-412: The cast. Traditionally, the host of the show ends the opening monologue by mentioning the musical guest for the night and saying, "We got a great show for you tonight, (musical guest) is/are here. So stick around, we'll be right back." Comedian George Carlin was the first to host SNL in the debut October 1975 episode; three episodes later, Candice Bergen became the first woman to host and subsequently
13851-434: The control room, with multiple digital and analog video recorders used to store footage. Graphics are provided by a Chyron Lyric Pro character generator and an Avid Deko character generator. Audio facilities consist of a Calrec T Series digitally controlled analog mixing console, and a Yamaha digital mixing console used for tape playback support and utility audio work. While exact budgets for other seasons are not known,
14022-507: The creative content company Donda , named after his late mother. In his announcement, West proclaimed that the company would "pick up where Steve Jobs left off"; Donda would operate as a "design company" with a goal to "make products and experiences that people want and can afford". In stating Donda's creative philosophy, West articulated the need to "put creatives in a room together with like minds" in order to "simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see, taste, touch, and feel." West
14193-517: The death of West's mother, the foundation was rechristened The Dr. Donda West Foundation. The foundation ceased operations in 2011. In 2013, Kanye West and friend Rhymefest founded Donda's House, Inc., a program aimed at helping at-risk Chicago youth. West has contributed to hurricane relief in 2005 by participating in a Hurricane Katrina benefit concert after the storm had ravaged black communities in New Orleans and in 2012 when he performed at
14364-404: The dedicated Weekend Update team, who know those characters better. SNL writers are often also performers or experienced in writing and improvisational comedy. Many are hired from similar backgrounds such as The Groundlings, Second City, Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre , and ImprovOlympic . Comedian Jim Downey was head writer for 10 years, from 1985 to 1995. Downey (who previously joined
14535-458: The duo in January 2016. West had previously used the word "light" in the titles of his tracks " Flashing Lights ", " Street Lights " and " All of the Lights ". It further makes appearance on The Life of Pablo tracks "Ultralight Beam" and " Highlights " as well as "Low Lights". "Low Lights" is a gospel track that includes similar elements to the album's opener "Ultralight Beam". It contains a sample of
14706-407: The duo, with the gospel elements of their work making sense out of West wanting to collaborate. Samo Sound Boy revealed that every song was being worked on at the same time and that the recording process "wasn't a really systematic way." Jerome LOL named West as one of DJDS' biggest inspirations and claimed for their sampling style to be "directly influenced by his old production." The rapper discovered
14877-428: The early 1990s, much of this core cast began to leave the show, and younger performers such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler began to be promoted to repertory status. Some of these cast members, such as Sandler, Farley, Rob Schneider , Spade, and Chris Rock , would come to be known as the "Bad Boys of SNL " for their outrageous comedy style. Afraid of cast members leaving for film careers, Michaels had overcrowded
15048-501: The end of the month and a collaborative album with fellow Chicagoan rapper Chance the Rapper titled Good Ass Job . That same month, West announced that he would be changing his stage name to "Ye". Yandhi was originally set for release in September 2018 but was postponed multiple times. In January 2019, West pulled out of headlining that year's Coachella festival after negotiations broke down due to discord regarding stage design. In July, it
15219-521: The end of the show. Since the show's inception, SNL has aired from Studio 8H, located on floors eight and nine of the Comcast Building (formerly the RCA Building and GE Building , now 30 Rockefeller Plaza or "30 Rock"). Three of the shows of the 1976–77 season were shot at the former NBC Studios in Brooklyn, due to NBC News using Studio 8H for presidential election coverage. During
15390-606: The first episode to not feature any musical performances since the first episode of season 12 , as well as the third episode in the show's duration to not have a musical guest, due to the rise of the Omicron variant in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic . Charli XCX was planned as the musical guest, but her performance was cancelled due to the new restrictions as the show had a "limited cast and crew" and no audience. The Saturday Night Live Band (also known as "The Live Band")
15561-597: The first host to return. Guests who have hosted five or more times are sometimes referred to as belonging to the Five-Timers Club , a term that originated on a sketch performed on Tom Hanks 's fifth episode. As of February 11, 2017, actor Alec Baldwin holds the record for most times hosting, having performed the duty on seventeen different occasions since 1990; Baldwin took the record from actor Steve Martin who has hosted fifteen times since 1976. Occasionally, former SNL cast members also host. Each episode also features
15732-449: The highly publicized incident, West took a brief break from music and threw himself into fashion, only to hole up in Hawaii for the next few months writing and recording his next album. Importing his favorite producers and artists to work on and inspire his recording, West kept engineers behind the boards 24 hours a day and slept only in increments. Noah Callahan-Bever, a writer for Complex ,
15903-579: The hip-hop fold is a complex act that challenges the dominant white notions of what constitutes true 'art' music ." West's rhymes have been described as funny, provocative and articulate, capable of seamlessly segueing from shrewd commentary to comical braggadocio to introspective sensitivity. West imparts that he strives to speak in an inclusive manner so groups from different racial and gender backgrounds can comprehend his lyrics, saying he desired to sound "just as ill as Jadakiss and just as understandable as Will Smith ". Early in his career, West pioneered
16074-562: The hospital, he recorded " Through the Wire " at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. The song was first included on West's debut mixtape Get Well Soon... , which was released in December 2002. At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album titled The College Dropout , whose overall theme was to "make your own decisions. Don't let society tell you, 'This
16245-464: The incident on the 33rd-season premiere of Saturday Night Live in September 2007. West's third studio album, Graduation , garnered major publicity when its release date pitted West in a sales competition against rapper 50 Cent 's Curtis . Upon their September 2007 releases, Graduation outsold Curtis by a large margin, debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and selling 957,000 copies in its first week. Graduation continued
16416-487: The joint record (with Bob Dylan ) for most albums (4) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015. West's first six solo albums were included on Rolling Stone ' s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list in 2020, with the same publication naming him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time . West's outspoken views have received significant media coverage. He has been
16587-534: The label's inaugural artists. The label houses artists including West, Big Sean , Pusha T, Teyana Taylor, Yasiin Bey / Mos Def, D'banj and John Legend, and producers including Hudson Mohawke , Q-Tip, Travis Scott , No I.D., Jeff Bhasker , and S1. GOOD Music has released ten albums certified gold or higher by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In November 2015, West appointed Pusha T
16758-528: The language, although he has since forgotten most of it. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, "I got A's and B's." West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; he began writing poetry when he was five years old. West started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists. West crossed paths with producer No I.D. , who became West's friend and mentor. After graduating from high school, West received
16929-837: The late 1990s further producing for several musical acts. He produced the third track on Foxy Brown 's second studio album Chyna Doll (1999), which became the second hip-hop album by a female rapper to peak atop the US Billboard 200 chart. In 2000, West began producing for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records as an in-house producer. West is often credited with revitalizing Jay-Z's career with extensive contributions to his 2001 album The Blueprint , which Rolling Stone ranked among their list of greatest hip-hop albums. West produced songs for label cohorts such as Beanie Sigel and Freeway , but also produced beats which were used by artists on other labels including Ludacris , Alicia Keys , and Janet Jackson . Meanwhile, West struggled to attain
17100-545: The late 2000s. His mother's death in November 2007 and the end of his engagement to Alexis Phifer profoundly affected West, who set off for his 2008 Glow in the Dark Tour shortly thereafter. Recorded mostly in Honolulu, Hawaii in three weeks, West announced his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak , at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards , where he performed its lead single, " Love Lockdown ". Music audiences were taken aback by
17271-438: The latter of which accompanied a 35-minute film of the same name directed by and starring West. During this time, West initiated the free music program GOOD Fridays through his website, offering a free download of previously unreleased songs each Friday, a portion of which were included on the album. This promotion ran from August to December 2010. Dark Fantasy went on to go platinum in the United States, but its omission as
17442-407: The latter's idea for a variety show featuring high-concept comedy sketches, political satire, and music performances that would attract 18- to 34-year-old viewers. NBC decided to base the new show at their studios in 30 Rockefeller Center . Michaels was given Studio 8H , a converted radio studio that was home to NBC's election and Apollo moon landing coverage. It was revamped for the premiere at
17613-418: The live aspect of the show. Exceptions are made only when the musical act is focused on intense dance routines instead of vocals, where it is difficult to be both heavily physically active and sing. A 1975 performance by pop group ABBA was the first and only act to feature lip-synching, until the controversial 2004 performance of Ashlee Simpson . The December 18, 2021, episode (hosted by Paul Rudd ) became
17784-400: The majority owning a 3% equity stake. In October 2022, in direct response to bans he received on Twitter and Instagram stemming from his antisemitic comments, West reached an agreement in principle to acquire the alt-tech social network Parler for an undisclosed amount. Parler and West mutually agreed to terminate the proposed deal in mid-November. West, alongside his mother, founded
17955-515: The men's collection. In March 2011, West collaborated with M/M Paris for a series of silk scarves featuring artwork from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy . In October 2011, West premiered his women's fashion label at Paris Fashion Week. His debut fashion show received mixed-to-negative reviews. In March 2012, West premiered a second fashion line at Paris Fashion Week. Critics deemed the sophomore effort "much improved" compared to his first show. On December 3, 2013, Adidas officially confirmed
18126-433: The mid-1990s, creating beats primarily for burgeoning local artists in the Chicago area. He received his first official production credits at age nineteen, when he produced eight tracks on Down to Earth , the 1996 debut album of Chicago-based underground rapper Grav. In 1998, West was the first producer signed to the management-production company Hip Hop Since 1978 , founded by Gee Roberson and Kyambo "Hip-Hop" Joshua. For
18297-512: The miracles that will one day be created for her in life by the lord. This message is related to the spirituality that West's mother Donda taught him, as well as to the religious themes found throughout his career. Such themes are also included on The Life of Pablo , and the message speaks to the spirituality which helps people stay strong during their lives. The song concludes with a final dedication to Jesus by Rivera. "Low Lights" precedes "Highlights" on The Life of Pablo , serving as an intro to
18468-772: The mixing of audio and video elements by the Senior Audio Mixer, coupled with additional audio feeds consisting of music, sound effects, music scoring, and pre-recorded voiceovers. All sources are stored digitally, with shows captured and segregated into individual elements to reorganize for future repeats and syndication. The production tracking system was migrated from primarily analog to digital in 1998, with live shows typically requiring 1.5 terabytes of storage, consisting of audio elements and five cameras' worth of visual elements. Elements of Saturday Night Live that are pre-recorded, such as certain commercial parodies, SNL Digital Shorts , and show graphics are processed off-site in
18639-565: The moms driving they kids [ sic ] to school then going to work…" On November 1, 2016, West performed it live at The Forum in Inglewood, California , as part of the Saint Pablo Tour . "Low Lights" met with positive reviews from music critics, who praised the religious nature. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described the song, along with fellow album tracks "Ultralight Beam" and "Highlights", as not feeling "episodic so much as fractured." Ej Moreno of Monkeys Fighting Robots labeled it as being
18810-408: The most prominent figures in hip hop , he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After dropping out of college to pursue a career in music, West began producing for regional artists in the Chicago area. As an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records , he co-produced albums including Jay-Z 's The Blueprint (2001) before signing with the label as
18981-429: The new hero of gospel music." Jamie claimed that the song "is basically just a prayer." When reviewing the eponymous album by Kids See Ghosts , the duo of West and Kid Cudi , in June 2018, Kiana Fitzgerald of Complex looked back on the presence of "Low Lights" on The Life of Pablo as "the closest the entire album comes to gospel." In the same week that the album was released, "Low Lights" debuted at number 22 on
19152-488: The new president of GOOD Music. In August 2008, West revealed plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in the Chicago area after his company, KW Foods LLC, bought the rights to the chain in Chicago. The first location opened in September 2008 in Orland Park and a second followed in January 2009. The Orland Park location closed in early 2011 due to poor sales performance. In January 2012, West announced his establishment of
19323-633: The night into the following morning. Writing may not begin until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. At 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, the sketches are read by the cast during a round-table meeting in the writers' room, attended by the writers and producers present during the pitch meeting, technical experts such as make-up artists, who may be required to realize certain sketch ideas such as those using prosthetics, and other producers, resulting in attendance of approximately fifty people. At this point, there may be at least forty sketch ideas that are read-through in turn, lasting upwards of three hours. After completion of
19494-540: The non-album singles " Lift Yourself " and " Ye vs. the People ", in which he and T.I. discussed West's support of Donald Trump. Pusha T's Daytona , "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston 's bathroom that West paid $ 85,000 to license—attracted some controversy. The following week, West released his eighth studio album, Ye . West has suggested that he scrapped
19665-444: The option of rejecting the first two sitcom offers but must accept the third offer, with the sitcom contract length dictated by NBC and potentially lasting up to six years. The move drew criticism from talent agents and managers who believed a cast member could be locked into a contract with NBC for twelve years—six on SNL and then six on a sitcom. The contract also optioned the cast member for three feature films produced by SNL Films,
19836-465: The original head writer, Michael O'Donoghue . NBC's Saturday Night debuted on October 11, 1975, with an episode featuring Carlin as host. The original title was used because the Saturday Night Live title was in use by Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell on rival network ABC . After the cancellation of Cosell's show in 1976, NBC purchased the rights to the name and officially changed
20007-416: The original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month. The week after, West released a collaborative album with Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts , named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nas' Nasir and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E. , which were released in June 2018. In September, West announced his ninth studio album Yandhi to be released by
20178-507: The partnership with West in October 2022 due to his antisemitic remarks. In May 2021, West signed a 10-year deal linking Yeezy with GAP to create Yeezy Gap , however, in September 2022, West announced that he was ending the deal. West founded the record label and production company GOOD Music in 2004, in conjunction with Sony BMG , shortly after releasing his debut album, The College Dropout . West, alongside then-unknown Ohio singer John Legend and fellow Chicago rapper Common were
20349-451: The post-production facilities of Broadway Video . Studio 8H production facilities are maintained by NBC Production Services. As of 2018, the show uses five Sony HDC-1500 cameras, primarily mounted on Vinten pedestals , although one is mounted on a Chapman-Leonard Electra crane. As of 2014, a Grass Valley GVG 4000-3 digital component production switcher and GVG 7000 digital component routing switcher are used to route visual feeds to
20520-400: The read-through, Michaels, the head writer, the guest host, and some of the show producers will move to Michaels' office to decide the layout of the show and decide which of the sketches will be developed for air. Once complete, the writers and cast are allowed into Michaels's office to view the show breakdown and learn whether or not their sketch has survived. Sketches may be rewritten starting
20691-548: The record's highest-charting single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The co-headlining Watch the Throne Tour kicked off in October 2011 and concluded in June 2012. In 2012, West released the compilation album Cruel Summer , a collection of tracks by artists from West's record label GOOD Music. Sessions for West's sixth solo effort begin to take shape in early 2013 in his own personal loft's living room at
20862-424: The same day, but will certainly commence on Thursday. Work focuses on developing and rewriting the remaining sketches and possibly rehearsals. If a sketch is still scheduled beyond Thursday, it is rehearsed on Friday or Saturday before moving to a rehearsal before a live audience at 8:00 p.m., again on Saturday, before the live show. After the rehearsal, Michaels will review the show lineup to ensure it meets
21033-553: The same time. On December 25, 2019, West and Sunday Service released Jesus Is Born , containing 19 songs, including several re-workings of older West songs. West released a single titled " Wash Us in the Blood " on June 30, 2020, featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott , along with the music video, which was set to serve as the lead single from his tenth studio album Donda . However, in September 2020, West stated that he would not be releasing any further music until he
21204-438: The segment since 2011 ; and has been the segment's head writer since 2014) The segment's previous head writer was Alex Baze (who wrote for the segment from 2004 to 2014 , and was the head writer of the segment starting with the 2011–12 season, until his aforementioned 2014 departure). Scenes on Weekend Update that involve members of the cast acting in-character alongside the host are often written by staff writers outside
21375-438: The show after the 1978–1979 season to make The Blues Brothers , and as the fifth season ended in 1980, Michaels asked executives to place the show on hiatus for a year in order to allow him time to pursue other projects. Michaels suggested writers Al Franken , Tom Davis , and Jim Downey as his replacements; NBC president Fred Silverman disliked Franken and was infuriated by his Update routine in May 1980, called " A Limo for
21546-447: The show and commercial breaks, the second episode used photos Baskin had already taken of host Paul Simon . It was then that Michaels suggested that Baskin photograph the hosts for the bumpers instead of using publicity photos, beginning a tradition that continues today. Since 1999, Mary Ellen Matthews has been the official photographer of SNL , responsible for devising distinctive photo layouts and aesthetics for still imagery used on
21717-439: The show for his actions. West was criticized by various celebrities for the outburst, and by President Barack Obama , who called West a "jackass". The incident sparked a large influx of Internet photo memes . West subsequently apologized, including personally to Swift. However, in a November 2010 interview, he seemed to recant his past apologies, describing the act at the 2009 awards show as "selfless". Following
21888-409: The show for longer than they may have otherwise. In January 2024, Variety said that "speculation [had] been rampant for years" that Michaels would retire from the series after its fiftieth season , premiering in 2024. Michaels told Entertainment Tonight that month that former head writer and cast member Tina Fey could "easily" be his successor, were he to step down, but said he had not made
22059-474: The show had received over 305 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, the most received by any television program. The live aspect of the show has resulted in several controversies and acts of censorship, with mistakes and intentional acts of sabotage by performers and guests. Beginning in 1965, NBC network affiliates broadcast reruns of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson on Saturday or Sunday nights. In 1974, Johnny Carson petitioned to NBC executives for
22230-407: The show to explore other opportunities. He was replaced by Jean Doumanian , who was then replaced by Ebersol after a season of bad reviews. Ebersol ran the show until 1985, when Michaels returned. Since then, Michaels has held the job of showrunner . Many SNL cast members have found national stardom while appearing on the show, and achieved success in film and television, both in front of and behind
22401-551: The show to largely avoid jokes about President Ronald Reagan during his time as showrunner. Under Ebersol's leadership, Eddie Murphy, who had been underused during Doumanian's tenure, rose to prominence with popular characters such as Mister Robinson's Neighborhood and Gumby . His success was a major factor in the show's resurgence, though it created tensions within the cast. In a break with tradition, producers hired established comedians such as Billy Crystal and Martin Short for
22572-461: The show's first five seasons included Belushi's samurai , the Coneheads (Aykroyd, Curtin, Newman), and Radner's Roseanne Roseannadanna . Drugs were a major problem during the show's first five years, which exacerbated existing tensions. Cocaine had become an "integral part of the working progress" on SNL by the 1978–1979 season , according to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad. Aykroyd and Belushi left
22743-435: The show's humor, cast, and backstage dysfunction. The show's cast was largely overhauled for the 1995–1996 season with names such as Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri , which was successful at revitalizing the show. The show faced new competition during this period in the form of Fox ' s sketch comedy show Mad TV , which aired a half hour earlier than SNL and featured a more diverse cast. The 2000–2001 season
22914-541: The show's name to Saturday Night Live at the start of the 1977–1978 season . The cast was initially paid $ 750 per episode, and essentially lived at the offices, according to Michaels. The show found its footing by the fourth episode, hosted by Candice Bergen , which featured the cast in most segments. The show developed a cult following , and its humor was seen as refreshing and daring, in comparison to previous sketch and variety shows that would rarely deal with controversial topics and issues. Iconic characters during
23085-409: The show's writing staff in the show's second season in 1977) is not only the show's longest-tenured head writer, but he is also overall the show's longest-tenured writer in the show's history. As he wrote for the show on-and-off for 30 years, formally retiring from the show in 2013 . Experienced writers with backgrounds in television shows are also sometimes brought into the SNL writing room. Like
23256-456: The show, recommending that new stars such as Chris Farley and Adam Sandler be fired and critiquing the costly nature of performing the show live. Criticism of the show's writing increased during this period, which reached its peak by the 1994–1995 season , which is considered one of the series' worst. A widely publicized profile of the show in New York during this period was highly critical of
23427-434: The show. Taped material significantly increased in the mid-2000s with SNL Digital Shorts by The Lonely Island , and continued into the following years with videos by Good Neighbor and Please Don't Destroy . The cast continued to evolve significantly into the 2010s as several longtime cast members such as Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig left the series. The 2013–2014 season saw the hiring of seven new cast members in
23598-593: The show. Throughout five decades on air, Saturday Night Live has received a vast number of awards, including 84 Primetime Emmy Awards , six Writers Guild of America Awards , and three Peabody Awards . In 2000, it was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame . It was ranked tenth in TV Guide ' s " 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time " list, and in 2007 it was listed as one of Time ' s "100 Best TV Shows of All- TIME. " As of 2022,
23769-450: The show. Matthews creates photo portraits of the hosts and musical guests of each episode which are used as commercial bumpers. The limited time frame between the host's involvement in the production process and the Live show requires Matthews to create makeshift photo studios on-site at 30 Rock, with Matthews attempting to shoot the host on Tuesday and the musical guest on Thursday, although
23940-430: The single on July 22, marking West's first performance in five months following the low profile he had been keeping since Donda 2 remained unfinished. A day later, despite cancelling as headliner, he appeared at Rolling Loud during Lil Durk 's set. In December 2022, after weeks of controversial antisemitic statements , West released a new song, "Someday We'll All Be Free", on his Instagram. On August 25, 2023, West
24111-900: The song in her 2017 track "That's What's Up". "Low Lights" charted at number 22 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 in 2016. "Low Lights" was co-produced by DJDS, a production duo consisting of Jerome LOL and Samo Sound Boy . They co-wrote the song along with West, Dean and Sandy Rivera. DJDS also co-produced The Life of Pablo tracks " Ultralight Beam ", " Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1 ", " Freestyle 4 " and " Fade ". In an interview with Billboard , Samo Sound Boy explained how they became involved with West: "A bunch of different people from his team just reached out on Facebook , Twitter DM, and it basically said Kanye West requests your presence tomorrow." After meeting West, DJDS worked on his then-upcoming album for three consecutive weeks. West explained "the gospel nature of it" to
24282-402: The song was shared by Keys on January 25, 2017, which includes her lounging and dipping in a bathtub. Credits adapted from West's official website. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Kanye West Ye ( / j eɪ / YAY ; born Kanye Omari West / ˈ k ɑː n j eɪ / KAHN -yay ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper and record producer. One of
24453-518: The special John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch . Don Pardo served as the announcer for the series when it began and continued in the role for all but season seven, between 1981 and 1982, when Michaels had left and Mel Brandt and Bill Hanrahan filled the announcing role. In 2004 Pardo announced that he would step down from his position, but then continued in the role until 2009 when he again announced his retirement, but then continued into
24624-410: The string of critical and commercial successes by West, and the album's lead single, " Stronger ", garnered his third number-one hit. "Stronger", which samples French house duo Daft Punk , has been accredited to not only encouraging other hip-hop artists to incorporate house and electronica elements into their music, but also for playing a part in the revival of disco and electro -infused music in
24795-412: The summer 2005 shooting hiatus, crews began renovations on Studio 8H. With its thirty-first-season premiere in October 2005, the show began broadcasting in high-definition television , appearing letterboxed on conventional television screens. The offices of SNL writers, producers, and other staff can be found on the 17th floor of "30 Rock". Production on an SNL episode will normally start on
24966-794: The then-dominant gangster persona in hip hop in favor of more diverse, topical lyrical subjects, including higher education, materialism, self-consciousness , minimum-wage labor, institutional prejudice , class struggle , family, sexuality, his struggles in the music industry, and middle-class upbringing. Over time, West has explored a variety of music genres , encompassing and taking inspiration from chamber pop on his second studio album, Late Registration (2005), arena rock and europop on his third album, Graduation (2007), synth -driven electropop on his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008), acid-house , drill , industrial rap and trap on Yeezus (2013), gospel and Christian rap on The Life of Pablo (2016), Jesus
25137-501: The three- to four-member dedicated Weekend Update writing team will write jokes throughout the week. The host(s) of Weekend Update will normally not work with or read the scripts from the team until Thursday evening after the main show sketches have been finalized. The host(s) will then work on contributing to the script where necessary. With onsite facilities housed on floors eight and seventeen of Rockefeller Plaza, post-production duties on live broadcasts of Saturday Night Live include
25308-415: The track. The transition from the track's Bible references to those in "Highlights" suggests that West attributes his success to his spirituality. "Low Lights" was released on February 14, 2016, as the sixth track on West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo through GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings . The day before the album's release, during his appearance on Saturday Night Live , West played
25479-438: The tracklist once more before its release to the public. He released the album exclusively on Tidal on February 14, 2016, following a performance on SNL . Following its release, West continued to tinker with mixes of several tracks, describing the work as "a living breathing changing creative expression" and proclaiming the end of the album as a dominant release form. Despite West's earlier comments, in addition to Tidal,
25650-478: The training or experience necessary for SNL . The cast is divided into two tiers: the more established group of repertory players; and newer, unproven cast members known as featured players, who may eventually be promoted to the repertory stable. Of the many roles available in the show, one of the longest-running and most coveted is being the host of Weekend Update , a segment featuring one or two hosts, who get substantial screen time performing as themselves. Many of
25821-433: The uncharacteristic production style and the presence of Auto-Tune, which typified the pre-release response to the record. 808s & Heartbreak was released by Island Def Jam in November 2008. Upon its release, the lead single " Love Lockdown " debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, while follow-up single " Heartless " debuted at number four. While it was criticized prior to release, 808s & Heartbreak
25992-470: The weekend shows to be pulled and saved so they could be aired during weeknights, allowing him to take time off. In response, NBC president Herbert Schlosser approached the vice president of late-night programming, Dick Ebersol , and asked him to create a show to fill the Saturday night time slot. Schlosser and Ebersol then approached Lorne Michaels . Over the next three weeks, Ebersol and Michaels developed
26163-485: The world's best-selling music artists with 160 million records sold, West has won 24 Grammy Awards , the joint 11th-most of all time and most awarded for any hip hop artist along with Jay-Z. His other accolades include a Billboard Artist Achievement Award , a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist , and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award . West holds
26334-404: The year by American Music Awards and Billboard , and has consistently been ranked among the great hip-hop works and debut albums by artists. " Jesus Walks ", the album's fourth single, reached the top 20 of the Billboard pop charts, despite industry executives' predictions that a song containing such blatant declarations of faith would never make it to the radio. The College Dropout
26505-443: Was certified triple platinum in the U.S., and garnered West 10 Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year , and Best Rap Album (which it received). During this period, West founded GOOD Music, a record label and management company that housed affiliate artists and producers, such as No I.D. and John Legend , and produced singles for Brandy , Common , Legend, and Slum Village . West invested $ 2 million and took over
26676-508: Was described by The Hollywood Reporter as "one of greatest hip-hop sets of all time", West released the collaborative album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z in August 2011. By employing a sales strategy that released the album digitally weeks before its physical counterpart, Watch the Throne became one of the few major label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak . " Niggas in Paris " became
26847-411: Was eventually released in February 2004, reaching No. 2 on the Billboard 200 as his debut single, " Through the Wire " peaked at No. 15 while on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks. " Slow Jamz ", his second single, featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx , became the three musicians' first No. 1 hit. The College Dropout received critical acclaim, was nominated for the top album of
27018-450: Was indefinitely halted on March 16, 2020. The season was later resumed in April with three remotely produced episodes labelled Saturday Night Live at Home , and the show returned to Studio 8H in October 2020. After the 2021–2022 season , many longtime cast members left the show in a major cast overhaul, including Aidy Bryant , Kate McKinnon , and Pete Davidson ; Michaels said that the pandemic had led to some cast members staying with
27189-467: Was notable for its well-received spoofing of that year's presidential campaign between Al Gore and George W. Bush . The show's New York City cast and crew were highly impacted by the September 11 attacks in 2001, and returned on September 29 with an acclaimed appearance by Rudy Giuliani . Political humor was reduced for the following seasons. The show switched to high-definition broadcasting for
27360-545: Was present during the sessions and described the "communal" atmosphere as thus: "With the right songs and the right album, he can overcome any and all controversy, and we are here to contribute, challenge, and inspire." A variety of artists contributed to the project, including close friends Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Pusha T , as well as collaborations with artists including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and Gil Scott Heron . My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy , West's fifth studio album,
27531-404: Was raised in a middle-class environment, attending Polaris School for Individual Education in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois , after living in Chicago. At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China , where she was teaching at Nanjing University as a Fulbright Scholar . According to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but he settled in well and quickly picked up
27702-442: Was released in November 2010 to widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom considered it his best work and said it solidified his comeback. In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, Dark Fantasy adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess. The record included the international hit " All of the Lights ", and Billboard hits " Power ", " Monster ", and " Runaway ",
27873-438: Was released on August 29, 2021. West claimed the album was released early without his approval and alleged that Universal had altered the tracklist. He released a deluxe edition of Donda , including five new songs, to streaming services on November 14, 2021. On November 20, days after ending their long-running feud, West and rapper Drake confirmed that they would stage the "Free Larry Hoover " benefit concert on December 9 at
28044-609: Was released, a special-edition Bapesta from A Bathing Ape . In 2009, West collaborated with Nike to release his own shoe, the Air Yeezys , becoming the first non-athlete to be given a shoe deal with the company. In January 2009, he introduced his first shoe line designed for Louis Vuitton during Paris Fashion Week . The line was released in summer 2009. West has additionally designed shoewear for Italian shoemaker Giuseppe Zanotti . In fall 2009, West moved to Rome , where he interned at Italian fashion brand Fendi , giving ideas for
28215-523: Was reported that songs from West's unreleased album Yandhi were leaked online. The following month, Kim Kardashian announced that West's next album would be titled Jesus Is King , effectively scrapping Yandhi . By October, the entire unfinished album was available for a short time on streaming services Spotify and Tidal. On January 6, 2019, West started his weekly " Sunday Service " events, which included soul variations of both West's and others' songs and were attended by multiple celebrities, including
28386-426: Was reported to be in the process of recording his eleventh studio album, with two sources close to him stating that the release of new music was "imminent". On October 13, Billboard reported that West had finished recording a collaborative studio album with Ty Dolla Sign and was in the process of shopping the album to distributors, adding that the album was originally intended for an official release that day but
28557-551: Was retiring at the end of the season. A three-hour prime-time live broadcast to celebrate the series' fiftieth anniversary will air on February 16, 2025. Those selected to join the cast of SNL are normally already accomplished performers, recruited from improvisational comedy groups such as The Groundlings (Newman, Hartman, Will Ferrell , Jon Lovitz , Kristen Wiig ) and The Second City (Aykroyd, Farley, Tina Fey , Tim Meadows ), or established stand-up comedians (Carvey, Sandler, Macdonald, Chris Rock ), who already possess
28728-475: Was the show's "biggest moment since the 70s", and Michaels observed that it made Fey a "huge star" and that "you could see perception changing completely". Armisen played Barack Obama from 2008 to 2012, following which cast member Jay Pharoah assumed the impression. The show began to rely more on pre-recorded material and videos more than it ever had before during this period, to the extent that some commentators said it had sometimes outshined live material on
28899-592: Was titled Y3 , while also stating that he had contributed to the album in 2023. West has since denied working on an album titled Y3 . On February 10, 2024, hours after West held a listening party at UBS Arena, the first volume of the Vultures trilogy, entitled Vultures 1 , was officially released. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming West's eleventh consecutive and Ty Dolla Sign's first number one album, respectively. Vultures 2 released later that year on August 3. On September 28, during
29070-400: Was ultimately pushed back for unknown reasons and expected to drop within the coming weeks. The eponymous lead single for the album, " Vultures " featuring Bump J , was released on November 22, 2023. Throughout late 2023 and early 2024, West and Ty Dolla $ ign held several concerts previewing songs from the album. In a trailer for the album, West announced that Vultures would be released as
29241-411: Was unavailable. Hammond took over as full-time announcer starting with season 40 . A typical episode of SNL will feature a single host chosen for their popularity or novelty, or because they have a film, album, or other work being released near the time of their appearance on the show. The host delivers the opening monologue and goodnights, introduces the musical guest, and performs in sketches with
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