MarketAlive (Kanye West and YoungBoy Never Broke Again song)
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Alive (Kanye West and YoungBoy Never Broke Again song)

"Alive" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It was surprise released on May 21, 2025. The song prominently samples ad-libs by DJ Swamp Izzo from the Playboi Carti song "Crank"; as a result, both are credited as songwriters. Musically, "Alive" is minimalist and high-energy, with its production solely consisting of a distorted 808 bass. In the song's verses, both artists take turns rapping about their detractors.

Background
YoungBoy Never Broke Again showed support for West during his expression of antisemitic views between 2022 to 2025. In YoungBoy's song "This Not a Song, This For My Supporters", released a day after West's December 2022 appearance on Alex Jones's Infowars, he suggests that West is deeply hurt; "It hurt my heart that Kanye let them people break his soul / How the fuck that go? Nigga, stay in yo' home! / Nigga, hold your ground! You strong." After its release, Playboi Carti alleged that "Alive" was originally his song and it was "stolen" by West. Carti then posted a version of the song on Instagram, featuring no vocals from West and his own verse at the end. The visualizer used for Carti's upload also contains multiple visual references to YoungBoy, such as ones regarding his December 2024 prison sentence for felony gun possession. == Composition ==
Composition
"Alive" is a high-energy track that prominently samples "Crank" by Playboi Carti, reusing the "Alive!" ad-libs done by DJ Swamp Izzo. Aside from this sample, the song's only instrument is a blaring, distorted 808 bass. The track seems to be aimed at detractors and those who fake social and musical influence, with West rapping: "This that nigga been stealin' the swag, they know damn well they ain't invent / This that niggas ain't rich, they broke, want a blessing and they ain't even repent." == Release ==
Release
West first released "Alive" to Instagram, captioning it "ALIVE YE X NBA YoungBoy YZY SZN 10". Later that day, West uploaded the track to music streaming services. The song was set to be part of West's Yeezy Season 10 fashion collection. == Reception ==
Reception
Alexander Cole of HotNewHipHop complimented the song, noting that West and YoungBoy's back and forth exchange is "nicely done", also noting its the last time West has sounded "serious" on a track since Vultures 2 in August 2024. He concludes with "If you are someone who cares a lot about clean mixes, this will probably make your ears bleed. But if you just want to have fun, then maybe this song will do something for you." Regarding Playboi Carti's version of the song, Pitchfork Jude Noel described both of their performances as "amped", with the song itself "[fusing] his recent taste for industrial trap cut-ups with the bass-led minimalism of 'New Slaves'". She ends her review by stating that if West was always the intended main artist for the song, "then that just makes Carti’s remix even more diabolical." == Credits and personnel ==
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from Apple Music. • Ye – songwriter • YoungBoy Never Broke Again – songwriter • Playboi Carti – songwriter • DJ Swamp Izzo – songwriter • F1lthy – producer, songwriter • Lucian – producer, songwriter ==Charts==
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