Champion (Kanye West song)

"Champion"
Song by Kanye West from the album Graduation
Released	September 11, 2007
Recorded	2006 Sony Music Studios (New York, New York) The Record Plant (Hollywood, California)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	2:47
Label	Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam
Writer	K. West, W. Becker, D. Fagen
Producer	Kanye West, Brian Miller
Graduation track listing
"Good Morning" (1) "Champion" "Stronger" (3)

"Champion" is a song by American rap artist Kanye West. The song is the second track from his third studio album, Graduation, and is based around a sample from "Kid Charlemagne" by Steely Dan.^[1] On September 29, 2007, it managed to enter charts despite not being released as a single, debuting a number ninety-four on the Billboard Pop 100.^[2] An official music video was produced for the song and released on August 12, 2008 on West's blog.^[3]

Music video

The music video for "Champion" was directed by NEON. The Olympic-themed music video revolves around a puppet version of Kanye West participating in the 100 m sprint in the Unified Games. After receiving permission to race thanks to majority vote on live "K-Span" television broadcast, the scene transits to the starting line, where flashbacks display the extensive training the puppet undertook to get where he is. The race commences and nearing the finishing line, the puppet is able to pass the other runners and emerge victorious. The video was filmed at Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo, California.

Personnel

Information taken from Graduation liner notes.^[1]

• Songwriters: Kanye West, Walter Becker, Donald Fagen
• Producers: Kanye West, Brian "Allday" Miller
• Recorders: Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer
• Mix engineer: Andrew Dawson
• Synthesizer: Omar Edwards
• Additional vocals: Tony "Penafire" Williams, Connie Mitchell

Charts

Chart (2007)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	99[4]
U.S. Billboard Pop 100	94[2]

External links

• "Champion" music video on YouTube

References

1. ^ ^{a b} (2007) Album notes for Graduation by Kanye West. Roc-A-Fella Records.
2. ^ ^{a b} "Pop 100 – Champion". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2007-09-27. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=396&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Pop+100&ci=3086598&cdi=9404766&cid=09%2F29%2F2007. Retrieved 2007-09-27. ^{[dead link]}
3. ^ West, Kanye (2008-08-12). "Exclusive Champion Video". Kanye West: Blog (Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings). http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=202158_-1__0_~-1_-1_05_2008_0_0&em3281=&em3161=. Retrieved 2008-08-12. 
4. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Champion". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2008-03-29. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=367&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+R%26amp%3BB%2FHip-Hop+Songs&ci=3092777&cdi=9708400&cid=03%2F29%2F2008. Retrieved 2008-03-29. ^{[dead link]}