The 2010 collaboration Looking for Trouble begins with a masterful sample flip of Steel Pulse’s Blues Dance Raid, with haunting guitars and vocal samples demonstrating Kanye West’s legendary production abilities.
Released as part of West’s G.O.O.D. Friday series, the track brought together an all-star lineup of Kanye West, Pusha T, CyHi The Prynce, Big Sean, and J. Cole.
This marked the first collaboration between G.O.O.D. Music and Roc Nation artist J. Cole, interestingly materialising just days after a fan questioned Kanye about potential work with Cole.
The track would later appear as a bonus cut on Cole’s third mixtape Friday Night Lights.
The production showcases West’s sampling expertise, flipping the same Steel Pulse sample previously used in Cam’ron’s Bubble Music from his 2004 album Purple Haze.
This sample choice adds another layer of intrigue, as some interpret the track as containing subliminal responses to the Dipset crew, who had previously targeted Kanye in their freestyle Toast over the Runaway beat.
Production and Structure
The Verses
Pusha T Sets the Tone
Pusha T opens with his signature drug dealer narratives, delivering each line with his characteristically assured flow.
His bars about “black roses” work on multiple levels, referencing both funeral imagery and Tupac’s “Rose That Grew From Concrete.”
The juxtaposition continues with “shoveling that Devil’s Angel up their noses” – a clever play on cocaine dealing that balances heavenly and demonic imagery.
His reference to Shyne (“never let jail turn my Shyne into Moses”) carries particular weight, addressing how Shyne took a bid for Diddy and converted religiously in jail, changing his name to Moses.
Pusha makes it clear he’s not following that path of religious conversion.
The verse continues with sharp imagery about “panoramic roof under glass like a coaster” and concludes with references to Vivian Blake and the Shower Posse, maintaining his street credentials throughout.
Kanye’s Controversial Bars
West’s verse opens with the deliberately provocative “I miss the misogyny,” setting up his exploration of dating dynamics.
He follows with raw commentary about college experiences and party lifestyle before delivering one of the verse’s standout metaphors about spending “salad” (money) on “dressing” (clothes).
CyHi’s Complex Wordplay
CyHi demonstrates impressive technical prowess, particularly in his extended gambling metaphors and street narratives.
His “royal flush” wordplay and references to “yellow road” (connecting drug dealing to Wizard of Oz imagery) showcase his ability to layer meanings within seemingly simple bars.
Big Sean’s Standout Performance
Sean Don enters with “marijuana mountains” and “drinks you’re not pronouncing,” establishing his presence with characteristic wordplay.
His verse includes clever imagery about “stacking money face to face” looking like CPR, and he pays respect to Kanye with the line “Ye invited me a seat to sit at the throne.”
J. Cole’s Strategic Response
The real story behind Cole’s verse emerged years later through recent revelations.
His closing verse begins with “Cole world, make way for the chosen one / What you now hear is putting fear in all the older ones,” immediately establishing his position in relation to established artists, particularly Kanye West.
The line gains deeper meaning considering Cole’s reaction to a UStream Q&A where West suggested Cole might appear on a G.O.O.D. Friday track rather than his album – a response Cole found “hella dismissive.”
Cole’s verse continues with surgical precision in “Downplayed me to downgrade me like they don’t notice him / Your shoes too big to fill? I can barely squeeze my toes in ’em,” addressing both West’s dismissive attitude and asserting his own capabilities.
He follows with “f*cking hoes while teaching niggas to hold your sons” before delivering the loaded line “This the rap Moses—scratch that, Mary and Joseph’s son,” positioning himself as a messianic figure in hip-hop.
The verse’s technical brilliance continues with “High as fuck with a cold flow and a loaded gun / Never say I’m better than Hov, but I’m the closest one.”
When he asks “Heard you looking for trouble, what, I’m ‘sposed to run? / Your bitch invited me inside her, ain’t I ‘sposed to come?” he’s delivering double entendres while maintaining the confrontational tone.
Cole then drops “Got niggas that’ll blow your tee off, put a hole in one / Now you outside of Heaven’s gate, frontin’ like you know someone,” before addressing broader industry dynamics with “Talking hard, but y’all still ain’t push me / They say you are what you eat, and I still ain’t pussy.”
The verse builds momentum through “When you’re this hot, everybody’s a critic / But when you’re this high, everybody’s a midget.”
As he approaches the conclusion, Cole reflects on his trajectory: “Went from quarter to broke to half-past-rich / With my badass bitch / And you don’t want no problems, on some math class shit.”
The verse culminates in the pointed closer “Ironic, you been sleeping on the one that you been dreaming ’bout” – a line whose true significance would only become clear years later.
Adding another layer of complexity to the collaboration, Cole later revealed his frustration with the final mix.
He noticed his vocals were slightly adjusted in timing: “It’s not wild offbeat, but when you nudge it, it’s slight. It just makes you sound either early or late.”
While subtle, this technical adjustment affected what Cole considered a precisely crafted response, leading him to suspect potential manipulation: “I felt it was on some sabotage shit.”
Interestingly, West appeared unaware of these subliminal messages, even telling Cole he added his own verse to make the song “legendary.”
This dynamic adds another fascinating layer to a verse already rich with subtext and calculated positioning.
Legacy
Looking for Trouble represents a compelling moment in hip-hop history where artistic rivalry, technical prowess, and concealed messages converged within a single track.
While the song made an immediate impact upon release, these later revelations add fascinating layers to repeated listens, demonstrating how hip-hop’s competitive spirit can elevate artistry in ways that aren’t immediately apparent to listeners.
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Kanye West Looking for Trouble Lyrics Ft Pusha T, CyHi, Big Sean & J. Cole
Intro: Pusha T & Kanye West
Re-Up Gang Pusha
Música bubble
Not looking for trouble
Looking for trouble, trouble, trouble
But you found it, motherfucker
Some shekels fe I shenks
Yes!
Just a burn up de lamb’s bread
Verse 1: Pusha T
All I see is black roses, drug dealer poses
Shoveling that devil’s angel up they noses
Never let jail turn my Shyne into Moses
Couldn’t cleanse my soul with them Civil Rights hoses
Panoramic roof, under glass like a coaster
Backseat driver, racial slurs at the chauffeur
Kélian loafers, Mikimoto chokes her
Photo-op is priceless, frame our wanted posters
The audacity, war brings casualty
Bitch, have my son before I face that tragedy
Ugh, I order hits, she orders mahi
R.I.P. Vivian Blake, shout out the Shower Posse, gone!
Interlude: Kanye West
Música bubble
Not looking for trouble
Looking for trouble, trouble, trouble
But you found it, motherfucker
Some shekels fe I shenks
Yeah, yeah
Just a burn up de lamb’s bread
Verse 2: Kanye West
I miss the misogyny, bad bitches massagin’ me
Sometimes, we lowered our standards at the colleges
So please don’t judge me, ugh, for the following:
Fat bitches swallowing, skinny bitches modeling
Take off that Givenchy and let’s get raunchy
I’ll have your face looking all Captain Crunch-y
The devil stay testing
‘Cause when you chase the pussy, it’s a sin
But if it falls in your lap, it’s a blessin’
Soon as I got salad, I spent it all on dressing
French, to be exact, that Balmain was impressive
Hedi Slimane leathers…
Interlude: CyHi
CyHi!
Yeah!
Verse 3: CyHi
Boy, we lookin’ for trouble
Maybe if we wasn’t Black, then we wouldn’t have struggled
Player, all I got is trap niggas and crooks in my huddle
They cook and I smuggle, got 20 pounds of kush in the duffle
So I’m running through them circles, boy, I’m lookin like Knuckles
Look at my knuckles, got the hook in, ’cause niggas was looking
I’ve tooken some whoopings, so trust me, dog, I’m good for a scuffle
Don’t be mad I whooped your ass ’cause I’ve tooken a couple
Feds asking niggas questions, but I wouldn’t rebuttal
‘Cause I’m Jake Gyllenhaal, I’m in the hood with the bubble
With a tall model broad like I took her from Russell
Didn’t play the cards I was dealt, I made the dealer re-shuffle
Huh, royal flush, so kiss my royal nuts
Ain’t nothing silver-spooned, I came from the soil, bruh
But now, I’m eatin’ off of Raffaello Gold
Exquisite ravioli with some happy yellow hoes
But don’t get it confused when I rap these mellow flows
‘Cause all my Titos got bricks like the yellow road
Interlude: Big Sean & Kanye West
G.O.O.D.! I do it
Música bubble
Not looking for trouble
B-I-G, Sean Don, nigga
Looking for trouble, trouble, trouble
But you found it, motherfucker
Some shekels fe I shenks
Bitch! I’m in…
Just a burn up de lamb’s bread
Verse 4: Big Sean
… That no-smoke sec’, rolling motherfucking ounces
Marijuana mountains, drinks you’re not pronouncing
Three chains on, I don’t need no bouncers
Nothing less than a G stashed in my trousers (Boy)
New double Ds smashed in her blouses
Fuck a hotel, my nigga we rent houses (Houses)
My nigga, we rent houses
So many wedding rings lost in them couches
I’m just a Westside lover
I leave females in my sheets and all my feelings in a rubber
This is showtime, showtime, boy, I hope you set the DVR
Stacking money face to face, this shit look like CPR
‘Ye invited me a seat to sit at the throne
So now I’m snappin’ like yo ass just finished the poem
Does he sound like ‘Ye, Jay or Drizzy Drake? (Drizzy Drake)
Meanwhile I’m chillin’ with all these niggas, counting all this money you ain’t
Consider yourself lucky to see a legend before the prime
A killer before the crime, a B.I.G. before the dying
Greet me with a middle finger when you see me
It’s cool ’cause I can’t see yo ass from this side of the TV, motherfucker!
Verse 5: J. Cole
Hey, Cole World, make way for the chosen one
What you now hear is puttin’ fear in all the older ones
Downplayed me to downgrade me like they don’t notice him
Your shoes too big to fill? I can barely squeeze my toes in ‘em
Fucking hoes while teachin’ niggas to hold your sons
This the rap Moses—scratch that, Mary and Joseph’s son
High as fuck with a cold flow and a loaded gun
Never say I’m better than Hov, but I’m the closest one
Heard you lookin’ for trouble, what, I’m ‘sposed to run?
Your bitch invited me inside her, ain’t I ‘sposed to come?
Got niggas that’ll blow your tee off, put a hole in one
Now you outside of Heaven’s gate, frontin’ like you know someone
Talking hard, but y’all still ain’t push me
They say you are what you eat, and I still ain’t pussy
Hmm, fuck it, everybody can get it
When you’re this hot, everybody’s a critic
But when you’re this high, everybody’s a midget
All this mean-mugging from niggas that mean nothing
Could it be my position is one that you dreamed of?
Went from quarter to broke to half-past-rich
With my badass bitch
And you don’t want no problems, on some math class shit
So check the young genius out
Fuck the world, bust a nut, and let my semen sprout
I thought that real shit is what you been fiending ’bout
What you been praying for? What you been screaming ’bout?
Ironic, you been sleeping on the one that you been dreaming ’bout
