Kanye West’s Unusual Creative Process Surprised Paul McCartney During “FourFiveSeconds” Collaboration

Image: Collected

Paul McCartney has revealed that Kanye West’s unconventional approach to songwriting initially left him confused during their 2014 sessions for Rihanna’s “FourFiveSeconds.” While McCartney expected a traditional writing session, West appeared to spend much of the time looking at photos of Kim Kardashian—only for McCartney to later realize West was composing in his head.
A Different Way to WriteMcCartney said his usual method was to sit with a guitar or piano, develop a song, and finish it before entering the studio. West, by contrast, worked more spontaneously, shaping the track as the session unfolded.
“I was tootling around on guitar, and Kanye spent a lot of time just looking at pictures of Kim on his computer,” McCartney recalled. “I’m thinking, ‘Are we ever gonna get around to writing?’”
The Song Came TogetherMcCartney eventually understood that West had been listening closely to his guitar riff and mentally building the song around it. West sped up the riff and brought in Rihanna, resulting in “FourFiveSeconds,” the 2015 collaboration that became an unexpected crossover hit.
“It turns out he was writing. That’s his muse,” McCartney said. “He was listening to this riff I was doing and obviously he knew in his mind that he could use that.”
McCartney Embraced the ExperimentThe former Beatles member described the experience as a welcome departure from his usual process, saying he enjoys creative diversity and felt fortunate that artists like West and Rihanna wanted to work with him.The story highlights how two artists with very different creative habits—one methodical and instrument-led, the other improvisational and visually inspired—could still produce a song that endured.