Kanye West’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” vs. “Hey Mama” – Vote for the Best Song

When it comes to hip-hop in 2016, Kanye West has been dominating the conversation. Whether it’s a new album, a surprise studio collaboration, teaming up with a major brand or using Twitter as a sounding board, he continuously makes headlines for every move he makes.

Last month, Yeezy dropped his seventh solo LP, The Life of Pablo, after four title changes, edited tracklists and a seemingly endless amount of collaborators. While his road to debuting the project was quite the journey of triumphs and tribulations, the music is what matters most. To get to this point, the Chi-town MC has blessed fans with solid, standout material ranging from mixtape cuts, album singles and Grammy-winning efforts over the years.

With so many songs in this rap powerhouse’s catalog, XXL is highlighting some of the best and pitting them against each other to find out which one reigns supreme according to you, the fans. We started out with 32 tracks, selected from his seven albums, to compete. Round one in the bracket competition has ended and now we're on to round two. "Can't Tell Me Nothing" and "Hey Mama" are vying for the win.

As one of West’s most honest and touching records, “Hey Mama” is exactly how it sound — a beautiful open letter to his mother, Donda West. The song first appeared on ‘Ye’s 2005 Freshmen Adjustment tape, before taking its final place on Late Registration. Sadly, on Nov. 10, 2007, Donda West died of heart disease after having plastic surgery. Though he rarely performs the track anymore, “Hey Mama” serves as a living eulogy to Kanye’s first love.

A sleeper hit off 2007’s Graduation “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” put the cocky, unapologetic Kanye we all know and love (to hate?) on full display. Openly admitting his newfound addiction to fame, ‘Ye flaunts all he’s got bar for bar. “So if the Devil wear Prada, Adam & Eve wear nada, I’m in between but way more fresher/With way less effort,” he raps.

Now it’s time to vote. Think hard and place your vote in the poll below for your favorite song: Kanye’s “Can't Tell Me Nothing” or “Hey Mama.” This round ends on March 18 so make your vote count. You can vote once per hour until the poll closes.

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