Song

Who Will Survive in America

Artist: Ye

Album: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

2010 (release year; edition unverified)

Gil Scott-Heron’s sampled political speech closes the album by confronting the American reality beneath its extravagant fantasies.

Song-level links; exact audio editions and playback are not verified. Link checks & sources

Sources & recording details

Explanation & sources

An original summary of documented musical or release context. Reviewed 11/8/2026.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy review
Slant Magazine · Closing-track discussion
Track discussion

Listen

Song links to the listed streaming catalogs. A particular mix, master or archive edition is not verified. Availability may vary by country and account.

Listening link checks

Spotify: Who Will Survive In America · Kanye West · My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Catalog source (opens in a new tab). Song and album identity checked; playback not tested.
Apple Music: Who Will Survive In America · Kanye West · My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Catalog source (opens in a new tab). Song and album identity checked; playback not tested.

Lyrics & annotations

Read Who Will Survive in America on Genius

Song-level reference, not a verified match to a particular recording or edition. Lyrics are hosted on Genius.

Song page checked November 8, 2026.

Recordings

These are indexed catalog entries. Distinct metadata does not establish an audible revision or audio equivalence. Audio is not hosted.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (13-track explicit Qobuz edition)
Catalog duration: 1:38 · Rating: explicit
Position 13 of 13 in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (13-track explicit Qobuz edition)
Recording sources & evidence
Catalog title: Who Will Survive In America (Album Version (Explicit))
Source version label: Album Version (Explicit)
Catalog-specific recording that Qobuz directly marks Explicit and labels Album Version (Explicit). Matching title, rating, label, or duration does not establish identity with a recording in another catalog.
Sources & evidence
- Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446)Qobuz
View field-level evidence (6 claims)
- Release membership · field releaseIds
  Archive summary: This exact Qobuz edition contains the recording as track 13.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
- Song identity · field trackId
  Archive summary: The catalog recording belongs to the generic Who Will Survive In America track identity.
  Scope note: This relationship does not establish identity with a recording in another catalog.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
- Kind
  Archive summary: Qobuz labels the recording Album Version (Explicit); it is modeled as an album variant.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
- Version label · field versionLabel
  Archive summary: Qobuz displays Album Version (Explicit).
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
- Content rating · field contentRating
  Archive summary: Qobuz directly marks the recording Explicit.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
- Duration · field durationSeconds
  Archive summary: Qobuz displays 1:38.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Track 13
  Extracted: 11/3/2026
  Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →
Archive detail
Record ID: rv-mbdtf-who-will-survive-in-america-qobuz-0060252747446
Evidence is assessed claim by claim. An association or a source confidence label does not establish a recording credit.
About the archive & method
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD, B0014695-02)
Catalog duration: 1:38
Position 13 of 13 in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD, B0014695-02)
Recording sources & evidence
Catalog title: Who Will Survive in America (US CD B0014695-02)
Track as listed on the MusicBrainz US CD release 2fcfcaaa, with the community database's displayed length. No content-rating marker is shown, so none is stored. Matching title or length does not establish identity with a digital recording.
Sources & evidence
- MusicBrainz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD release 2fcfcaaa)MusicBrainz
View field-level evidence (4 claims)
- Release membership · field releaseIds
  Archive summary: This exact edition lists the recording at medium 1 (CD), track 13.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Medium 1 (CD), track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  MusicBrainz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD release 2fcfcaaa) →
- Song identity · field trackId
  Archive summary: The listed recording belongs to the generic Who Will Survive in America track identity.
  Scope note: This relationship does not establish identity with a recording in another edition.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Medium 1 (CD), track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  MusicBrainz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD release 2fcfcaaa) →
- Kind
  Archive summary: The recording is listed as part of this album edition; it is modeled as an album variant.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Medium 1 (CD), track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  MusicBrainz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD release 2fcfcaaa) →
- Duration · field durationSeconds
  Archive summary: The source displays 1:38.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Medium 1 (CD), track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  MusicBrainz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US CD release 2fcfcaaa) →
Archive detail
Record ID: rv-mbdtf-who-will-survive-in-america-us-cd-b0014695-02
Evidence is assessed claim by claim. An association or a source confidence label does not establish a recording credit.
About the archive & method
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (14-song US Apple Music edition)
Catalog duration: 1:38 · Rating: explicit
Position 13 of 14 in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (14-song US Apple Music edition)
Recording sources & evidence
Catalog title: Who Will Survive In America (Apple Music 1440742903)
Recording as listed on US Apple Music album 1440742903, with Apple's explicit marker and displayed duration. Matching title or duration does not establish identity with a recording in another edition.
Sources & evidence
- Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903)Apple Music
View field-level evidence (5 claims)
- Release membership · field releaseIds
  Archive summary: This exact edition lists the recording at disc 1, track 13.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Disc 1, track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903) →
- Song identity · field trackId
  Archive summary: The listed recording belongs to the generic Who Will Survive in America track identity.
  Scope note: This relationship does not establish identity with a recording in another edition.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Disc 1, track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903) →
- Kind
  Archive summary: The recording is listed as part of this album edition; it is modeled as an album variant.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Disc 1, track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903) →
- Content rating · field contentRating
  Archive summary: The source displays an explicit marker for this recording.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Disc 1, track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903) →
- Duration · field durationSeconds
  Archive summary: The source displays 1:38.
  Claim confidence: documented
  Source location: Disc 1, track 13
  Extracted: 11/8/2026
  Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (US catalog 1440742903) →
Archive detail
Record ID: rv-mbdtf-who-will-survive-in-america-apple-1440742903
Evidence is assessed claim by claim. An association or a source confidence label does not establish a recording credit.
About the archive & method

Credits

Recording-specific Ye role: artist, producer (documented)
Evidence applies to the cited recording only, not every track or the whole catalog.

Related people

Imported associations may describe a feature or another contribution. Exact roles and recordings have not been independently reverified.

Gil Scott-Heron

Date & editorial context

Date context: 11/22/2010 (edition unverified) · linked release
Inherited from the linked release, not independently verified as this track's first release date. Imported catalog-date claim with a linked reference. The exact territory, edition and date have not been independently reverified for this release record.
Editorial era: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy · 2010–2011
Editorial grouping, not a sourced historical boundary.

Sources & evidence

View field-level evidence (6 claims)

Title
Archive summary: Who Will Survive in America
Claim confidence: confirmed
Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy →
Release status · field status
Archive summary: released
Claim confidence: confirmed
Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy →
Release membership · field releaseIds
Archive summary: rel-mbdtf-2010
Claim confidence: confirmed
Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy →
Catalog artist attribution · field primaryArtistIds
Archive summary: p_ye
Imported catalog artist attribution. The artist identity, display name and recording credit have not been independently reverified.
Recorded claim, not reverified
Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy →
Person association · field featureArtistIds
Archive summary: Featured artists: p-gil-scott-heron
Imported person association. It may describe a feature or another contribution. The exact role and recording have not been independently reverified.
Recorded claim, not reverified
Apple Music: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy →
Ye role on this recording · field yeRoles
Archive summary: The individual recording credit in exact explicit catalog 0060252747446 identifies Kanye West as MainArtist and Producer (including CoProducer).
Claim confidence: documented
Source location: Track 13: Who Will Survive In America (Album Version (Explicit))
Extracted: 11/3/2026
Qobuz: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (explicit catalog 0060252747446) →

Archive detail

Record ID: trk-mbdtf-who-will-survive-in-america

Evidence is assessed claim by claim. An association or a source confidence label does not establish a recording credit.

About the archive & method