Through The Wire

"Through the Wire" is the debut solo single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash on October 23, 2002. The song prominently samples (and its title is a play on) Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire", and thus, Tom Keane of The Keane Brothers, Cynthia Weil, and David Foster, who wrote "Through the Fire", earn writing credits. The song was recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, California, and is a hip-hop track with West's then-signature chipmunk soul style. The track is about West's then-recent car accident, with West using the "Through the Fire" sample as a way to reference the impact, specifically his jaw being wired shut.