The True Meaning Behind No Child Left Behind By Kanye West

Kanye West's long-awaited tenth studio album, "Donda," was released on August 29, 2021. The 27-song collection is named after the rapper's late mother, Donda West, who passed away on November 10, 2007.

Donda passed due to heart disease after undergoing a plastic surgery procedure, as per People. Kanye has spoken about facing the heart-wrenching emotions of this tragedy in the past, and in an interview from 2015, he expressed his guilt over his mother's death, as reported by Page Six. "If I had never moved to L.A. she'd be alive," Kanye said. "I don't want to go far into it because it will bring me to tears."

Although this music was born out of devastating circumstances, Kanye planned to make the album to highlight positive messages of faith and forgiveness. He originally wanted to use a photo of Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on Donda before her death, as the album cover for "Donda" to "forgive and stop hating," as stated by Harper's Bazaar. "No Child Left Behind" follows this tone of prioritizing God, faith and forgiveness, rather than focusing on negativity.

The phrase "No Child Left Behind" is derived from the No Child Left Behind Act, which Education Week explained was an update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. The law was signed by President George W. Bush in 2002 with the goal of keeping all students' academic progress in check, including special needs learners, minority groups, and children from low-income families. It faced criticism after it was passed, and the Obama administration eventually replaced it with the Every Student Succeeds Act, per The Washington Post.

The theme of Kanye West's song's lyrics focuses on religious devotion and reliance on God during tough times. Rapper Vory's verse on "No Child Left Behind" describes this subject, as he sings, "Back again, I used my back against the wall / Never called on y'all, never count on y'all / I'll always count on God."

Within the past year, Kanye and his wife Kim Kardashian separated, which has appeared to be a very emotional journey for the artist, as reported by TheThings. In addition to the process of making it through his mother's passing, the words may reference how Kanye has had to call on God in order to endure this marital breakup. Furthermore, Kanye has four children with Kardashian, named North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm West, so the song's title also expresses his devotion to raising his children and never leaving them behind.

This isn't the first time Kanye West has brought up his Christian beliefs in his lyrics. His previous album, "Jesus is King," was heavily influenced by religion, including the content of the track "God Is." The song describes Kanye's relationship with God, with the words, "God is my light in darkness, oh / God is, God is / He, He is my all and all (And I'll never turn back) / God is." 

In a 2019 interview with Vogue, Kanye addressed his Christianity and how he actively made the choice to study the Bible and connect with religion on a deeper level. "You can pick your influences," Kanye said. "I sought out to have Bible study, and to be around other Christians who could keep me accountable."

Christianity consists of keeping a close connection with God, which Kanye is focused on in "No Child Left Behind" and the whole "Donda" album. Other songs with this message from the collection are "God Breathed," "Praise God," and "Lord I Need You." Everyone in life faces trying times at one point or another, and it's nice to see that Kanye has found positivity in his beliefs and is able to express that revelation through his music.