LAS VEGAS -- The polarizing Kanye West closed out day one at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on a political note, slipping his presidential ambitions into a raw performance of "Only One," his tearjerking ballad told from the perspective of his late mother.
As the song unfolded, the 38-year-old revived the presidential bid he announced at the MTV Video Music Awards: "You'll be the man you always knew you would be ... 2020!"
"Only One" is a beyond-the-grave message from Donda West to Kanye and his daughter, North -- so it's as though she's yelling "2020." Donda died in 2007 and never met North.
"2020" ~ @KanyeWest #iHeartRadio http://t.co/vSrCF1ydo2— iHeartRadio (@iHeartRadio) September 19, 2015
"Only One" is a lyrical gem punctuated by Paul McCartney's delicate piano accompaniment, though McCartney didn't make a cameo Friday night. And to make the lyrics even more powerful, Kanye listed his mother as one of the song's co-writers.
His #Kanye2020 reminder came near the end of his set, which he was forced to rush because of the MGM Grand Garden Arena's time constraints. He cut songs short and didn't deliver any speeches like he's done at past music festivals.
Meanwhile, Suicide Squad actor Jared Leto introduced Kanye's set, making sure to remind the audience about Kanye's presidential dreams.
@JaredLeto presents Kanye West at #iHeartRadio Music Festival pic.twitter.com/hoX1jLEGYm— ☦ (@iblamejared) September 19, 2015
Kanye announced that he's running for running for president, with an emphatic mic drop, to wrap up his VMAs acceptance speech for the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award.
"And yes, as you probably could have guessed by this moment, I have decided in 2020 to run for president," he proclaimed.