![808s and heartbreak live at the hollywood bowl 808s and heartbreak live at the hollywood bowl](https://live.staticflickr.com/5818/21549024218_5d4f5c1dc2.jpg)
An accompanying music video was released on February 18, 2009, which features pixelation that was created through data moshing. West and Kid Cudi first performed the song live for South by Southwest (SXSW) in March 2009. It has since been certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song reached numbers 87 and 27 on the US Pop 100 and UK R&B charts in 20, respectively. Some were complimentary towards the composition, though critical assessment of West's vocals was less receptive. "Welcome to Heartbreak" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly highlighted the lyrical content. In the lyrics of the song, West mentions trying to fill the lack of substance in his life with extravagant materialistic items. A hip pop number, it has electronic instrumentation that is reliant on piano. The inspiration behind the song was a conversation West had with Dave Sirulnick, who showed him some pictures of his children. It was produced by West, with co-production from Bhasker and Plain Pat the three of them served as the songwriters alongside Kid Cudi. The song features a guest appearance from Kid Cudi on his debut collaboration with West, as well as background vocals by Jeff Bhasker. " Welcome to Heartbreak" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). 2008 song by Kanye West featuring Kid Cudi