“Ego” is the fifth single from Beyoncé’s third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It’s brassy tone, bold layers, and soul, make this an instant Beyoncé classic.

The London Times asked Beyoncé if this tune about a confident man was based on her husband, Jay-Z. The Texan singer replied: “I am attracted to someone who is strong and confident.” She then added laughing, “You’re waiting for me to answer! Hahaha! I’m not saying anything. I’m just a smile!”

A re-mixed version featuring Kanye West was released by Beyoncé in 2009. She explained to MTV News, with a small laugh, why she chose West to appear on the re-mix: “When you think about ego… I told Kanye this. ‘You’re the perfect person, Kanye.’ I remember calling him and I was like, ‘Uh, I want you to be on my remix.’ And he was like, ‘Oh, cool, what’s the song about?’ He was like, ‘You have a song called "Ego” and you want me to do it?’ He was like, “I love it, I’ll do it!‘”