The newest collaboration between McCartney and West has ended up as an internet sensation between some individuals who don’t exactly know who this “Paul McCartney” guy is, and it’s embarrassing.

West, regarded as one of the most kindhearted and down-to-earth musical celebrities on the profession manages to once again leave us in awe with his heavenly composition of auto-tune and…seriously?

West and McCartney had been working on West’s new single “Only One”, dedicated to his deceased mother and his infant daughter, North West, and no, she’s not an airline. Stepping away from hip hop, Kanye’s new song is more of an auto-tuned lullaby with keyboard as the sole instrument.

So far, “Only One” has earned positive feedback in general, reaching Australia’s number 8 in music charts and having some critics praising the artist’s successful use of an alternate music style.

After some of West’s fans found out about McCartney being his newest collaborator, they failed to recognize who the featured artist was.

“I don’t know who Paul McCartney is, but Kanye is going to give this man a career [with] this new song!!” said @OVOJosh on Twitter, inferring that McCartney is some newcomer, inspiring artist.

To prevent any confusion with those who don’t know who Paul McCartney or Kanye West are, West is a rapper who has revolutionized the hip-hop/rap industry with albums like 2004’s “Graduation,” while McCartney is a former “Beatles” member and probably one of the most influential figures in music. Period.

Spanning from 1957 until now, McCartney has been an active musician and has collaborated with a variety of artists such as Michael Jackson, Johnny Cash and George Michael. Needless to say, the internet exploded in anger, embarrassment and disappointment for those who were clueless to who Paul McCartney is.

“Losing hope in humanity by the minute. [Retweet] if you know who Paul McCartney is,” said Ali Maadelat on Twitter. Others acknowledging McCartney’s identity viewed this as a rouse or “trolling” and were reluctant to believe that they were being serious. 

Sophomore Heather Cochran, on the other hand, was not kidding.

“I have heard about him, but I have to see a picture to remember who he is,” Cochran said. “It depends on the person and what music you listen to and if you don’t grow up with that music then its not easy to know who he is.”

Cochran makes a valid statement. As this generation grows up in the mist of artists like Katy Perry and Kanye West, older music gets lost in the mix. It is also a time where popular bands are few and far between. Even more rare are fans that can name the entire band’s members. While people know The Beatles, a logical assumption is that the average music listener does not know the greats like McCartney, Lennon, Starr and Harrison who were in the best-selling band in history.

Unfortunately, the trending lack of knowledge will continue as time goes on, but really, thanks Mr. West for giving this McCartney guy a career jump start!