Blood on the Leaves tells the story of a relationship torn apart by materialism, unprotected sex, and drugs. West samples Nina Simone's rendition of 'Strange Fruit', a song that paints a vivid picture of racial violence in the segregated South. West samples the line: "Black bodies swinging from the summer breeze; strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees." The frenzied, pitched up use of this line cast the song in a racial light. The characters in 'Blood on the Leaves' become the lynched victims in 'Strange Fruit'. Instead of racial violence, these characters have fallen victim to the perils of materialism, drugs and unprotected sex, all of which are issues that disproportionately affect the black community