Rapper/singer/producer/entrepreneur/life coach Kanye West is back with his eighth studio album (although, like Pusha T’s “DAYTONA,” this one is more like an EP masquerading as an album), and it’s the follow-up to his 2016 record “The Life of Pablo.” Since the release of that album, Kanye has been through some turbulent times: it started with the cancellation of the end of his Saint Pablo Tour (resulting from his frequent no-shows, rants, and cut-short performances), continued with his admittance to the UCLA Medical Center for psychiatric observation and an 11-month break from social media, and came to a height upon his return to social media, where a series of at-first innocent “life coach-esque" tweets turned into controversy. From his support of Donald Trump and pictures of himself wearing the “Make America Great Again” hat, to his claim that slavery “sounds like a choice,” Kanye seems to have done whatever he can to make sure people were talking about him, and he kept that in mind when he released the early, non-album singles “Lift Yourself” and “Ye vs. the People.”
Now, I’m walking into this album extremely conflicted because, on one hand, I did review his last album “The Life of Pablo” and I actually found it to be pretty good. Sure, it was inconsistent, messy, and flat-out unfinished even in its “final form,” but there were quite a few tracks from it that I really dug that I continue to go back to, like “Wolves,” “Saint Pablo,” and, especially, “Ultralight Beam.” On the other hand, though, I can’t really say I was all that excited to listen to this record, because with Kanye’s recent media debacle (and after hearing “Lift Yourself,” with its poopy-di-scoop lyrics and “Ye vs. the People,” which was honestly a hideous attempt for Kanye to defend himself), the less I have to talk about Kanye, the better. Still, the album is just 7 songs long, so Kanye is definitely keeping things concise this time around. That said, he is under a lot of pressure here, because at just 7 songs and 23 minutes, he leaves no room for error and every track needs to be perfect. Let’s see if he delivers on that, I guess:
I Thought About Killing You: Okay, so I heard that this thing was gonna have some controversial lyrics, but damn, Kanye starts off his album with some death threats? Okay, I’m just gonna slide away…okay, no, I can’t, but still, Kanye actually seems to talk about killing his old self on this track, as he discusses his mental state, his opioid addiction, and his recent controversial comments. The production is very atmospheric, minimal, and dreamy on this one, and I do find it interesting that Kanye has a pitch-shift on his voice in the intro, to further add to the album's theme of bipolarity. I’m not crazy about his flow when he actually starts rapping, and I think it’s kinda boring, but it does have a good vibe to it and it’s a nice starter to the album.
Yikes: Here, Kanye talks a bit about prescription drugs and addiction, and he even name-drops artists like Michael Jackson and Prince (legendary artists whose deaths resulted from overdosage in prescription drugs) to make a point about his own addiction to them. I think the hook on this one sounds very catchy, it reminds me a bit of “Wolves,” and Kanye once again proves that he can create some really interesting, ethereal production. It might not seem like a traditional banger based on the lyrics (special shoutouts to the line “Russell Simmons wanna pray for me too / I’ma pray for him 'cause he got #MeToo’d,” I thought that was a pretty hard bar), but I like how Kanye also explores his bipolarity on this cut by feeling frightened but also talking about why he loves himself. Definitely a good track.
All Mine: Something of a “tell-all” track, Kanye actually calls out several artists that have cheated on their significant others. Bold. The song has something of a church-organ intro with a pretty catchy hook from Valee and a fun first verse from Ty Dolla $ign. And while Kanye still comes through with a cheese bar every once in a while (“I love your titties, 'cause they prove / I can focus on two things at once” and “Let me hit it raw like fuck the outcome / Ayy, none of us would be here without cum” are particular lowlights for me), I like the minimal approach to the production on this one and Kanye’s energetic vocal performance is great, too. It’s not my favorite song on the album, but I do think it has a lot of potential to grow on me, it’s pretty solid.
Wouldn’t Leave: Kanye touches on his “free-thinking” on this track, talking about his outburst on “Sway in the Morning” and his “slavery was a choice” comments, using them as a point to prove that he’s thankful for his wife for sticking with him even after that ridiculous outburst. Honestly, the fact that he’s still trying to defend that as “free-thinking” is baffling, but either way, Kanye brings in PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jeremih, and Ty Dolla $ign to provide some very pretty vocals throughout the song, and they all sound nice up against the very minimal, ethereal production on the track. I also really like that Kanye talks about being loyal to Kim and makes something a tribute to the women that ride for their men even in the worst of times. It’s a really soft track that shows us a slightly different side of Kanye than most of his other work, and I like it all the more for that.
No Mistakes: Kanye reflects on the turbulent times I mentioned in my preamble, while also taking more shots at Drake and the “Duppy Freestyle” that he put out in response to Pusha T’s “Infrared.” The production on this one is far grander, and the song features additional vocals from Charlie Wilson and Kid Cudi, whose vocals are somewhat drowned out by the very loud production. Kanye’s flow is solid as always, but I do wish he had a little more time to really talk on this track. His verse just honestly felt unfulfilling to me, and I would’ve liked more presence out of him. Definitely not a bad track, but certainly not the best the album has to offer.
Ghost Town: Something of a reference to Kanye’s upcoming collaborative project “KIDS SEE GHOSTS” that he and Kid Cudi are dropping next week, this track has a really interesting sample of “Someday” by Shirley Ann Lee. PARTYNEXTDOOR comes through with some solid vocals here (even if he kinda mumble sings through his intro), and Cudi’s refrain isn’t too bad. Kanye’s verse steals the show, with a very nice vocal performance and good flow that meshes nicely with the pretty moody, somewhat spacey instrumentals. 070 Shake shows up here and she brings a pretty charismatic vocal performance on the outro as well. This track gives me a vibe that reminds me a bit of “Saint Pablo,” and I really dig it.
Violent Crimes: Ending the album off, Kanye talks about how his perspective on women has changed since the birth of his daughters North and Chicago, and he raps about how he fears for their futures and worries about how they will be treated. Just as 070 Shake closed out the last track, she opens up this one with a pretty nice, autotune-assisted vocal performance that meshes nicely with the ethereal, moody instrumentals and minimal drum beat. I also like Kanye’s very emotional performance on this cut, as it genuinely feels like he’s talking to his daughters and wanting to see them be happy. Ty Dolla $ign’s vocals on the final hook, and Nicki Minaj’s outro add some nice, extra layers to this track, and it’s a really great closer to the album.
Overall, if Kanye proves nothing else, it’s that he still has the musical chops after all this time. No, you may not agree with the things he says (I sure as hell don’t), and you may not feel inclined to listen to a new album from a man claiming that “slavery sounds like a choice,” but Kanye actually creates a really interesting record with “Ye.” It feels like he’s bearing his soul to some degree, talking a bit more about his insecurities and the things he has gone through in the time since releasing “The Life of Pablo,” and he comes through with some very beautiful tracks. He remains an interesting performer (even if he does come through with a few struggle bars here are there), and an even better producer, creating some very minimal, moody, and quite lovely instrumentals. And after how long “Pablo” was, it’s nice to see him focusing things down and not trying to bloat the album out too much.
That does, however, lead into one of my problems with the album, and the thing that really stops it from being an "Excellent" record: while I’m glad he cut down on the runtime compared to “Pablo,” I do think he cut it down just a little too much. I came out of it enjoying quite a few of the tracks, but I did feel just a little unfulfilled, and I wasn’t all the way “wowed” with it. I feel like it’s because, as I said at the beginning, at just 23 minutes, you leave no room for error and every track needs to be perfect, and unfortunately, not every song is. There are a few cuts on here that are flawed, and unfortunately, a 7-song record doesn’t leave you too much room for flawed songs. Still, while I walked away from this album not quite “loving” it, I can say that it was a surprisingly solid listen, and I definitely think it’s worth checking out. Much like a lot of Kanye’s other records, I’m sure this is gonna be a polarizing one, so it’s definitely worth listening to at least to see which side you’re on. Me? It’s not gonna be one of my favorite records of the year, but given the media storm, the craziness, and the non-album singles “Lift Yourself” and “Ye vs. the People,” this could’ve been far worse, so I’m glad I enjoyed listening to it.
Nicely done, Kanye.
Favorite tracks: Yikes, Wouldn’t Leave, Ghost Town, Violent Crimes
Least favorite tracks: No Mistakes
Rating: Good
Nicely done, Kanye.
Favorite tracks: Yikes, Wouldn’t Leave, Ghost Town, Violent Crimes
Least favorite tracks: No Mistakes
Rating: Good
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