Kanye West is easily one of the most controversial figures in popular culture today. And it's no real surprise; he likes to run his mouth, and name his album Yeezus. But aside from all of that irrelevant nonsense, which I gladly ignore; Kanye West is still a very talented and forward-thinking producer. His first three albums showed him evolving from a soul-obsessed backpacker, to a glitzy, yet grounded MC with a decent flow and some of the best beats in rap music.
After the release of his 2008 album 808's and Heartbreak, a lot of fans thought that Kanye had finally lost his edge; with the overindulgent use of auto-tune and sappy subject matter, 808's may be his least favored album. Luckily for Ye, he followed that album with his most critically acclaimed album yet; My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.
As for my views on those two albums; I think 808's is, from a production standpoint, a very textured and layered LP with a lot of details that only come out after repeat listens; and I actively enjoy listening to it.
MBDTF on the other hand, I found to be a very spotty affair. While I think the first half of the album is strong ,("Power" "Dark Fantasy" "Monster") the album hits a line of really long-winded tracks that delve deep into Kanye's drama and obsession with himself.
And that trend is back in full force on Yeezus; Kanye's latest attempt at confusing his fans. This time around, jumping on the "Noise Rap" bandwagon and doing in a way that simultaneously downplays the true transcendence of groups like Death Grips, and makes it seem like Kanye put the album together in around a month or so. Tracks like the opener and "Black Skinhead" come on strong, and actually manage to make me think that Yeezus might actually be a worthwhile listen. But then a song like "Hold My Liquor" comes on, and I hear the truly laughable Chief Keef hook, and lose almost all interest in what Yeezy's trying to do.
The track "New Slaves" is another good track, but the message comes of as almost a joke given the lyrical content of the rest of the LP. Granted; this could all be Kanye doing his grimy millionaire schtick. But honestly, that shouldn't get in the way of putting together good songs. The only other positive moment on the album for me is the closer "Bound 2", which seems like a callback to "old Kanye" and aside from how cheesy that kind of is; I still enjoy the track quite a bit.
It's a shame that Yeezus couldn't rise above all of Kanye's real life context, and simply be a thoroughly enjoyable release. I'm not asking for the aforementioned "old Kanye", but I'd like to see a release from him, collaborative or solo, that eschews tabloid BS for something with a bit more substance.
5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment