After months and months of twitter fights, strange social media clues, and nervous anticipation, Kanye West has dropped his 8th Studio Album, The Life of Pablo. The public response to the album has been mixed. Some call Yeezy’s newest project a work of art, praising his instrumental range and commending his consistently edgy lyricism. Others have been less impressed, claiming that his best days of rap are behind him, and that his musical direction is over-stylized and uncomfortable. As a huge Kanye West supporter and fan, I thoroughly enjoy the album. Here are some of my favorites:
1) Ultralight Beam (ft. Chance the Rapper)
As the opening track on the album, this is definitely also the strongest track. The song is beautifully grandiose, featuring heavy instrumental, a gospel choir, and a chillingly sincere verse from Chance the Rapper. It gives me chills every time.
2) Famous (ft. Rihanna)
This song is an absolute banger. The instrumental is awesome, Rihanna’s voice fits the track perfectly, and the lyrics are totally empowering.
3) Wolves (ft. Frank Ocean)
This is one of the more vulnerable tracks on the album, in which Kanye lets us into a more emotional part of his brain and allows us to see him in a different light. The stripped down instrumental and Frank Ocean’s vocals are perfect accessories.
Regardless of your personal opinion on the overall quality of the album, it in an undisputable fact that Kanye West is a revolutionary and a trendsetter in his genre. Kanye manages to seamlessly connect his music to the highly molded and undeniably cool culture that surrounds him. At his album release event in Madison Square Garden in New York City, Kanye packed the floor of the arena with models sporting his fashion line. The seats were filled with devoted fans who had paid hundreds of dollars just to watch Kanye hit play on his computer and be a part of pop culture history in the making. This level of respect, dedication, and admiration from a fan base does not happen over night, nor does it happen without considerable effort. What I mean to say is that whether or not The Life of Pablo is Kanye’s best album yet, he has earned it. In other words, Kanye has earned his artistic liberty. Kanye released his first album, The College Dropout, in 2004, and has since been tirelessly working to transcend the role of rapper and become a cultural and political figure. Whether this is something you enjoy or support, he has been successful in doing so. Whether or not you align with his views, some a lot crazier than others, is entirely up to you. In order to be a Kanye fan, you do not need to agree with every word that comes out of his mouth. It is only necessary that you appreciate his artistry. As Kanye screams on the 5th track of his album, Feedback: “I’ve been out of my mind, a long time” and later says “Name one genius that ain’t crazy”. I look forward to whatever forms of Kanye’s crazy that he choses to share with us next.