Reviews (page 4 of 8)
As my first introduction to Ye I discovered a great album. While it's not my usual style I still thoroughly enjoy it
Really like the aggressive production on some of this, not too into Kanye’s lyrics so much on this one. He’s a rich guy that likes fuckin, we get it.
Incredibly intense and dark, almost industrial sounding, hard. Lyrics range from sexist crap to insane and clever. Immaculate performance with great tributes and features. Very good!
The one point where Ye not looking after his mental health actually resulted in a pretty great album. His last great album before he became an increasingly embarrassing sportswear salesperson who occasionally releases horrible rushed music. It's entertainingly dark and industrial and has a silly sense of humour... until you realise a lot of what felt like jokes here has slowly become his whole person's (HURRY UP WITH MY DAMN CROISSANTS)
very weird love it
great album like always
Very cool samples and unique production.
Good flow and a mix of good bars and really dumb, narcissistic, and sometimes misogynistic shit. Beats were all good except for maybe some overused bass. Easy to get hyped during this one despite Kanye's dumb ass
7.8/10
Kanyes last great album. Now he’s a complete nutter i think it will remain his last great album. Deserves to be on the list if you can separate the art from the artist.
I unironically love Bound 2. This album is such a departure from dark twisted fantasy but it’s refreshing. It’s both sparse and claustrophobic. Blood on the Leaves goes so hard. I can’t quite get to a 5 on it but high high 4.
Hard to separate the man from the art these days. I remember when this was released, and I was in a "hidden" boutique in Boston (really - it was behind a dummy wall of a bodega). I got into an animated conversation with one of the salespeople about whether Yeezus was better Jay Z's Magna Carta Holy Grail. I chose Yeezus. Today I see this as an episode of Chopped where the judges are contestants. He has a basket of odd items (disparate styles) that he throws in the blender and makes something great that never would have occurred to me.
Venia de fer una meravella com 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' i era impossible assolir el mateix nivell. Així que opta per un apropament més casual, amb un packaging minimalista i només 10 temes, 40 minuts de música. I torna a demostrar que, més enllà del personatge, Kanye West és un dels referents imprescindibles del hip hop del nou mil.leni. El començament amb 'On Sight', 'Black Skinhead' i 'I Am a God' és espectacular. Després va baixant i mantenint el llistó aquí i allà, sobretot destacant amb una producció de molt alt nivell, però estava en uns anys que no produia res ni mitjanament dolent
What a massive album. I’ve given it absolutely no time and instead gone in search of the singles when I fancy it. I definitely slept on this one. I think Kanye has a habit of being ahead of his time. A long way ahead. I listen a lot and widely but kanye releases always feel like a miss to me until I go back. I wish I could listen for the moment though and not think about who the man has become (or perhaps always was, it just took me a while to clock it). It’s distracting and it affects the music deeply because so many of his songs pick up issues that he’s revealed himself to be deeply ignorant about, such as New Slaves. I also cringe when I hear Nina. It can feel like a sacrilege the way that he uses her voice. Still, a brilliant album.
Damn this was unexpectedly good. I had not heard this album before now.
Bra
this entire album was just me not liking the songs at the beginning but then coming around at the end. not his best but still very good
industrial Death Grips style angry rapping about racism and sexual conquests. lots of bonkers oneliners for accidental comic relief. most songs have at least 1 weird mixing / instrumentation choice at parts.
A lot better than I expected. A lot. But some of the lyrics are very immature. Favorite song: BLKKK SKKKN HEAD.
Ye go Brrrrrr…
Good stuff enjoyed it
It lost me on the last 2-3 tracks but I gotta say that it was generally great. I didn't know Kanye did such a stripped down, industrial hip hop record. Coming right after My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I'd say it was a rather bold move to release something so abrasive.
I'm kind of angry because I didn't expect this to be good. The lyrics sucks, but the beats are dope!
I once was a fan of Kanye prior to the new Kanye if you know what I mean.
Well, that's what I call a huge surprise. I didn't even knew that Kanye West made industrial, hardcore and experimental hip-hop of that kind. I wouldn't listen to this all day long, but it was interesting, surprising and outcast. Glad I discovered this one.
HLs: “Black Skinhead”, “New Slaves”, “Hold My Liquor”, “Blood On the Leaves”, “Bound 2” Ah, I was afraid I’d like this album (based on knowing “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves”). Something this list has revealed to me is my surprising tolerance for industrial & noise music, in certain doses. I had no idea Daft Punk was so involved with Yeezus
Kanye is clearly quite a disturbed character and some of the brashness of his lyrics worn thin very quickly, but ignoring that here is a collection of innovative tracks, banging beats and catchy hooks. Would be a 5-star if he could have been slightly less of a bell-end
Kanye definitely reached experimental heights with this album, and pulled it off. It's all over the place, but he's a pro at sampling and making wild beats. Though the lyrics are a bit brash throughout. I'm sure that's what he was going for though
Yeezus is the sixth album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It received widespread acclaim at release, topping the Billboard 200 chart - as well as some other country's charts, and selling 327,000 copies in the first week. It has been certified double platinum in the US. Kanye experimented with many different genres on this album and favored a minimalist sound during mixing which makes this album his most experimental. Some of the genres this album draws from are: industrial, acid house, electro, punk, and drill, while the overarching genre is hip hop/rap. There is also a long list of artists that collaborated with Kanye on this album. Some providing vocals, while others may have helped with song structure, samples, and/or specific musical elements. Amazingly, Kanye had the entire album revised by producer Rick Rubin and some close collaborators 15 days leading up to its release. A handful of tracks were cut and others were re-recorded or had their music stripped down. Kanye is a perfectionist and this album shows the fruits of his labor. He wanted to break new ground and create something that was a "protest to music". It's still a hip-hop album, but the music sounds like it comes from the distant future. It was a beautiful, dark, twisted, masterpiece (a nod to one of Kanye's previous albums). This album has everything you could ask for from a Kanye West hip-hop album. It was one of - if not - the most acclaimed albums of 2013. Love him or hate him, Kanye West is a master of music and one could even say he is a god.
Hated the first song, but after that it got really good.
It seems many reviews are skewed by recent behavior of Kanye. I felt then (and now) that this was some of Kanye's best work. The minimalist/industrial vibes work well with the incredible samples (typical of Kanye). He makes some good social commentary hidden between some misogyny. Torn but I think it just squeaks by with a 4.
Geez, what a tough listen. Forget present day Kanye, he was an artist when this was released He created art. You may not like him or it, but should respect it.
I think it's my favorite Kanye album. The dude is a nut job, but I like it.
This is a tough one. I generally try to separate the art from the artist, but Kanye has gone from just being an insufferable shitheel to being someone with absolutely vile views. I used to listen to him, but I try to avoid it all costs now. But...this album is still kind of good. The beats on songs like "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves" still kind of slap. And one thing is for sure: "in a French-ass restaurant, hurry up with my damn croissants!" will always be a legendary line. I'm struggling between giving this 4 stars, or knocking it back to 3 based solely on how extravagantly Kanye has managed to ruin his legacy. But at the end of the day, I will try to separate Yeezus from the piece of shit that is Kanye West.
Influencing, exploring , new age music
The last interesting album that Kanye made bridging the gap before what he had done and a futuristic sound we haven't quite caught up with. The signs of his mental issues are starting to show.
4.5/5. He’s not a good person and has lots of issues but to separate the art from the artist, it’s a very special album and I love the minimalistic approach. His sampling is so unique and creative, totally dig the industrial influence too. This Kanye era was something else before he sadly lost his mind.
Some great production, but the lyrics of a spoilt toddler
I've been cold turkey on Ye since, oh, 2018 or so; the Hitler apologism and emotional abuse of his ex is pretty unforgivable. But over the last week or two I've been a little hungry for something from Mr. West. This led me to a relisten of Life of Pablo, which I still find incredibly uneven, even if there are high highs (weirdly enough, the conversation on last.fm indicates many people consider Pablo to be his absolute peak. I'm not seeing it). Anyway, Lou Reed was right about this one.
- Album sucks you in for 40 minutes - Production is ridiculous -Vocal annoying at times - Influencial, shades in newer artists, definitely with the SoundCloud era - Timeless album gets better each listen
I'm ashamed to admit how much I like this album, but it's that good, so I have to admit it. Whatever a mess Kanye's public image is, musically he's got his shit together.
On sight
Ok
Un bon album de Kanye West, j'ai préféré My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ainsi que College Dropout sur cette liste. Mais c,est vraiment bien fait. Toujours des albums de qualité que ca fait plaisir à écouter. 4.5
The production is
listened to again better than i remembered, slick production
I prefer the weird Kanye records - this is great but 1 point off for some dodgy lyrics.
Radge
This album changed the game. That being said, idk if I can really listen to Kanye anymore, at least at the moment. Also we have had 4 Kanye albums and at the same time rap seems to be underrepresented....
Evan said what needed to be said. Hard to separate the art from the artist but sigh….Bound 2…..blood on the leaves….hold my liquor :/
I discovered Black Skinhead about 6 months ago and that track is f'n amazing. Great beats, massive energy, great lyrics. Of course, what has just happened in the last couple months for Kanye makes me wonder about this song. Still, without recent hindsight, that song kicks serious ass. And a lot of the beats on this album are similarly abrasive; like NIN meats rap. Lyrics abrasive in a different way, but for the most part I respect his intellect and wit in them. Big knock is he's too self-absorbed and pompous on this album - i.e., I am a God (feat. God). GFY Kanye. I always have and will forever hate the man, but I'm changing my tune on his music.
Oof this is a difficult album to review as it's a deliberate step away from radio friendly pop Hip Hop in Kanye's previous My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (which I think is overall a better, more enjoyable album). However this album pretty clearly sets out to be as challenging as possible - from "I am a God" to "Black Skinhead" its a direct challenge to the listener at times - not even mentioning the deliberately bad Bound2 video which went over everyone's heads on release. Kanye's rapping here as well is clearly challenging, he's never been the greatest lyricist however on MBDTF his voice is clearly another instrument or vocal layer which he fits into the songs so well. Here his voice is almost at odds to the music to give more of a feel of clashing and rambling style. Overall I fully understand why people don't like this album, however taken in respect of Kanye's work and life it's a defining piece of work. That's not to say it's crazily enjoyable - I'd give 3.6 overall. Mostly due to what the album speaks to rather than a head nodding experience.
toch wel een 4 pakt?
Great album, terrible person
7/10. Maybe an 8, there were some poignant moments, but man has he got a big head at this point.
Like Morrissey, I long for the good old days when Kanye was just a ridiculous egomaniac, before he held or started expressing abhorrent views. This album dates from the harmless egomaniac era and it's easy to see how it drew critical acclaim and had mass appeal. A mad mix of genres and tempos, but catchy and engaging throughout, this is an exhilarating listen. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: Black Skinhead Date listened: 12/11/22
What an album. I've loved kanye's music ever since this generator sent me MBDTF, which I would say is a stronger record, mostly due to the lackluster lyricism that unfortunately dropped this album to a 4. Love the production from Daft Punk, and how the project hangs together (the album was overseen by Rick Rubin) and the concise, 40 minute runtime works fantastically. The cold and industrial sounds (a total change from the grandiose rap of MBDTF) conjer compelling grooves and hooks throughout, and when the synthesizers give way to a beautiful, real emotion the album is given a whole other level of sonic depth and emotional resonance. Overall a record that is likely to only better with time. A great record.
Once again, bad timing, but can't deny it's a great album.
It's tough to split up the album from the artist. I hate to assume that this album is an excellent piece of modern hip-hop made by someone who may not deserve to be recognized by anything (independent of any possible psychological problem, this is not a forever excuse for everything Ye has supported over the years). I'll concentrate on the Wikipedia page that clarifies that this album is much more a result of collaborative work from many artists than Ye himself.
Surprisingly good album, although he's bat shit crazy, his craft is unquestionable. Not sure what he's banging on about but his metre and wordcraft are pretty good. Also enjoyed the beeping bleeping tracks and crunchy electronic sounds.
His last great album. Industrial and cold beats fit perfectly with his obsession about rapping about how many people he's shagging - like that guy at school how definitely had a girlfriend, she's just at another school and you definitely wouldn't know who she is. Best Tracks: On Sight; Black Skinhead; New Slaves
Cet album de notre ami Kanye est sans doute un poil trop expérimental pour moi, et dieu sait que j'adore les expérimentations. J'ai même vu plusieurs fois les Chemical Brothers en concert et ces derniers n'ont jamais rechigné à mélanger des solutions chimiques a priori totalement immiscibles. Comme quoi...
Never listened to his albums before cos he's such a bell end but this was actually pretty good. He's famous for a reason.
Kanye West seems like an extremely annoying person, but I have to say, I think I like his music
This is kind of a weird one but I respect it. Definitely one of this generation's most important provacateurs.
Brilliant
What an adventure. You get both Kanye addressing the exploitation of black people by the entertainment industry and also Kanye just saying he’s god or talking about drug trips and sometimes they’re the same song.
Whatever this guy does is different and innovative. The music was cool, though not his best, but his rapping and passionate delivery might be his best ever.
As much as I hate Kanye's ego, the first two tracks have me interested. BLKKK SKKKN HEAD has a great, light swing with very grounding textures. New Slaves has a big juicy hook. Bound 2s music video is stupid, but the song is alright. pretty solid record on the whole. a lot of musical texture to give it body.
Very Dope, unhinged follow up to MBDTF, probably closer to a 4.5 than a 5 though.
He’s had better. 4.0/5
kanslay
classix
3.5 but ill round up for jack
Interesting. Not one for when Sir Dennis or the vicar comes over
03/09/2022 This man is so annoying thanks to his public persona and association with Kim. So rich and still so angry. Can't lie though... the beats and lyrics are on fire.
An instant classic, remember the day this came out. Was never a big fan of TLOP so this one is where my love affair with Kanye ended. If only he stuck with the power and political critique over the bible thumping.
Genre bending. Enjoyable beats.
1-4 seem to be a coherent story. Fun production - Glitchy full of impact Track 3-4 Are most fun
As a guy who doesn't particularly like rap, I enjoyed this album. I probably won't revisit it but I'll speak highly of it if it comes up in conversation.
I just talked to Jesus He said, "What up, Yeezus?" I said, "Shit—I'm chillin' Tryna stack these millions" Album je jeben. Bolji je sada nego što mi je prije bio. Ovo je najagresivnije što će se čuti od gospodina. Iz pjesme u pjesmu sve bolje i bolje i onda dođe Blood on the Leaves, savršenstvo od pjesme. Sve u svemu obavezno štivo za svakog fana Kanjeta.
honestly a great album the songs for themselves are great creative and have a strong message, musically it doesnt get boring
3.75/5. Honestly, I expected more. This album was definitely more experimental than I thought it would have been. The sounds are definitely different and cool.
Really enjoyed it this time around. I feel like every time I listen to it it gets better.
I might be the one of the last people to be unfamiliar with Kanye West's music. This album surprised me. I was not epecting the depth and poignance of the lyrics. He is really talented in his use of language and rhymes. The music definitely is in service to Kanye's words and that's OK. The music did not grab me on first listen. The production is spare and unconventional to me but I think with more listens would come greater appreciation. 4 stars
This kind of passed me by at the time and his subsequent twattishness has definitely stopped me listening to early work but glad this came up. Can see the immense talent he has / had.
He's a great musician. A bit controversial. But no denying the talent.
When Kanye is on, he is fantastic. Bold, brash, inventive, always fascinating. Though as an old white man, i won't be singing along with many of these lyrics, it really is awesome.
Переслушать. Очень задротский по саунду альбом
Bedrohlich, elegant, enigmatisch und stumpf in die Fresse. Musik für moderne Droogs jeder Farbe. Schwanke zwischen Angst, Ekel, Bewunderung und Extase.
Not my genre but worth a try
More amazing production and hilarious rhymes. Very few low points.
a bit experimental even by kanye's standards, but still really enjoy a lot of the songs. blood on the leaves will eternally be a banger
Ik vond het zeker een leuke listen. Ik kan er zelf niet zo goed een genre opplakken. Guess dat kanye zen eigen genre zo wat heeft. Wel vond ik het heel innovatief met op momenten toch wel gewaagd. Ik ben nog niet helemaal verkocht maar het heeft me wel meer zin gegeven in Kanye. Ik ga dit, en de andere albums, zeker nog eens luisteren. But so far a 4, might grow on me tho
Saved Prior: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood On The Leaves, Bound 2 Off Rip: On Sight, Hold My Liquor, Guilt Trip, Send It Up Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: This album is very good. I saved 8/10, but tbh these songs are so abrasive that I can't really give it a 5. I understand that that's the point but that doesn't mean I have to like it. 4.5 rounded down.
12/1001 Longe de ser um dos seus melhores trabalhos mas tem seus momentos On Sight - 75 Black Skinhead - 80 I Am a God - 75 New Slaves - 75 Hold My Liquor - 70 I'm in It - 75 Blood on the Leaves - 75 Guilt Trip - 75 Send It Up - 75 Bound 2 - 80 Media: 75.5
i hope you find god
I despise this man and prefer his old music, but I actually kinda liked this the longer it went on. Huh. 3.5
Oo, an album (that I don’t know) by a person who has become Very Difficult since it was released. Maybe I should just listen and only react to what I hear? I’ll read a little first. The album was inspired by Le Corbusier and the movie Holy Mountain? And it could have been called Thank God For Drugs? I start listening, I don't mind the abrasive sound, I'm open to the prominence of the rap/vocal interplay, I don't mind the tone of the delivery - but disrespect of women is prominent and off-putting to me. I listen and listen, don't really enjoy, it has me on edge and not in a good way. For me, being a little bit generous, it's Mix of Good and Bad, 5/10.
One of Kanye's better album. The beats are creative and have this industrial sound to them that I like. Rapping was hit or miss though. It's a shame this album doesn't have a really great pop hit like "Power" or "Gold Digger". "Black Skinhead" sorta fulfills that role (title aged horribly btw), but it doesn't quite get there. I don't have a favorite track, but I did like the sampled song on "I am a God" a lot ("Forward Inna Dem Clothes" by Capleton). Props to whoever came up with it. Very nice pull.
Honestly the first few tracks of this musically I kind of liked. I think the industrial mixed with rap actually works as a sound . Kind of trails off once it gets into the string of songs that are basically just auto-tuned ballads. But what really brings me down on this record is the lyrics which quite frankly most of it is just typical braggadocious my dick's bigger than yours, I can fuck your girl better than you... Which leads me to the whole juvenile sexually misogynistic themes of the album. He sounds like a 12 year old who just learned what sex was. Barely any turn of phrase or imagery. Notable exceptions were "New Slaves", which I did like, and "Blood on the Leaves" but the auto tune on him and for cripes sake Nina's too. Ugh Wasn't horrible but wasnt great. (5.8) ★★½
A: Wow visste int att Kanye West ha producera 80% av coola-Arcane-edits-låtar. Hatar att medge att jag gillar hans ljudlandskap väldigt mycket men som tur är hans lyrics helt skit. Jee jee. Sämre än Twisted Fantasy 3/5 D: Han är ju tyvärr ett geni. Horror fact: börjar förstå varför folk ännu lyssnar på honom. Gillade Bound 2. 4/5
Nice. This already has two songs in my liked list. Black skinhead is just awesome - looking forward to listening to the whole thing. I had higher expectations. Maybe needs a couple more listens - maybe will later. First reaction is 3.5 stars rounding down to 3
This album was hard for me to rank after only a listen or two. Although I'm not in a position to assess a rap album from a critical perspective I know Kanye's production is often very unique and original. Maybe with time I would have rated this much higher, but 3 is where I am at the moment.
A lot of people love this album, and it does have a certain level of sonic impact that’s appealing. But it’s so grim-sounding, with most of the lyrics being about fashion, money and sex. Many eye-roll-worthy one-liners. To me, this was the beginning of the Decline of Ye. I never go back to it. During this listen, I did get pretty into “New Slaves” and “I’m In It.” It has some stuff going for it, but it’s a slapdash album that pretends to be an art piece. That bothers me.
Kan rimeligt godt li' det. I hvert fald inden for den genre. Noget mod min vilje.
I knew it was only a matter of time before Ye appeared. Yeezus is a mixed bag for me, personally. His talent is on full display on this album. Between his lyricism and flow, you get an interesting picture into the soul of a deeply flawed man. Love, sex, loss, and regret eke through on every track. Then comes a song where he repeatedly says that he is God. It’s not a surprise where his persona went. But, enough about Kanye and his non-music life. This album is good, but I definitely didn’t find it as great as many others do. The mixing was interesting, and I found his use of 16-bit audio amusing. Some of it was a little annoying, though. Every lyric felt so self serving but dripping with personal disdain; like every song was about how much he hated how much he loved himself. It felt weirdly masturbatory. Maybe I just don’t get it fully, but this was not an album that I think deserves an all time accolade, though it does deserve respect.
I like it more than I thought, but I was coming in with very low expectations. Psychoanalyzing pop culture figures is dicey, but mostly what I heard was an untreated bipolar manic episode.
This is not really my genre, and I don't love Kanye, but there were moments in this album that I enjoyed. Three stars.
Interesting mix between electronic music and rap, but still don’t get what all the fuss is about 🤷♂️
A couple interesting tracks but mostly dumb ⭐⭐⭐
I remember when I listened to this album when it came out, I hated it. Now I don't, listening to it several years later, you see the guy was a visionary, but still, I prefer his previous style. I prefer The College Dropout anyday. But respect for being innovative, although his disgusting, and pathetic for being so obsessed with himself.
perhaps the last ok Kanye album before he lost it, still does not age well
interesting how dry this is produced
10 songs Musically cool (except for Bound 2, that shit blows), but unfortunately I found kanye's lyrics to be pretty trash on this album. If you ignore the actual lyrical content, the vibe is pretty good, probably would have been a 4/5.
Production is good. Just can’t get past Kanye’s somewhat mid writing. Maybe I’m listening through a 2026 lens. Can’t help it. 2.8/5.0
Kanye's a bit of an idiot, but he's also not all there mentally. Whatever, this album was a pleasant surprise. Had long stopped listening to rap by the time this came out so I missed it...but this was really good. Yeah, some of the lyrics aren't the best but whatever. Somewhere between a 3 and a 4 for me, I might return to this again.
I like his earlier stuff better. Wasn’t a huge fan of the electronic sounds on here.
Great production. Way too many lyrics about pussy.
Dingen waar ik me aan stoor: - Kanye die denkt dat hij zowel God, Yeezus als de Heilige Geest zelf is - het standaard kinderachtige taalgebruik als p*ssy, b*tches, en n**** - overmatige autotune (al is 1x al overmatig, dit slaat soms echt alles) Wat meneer West wel goed kan: - gebruik van samples (wat hij hier meer had mogen doen) - dikke beats droppen - lekker rappen in de flow - inventief gebruik van gitaren, elektronica, etc We kennen inmiddels de reputatie van de beste man wat betreft zijn ideeen. Maar we kennen ook zijn muzikale reputatie en die mag er stiekem best zijn. En we mogen hier vrolijk de bingokaarten weer afstrepen. Ook dit kan ik best waarderen, al mag het af en toe wel wat meer loskomen. Het blijft een soort opbouw naar een climax, die er maar niet wil komen. Positief puntje is dat hij het bij 40 minuutjes houdt en niet meer dan een uur lang oreert. Ik dacht in eerste instantie nog aan iets van een 3,5, maar op het 2e gedeelte van het album is het zo ontiegelijk veel autotune dat het per nummer een half punt daalde. Al veren we nog even op bij het laatste nummer, omdat we die sample kennen. Blijkt dit gewoon een keer het origineel haha. Ik was eigenlijk alweer gedaald naar 2 sterretjes, maar ik moet wel toegeven dat Kanye wel talent heeft en vernieuwend durft te zijn. Ik strijk over mijn hart door dat laatste nummer.
Didn't do a re-listen because I've listened a bunch. It's fine.
Ahhh, vanskelig. Lyst på en 4er her, men er noe ooordentlig tvilsomt klemt innimellom. Og den mest spilte låta treffer meg midt i brunøyet.
It’s pretty gross that the album was good, and I have to acknowledge that
This should have been graduation instead
Trying to disconnect the music from the artist and realising, this artist must be so disconnected from himself as well making music for people who don't feel themselves just like he does. Low values and shallow thoughts packed in decent rhymes. Sometimes i feel like this as well, therefore he catches a feeling i know. But i never like it to feel like this...
Not as strong as MBDTF.
More noodling from the hip hop Morrissey. As much as I hate the man, some of his tunes are great
Some good stuff, but this is probably the album where I was kind of done with Kanye. By this point he had a substantial catalog that I could lean into if I wanted to, so never listened to this release at the time, and listening now kind of reaffirms that decision.
Nope. Not my taste at all. There are those who will enjoy this, and it may be a classic of its genre, but there's nothing I enjoyed in this. Personally, it's the audio "Emperor's New Clothes."
overall pretty good. good beats. obviously not the best Kanye album tho. ending with Bound 2 is amazing.
Lets start with the fact that Kanye is a terrible, terrible human being. In this process i've struggled to separate the art from the artist: see Morrisey and Van Morrision review, but also given Michael Jackson a 5. I'm an inconsistent human. Having enjoyed Kanyes college trilogy, this is where i lost him first time around. A relisten shows that i was at fault as this did show the way forward for a lot of rap. Very dense and aggressively produced with lots ideas. The lyrics have turned the corner from witty to unhinged.
I am not into hip hop and rap. But what Kanye does with the genre is amazing. There are are a couple of great tracks on this, but for a non hip hop fan, there are a couple of his other albums that I enjoy more - oh btw I have to rate it for the music and not his terrible, sick persona
Bound 2 is the greatest song ever made, period. No exceptions
7/10
OK but not my thing
Me da rabia admitirlo porque odio a kanye pero no esta mal, hay algunos temazos pero tambien algunas sin mas.
Way darker than College Dropout and MBDTF. I still did not hate it but think he has better.
Again the need to separate the music from the man is key here, as there is no defending Kanye’s actions. The music across the album is quite interesting as its a step mark from most of Kanye’s previous albums Black skinhead has such an infectious beat and is so catchy with a good old fashioned Kanye vocal. Yes there is his undeniable arrogance, but there is also the fair rage at the impact that racism has had and that in attaining a position of power he is free to address this and call it out. i’m in it is another track that hits hard. As does Blood on the Leaves, which makes the most of it’s Nina Simone sample. Send It Up is just annoying is frankly annoying, but Bound 2 feels like classic early Kanye with his magpie use of samples to elevate his lyrics
Yes, the man is hugely problematic. But by God is he talented. I didn’t enjoy this as much as the last one, but I liked it much more than I assumed I would.
Yee whatever The production here is pretty incredible… Some of the lyrics are obnoxious, but I think that’s the point, doesn’t make me want to listen to them though. Worth listening to.
Вообще не моё
Kanye again in quick succession. By this point (2013) I was already out on him, but I do know some of the singles. Wait, is this space rap?? No, that's just Daft Punk's influence. (They should be on here!) A lot of the samples & electro stuff is really great, but the lyrics are mostly offensive. The delivery is fine, but not outstandingly great. I liked this better than the other Kanye album we had (will there be more?!) but for the record, 808s and Heartbreak is my favorite. Also, I don't listen to it anymore, for obvious reasons. Slur count = 60 (seems kinda low, but it's only a 40 minute album) Highlights: Musically: 'New Slaves', 'Bound 2'; Lyrically: "Slightly scratch your Corolla/Okay, I smashed your Corolla", "Hey, you remember where we first met?/Okay, I don't remember where we first met"
It’s no perfect album, but I like what he’s going for. Some of these songs are bangers and some of them are total misses. Feels a bit like a mixtape
I had no idea how weird and noisy this would be. I really liked it and thought it would make an excellent sci-fi soundtrack. I just couldn’t take the misogyny and so much “fist my bitch” lyrics. It’s hard to separate art from the artist when said artist is basically crazy. People say this is genius
Great music, but feels utterly disconnected from the rapping itself which could have been dropped into anything (perhaps an exaggeration)
I have many thoughts about this one that I’m still trying to sort through. In many ways I feel like it explains something crucial to the current zeitgeist. Young people who followed Kanye to this point in his career and then watched his psychological deterioration must be powerfully conflicted. The beats are wildly creative and inventive. The lyrics while narcissistically self-aggrandizing and misogynistic are no more so than much gangster rap that preceded it and there are glimmers of genuine social commentary though he seems to draw unfortunate conclusions from them (and continued to do so). I feel like there’s a close alternate universe where he took a philosophy course or just read the right book and became a cultural force for good.
I've heard better from this guy.
Ja, schon etwas experimentell
On one hand, this is like an innovative, sound-shaping record for hiphop, on the other hand it has songs like I'm in it
Very interesting and fun album! I especially liked "New Slaves", "Im In It", and "Blood On The Leaves"
Ett betydligt råare och mer minimalistiskt sound än hans första plattor som jag tyckte var rätt bra när de kom. Sorterade ganska snabbt bort Yeezus när den kom, men får nog säga att jag blir positivt överraskad här. Såpass att det går bli en trea.
Not my favorite Ye album
Bound 2 Black skinhead I am a god On sight Send it up
To everyone in this list who’s skipping this album cause it’s Kanye, I’ll say this: can you really say you’ve finished the list if you’ve really not listened to all the albums. Pirate it, do whatever you can to not support this Nazi, but I think there is a reason to listen to this. This has got some great use of sampling and there’s a reason people call him the goat, his flow is just so mmmmmmmm. I don’t agree with a bunch of the lyricism but like how can we be surprised when it’s Kanye making the album.
First of all, fuck this Nazi scum, and there is a lot of misogyny and terrible lyrics across the album. But the album itself isn't so bad. There is a reason why people love him so much, and while I disagree with it massively, the sample work and the flow are pretty good. Decent album from a shit person.
Not his best. Crafty, for sure, but College Dropout remains his best. Yeezus is mixed beautifully, but it's lacking anything mind blowing, which is what I expect. "Blood on the Leaves" is exquisite.
I know, I know, I swore off Kanye in 2022. I won't be revisiting it call it what it is, sorry guys. I will say in a vacuum this is a 4 every time. Yeah I hate Kanye now but to deny his influence is silly. Yeezus leads directly to the modern hyper rap that we have now with Bigxthaplug and Yeat. Kanye sucks as a guy but his impact on hip hop is still felt but never meet your heroes 3/5 really a 4/5 though but I dont want this showing up in my top. Blood on the leaves is in hisis top 5 for sure. The sample is amazing Billie holiday is truly the goat. All in all good record that’s legacy is lost cause of controversy the worst kind
Kanye's fall has been sad, and it's hard to listen to his work now without that coloring it. He was always an asshole though-- anyway, don't think I ever heard Yeezus. It's a far cry from the elaborate production of MBDTF. I have to recognize the weirdness of the harsh industrial-tinged beats. It's somehow suitable for the anger and chest-thumping that comes through in the raps. There's still a ton of variety in the samples though, and Ye was clearly a (flawed) genius. I like I Am A God, just enough melody in the synths and a kick drum straight out of a noisecore track. New Slaves is even wilder, both lyrically and musically. Blood On The Leaves sounds like marching music fit for an Egyptian pharaoh, and Guilt Trip is good, swirling synths and cut up vocal samples. Look, these aren't all hits, in fact most of them aren't and that was probably the point. I don't think I'm easily shocked, but the lyrics are a turn off at times. This is a challenging listen, but if you want to go there it can be rewarding. I won't blame you if you don't.
Just doesn’t really stack up to some of his other work. Still some good stuff here but have to go with 3
On one hand the production is insane but on the other the lyrics are gross and he’s a nazi
Tho many of these tracks are classics that simply pervaded the airwaves of the 2010s, they're not in my psyche like the ones off Twisted Fantasy. I had never heard Yeezus all the way thru, not b/c I found the ostentatiousness of the project off-putting, but b/c the record that preceded it had the zeitgeist pinned down and Kanye's messianic sense of self was either endearing or a not-too fleshed-out barrier to aesthetic pleasure. There's a lot of aesthetic merit that Yeezus carries, principally at the sonic level, but I cannot deal w/ Ye's self-conviction that he's offering more food for thought than he is, i.e., a lot of this is just vacuous: 'Eatin' Asian pussy / All I need was sweet and sour sauce.' An album like this needs its irony; sincere, it fails to say much.
Ok, let's face it: this guy is an asshole, but he has talent. I found this album very inspired and interesting. I guess it helps that I'm not a native speaker, so I don't understand some of the sexist stuff (I don't really care about other aspects like drugs or cursing). Some tracks I enjoyed: "Black Skinhead", "New Slaves", "Hold my liquor", "Blood on the leaves", or "Bound 2".
I listened with an open mind, ignoring everything I know about Kanye. I was really impressed with the soundscapes, arrangements and creativity. But after a few tracks, I lost all patience with the lyrics. It's all so focused on ego, superiority, being better than people, whining, moaning, aggression. Really tedious.
Liked: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Hold My Liquor, Bound 2
Probably my least favorite of semi coherent Kanye. Some real bangers tho
Enjoy some, really dislike others.
You can see Kanye starting to lose his mind, but other parts are great.
I dont like kanye as a person, when i first got this album i said i would put that aside for this listen and just listen to the music. ICL Everyone glazes the shit out of him. His production is good, not his misogynistic lyrics. Either way im not a huge rap person
I really liked this when it came out. Hard to listen to now. Hard to divorce art from the artist and where society has transitioned to since this came out as well. For a while it was maybe a top 2 Kanye album for me, high praise, but now I can't really listen to him anymore.
Somewhat awful lyrically, but sonically it was more interesting. I feel three stars is a good score for something I won't listen to again, but was glad to hear once.
If I were in Dimery's shoes I'd add Graduation, MBDTF to the list and (maybe) the college dropout- they're Kanye's classics. This simply isn't don't even think it's bad at all but it's not a 'listen before you die' album? 3/5
8.1/10 Abrasive is a strong word, but in this case it matches. highlights: Black skinhead, blood on the Leaves, Bound 2
Pues bien, supongo. No lo odié, ni de lejos lo amé. Tiene algunas canciones con arreglos cool, pero no me veo buscando más discos de Kanye.
Hard Rap. Although the album has very good songs. The overall presentation of it is rather noisy and wildly excessive at times. I would listen to it more often, but there are parts of the album that just rips you from enjoying the music.
An okay album, not my usual style of music and no real stand out songs.
favorite - Hold My Liquor + Guilt Trip 7/10
kanye è kanye, bello immersivo ma non mi ha fatto perdere la testa
A difficult one. Musically really strong with good samples and some great synth lines… but the descent of Kanye as a lyricist (and person) is very apparent here. He used to stand out for his ability to speak about issues… now he just talks about money, cars, and his shlong (and what he is going to do with it). He became just another rapper distracted by shiny things, albeit with superior production.
I thought this was my favorite Kanye album, but I think I prefer TLOP and College Dropout. In retrospect, a 3, I think.
2010s hip hop. Great but Ye is clesrly losing his marbles. Jarring and experimental but in an interesting way. Creative sample use, great beats.
I really like the music, and I do think some of the lyrics are funny, but overall, nah
Probably gets a lot better when you listen to it multiple times. Listened to it twice and already enjoyed it more the second time
It has always annoyed me that Kanye was as good as he was, yet such a hateful little man. Thankfully this album is a considerable drop in quality from prior ones. It still scores a 3 because of the gorgeous production throughout. However, the man should be hung, drawn and quartered for what he did to Strange Fruit here. Unforgiveable.
Hitsen och experimenterandet är där. Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Bound 2! Imponerande lista av samarbetspartners, men nog ser man lite vartåt det barkade om man lyssnar på texterna? Stark 3a.
Blir alltid irriterad av äcklandet med autotune och hans jävla självömkande gnäll. Samtidigt finns ju några bangers här och det är fullproppat med snygga och ibland rätt obehagliga beats. Både black skinhead och new slaves är pissbra. I am a god är en spännande och tvetydig inblick i hans megalomani.
denna satt tyvärr helt fel idag
The album was good. Too bad he went off the deep end.
Album #!9 Kanye West: Yeezus Went into this album expecting to hate it absolutely. I am already not a big rap fan, though that’s more from a lack of exposure than a quality perspective. Previously, I have heard two full rap albums: Straight Out of Compton (by way of this generator) and Graduation (Friend’s recommendation). Though I did actually quite enjoy Graduation, I am under the impression that it is sort of the rap album that you show to non-rap fans. But, out of all mainstream rappers, I have always assumed that I would like Kanye the most due to his reliance on sampling and production, focusing on melody along with the lyricism, which is lost on some rappers. That said, Yeezus, from what I know, is meant to be his most controversial album. I understood it to be more abrasive and experimental than his other albums, to the point that it even put off some of his fans. I really didn’t know what to expect this album to sound like. Experimental hip-hop is sort of just a phrase to me. I have no real understanding of what it would sound like (though I did see Danny Brown live, I didn’t know any songs, so it was mostly just noise. But honestly? It sounded completely normal. I can see how the production can be off-putting, as it is very suffocating at times, but for the most part, I actually really liked the grimy atmosphere that it created. I see a lot of criticism towards this album stems from either the production or the lyricism, which is said to be very obnoxious and egotistical, which, of course, it is, but at least as someone who is not entirely aware of Kanye, I sort of interpret it as satire. The consistent themes of the album seem to be that Kanye has gripes with the state of black culture and how materialistic it is, while also acknowledging himself as the pinnacle of that culture as a ‘godlike’ figure. That could be a misguided interpretation, as I didn’t read too deeply into the lyrics. Kanye is just pretty funny. I did find myself laughing at a few of his lines. The sampling and production are what truly set Kanye apart from other rappers that I have heard; they shine brightest on the tracks ‘Black Skinhead’ and ‘Bound 2’, which I believe to be the best tracks. Though not every song lives up to those standards, and some songs are more obnoxious than the rest, overall, the album was actually surprisingly good. I don’t think it is as enjoyable as Graduation, but I did find it to be more interesting, for good or bad. Best Tracks: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Bound 2 Worst Track: I am a God Score out of 10:6
good album, love the beats and really liked Blood on the Leaves kanye being such an idiot lately does negatively impact replayability for me unfortunately, but I'm not factoring that into my rating
Its good. A lot of great songs but I never get to love this album, a lot that doesnt interest me.
Good beats but lyrics are def over-the-top.
Koortsdroom muziek… Heavier dan ik had verwacht. Pivo Pivo Pivo Eigenlijk best leuk, sommige nummers dan… Leuker dan de kut hardstyle bij SR 3FM nu🥴
++: On Sight, Black Skinhead, Bound 2 +: I Am a God, Hold My Liquor +-: New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves, Guilt Trip, Send It Up -: I'm in It 6,7/10
I loved this album when it came out lol. Re-listening to it nowadays feels a bit odd considering how Kanye is now.
Production-wise, it's really amazing. The string of collaborators (Daft Punk, Justin Vernon, Hudson Mohawke) is really top-notch. But I always have this problem with Kanye, lyrically he's too aggressive for me. It wears me out.
Some moments are fun, but not as fun as his twitter page
My opinion hasn't changed in pretty much 20 odd years. Great producer, average to poor rapper. I'll leave the topic choices and character of the person to others. I'm only here to rate the album.
It's Ye's genius and insanity compressed into one album, which makes it a captivating and baffling listening experience at once. For bette or worse.
I think this dude lost his shit. But what done prior to his burnout whack mental disorder he got, it was very originall and creative. This album mixes some techno and industrial type beats and he kills with the lyrics. Im not fond of religous lyrics but he managed to keep it fresh and sounding like his normal style. This album is great and its not even his best one
such a downgrade from my beautiful dark...
Kinda grating. Didn’t like as much as some of his other albums.
3.2 2x catch up 11/26
Such a difficult album, because when it came out I loved it, and it has some amazing music. But it's almost unlistenable now due to his antics.
3 stars This album brings me back. After MBDTF and Watch the Throne, Kanye was at God status. And he knew it… hence the album title and song “I Am a God.” This album is a product of its time and it pushed boundaries. There are bangers here. But there is also a lot of overindulgent bullshit that drags the album. It doesn’t outweigh the good, but it keeps the album from perfection and really from being as good as some of the stans who give it perfect stars say it is. But the half that is good is top Ye status. Obligatory comment about how Kanye is problematic. Also I think it’s hilarious that one of the top words for this album is Nazi, so I had to put the word in my write up.
(3.5)
Really struggled to rate this one. I think it’s arguably a great album and I’m so mad that I like it. I so wish I could give it 5 stars but it gets -1 for the misogynistic lines and a -1 bc Kanye is a terrible person and I’m incapable of separating the art from the artist
I miss the old Kanye
Some good and innovative tracks in here, liked blood on the leaves
Not bad, but loses some stars cuz listening to ye gives me some allergic reaction
Oh man, I’ve been absolutely dreading Yeezus, and it’s finally here, at album number 987. At least this one didn’t get to be album number 1000, or my final album. I really loved My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy when it came out, and I was really hyped that Yeezus was getting glowing reviews as its follow-up. But when I listened to it myself, I absolutely hated it, and I never listened to another new Kanye album after that, which turned out to be a massive blessing. I don’t think twelve years will have done this album any favors, so it’s time to hold my nose and get this over with. I have to admit, Yeezus was a lot better than I remembered. It doesn’t hold a candle to MBDTF, but that’s a pretty high standard to hit anyway. I think that I when I listened to this when it first came out, I wanted that sweeping, orchestral production that was on MBDTF, but that was an unrealistic expectation. I liked the production on this listen. There were some good beats, good samples, and pulsing electronic arrangements. There were times when the sound was too busy, but thankfully those moments weren’t terribly often. Kanye’s rapping was good on this album as well, and I enjoyed his smooth delivery style. There’s a lot to take in lyrically on every song, and that makes Kanye’s albums pretty fun for additional listens. One of the biggest things that I didn’t care for on this album was that some of the songs had bridge sections that would completely disrupt the established sound of the song. Like during “On Sight,” when the electronic pulses pause, and there’s the little kids singing. One of the other things I hated was when Kanye’s lyrics were all about ego stroking, like on “I Am A God.” He does do some light ego stroking on “On Sight,” but it’s not the main thematic driver of the song. Speaking of “On Sight,” that opening track easily had some of the most clever lines on the album: “Don’t judge ‘em Joe Brown,” “Got more n***** off than Cochran,” and “We get this bitch shaking like Parkinson’s” all had me cracking up, although I felt guilty about laughing about the Parkinson’s one. While we’re talking about lyrics, I thought “New Slaves” really hit the mark with its social commentary, as did “Black Skinhead.” Who in 2013 would have thought that Black Skinhead would eventually become self-referential for Kanye? Not me. On a similar note, the Nina Simone sample on “Blood on the Leaves” was really interesting. I didn’t care for the sound of the song, but using “Strange Fruit” to talk about lost love was really bold and interesting. When it came to production, I thought “On Sight” was really great. It was a bold choice for a lead-off track, especially on the heels of MBDTF, but I loved the beat and the electronic pulses. There was a strange ebb and flow of sound and silence that was disorienting, but I really loved the feeling it created. “Hold My Liquor” had great production too. The main melody was awesome, and I loved the pulsing sounds too. Before summarizing, I have to say that the worst thing on this album, other than its artist, is that “uh-huh honey” vocal sample on “Bound 2.” It’s absolutely annoying, and adds nothing to the song. I’d forgotten about this song completely until today. “Bound 2” could have been great without that shitty sample. It reminds me of the vocals on “Dance Monkey,” another song that completely blows. Overall, Yeezus is fine. The highs are pretty good, the lows are annoying and jarring, and everything else is passable.
Good, but not my type
The beats, the samples, the electronic bits are world class. The lyrics, not so much. You can tell Kanye was well on his way to going nuts by the time he wrote this.
I'll be listening to stuff by him as part of the exercise but not beyond, regardless of whether I enjoy the songs. I did enjoy the album, my 60s brain focuses on the surprise Brenda Lee
already listened to it, interesting direction, don't think he pulled it off entirely but definitely has some of his best work
It was ok. This is the top rated album on RYM for 2013 which is just crazy as it's very average. Like it's just ok, Sorry Yeezy but your genius is lost on us. It's the definition of a pretty decent hip hop album and absolutely no better.
So many mixed feelings about Kanye. He has so much catchy stuff, but he's such a POS. This album has some catchy elements but also feels very self-indulgent. 3*
Two bangers, the rest is hard to listen to 3/5 I guess?
This album has a cool, funky, electronic sound that I feel was pretty new to the rap scene. Some of it was a little grating
Kanye was obviously a musical genius but his off the field antics have really tarnished his reputation. This album was big in my youth but I can’t bring myself to enjoy it as much anymore. Slid from a 4/5 to a 3.
Really good to listen for go out of rutine
After listening to this album I have no idea why this guy is famous. Not everything is bad - some nice ideas but very, very much average pop music.
Better than I expected.
Preferred first half
Man this really ran out of steam in the latter half, but the beats on the first few tracks are outstanding. Too bad Kanye had to go crazy cos he could make some good tunes. Favorite track: Black Skinhead
I feel like Kanye's earlier work should have been represented (probably is) - not a bad album but there is only so much Ye I need to listen to before I die.
The descent of the album's egomaniacal protagonist is a tragic foreshadowing of life imitating art. As with all Kanye's stuff, when it's not sex-obsessed, it's self-obsessed. And it never gets beyond that in a way that may make it more powerful (like Kendrick Lamar manages to do). The menacing beats are there, but it's often lyrically moribund, taking a good idea about the fame-driven descent into madness and replacing thoughtful musings with narratives about shagging (I think my favourite line is 'put my fist in her like a civil rights sign'). Still, the run of 'Black Skinhead', 'I Am God' and 'New Slaves' is some of his strongest and most thought-provoking work. It's another three for Ye.
Good hip hop album. Sounds like the start of his Ye years so I will hold that God Complex he has against him. The album was good 3/5
Wonder what this guy is up to
Fish sticks
Good one, not too many bangers but a classic for sure
disclaimer: my border of the genius producer/mid rapper and the mentally ill extreme right wing is after this album so i don't see everythign before it in a negative light because of the ethics. i found the borderline of antisemitism and anti zionism so blurry that people joining in the good cause of anti zionism sometime streched to the 1930s germany fashion of antisemitism. thats boring asf. and also, i mean if you give him a 1 you should give the smiths a 1 cause morrissey is a nationalist and is whiny and supports man united. but you dont because of johnny marr and you only give moz's solo a 1. i know you, ethics warrior. but anyway because of ye's ego this album has a potential to be labelled comedy hip hop along with the slack beats and the various jumpscares. 3/5
Reallly did not like the first song, but then they dubbed some Coco Spookarama screams into track 3 and I actually found everything from that point up onward to be very sonically compelling (until Bound 2, also did not like that). Hold My Liquor and Blood on the Leaves are cool songs.
Not the best Kanye. It is serviceable, but not stellar.
A very light 3
I just talked to Jesus He said, "What up, Yeezus?" I said, "Shit, I'm chillin' Will I listen to again: 7%
So many fantastic beats ruined by shit lyrics. Hold My Liquor could have been absolutely incredible ffs. But far from the only one. Wouldn't count myself as a prude but there's just so many pointless sexual references it's like looking into the inner mind of a teenager. "Eating Asian pussy all I need was sweet & sour sauce" "Black girl sipping white wine, put my fist in her like a civil rights sign" I'd estimate more than half the songs have some ridiculous reference to shagging someone. Jfc Kanye. Reign it in. Also no matter how many times you repeat I am a god, it doesn't make it true. I'd love to hear an instrumental version of this album, or better yet, lyrics from someone who wasn't an absolute bellend. Thank you Kanye for creating something actually interesting and then instantly destroying it you melt. Music is an easy 4.5*, lyrics are an easy 1*
Schon eine krasse präsenz
Trepidatious going into this for obvious reasons & after the first like four songs I thought, “crap, am I giving this a 5?” But the wheels fell off big time in the second half.
I remember listening to this album when it first came out, and my opinion is still pretty much the same. I appreciate the innovative and experimental approach, especially with electronic music. However, this experimentation sometimes results in an overly produced sound, where the complexity and layering of elements can overshadow the core simplicity of the music. There needs to be a balance between experimental creativity and maintaining simplicity; otherwise, the excessive production becomes a distraction of its own. As for Kanye himself and the lyrics, there’s no denying that he’s a talented rapper. Even though I would love to hate on him, I have to admit he has had a handful of songs over the years that I enjoyed. One of my favorites is “American Boy” by Estelle. He’s so suave on that track. But on the flip side, most of his lyrics are so brash, hubristic, egotistical, and arrogant, and on this album, he displays all of those characteristics as if they were on steroids. This is why all of his behavior and the hate he’s received over the last 10 years, I take it all with a grain of salt. Wherever the excitement or drama happens to be, Kanye is going to throw himself right in the middle of it, like a monkey in a cage shaking the bars. He thrives on chaos and always dives headfirst into the middle of the drama, drawing all eyes to his wild and uncontrollable antics.
Not bad. He's still a POS tho 3.5/5
Kanye honestly has some really decent songs and this album doesn't reflect those talents at all, there were two songs that upped this from a 2 (blood on the leaves & bound 2) but ultimately a bit of a disappointment and definetly not worthy of the list.
Musiikki oli surkeaa, mutta kannatan yen poliittisia mielipiteitä
My Ye arc started with a co-worker who wouldn't stop talking about him, and for a brief stint I was caught up on the early albums, eventually getting hooked by My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But Yeezus was where I exited. The abrasive, industrial production is easily the most compelling part of this record — jagged beats, clipped samples, and tactically deployed textures. It creates a real sense of paranoia, exciting alienation and captivating discomfort. Kanye West has always been a brilliant producer, it is his greatest gift. And this record may be his peak, but I'll never know because the themes and lyrical content feel tired and cliche (even with great word play). Ultimately, as he elevates and pushes the form of his expression, the recycled content wears me out. It's an album that's easier to admire than to love. I haven't felt the pull to come back. I prefer Yeezus to be the horizon. And now, I don't even hear about how compelling a new record is — it's just his public antics and problems, not his music.
kanye l cunasci bel
6/10
I honestly think this was one Kanye album too far. I am not a big Kanye fan, but on albums before this, it has been hard to ignore the craft, and pure storytelling poured into the product. This is an unpleasant listen, and lyrics that looking back seem to indicate more than just a big ego.
This is alright
It was fine
Beats were good. Some lyrics were funny, some were kind of dumb or repetitive and got annoying
Album fort créatif, même si je suis incapable d’adhérer à aucun propos à peu près que cet homme véhicule sur l’album
This is a really interesting case study on he mental decline of Mr West. I understand and apricate that the majority or modern hip hop needs some dick swinging arrogance, but obviously Mr West is now the king of that. You compare this album to his earlier stuff (collage drop out) and its night and day on the themes and arrogance displayed...I mean for fucks sake this album has a song on it called I am God where he is chilling with the big J talking about "stacking his millions"...which honestly I don't think "our lord and saviour" would give a single fuck about. Then you move onto My Twisted Dark Beautiful fantasy and that's a real show of how bi-polar and mentally unwell he is, and honestly is a fascinating listen Anyways, is the album good? Yes, in spite of the how awful a person Mr West is, the production is as to be expected, phenomenal . The lyrics are fine if not reeking of I am 17 years old and this sounds edgy/cool. Its the weakest album of his on this list and I have to score it according to that.
3.5 So I finally got a Kanye. It’s hard, because I don’t want to be hypocritical - there are many artists on this list who are racists, rapists, pedophiles, murderers, etc. Bowie, one of my favorite artists of all time, certainly had sex with underage women and at points was known to wear a Nazi uniform on stage! So I’m going to try to rate this fairly; it’s just harder when it’s all currently happening. And harder after that when you’re seeing how far a once great artists has fallen. I was a huge Kanye fan till like 2016. I think this is probably his last “great” album. But it’s showing signs of decline. His politics here are kinda “correct”, but there’s seams showing in his fabric. He’s trending towards losing it just a bit. I never fucked with this album like I did MBDTF, but I appreciate it now as sort of the antithesis of that album. This is way shorter and stripped back, with hardly any guests or features. While MBDTF is fun, this is intense. Still, great beats and production, which is where Ye always fared best. I cannot like that this was immediately a fun listen. And indeed, it made me miss the old Kanye.
Not as good as his previous offerings. 3.2
Hate the man, but love his music :/ Started really good, middle kinda stunk, ends well. 3/5
Se me escapa, muy viejo, muy blanco y...
Wherez the uuuh, hip hop? All I hear is edgy industrial wanking
Prefer earlier stuff and even Life of Pablo
This was probably the last Ye album I took much interest in, and for me it's nowhere as enjoyable as some of his previous efforts. That said, I give points for some of the legitimate innovation here.
After reading through the wiki, I kept thinking that it would be cool to get a cut of this album before they stripped it down to a minimalist style and made it more “abrasive”. Not that I don’t appreciate it stylistically (although I think some songs go a little far - New Slaves, Send it up), it would just be cool to hear chiller versions of these with some bonus instruments. Black Skinhead and Bound 2 are bangers.
I am left wondering what many of these songs would be like with something other than Kanye West with minimal vocal effects on them. The production on this album is sooooo cool - everyone was going EDM at this point, but no one was going for a gritty, dark, sometimes minimal electronic sound. Yeezus has a dream list of production support. The lyrical content and man in focus, on the other hand, is a different story. It feels like Kanye begins to lean too far into the anti-hero narrative with this project. I've always thought that after his mom passed, you could hear a marked tone shift in his music. "I Am A God" is the first good example of how lofty the production is, and how starkly different the dry, sometimes goofy vocals are. I dont need all the lines to be serious, but it feels like there are points where Kanye is just exercising verbal free-will more than actually saying anything. "New Slaves" has a total dancefloor synth hit, it was just decontextualized to something a bit more 'deconstructed' for lack of a better genre term. I LOVE the sample at the end - what a find! A Hungarian rockestra song! That's insane work. Shoutout to the trap beat that is so clearly Hudson Mohawke from the horn sound. I cant namedrop anymore producers or this would become a small book. "Bound 2" is by far the best song on here, one of the only times the hard cut production style succeeds. Something about this song is just soooo fun. Maybe part of it is the "Runaway" effect, where it's the closest you get to Kanye talking about something in his personal life that has substance and matters to him. Mixed feelings, it's always complicated with Kanye. A lineup of hall of fame producers creating some compelling, cutting-edge art. And Kanye kinda just...being Kanye on top of it all. Another step down the tragic spiral that guy took. 3/5
I’m not an expert but this seems like just about the point where Kanye the ego(massive) & overall trash human overtook Kanye the musical talent (also massive). Still pretty good here but with the benefit of hindsight you can clearly see where he’s unfortunately headed.
it was all right, started and ended strong/
Kanye is always creative and inventive. This album is no exception. It is also the beginning of the end for his career. Highlight Track: “Bound 2” The beat is ridiculous
First 4 songs have some iconic sound samples, then the album fades drastically in the middle, and picks up with the last 3 songs. Solid but I don’t think it’s his best
Kanye has lost it. He will go on as one of the greatest music makers ever. But after losing his mother, being in the media sphere of a family that has made a living on being televised (Kardashians), and having no living artists who are in a position to humble him, Kanye has his ego and mental health unchecked. This album is produced extremely well, but his vulgarity and themes are becoming more simple and juvenile. Funny he uses Justin Vernon who also seems to have achieved the status to be the arrogant indie king. Separate the art from the artist. I do not give a shit about his controversial/political/bigoted beliefs. I would enjoy this album more if the first 5 albums weren't already perfect.
trip out rap
Bit of a mix but still very enjoyable. New slaves, hold my liquor, blood on the leaves, guilt trip and ofc bound 2 the best tracks. Some shit ones though like I'm in it and I am a God. 3 and a half stars.
That dark electro-industrial sound is pretty great. Too bad Ye is such an asshat.
Exciting album to check out for me as I did not understand the hype around Kanye's music when I first heard it about 2 decades ago. The initial songs had me thinking the album was Marilyn Manson inspired.
5/10 A really interesting artifact in the man’s career, a record that stands as one of the most important and influential, being a significant ingnition for the prominence of artists like Arca and Travis Scott, as well as possibly being a great influence on the grand mass of weirdo abrasive SoundCloud rappers in the late 2010s (and JPEGMAFIA, fuck you JPEGMAFIA, I love you). It’s also the beginning of Kanye’s contrarian era, the more blatant attempt to be provocative in the most literal sense, which in retrospect, is completely pathetic in comparison to the high school white kid antics he’s been on recently. The songwriting on this album is abysmal, and not in the “haha it’s supposed to be bad” way that it thinks it is, what we see now are bars that Kanye post-ironically thinks are hard, while laughing at you for taking them seriously, but pissing into your own mouth in retrospect only really works when you don’t take yourself seriously, which Kanye very much does, it’s the difference between Jackass and a Charlie Kaufman film. The production has its moments, I can’t help but get chills when I hear the buzzing synths of On Sight, but it also pales in comparison to some of the best Experimental and Industrial Hip Hop production from the 2010s and even Kanye’s later music. Also, ΛΛ Λ Y Λ by M.I.A. created Yeezus, not Death Grips, I will tinfoil hat this theory till the day I die.
My opinion about West in his life outside music aside, I never vibed with him. His rap style always seems so basic, and this album shows it yet again. Reliance on auto-tune, nonsensical lyrics, mid cadence and rhytemn and he is so full of himself. Annoying. The one saving grace is that the beats, as always, are exceptional.
Decent listen.
listening to nazis letsgoo (not) Separating the dude from the art here Hes a good rapper. Thats a good album. Lyrics are superficial but sounds sound good. Like good good. Can't give more than 3 though tbh he really is nazi
with an album this contentious, the REAL controversial take is giving it the 3/5 it deserves
nah on sight- 5. its interesting at least. black skin head- essentially what kanye is atp. also, my mom did know a black skin head at one point. 6 i am a god- 4. okay, "in a french ass restaurant, hurry up with my damn croissants" is a funny bar new slaves- 4. "id rather be a dick than a swallower." huh. hold my liquor- 4. WAIT THIS IS BITCH IM BACK OUT MY COMA??? okay im sorry.... 6. did i just like a kanye song.... okay only that part. the rest sucks. 5, final answer im in it- i dislike this. 2 blood on the leaves- insane thing to sample. its really weird to sample a song about lynchings and make it about a relationship? 1 guilt trip- 2 send it up- 4 bound 2- 4 i dont know what to do with this
Not really sure what to make of it - contextually it is seen as a culturally groundbreaking album. For me personally, I found it a bit disjointed and difficult to listen to. Maybe that's the point.
Kanye is crazy. Period. The music is fun to listen to though. Hip-Hop is usually not my thing, but this is interesting.
27/03/25 I hate how little I didn't like this album. It's not even the worst thing I have heard, I just hate Kanye.
Surprisingly enjoyable. Some proper sick beats throughout, and lyrically really good.
Nostalgic as all fuck especially Bound 2. I'd listen again.
Honestly really good, it feels nostalgic. I would relisten (politics aside)
A lot going on with this album to the extent that it's exhausting to listen to. The over- production is the point here, and it's a tour de force, a calculated assault on the senses. Still not as enjoyable as it might be for me, but interesting for sure, there's so much to hear in this album.
hmmmmmmm....I mean I'll give it a try. Okay this isn't half bad honestly. Totally unique sounds and mix of genres. ooooh I'm in it is pretty sexy. mmmmI was tempted to give it 4 stars but I'm saying 3.
What a wild ride of decent to shrapnel
There were some quite interesting beats on this and he delivered some of it in an engagingly angry way. I don't think he was ever as good as the hype but there was something about his music. You can really feel Kanye starting to become unhinged on this, which was an interesting precursor to the horrendous prick he was becoming but a bit uncomfortable to listen to. Musically it was the okay but no desire to repeat it.
Never heard this album before. He's clearly well in his phase of believing his own hype here (I am a god). Nowhere near as good as college dropout we had before. He is much more crass here too and falls back on the old misogynistic rap tropes too much. Really don't like the whole auto tune sound which is throughout the album either. There is something about it in parts though... Something I can't help but appreciate. He can definitely rap and has good flow, but often what he is rapping about is utter nonsense (I still think they're is something wrong with him mentally). Honourable mention to "speaking swaghili" and "put my fist in her like a civil rights sign". I think my favourites were new slaves and hold my liquor, but I'm not sure I actually like them that much.....I do quite like the patois that features every now and again. I think 2.5 but it's interesting enough for 3. Doubt I'll be back though
The guy isn’t half as good as he thinks he is. There are many that are much better. Beats are decent, that’s about it. 2.5
The other two Kanye albums on this list are MUCH better
Okay
nazi :(
✅✅ I Am A God ✅✅ Hold My Liquor Per Last Call, the man's bread and butter is mixing beats. Much different than College Dropout, but still puts me in a groove.
all the daft punks and gesaffelsteins and arcas and bon ivers and frank oceans in the world cannot hide the fact that this dude is NOT spittin.
Better than other his stuff
Not my favourite of Kanye's stuff tbh I liked a very small handful of songs, the rest were alright - nothing amazing. Much prefer his other stuff 3 ⭐️
Well… if my favorite part is the sampling, does that mean I like the song lol? Wish Kanye hadn’t gone off the deep end. I do think he’s talented. So idk what to give this. Musically it’s fine, bound2 is a banger.
Blood on the Leaves and Bound 2 best songs. Not nearly as good as other albums.
I’ve never been a Kanye guy but I enjoyed some of the songs here more than I expected. I like the insanity and aggression of it more when I realize that it’s sincere—he is actually insane.
Meh. Love early Kanye. This wasn’t my favorite. Just dragging the wealth-obsessed while declaring himself God. Good beats, especially Bound 2.
Surprised but enjoyed it, one play only.
I can’t rank him higher than 3 on shear principle of the matter. But also, i don’t love this one either.