Kanye West, Ye, Dr. West, Yeezus, The GOAT, what ever you want to call him, has finally given us the blessing of yet another flawless album. From College Dropout to Yeezus, Kanye hasn’t failed us yet, and once again he delivers one of the most beautiful pieces of art I’ve had the pleasure of hearing. Kanye dropped the album via Tidal after performing on SNL where he ended his performance by bringing Chicago’s own Chance the Rapper who killed the SNL stage for now his second time!
Kanye has claimed that his new album, “The Life Of Pablo,” is actually a gospel album. Kanye started the tape off with a beautiful collage of singing, melodic hooks, and some hot bars on “Ultralight Beam.” We are also given one of Chance’s hottest verses yet with it lasting over a minute of straight bars. The tape features an insane amount of talent with artists like Chance, The Weeknd, Rihanna, Young Thug, Kid Cudi and many many more. Ye also brought some humor along like he does in most his albums with skits about being the “ghetto Oprah,” a song about himself, and even a few words from the creator of the wave, Max B. Picking a few tracks that stand out in this project is impossible; every track on here has a different dash of perfection from Kanye.
After starting the album out perfect with Chance, Kirk Frankland, and others we are given “Father Stretch My Hands Pt 1.” Kanye and Kid Cudi are an amazing combination of artistic intellectuality that deliver fantastic work every time and do it yet again. We are then given a Metro Boomin produced track on “Pt. 2” with some beautifully put together bars about Ye’s mother and his near death experience from his car accident. He also adds a snipped of newest G.O.O.D. Music artist, Desiigner’s, track “Panda.” Kanye then tells us how he feels “like me [Kanye] and Taylor might still have sex,” and tells us more about he made her and so many others famous on “Famous.” This track is accompanied by beautiful vocals by Rihanna. On “Feedback” we are given one of my favorite produced tracks on the album with high energy bars to bring the track together in a wonderful way. Kanye then goes into “Low Lights” which works as a great bridge into “Highlights” with Young Thug. Kanye then gives us another look at Desiigner at the end of “Freestyle 4,” which is lead into perfectly with tons of emotion by Kanye before Desiigner goes in. Kanye then expresses the love and hate himself and others have for him in a hilarious acapella called “I Love Kanye.” Next we have to thank Chance The Rapper yet again! Although he was the reason behind the album being delayed it was well worth it when “Waves” was added. This track has some harmonious vocals from Chris Brown and very beautifully told verses by Kanye with help on writing from Chance. After this, Kanye gives us a super dark and powerful track with The Weeknd titled “FML.” Dr. West, a husband and father, tells us about the struggle he goes through staying loyal, but that he loves his family way too much to mess it up. Next, Kanye gives us the track that brought back GOOD Fridays titled “Real Friends.” This track is the sad true story of growing up and being successful. He tells us about bad family members, old friends asking for things, and many more problems he faces. We are then indulged in a bundle of emotions with “Wolves.” Originally this track featured Sia and Chicago’s own Vic Mensa, but upon the release these two were taken out and we got something even more special. Frank Ocean will leave you speechless at the end of this track as you reminisce on love, life, and death. After the approval from the very wavy Max B, Kanye gives us “30 Hours.” He released this track hours before dropping the album leaving us wondering when it would actually come. Kanye rides the beat on this song perfectly and we are given a soulful adlib by Andre 3000. The next track we are given “No More Parties In LA.” What two rap artists are looked at higher than Kendrick and Kanye today? Not many if any, and they both deliver perfection in this track. Another song already given to us, “Facts,” then comes up, but has been changed a little bit from what we originally heard. Ye successfully made the first Nike diss song that lead to a “Fuck Nike” chant at his Season 3 event at Madison Square Garden. Unfortunately the album has to end at some point and Ye decides to go out with a bang by sampling legendary Chicago house artist Mr. Fingers. This track features Ty Dolla $ign again and also rising star Post Malone. This song really creates a ton of power and concludes the album perfectly.
There was so much behind every song in this album; after listening to this project from front to back at least 30 times I still can’t pick a favorite. Picking out 5 that really stood out to me was a difficult task, but below I have a short list that will probably change every listen.
-“Ultralight Beam:” Chicago legend Kanye West and soon to be Chicago legend Chance The Rapper with Kirk Franklin and a choir. This is pure soul music that personally gave me the chills my first listen. Every little part of this song is perfect.
-“Highlights:” Thug and Ye just start this track perfectly. Kanye also gives us a cocky humor filled verse talking about taking Kim from Ray J. He also tells us “Imma [Kanye] bust a coaches head open on some Diddy shit/ If he ever talk to my son like an idiot.” I love how he looks at this Diddy incident from a protective father’s point of view even though Diddy was ridiculed so much for this.
-“FML:” Darkness, love, and an overall deep feeling are brought together superbly in this track. The Weeknd fits this track greatly and kills the hook leading into an explosive Ye verse.
-“Wolves:” This is another track like “FML” with a very deep feeling behind it and also has the help of a beyond talented vocalist; this time being Frank Ocean who has been missing for quite some time now. Kanye talks about his relationships with his mother, father, and Kim as he compares her to the virgin Mary.
-“Fade:” Before ending the album Kanye gives us an upbeat song that will get anyone moving. Ty Dolla $ing and Post contribute to this song perfectly. Post Malone, like Kanye, has been picked on a ton by the media and tells us about it in his short verse. Overall, it’s just has a great vibe behind it to go out to.
Kanye brought it to twitter saying that “The Life Of Pablo” will only be available on Tidal. Lucky for me, Tidal offers a 50% discount to college students, but since the album has been out for a couple days now you may be able to find a link on the internet. How ever you decide to listen to it, enjoy!