Pure Dopness Album Review: Yeezus

If you’re here to here me agree with your hatred of Yeezus, leave now.  Especially if your hatred is because Kanye hates white people.  I honestly couldn’t care less about Kanye’s hatred of white people, it’s just so common place among black men it’s not even exciting to me any more, which is why it shan’t come up again.

Ahh I love me a controversial album; combine that with one of the most controversial figures in music ever Yeezus is bound to spark some… I won’t call it conversation because well there aren’t any conversations on the internet… it’ll spark a bunch of idiots arguing with other idiots and inevitably drag some intelligent people into it.  But I mean hey, that’s something right. But if you ignore all the things people are arguing about on the internet (which you should) that just leaves one album and one man (or god depending on your thoughts on Mr. Ye).

If you are so unfortunate to have read the things on the internet about Yeezus you will have heard two things a lot.  You will have heard this is Kanye’s worst album, I’ll squash that shit for you right now it’s not whether or not it’s the best, second best, is it even top five, that’s not important just yet.  But it’s not the worst, love it or hate it to dismiss an album like Yeezus by calling it Kanye’s worst just makes an ass out of you and me.  No wait just you, it makes an ass out of you.  The second thing you will here is that the production is amazing and the lyrics are crap.  To this nonsense I say:

“You see it’s broke nigga racism

That’s that ‘Don’t touch anything in the store’

And this rich nigga racism

That’s that ‘Come in, please buy more

What you want, a Bentley? Fur coat? A diamond chain?

All you blacks want all the same things’”

And

“So I’mma need a little more time now

Cause I ain’t got the money on me right now

And I thought you could wait

Yeah, I thought you could wait”

So now that we have that shit cleared up we’ll get down to it.”

Is Kanye as good as he thinks he is?  No, no one is as good as Kanye thinks he is and has that hurt his music as his head gets bigger? Of course it has.  Yes Yeezus would have been better if it wasn’t drowning in “I’m the greatest nigga to ever step on this planet” but I can forgive much of his arrogance because well, he’s a goddamn genius.  A very insecure genius but a genius nontheless.

The production on Yeezus is very interesting because it’s so different and at the same time not different at all.  If you listened to College Dropout then immediately listened to Yeezus you might get whiplash but if there is one thing that 808’s taught us (for future reference this is by FAR the bottom of Kanye’s discography) it’s that Kanye will take risks with his productions until the cows come home and die.  And that’s what Yeezus is, challenging.  I love when artists make music without any regard for what you like or care about and it paid off I mean Blood on the Leaves, I am a God, Black Skinhead, New Slaves, I could list the whole album but I won’t every beat on here is despicable, lo-fi, noisy, and bass so hard it’ll take your virginity.

Kanye has never been a huge punchline rapper.  If you’re looking for punchline rap or backpackers you should go somewhere else.  I like Slaughterhouse as much as the next guy but if I wanted to listen to punchline rap exclusively I’d be a pretty boring human being.  Yeezus isn’t riddled with lines that make you go ooo and aww but at the end of every track you end up with that feeling in your chest the one you get after great book, amazing poem, or when you finally really see a piece of art.  It’s always hard to describe something that’s truly deep so I won’t try.  I will tell you to listen to Yeezus 3 or four times through all the way through then listen to each song on repeat for a while if you don’t love the album then well… I don’t know maybe you should take up pottery or artisan pizza making of some shit like that.

Let’s be clear before everyone goes and shits themselves I am NOT saying Yeezus is comparable to “A Red, Red Rose” or “The Raven”.  I like to think I’m not a moron but there are levels of genius and this is genius you don’t have to like ALL genius that doesn’t make you dumb, I didn’t like “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly” doesn’t mean I should stop watching movies.

Oh and for future reference Kanye’s discography:

1. Graduation
2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
3. Late Registration
4. Yeezus
5. Watch the Throne
6. College Dropout
7. 808’s & Heartbreak

Ratings:

0-10: absolute garbage, 11-20 terrible, 21- 30 bad, 31- 40 passable, 41-50 okay, 51-60 good, 61-70 great, 71-80 amazing, 81-90 classic, 91-99 legendary, 100 ILLMATIC!

Favorite Track(s): Guilt Trip, New Slaves, Bound 2

Least Favorite Track: Hold my Liquor

Best Instrumental: Blood on the Leaves

X-Factor: Daft Punk & TNGHT (I mean jesus fucking christ), racial tension, lo-fi, short easy to listen to a million and a half times through

Rating: 73/100

Must Listen Rating: 9/10

Support good music because shit music is winning the war.