Review: Kanye West – The Life Of Pablo

Kanye West is out of his mind. I know. You know. The Twittersphere and Obama know it. Interestingly enough, however, he’s always been the first to acknowledge it. Whatever you will say about Kanye, he, himself, will say about Kanye. Judging by his over-the-top behavior and highly controversial shenanigans, it’s hard to tell if he loses or gains fans in his ongoing competition to be the biggest hypocrite in 2016 (sorry Kendrick, Yeezy really holds this title). Kanye’s madness – a characteristic he writes off as “genius” – yields a treasure trove of sensational, clickable headlines for every media outlet across the globe. Meanwhile, the general public’s interest ranges from indifference to sheer outrage at how his Kanyeisms dominate the news cycle each day for entertainment value. I tend to dismiss his antics by telling myself, “Yeezy crazy…”, because I pretty much know that he’s not going anywhere. We won’t let him, the media won’t let him, and he certainly won’t let himself go away. So, I listen to the songs I like, and straddle the fence of amusement, respect and utter disdain over the prolific and tortured artist that is Kanye West. Which brings me to his musical career. Rising to prominence with the College trilogy, Kanye received the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album for each of these early LPs as well as for 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, his best work to date. Now, with the release of The Life Of Pablo, we finally hear what is likely the conclusion of his Heaven/Hell trilogy.

Let me start by saying The Life of Pablo is not a Gospel album, as Kanye tweeted prior to its Valentine’s Day release. What it is, though, is a collection of brilliant songs that reference faith in God interspersed between the details of a life that could send one to hell. Starting with “Ultralight Beam”, Yeezy’s prayer of peace and serenity, the song sets the tone for the sacrilege that ensues throughout the album. With a cameo appearance by Gospel veteran Kirk Franklin, there’s a certain emotional comfort and true appeal to Christian faith in this song. Things get uncomfortable immediately afterwards, however, with “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1” and “Pt. 2”. Pushing the envelope in what’s come to be expected of Kanye, he both disparages women he’s had sex with and reasons that he “just wants to feel liberated”. Then you have the already infamous “Famous”. The track begins with Rihanna, ends with Nina Simone, and references wanting to bed Taylor Swift (whom he claims he made famous), and people are up in arms. The song glorifying being “hood famous” is actually more positive than you’d expect, though. Plus, it samples Sister Nancy’s legendary dancehall hit “Bam Bam” mixed in with Nina’s revolutionary note of Black love and freedom.

Keep listening to the 18-track album so that you can scratch your head and ponder how he can be so incredibly egomaniacal, especially when it comes to his sexual prowess. “Freestyle 4” and “I Love Kanye” are two songs that embody a hilarious question that asks: “On a scale of Kanye to Kanye, how are you feeling?” On some days he’s the “old Kanye” that even he misses. On other days he’s the Yeezus that he’s invented, the one who makes us collectively stare at our computer screens and blink. “Waves” signals an introspective turn in demeanor and channels grief and the memory of loved ones lost. Other songs further showcase introspective Kanye speaking from the depths of revealed pain, betrayal, self-control or lack thereof, and responsibility. “FML”, “Real Friends”, “Wolves”, and “30 Hours”, which features Andre 3000 singing the hook instead of rhyming, are more intimate songs and are where vulnerable Kanye shines.

Ye and Kendrick get into their backpacker emcee roots with “No More Parties In LA”, spitting bars for days on that Black Star “Miss Fat Booty” play-on-repeat vibe. “Facts (Charlie Heat Version)” is more impulsive and manic but begins and ends with a dusty soul cut that morphs into his spazzed-out delivery. The album closer is a legit homage to Chicago’s club culture with the dance track “Fade” weaving together three samples of visceral House and Rock classics that include Hardrive’s “Deep Inside”. Speaking of the album’s samples, it boasts a collection of nearly 50 years of musical masterpieces from widely known to obscure. Music aficionados will certainly want to create playlists with each song that’s used in part, in whole or interpolated for this project. Matching My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in artistry, intensity and vision, The Life Of Pablo reveals itself as a must-have for any Kanye West fan.

 
Written by Mai Perkins

Originally from Los Angeles, Mai Perkins is living a genuine bona fide love affair with NYC and the music that keeps its spirit moving. While spending the majority of the last decade in Brooklyn, many of her adventures around the globe are documented on her blog: Mai On The Move! www.MaiOnTheMove.com

 
Author’s rating for The Life Of Pablo

Pop Magazine’s official rating for The Life Of Pablo

Rating key
MASTERPIECE a must-have
SUPERB for heavy rotation
EXCELLENT a great achievement
VERY GOOD a respectable result
GOOD worth checking out
FAIR an average outcome
WEAK not convincing stuff
BAD an underwhelming effort
VERY BAD quite a waste
FAIL a total failure