Kanye West, Yeezus
Featured Album
His leanest, tightest, most to-the-point album ever
Earlier in his career, Kanye’s ego was the one getting all the attention, but Yeezus, his sixth solo album, is all snarling Id. Nothing can wait, not even the “damn croissants,” which he demands with characteristically insta-quotable brio on “I Am A God.” Fittingly, Yeezus is West’s leanest, tightest, most to-the-point album ever: 10 songs, 40 minutes (almost to the nose), and full of the aggression of mid-’80s Def Jam.
No surprise, then, that Rick Rubin worked on several tracks here, or that Kanye links up with Daft Punk again (their three album-opening tracks that have the lean whap of their early work and none of the middlebrow-soundtrack diddling of Random Access Memories). Sonically, Yeezus connects the scrappy clang of that era’s rap with the more detailed sonic possibilities of modern electronic-dance production. (Warp Records fiddler Hudson Mohawke co-produced “I Am a God” with Daft Punk.) Wax Trax!-style industrial, early U.K. grime, and El-P’s production for Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music are useful coordinates as well.
West isn’t saying anything particularly different than usual; he’s just being more severe and forthright about it. “New Slaves” is Kanye’s latest and most searing indictment of African-American consumerism, the force of which he nearly guts by declaring, “I’d rather be a dick than a swallower.” “I’m in It” is his latest Sexaholics Anonymous confessional, like a seedier “Hell of A Life,” which features the racist equation of “Asian pussy” with “sweet-and-sour sauce.” Call Yeezus his Vice Magazine album — stark, confrontational, willfully offensive and more crafted than it first appears.
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BORNZOon June 18, 2013 at 11:19 pm said: I REALLY have to know what your Hip-Hop qualifications are for you to classify this album as his best work yet. It is absolute GARBAGE!!! This is clearly his WORST work yet. Every single person I know, even those who still like this Techno Hip-Pop garbage feel it is his worst. -
EvilAlon June 20, 2013 at 3:20 pm said: Saw a recent article that had him complaining he hadn't won more Grammys . Lets see: can't sing, can't play a musical instrument, can't read a note, has Rick Ruben put together his backing tracks, and still thinks he deserves awards? Wow! He must be God!
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DJBeakson June 24, 2013 at 3:31 pm said: So this review views all of the bad parts of this record as good parts? Seriously? Yeezus is a joke. Listen to it between College Dropout and Beautiful, Dark, Twisted Fantasy if you want to know how disappointing this album truly is. THOSE were Kanye at his finest. This is a record made by a millionaire throwing a tantrum about the things that made him rich. Forgive me if I don't scrape and bow.
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five4timeon July 21, 2013 at 3:30 pm said: Seems like the comments so far want Kanye to play instruments or be a DJ or believe that with his success he can no longer comment on what he sees around him. Wrong on all points I don't think this achieves the level of Dark Twisted Fantasy but his keen eye is as severe as ever and he is smart enough to surround himself with the best of the best to augment what he sees.
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EMUSIC-02CD8FB9on July 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm said: This album is dope. You need to have a sound system that can extract the bass notes on this album. This is like My Dark Twisted 808s and Heartbreak. This album is a banger!
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caliyankeeon August 16, 2013 at 3:01 pm said: This is a brilliant review, bolstered by the fact that it was presented within days of the album's release. Now that the hype has died down, I've decided to buy the album because lyrically, thematically, and sonically I have found it to be one of the most creative albums in the hip-hop marketplace.
