The Life Of Pablo X Yeezy Season 3

In case you didn’t geek out like I did and purchase a ticket to watch Kanye’s NYFW event and album release, here’s what you missed

Y’all know by this point that I’m a die hard Kanye fan. So naturally, when ‘Ye announced that he would be streaming his album release and Yeezy Season 3 fashion show in theaters across the country, I leaped for my wallet and laptop and bought a ticket immediately. Selling out Madison Square Garden in 10 minutes is something that only a handful of artists can accomplish, and I knew I couldn’t miss out on this one. Even if I was watching from a small theater in Boulder, Colorado. I couldn’t sleep last night, let alone focus in a single class knowing that in a few hours I would be hearing Kanye’s seventh studio album after what felt like an eternity of waiting.

My friends and I piled into the car and mobbed over to the theater, excited but not knowing totally what to expect. As we sat down, waves of anticipation rolled over everyone in the theater. In a typical Kanye fashion, he rolled into the show about 20 minutes late, making sure to show footage of the Kardashians walking to their seats before the even started. As the girls moved through the crowd, their large white fur coats dragging on the ground, the crowd at Madison Square Garden began to stir. It was finally time.

Kanye grabbed the mic, and with a few short words “Ultra Light Beams” began to play. The initial thought that came to mind was, “Kanye was right. This is totally a gospel album.” Then, very much to my delight, a familiar voice filled the surround sound. Chance the Rapper sang his verse with his heart and soul, and there could not have been a more perfect track for him. A grin spread across my face as I remembered Chance tweeting merely a month ago about his disappointment regarding not being on Kanye’s album. But he made it. As the album continued to play, the rest of the songs had less of a Gospel feel, but not quite the “let’s rage!” rap feel either. It was a wonderful balance. Cameras scanned to a mysterious set covered by a tarp, as it became visible to the crowd. There on large blocks stood models decked out in Yeezy Season 3, staring straight ahead with no expressions.

Track after track played, and cameras continued to pan over the new Yeezy clothing, the Kardashians, and most memorably, ‘Ye’s crowd. Standing there with all of GOOD music, Kanye was vibing to his album surrounded by friends. A$AP Rocky was seen puffing on joints, Swaggy P (Nick Young) was dancing his ass off, and Vic Mensa took in everything that he was finally a part of. Faces such as Pusha T, Big Sean, Travi$ Scott, 2 Chainz and more bounced in rhythm as smiles and nods of approval were passed to Kanye. Naomi Campbell made an appearance in a fierce black fur coat on the model blocks as exhausted models took their turns sitting down. The crowd got excited when they heard the voice of a familiar artist. Though not all of the songs and features made the cut, among those were Rihanna, Kid Cudi, Frank Ocean, Vic Mensa, Sia, Ty Dolla Sign, and Chance the Rapper, to name a few. For the most part, The Life of Pablo has a different feel than any of Kanye’s albums. One of the songs had 808 vibes and I instantly thought of “Welcome to Heartbreak.” Another sounded like the beginning of “I’m In It” off of Yeezus. But each one was something new, regardless of historical influence. Every song was so unique, so moving. Listeners must’ve been crazy if they couldn’t hear that Kanye put everything into this album. It was not made to make club bangers, but rather it was made to make listeners really listen. Each song is so complex and though there are some typical Kanye lines such as a stab at Ray J, it is an album to really, really listen to.

When the album was done, Kanye got back on the mic to talk to the crowd for a while. He replayed some of the songs and thanked those he needed to. Most of all, he told us about how hard it is to be like him. Sure, it may sound like another Kanye rant, but it meant something. ‘Ye talked about why he is misperceived — that he believes art should be coming from the soul and not society. Dude made some pretty genius points, but not without giving us a typical Kanye one-liner. After playing Facts, Kanye was interrupted mid-sentence, and his face changed from appreciation to rage in one swift blink. Viewers were at first confused but he then yelled into the mic, “no! Not ‘fuck Michael Jordan’ RESPECT Michael Jordan.” He then quickly addressed their rumored beef to the fan who ignorantly cursed Jumpman and went on to giving us life lessons. Kanye talked about how hard what he does is. He then mentioned that he created a video game, called Only One, where players are in a virtual world where his late mother Donda West is entering the gates of Heaven. He played the introduction twice, then talked about how whenever he goes to “San Fran” (by the way big no-no Kanye, never say San Fran) he is ridiculed and told his ideas are shit, such as his idea to create a video game. What does Mr. West say to that? “This shit is hard, bro!” The next surprise to the audience was when Kanye murmured quickly, “Thug wants to play something new.” Suddenly a new Young Thug song was pounding on the speakers, and it was amazing. Immediately after, Vic Mensa took advantage of the opportunity and snagged the aux, playing yet another unreleased and dope song. The last surprise was by far the most important. After ranting about how he has the number one shoe, Kanye announced that not only is Adidas working to release a much, much larger amount of Yeezy’s, but he stated that they will be cheaper. That’s right, the days of paying $10,000+ for yeezy’s on eBay are soon coming to an end.

In the end, the stream of this event was a $20 well spent, and a class rightfully skipped. Experiencing the fashion show and album release first-hand was an exciting experience, and though it may have been from a movie theater in Colorado, gave me a little insight to the music world. One day I will be among the crowd of homies dancing to new albums, but until then a live stream will do.