So here it is. The album of the year. A Kanye drop is like an iPhone release. For months beforehand there are leaks, rumours and speculation that build up to fever pitch anticipation until the big reveal. In fact, Kanye shot this album cover on his iPhone yesterday before introducing us to ye at a listening party outdoors in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The event saw a myriad of guests including Chris Rock, Jonah Hill, Pusha T, Nas, 2 Chainz, Kid Cudi, Designer and of course Kim K.
You would be forgiven for expecting a party, but you would be sorely mistaken. When you look back at Kanye’s discography you see club banger after club banger, but not in this case. If Yeezus was for the clubs and Pablo was for streetwear stores then ye is for hipster cafés.
ye is Kanye’s calmer persona. His honest, content, fatherly side and the album reflects this feeling. If, like me, you were disappointed on your first listen it’s probably because you were expecting something more exciting. Kanye’s beats on Pusha T’s Daytona proves he still can produce bangers but ye shows a conscious decision not to do that. The album takes a few listens, but it’s there, trust me. The production is phenomenal, some of his best yet. Unlike Yeezus the tracks are clean and calming, calling back to an earlier Kanye. Just listen to the wavy production on Violent Crimes, and I Thought About Killing You if you don’t believe me.
On the other hand, I can’t help but be a little disappointed. For a start, it’s only 7 tracks. As I’m writing this, I’m on my third listen of the album. That’s short. Just when you’re getting into it, you have to start again. Also, Kanye promised us answers! There are so few references to his latest controversies that it seems like he’s trying to hide it. The only reference to his MAGA bullshit went like this:
“They said build your own, I said, ‘How, Sway?’” / I said slavery’s a choice, they said, ‘How, Ye?’ / Just imagine if they caught me on a wild day.”
Mediocre.
One of the most exciting things about this album is Kanye embracing his bipolar disorder. It’s a theme that appears repeatedly throughout, and while the main concept is Kanye’s fatherhood growth, it was so cool to hear the icon yell;
“That’s my bipolar shit ni**a what / That’s my super power ni**a / Ain’t no disability / I’m a superhero”
All in all, Kanye has outdone himself again. The man indeed is an artistic legend. NO. DOUBT. That said, this album doesn’t advance that status. It’s just a good album. It won’t have the grip on clubs that Graduation and Yeezus had and it won’t have the controversy or shock that Pablo had. It’s just 7 good tracks, and Kanye has built such a powerful image that this is underwhelming. That being said, we are expecting his Kid Cudi collab album Kids See Ghosts next week which I suspect will be a companion to Ye. Something to satisfy the thirst he’s left us with. Fingers crossed.
Tracks we love: I Thought About Killing You, Yikes, All Mine
