Kanye West Discography Ranking: Worst to Best
Kanye West is one of the most important of this century, that is not up for debate. With one of the most consistent and unique discographies in music, and the recent release of Donda, now seems like a great time to rank all of his albums and see how to new one fits into everything. Over the past few weeks, I have gone back and relistened to every single one of these to have a fresh perspective and refresh my memory on them. It has been an interesting journey.
To preface this ranking, I will be including both collab albums, Watch The Throne(with Jay-Z) and KIDS SEE GHOSTS(with Kid Cudi), but not Cruel Summer since that one is more of a GOOD Music compilation than it is a Kanye West album. Also, not a single one of these albums is bad, most of them are very good, so if your favorite album is low on this ranking it’s more out of admiration for the albums above it than it is a slight against that particular album. Without further ado, this is Kanye West’s discography from worst to best:
12. JESUS IS KING (2019)
Putting JESUS IS KING last feels like the consensus at this point, and I can’t say I disagree. It would be easy to pick apart the obvious flaws of this album, such as the poor transitions, underdeveloped songs, questionable one-liners, and sloppy mixes, but honestly, there is still a decent album here. Most of the songs here are at least tolerable and there are some standout moments, like the passionate singing at the end of “Closed On Sunday” and Kanye’s delivery on “On God.” I respect the idea of Kanye West dedicating an entire album to his faith, but given how well he has incorporated it into his music on prior releases, not to mention having a full choir at his disposal for this one, JESUS IS KING falls flat by his standards, mostly due to its underwhelming production.
Favorite Tracks: Selah, Follow God, Closed On Sunday, God Is, Hands On
11. Watch The Throne (2011)
With all the talent between Kanye West and Jay-Z, I don’t know if they could put out a bad album if they tried. That being said, Watch The Throne is still far from either of their best work. Lyrically, neither are at their sharpest, with themes mostly revolving around success and indulgence without much in the way of nuance. Occasionally they touch on more substantial topics, like fatherhood on “New Day” or systemic racism on “Murder to Excellence” and these are highlights of the album, but mostly this album is about flexing. The production is the saving grace of the album, the instrumentals are as lavish as the rapping is and everything is of high quality, but even these aren’t as interesting as other things Kanye was working on around this time. This album has some great songs, but as a whole, it just doesn’t have the effort or attention to detail to come together as well as it could have.
Favorite tracks: No Church In The Wild, the one about Paris, Otis, New Day, Murder To Excellence
10. Yeezus (2013)
Yeezus is one of the most controversial albums in this ranking, and it has some of the most amazing moments in Kanye West’s entire discography. The outro to “New Slaves” is an obvious highlight, as well as the blend of Justin Vernon and Chief Keef on the magnificent “Hold My Liquor.” The reason this album ranks as low as it does is that for every amazing moment on this album, there is an equally blunderous decision next to it. Yeezus contains some of Kanye West’s worst lyricism ever, with terrible punchlines all over and his ego as at its worst here, so he doesn’t have the charisma to pull these off like he usually does.
Still, the strong moments on Yeezus manage to outweigh the weak ones. I love the idea of Kanye making an album that draws inspiration from electronic and industrial hip hop, but this album lacks the consistency to be as great as most of the other albums in his discography.
Favorite tracks: On Sight, New Slaves, Hold My Liquor, Blood On The Leaves, Guilt Trip
9. Donda (2021)
Named after his late mother, Donda, is the most recent project in Kanye’s discography. It hasn’t had much time to age yet, so take its ranking on this list with a grain of salt. However, it has been out long enough to have a good idea of how good it is, and Donda is a high-quality album. This is the longest album in Kanye’s discography, with over 20 songs there is a lot of room for error. There are a handful of misses on the album, some songs aren’t fully developed, some parts are rough around the edges, and the sequencing of the album leaves room to be desired, but overall the majority of the songs here are very good. Making heavy use of choirs, organs, and an extensive feature cast, there’s a mix of grand moments, beautiful vocal performances, and generally unique and well-constructed songs. Kanye’s faith is on full display on this album, and the songs that tribute his mother are touching. This is a really good album that shows even at his most erratic, Kanye can pull together an engaging project from start to finish.
Favorite tracks: Jail, God Breathed, Off The Grid, Hurricane, Praise God, Believe What I Say, Moon, Heaven and Hell, Keep My Spirit Alive, Jesus Lord, New Again, Lord I Need You, Come to Life, No Child Left Behind
8. Graduation (2007)
By 2007, Kanye West was a well-known name and he had two eventual classics under his belt. Of course, now was the perfect time for him to change his sound and incorporate elements of electronic and pop music into his next album. There is still great and socially conscious rapping on this album, some highlights include “Good Morning” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” but there are also synth-heavy, radio-friendly, motivational songs like “Stronger” and “Champion.” While the tracklist is not as consistent as his first two albums, Graduation sees Kanye re-invent himself and create another album that feels good to listen to.
Favorite tracks: Good Morning, Champion, Stronger, I Wonder, Can’t Tell Me Nothing, Flashing Lights, Everything I Am, Homecoming, Big Brother
7. ye (2018)
Being a Kanye West fan in 2018 was not an easy thing to do. The lead-up to ye dropping was filled with controversial statement after statement, but on possibly his most introspective album we see behind the walls of this behavior. Kanye uses ye to address his mental health, relationship with Kim Kardashian, and other factors on its very consistent seven-song tracklist. The lightning-in-a-bottle energy this album has, combined with it being one of his most personal and honest albums out, makes ye a strong entry in Kanye West’s discography. Not to mention, “Ghost Town” is a gorgeous song.
Favorite songs: I Thought About Killing You, Yikes, Wouldn’t Leave, No Mistakes, Ghost Town, Violent Crimes
6. The Life Of Pablo (2016)
From this point on in the ranking, every album is incredible. The Life Of Pablo is no exception to that. It is a mix of ideas and songs that on paper should not be on the same album, but somehow it all comes together and works. This album constantly throws out new ideas and changes, keeping things interesting. Some highlights are the gospel-influenced intro song “Ultralight Beam,” the personal and introspective run of “FML,” “Real Friends,” and “Wolves” all in a row, Kanye and Kendrick rapping over a Madlib instrumental on “No More Parties In LA,” and the gorgeous closing track, “Saint Pablo.”
Favorite tracks: Ultralight Beam, Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1, Famous, FML, Real Friends, Wolves, Frank’s Track, 30 Hours, No More Parties In LA, Saint Pablo
5. Late Registration (2005)
Late Registration is a continuation of the ideas presented on Kanye’s debut album. Still traditional by his standards, but with a more cinematic touch this time around, in part due to the contributions of film score composer Jon Brion. All the songs build on each other on this record, constantly moving forward. The instrumental arrangements and samples are all gorgeous. It is hard to pick out any flaws on this project, there isn’t a single bad or even okay song anywhere in the tracklist. The rapping on this album is all at an elite level, with Kanye delivering confident flows and witty punchlines while focusing mostly on socially conscious topics like poverty, the war on drugs, racism, addiction, and materialism, among other things. The features on this album are great too, with highlights coming from rappers Lupe Fiasco, Common, Jay-Z, Nas, and Consequence. In addition to being socially conscious, this album is very celebratory too(and not just the song “Celebration”). The whole thing feels like a victory lap after the success of the album before it, The College Dropout.
Favorite Tracks: Heard ’Em Say, Touch The Sky, Gold Digger, Drive Slow, Roses, Bring Me Down, Diamonds From Sierra Leone Remix, Hey Mama, Gone, Late
4. 808s & Heartbreak (2008)
Possibly his most boundary-pushing and influential album to date, 808s & Heartbreak is a complete shift from everything Kanye had done before and everything he has done since. Kanye West isn’t the first rapper to sing, nor is he the first person to use autotune, but he perfected a style and helped create a lane for rappers to be more melodic in their music, even if they aren’t technically gifted singers. Countless artists have cited this record as an influence, and the sound of this album still permeates mainstream hip hop to this day.
Influence aside, 808s & heartbreak is still an extremely well-put-together album. This is Kanye West’s saddest album, fueled by the loss of his mother and a breakup with his fiancée at the time. A lot of the songs here a vague enough to tackle both topics at the same time, but each song has a unique lens through which it addresses the major themes of this album. It all comes together as one cohesive experience. Every single note, instrument, lyric, and song feels very purposeful and intentional. 808s & Heartbreak manages to perfectly walk the line as a patient record while still maintaining its sense of urgency and importance, and it has aged like a fine wine since its release in 2008.
Favorite Tracks: Say You Will, Welcome To Heartbreak, Heartless, Amazing, Love Lockdown, Paranoid, RoboCop, Street Lights, Bad News, Coldest Winter
3. The College Dropout (2004)
This is the album that started it all. Early in his career, Kanye West had an undeniable charm & charisma in his music. The braggadocio is still all over this album, but “All Falls Down” is an amazing song that peels back the layers and shows it is all rooted in self-consciousness. Much like Late Registration, Kanye is rapping at a high level throughout the entire album. What sets this album apart is its focused themes. There is the obvious one about the education system and how college can be a scam, but the underlying message of this album is to trust your own decisions and everything will work out. This point is driven home by ending the album with a 9-minute monologue telling his success story, detailing the challenges he had to go through to get where he is today. There is also a really good set of skits that are all on topic and tie this album together very well.
The production here is incredible throughout the album. Kanye proved very early in his career that he is as skilled as any other producer at finding and using soul samples to make great hip hop instrumentals. Being that this album came out long before Kanye was the billionaire megastar he is today, this is also his most relatable work for a lot of people. Kanye just isn’t making songs about working a dead-end job like “Spaceship” anymore. The great rapping, production, and constant barrage of classic songs like “Jesus Walks” and “Through The Wire” keeps the replay value of this album very high.
Favorite Tracks: We Don’t Care, All Falls Down, Spaceship, Jesus Walks, Never Let Me Down, Get Em High, Slow Jamz, School Spirit, Two Words, Through The Wire, Family Business, Last Call
2. KIDS SEE GHOSTS (2018)
Given how chaotic and somewhat messy Kanye West’s output has been in the second half of his career, and how tumultuous the rollout around all of the Wyoming releases was, this collaborative album with Kid Cudi sounding as clean and well-executed as it does is somewhat of a miracle. There is still a ton of energy and chaos on this album, but it is all reigned in, well-intentioned, and carefully orchestrated unlike anything else. Kanye West and Kid Cudi have always had amazing chemistry together, and it is on full display here as Cudi’s hums and smooth delivery is perfectly balanced by Kanye bringing tons of energy and consistently rapping at his best that he has in the past decade. Kanye is screaming all over the intro track, “Feel The Love,” but it never sounds out of focus. On the same song Pusha T kicks things off with one of the most confident verses he’s ever given, it’s a jaw-dropping way to start an album.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS takes heavy influence from psychedelic rock, but still maintains its roots in hip hop, while also working in eclectic samples like using a 1930s Christmas song on the haunting but uplifting “4th Dimension.” “Freeee (Ghosts Town Pt. 2)” works to tie this album into ye which came out just a week before, but the two albums could not be more different. if ye is an expression of mental illness and a cry for help, KIDS SEE GHOSTS is an expression of freedom from mental illness, with faith in a higher power dominating the repeated mantra that closes the album. On this album, Kanye West and Kid Cudi find a way to push boundaries and create a spiritual experience that feels complete, all in under 25 minutes.
Favorite tracks: Feel The Love, Fire, 4th Dimension, Freeee (Ghost Town Pt. 2), Reborn, Kids See Ghosts, Cudi Montage
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is not only Kanye West’s magnum opus, it is one of the best albums of all time. Across all genres, this album has stood up over the past decade as one of the grandest and most well-crafted albums in all of music. Some might call this a “basic” pick, but there is absolutely nothing basic about this album. It is the true definition of a masterpiece in every way.
By the time this album came out, Kanye West had solidified himself with his first three albums, then he put out 808s & Heartbreak to mixed reactions from fans, people didn’t get it yet. He became one of the most hated celebrities in middle America, after numerous antics, most notably interrupting Taylor Swift at the VMAs, it was time to leave the public eye for a while. So with everyone against him, did Kanye West come back with an album apologizing for his behavior? Of course he didn’t. He began having various artists fly to Hawaii to contribute to this project.
This backstory is important, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a reflection and idealization of life as a villain in the public spotlight, and the sheer number of high-profile names on this contributes to the concept. “All of The Lights” alone contains over a dozen vocalists, some of them being Kid Cudi, Rihanna, Fergie, Drake, Elton John, Alicia Keys, and of course Kanye himself. All of the features on this album provide value to the album as Kanye plays the role of orchestrator, using every feature to help execute his vision, but never letting them outshine that vision or take away from his spotlight.
The Album feels larger than life, the production behind this album is detailed and grand, leading to some of Kanye West’s most iconic and important songs. With an incredibly varied but still cohesive track-list, there are songs like the 9-minute piano-driven post rap epic that is “Runaway,” as well as gritty hip hop posse cuts like “Monster” and “So Appalled.” The samples chosen for this album are as genius as ever as well. “Devil In A New Dress” makes use of classic soul like Kanye has been known for, while “Hell Of A Life” uses a Black Sabbath sample to create one of Kanye’s most abrasive songs to date. These are not the only samples used, the album is filled with them. Another notable sample is the album’s closing track, “Who Will Survive In America,” on which a piece of a Gil-Scott Heron poem is chosen to perfectly wrap up the album.
I could go on or hours about this record, but there is nothing that hasn’t already been said about it before. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is one of the most important pieces of modern music, as well as the greatest album in Kanye West’s discography.
Favorite Tracks: Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous, POWER, All Of The Lights (Interlude), All Of The Lights, Monster, So Appalled, Devil In A New Dress, Runaway, Hell Of A Life, Blame Game, Lost In The World, Who Will Survive In America
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