I don't know about y'all, but I miss the old Ye'....... The rebel...the one who had something to say, and everything to prove...The one who wasn't afraid to bend clever beats and rhymes to tell his own unique story, in his own unique way. I know a lot of people didn't stand behind him because of his "go-against-the grain" type attitude to rhyme a word with.... the same word, but I was okay with that. I know that a lot of people didn't stand behind him after the whole George Bush thing, or even more so, the Taylor Swift thing, but I still supported him. I just wasn't foolish enough to think that he wasn't anything else but batshit crazy, but nonetheless a musical genius with his own distinct musical vision...and I could respect that as long as the music was good. But there isn't a single song on Kanye's latest album, "Yeezus" that I can truly get behind.
Now I tried to be fair and give it an honest listen before making an informed decision, and I must admit that I was audibly (if that's even a word) offended. This album was trash. I don't know exactly what genre to call this album, but it's certainly not hip-hop. But what exactly made this album bad? Was it the title of the album alone, or maybe his charming song titles such as "Black Skinheads", "New Slaves", "I Am A God", or "Hold My Liquor?" Could it have been the lyric from "I Am A God, "Hurry Up With My Damn Croissant" (I can't make this stuff up)? Or could it have been the fact that he tried to combine Rock, Electronica, and various other musical genres together, and successfully succeeded at none?
Whatever it was, I think that Kanye's super-sized ego has finally overshadowed (and that's saying alot) the quality of his music. I guess we should have all known that this day would eventually come. I think that in his mind, he legitimately believes that he can put out whatever kind of music he wants, and people will just eat it up...and I guess he's partly right...This album was sadly enough, successful. However, there are still.some of us out there that believe that the music counts for something. There are still some of us out there who seek to be drawn in by lyrical or musical content, rather than just shock value. "Yeezus" sounds like it was recorded by a rapper with the rhythmical ability of a celeb debutante, rather than a kid from the streets of Chicago. With that being said, I have to wonder, is this just yet another thing that we have Kim Kardashian to blame for.
Look at his counterpart, Jay-Z...who has had a solid career of being one of the best rappers of all time...Not the best....but he's up there in the top 10 (or top 5, according to who you ask). Yeah, he lost it for a bit in between there (Best of Both Worlds, anyone?), but he found his way back because of his dedication to his primary craft....Hip-Hop....and it doesn't hurt to have the influence of the hardest-working chick in the game as your wife and biggest cheerleader.
Go ahead, give "Yeezus" a listen, just to be fair. I'm curious to see what your thoughts are. But remember, you've been dully warned....
My condolences to you ears....