8 Out Of 10
I first must qualify myself before I proceed. I am what I consider to be a part of the core Kanye West following. And, much like Kanye, there are levels to his following so let me qualify that too — shit has gotten outta hand that I even have to qualify this Ye.
I love Kanye West the producer, have always enjoyed him has an emcee. I never thought he was ever the best at any point, but always right there. I do not think Kanye is a genius, but I do think he’s close sometimes. Problem is, it’s been a long time since he’s been close.
Ye is a ‘close’ albeit once again brief piece of work-but while the work is close to genius in regards to the production and personal revelations, I think the macro picture of Ye’s five albums with seven songs in five consecutive weeks might be the real genius move in all of this.
The artist formerly known as Mr. West is back, creatively in tact, and playing chess on tracks, and maybe with the game as well. While TDE is on its championship tour, Hov and Bey are OTR again… Drake’s last album was ehhh, Wayne has/was in a legal battle with Baby for a hip-hop lifetime it seems, Rohzay’s health issues, you get it. The game has an opening, and Kanye’s crew (Pusha-T, Cudi (yay), Teyana Taylor, Nas(?)) are on what looks like some Carpe Diem on your per Diem-burning the village (proverbially), pillaging careers (literally), and the talk is littered with slick shit (verbally).
Let’s briefly go to last week to see the depths of the moves on the board. Bars please:
“When we all clicking like Golden State, and you and your team are the motorcade”
“No more hiding my scars I show em like Seal right”
“Nig&@s talking shit Ye how do you respond?”
With his best work in years…
Oh, let me finishing qualifying myself; I have not really liked too much from Kanye since MDTBF, and it feels good to say that Kanye has done something good; two weeks in a row at that. Look at God, won’t he do it?!
But Ye is just good. It’s not great Kanye (Graduation), or classic Yeezy (MDTBF), but it’s a quality piece of work and Kanye has done a masterful production job once again (2 for 2) that makes current and former artists salivate. He just sounds more focused and inspired again production wise and the results are bearing fruit.
Once again, this whole seven songs thing is hard to get full off of, maybe it’s a chess move I’m missing but it’s like some guys first time, it’s over before it ever really begins. Time will tell whether Kanye is attempting to re-adapt the listener’s ears and aesthetics or if it’s just annoying as hell to call a piece of work twenty minutes long an album but I’m in the corner of the latter as of now.
The best way to describe the feeling of Ye, is best told by you guessed it, Ye! Bring the bars back in please:
“Reality is catching up to me, taking my inner child they fighting for custody.”
On Ye, at least, reality whupped inner child’s ass in court took the mansion, money in the safe, and moved to Brentwood to get married and have kids with “a superstar off her own movie.”
This album is not for everybody. This is for the Kanye followers who spent their early twenties partying to Kanye and riding through the city in Polo Rugby’s, to late thirties and early forties, suburban life with a 9-5 trying to figure out when they stopped being the life of the party and started being Dad; Or Mom for that matter.
A friend and mentor Dr. Nicole Guillory once told me coldly and correctly that Black love is tenuous. The tenuous nature of Kanye’s love for his wife, his children, himself (of course) have him as emotionally vulnerable as we have seen him in a long time, maybe ever.
While Pusha’s punchlines on Daytona were maybe designed for men and women of a certain age (35+), Ye is for the most part consistent with the 35+ crowd feel as well. It’s like instead of trying to change with the times they are doubling down on what they do well, which is super ballsy, but it can make for a listen that not everyone can relate to.
For instance, if you are married with kids and understand the ebbs and flows of marriage and family and how trying sometimes can be, you probably will really enjoy “Violent Crimes” and “Wouldn’t Leave”. It’s Kanye’s honesty and ability to relate that make him special much like Tupac Shakur; but the special introspective moments are narrow in scope, if you’re not in that place in life with Ye, it’s probably just good to you but not really your thing.
There is middle ground and asshole Kanye on this brief set. “Yikes” is masterful in the sense that young Yeezy and old Kanye meet with perfect synergy. It’s also the only thing ‘single-ish’ track I have heard between Ye and Daytona.
Vintage Kanye the producer and emcee emerges on “No Mistakes” as Kanye recalls this past year’s missteps while miraculously sticking the middle finger up at detractors at the same time.
“I got dirt on my name/I got white on my beard/I got debt on the books, it’s been a shaky ass year/Let me make this clear-so all ya’ll see/I don’t take advice from people less successful than me.”
Brilliant and really rude at the same damn time. That’s Kanye we know and hate to love. Part of me feels sound wise this is a closer album for this five week run but what the hell does my unsuccessful ass know compared to Kanye? I always liked Nas way more than you any way…
Overall, a really solid effort from Kanye, I think time will revere this album more. Think “Here My Dear” by Marvin Gaye. Not his best work, but some really good music littered with some very personal and quality heartfelt material. Yeezy’s back, kind of, I hope…
