Album Review: Kanye West - Ye

Artist:  Kanye West
Album: Ye
Release Date:  June 1st, 2018
Genre:  Rap, Hip Hop
Rating:  7/10

The hot take is that I really enjoy this album.  I wasn't sure out the gate what I was going to get either.  Would I get an album full of tracks like Ye vs The People?  Would I get happy little tunes like Lift Yourself?  Turns out I got neither of these things.

From songs that deal with heavier topics like I Thought About Killing You and Yikes, to more introspective pieces like Wouldn't Leave the album just flows from track to track in a really smooth way.  It has some good old school Kanye vibes going on without actually feeling like pandering to the crowd that likes old Kanye.

I Thought About Killing You has the feeling of a skit off of some Tech N9ne album.  Up till the harder beat kicks in later I could almost see this as something Tech breaks up an album with, or maybe off of Kanye's MBDTF.  It's for sure the darkest track on the album though, which bums me out a little since dark Kanye tracks are some of my favorite to get down to.

Ghost Town is a bit of a highlight for me, cause we get some of the singing Kanye that you don't always get to see highlighted, though No Mistakes is pretty cool as well since it gives you a little glimpse into Ye's personal life.  Violent Crimes takes a similar vein to No Mistakes, though rather than being directed toward Kim it's for his daughters.

I feel like a lot of this album is showing a turn to Kanye's attitude, but I suppose we'll see as things go on.  The start is deffinetly devoted to him showcasing some of his problems, and as we wrap up with heartfelt messages.  I'm excited to see what direction Kanye goes on in the future.

Long story short.  Is this album perfect?  No.  Not even close.  I liked it a lot, but it's not without flaws.  It feels too short, and it has an absence of songs that feel like long term singles.  Ghost Town will probably stand tall (not just because it was my favorite), as might Yikes.  We'll see as times goes on though.

It's only 23 minutes long, so feel free to give the tracks a listen. It'll take up so little of your day, and you might find you found something you like.  Be sure to read the lyrics along with the music to get the best impact.  Violent Crimes is much more meaningful when listened to that way at least.

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