Kanye West - Yeezus ALBUM REVIEW
As I stated in last week’s review of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, I was going to state what my favorite Kanye West album is. I have to admit, this was a very tough decision to make. It always switches between this record and MBDTF. While MBDTF is widely considered to be Kanye’s best record and has many reasons to be this, I just personally enjoy this record even more. Let me get into why Yeezus is my favorite Kanye West record.
Yeezus is a hip-hop record with experimental, electronic, and even some punk tinges throughout. There was a lot of hype around this record throughout its build-up, and it’s easy to understand why. This was Kanye’s first solo project since MBDTF, already being praised as one of the best albums of the decade so far, and this had very high expectations from around the globe. Most of the tracks are very minimalist in sound, the exact opposite of MBDTF, and personally, the ‘less is more’ approach to music is a lot more effective to me. Some of my favorite Kanye tracks appear on this record, like “Black Skinhead” and “Bound 2” and “Blood on the Leaves.” What really made this special to little 12-year-old me when listening to Yeezus for the first time was the end of “New Slaves.” A sample from a Norwegian rock group played while West sang in an AutoTuned voice, and it was a sound I have never heard before. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Frank Ocean came in to compliment the sample. If this section were an interlude, this would be one of my favorite songs of all time.
Yeezus is a very exciting album to listen to. It’s abrasive and in-your-face aesthetic is no bark and all bite. It goes at your throat in an adrenaline-injected 40 minutes of music. If you don’t listen to this record, just listen to the “New Slaves” outro. It is one of the best things I’ve ever had grace my ears. While the whole album doesn’t hit as hard as that, Yeezus is truly a masterpiece that shouldn’t be ignored.
10/10
Stream Yeezus here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
Yeezus is a hip-hop record with experimental, electronic, and even some punk tinges throughout. There was a lot of hype around this record throughout its build-up, and it’s easy to understand why. This was Kanye’s first solo project since MBDTF, already being praised as one of the best albums of the decade so far, and this had very high expectations from around the globe. Most of the tracks are very minimalist in sound, the exact opposite of MBDTF, and personally, the ‘less is more’ approach to music is a lot more effective to me. Some of my favorite Kanye tracks appear on this record, like “Black Skinhead” and “Bound 2” and “Blood on the Leaves.” What really made this special to little 12-year-old me when listening to Yeezus for the first time was the end of “New Slaves.” A sample from a Norwegian rock group played while West sang in an AutoTuned voice, and it was a sound I have never heard before. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Frank Ocean came in to compliment the sample. If this section were an interlude, this would be one of my favorite songs of all time.
Yeezus is a very exciting album to listen to. It’s abrasive and in-your-face aesthetic is no bark and all bite. It goes at your throat in an adrenaline-injected 40 minutes of music. If you don’t listen to this record, just listen to the “New Slaves” outro. It is one of the best things I’ve ever had grace my ears. While the whole album doesn’t hit as hard as that, Yeezus is truly a masterpiece that shouldn’t be ignored.
10/10
Stream Yeezus here
Spotify
Apple Music
YouTube Music
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