I had no idea on my first listen... It took me 4 or 5 listens; REAL Listens, with ears open to every idea and emotion Kanye had to convey; Before It clicked for me that Kanye West's 2018 Release Ye was the most well-crafted album of the year.
It's important to dissect Ye without at least some acknowledge of the turmoil that shaped the album's release. To keep things brief and non-political, In Summary, Kanye had experienced a severe amount of public backlash for his public support of President Trump, and a myriad of events surrounding this focal point. Kanye was the recipient of the most hate he's ever accumulated since the Taylor Swift "I'm Gonna Let You Finish" Incident, and every interview from this time period was wrought with argumentative, bombastic, brash remarks from West seemingly digging himself deeper and deeper.
Fast forward, and Ye releases, and in typical Kanye fashion, subverts the expectations of every pair of eyes watching. Not a troll move like the poopity-scoop's of "Lift Yourself", nor any of the political decrees of the "Ye Vs. The People" track released prior to the album drop in the slightest... Seemingly, the commotion surrounding Kanye's personal life vanished from the aim of this album. The rage, the wrath incurred and fueled in Kanye's social media awakening, was completely blindsided in favor of ambient, striped-back, intimate production. And while it is not uncommon for Kanye to be cutting-edge, breaking the mold whilst dodging complacency in his music development, I would argue that this album's strengths are not in its redefinition of Kanye's sound; Rather, this album exists as a definition of the man, the figure, the artist, Kanye West.
The intimacy experienced on Ye is surpasses any prior release by West. 808s & Heartbreaks exists as a deep dive into Kanye's sorrows throughout a tumultuous period of his life; However, Ye is a beast of its own. Never has Kanye been so blunt as to what is on his mind, how he is processing the world around him, and how his attempts to articulate himself find varying degrees of success. Similar to 808s, Ye takes the listener on a journey with Kanye as he navigates through the war that wages in his own mind. The album dissects the detriments accompanying Ye’s Bi-Polar diagnosis, and simultaneously details a path to overcome these obstacles. All of this is done in, true to the nature of Bi-Polar, two wildly different, opposite haves, a dark half and a light half to the album. On Ye, Kanye owns his shortcomings, all the while establishing that being himself, even though the trials and tribulations that he experiences in articulating his true self to his audience, is ultimately no mistake, and never will be.
The truly beautiful aspect of Ye, to me, is its structure. Sitting barely over a 20-minute run time, at first glance, this album seems to be near structureless, just a loose stringing together of Kanye's impassioned self-declaration, post media firestorm. Upon further analysis, this album can be seen to be two acts, a dark act and a light act of 3 songs each, with Wouldn't Leave serving as a revelation between the two, pushing towards cognizant change and personal growth. Beyond this, each song is a progressive step into the darkness; I Thought About Killing You portrays a malevolent Kanye at his weakest, through to All Mine's displaying Kanye unremorseful, full from lustful indulgence, working all the way towards the reverence and compassion concluded with on Violent Crimes.
The first 3 tracks, I Thought About Killing You, Yikes, and All Mine, all detail a different form of toxicity that Kanye deals with in his life in a descending order. From there, the lust of All Mine is transformed into love on Wouldn't Leave, an epiphany moment in the album in which Kanye, through the support of those closest to his life, embodied by his wife Kim Kardashian, learns to admit to acknowledge his imperfections, but simultaneously learns that he's not alone in his battle against these anchors that bring him down in life. From here, Kanye Zealously reciprocates the love given to him, paying thanks and issuing a like-minded declaration to reciprocate the protection of his wife's love. Kanye lets the euphoria snowball, emboldening his new-found optimistic attitude through the realization that it is impossible to erase the prospect of a happy outcome. Coming down from this, Kanye has learned on Violent Crimes that although he has found his peace, the world at whole is not yet ready to do the same. Aware of this, Kanye details that although the negativity the world bestows upon you is not something always avoidable, it is always something manageable, passing on this token of advice to another manifestation of love in his life, his daughter.
It can be seen from this macroscopic breakdown how the album flows together so cohesively from wickedness to desire to love to compassion, but in order to truly appreciate the intricacies with Kanye has done this, I feel as it is necessary to look at each track individually.
I Thought About Killing starts off with Kanye in darkness, already in turmoil. Malevolent thoughts plague Kanye's mind state, with him being unable to shake them, forced to acknowledge and meditate on twisted torments. The you in question from the song title could be interpreted in a myriad of ways, but personally, I interpret it to be referencing Kanye himself. Kanye's darker side, his ego, his brashness, his outspoken and impulsive half, wage war against his sensitivities; his more reserved, family and faith-oriented disposition. In order to truly indulge in the darkness associated with these traits, the 'Ego' side of Kanye would have to fully take over, shaking any of the remorse or guilt that may be harbored under his more benevolent perspectives. Both perspectives find themselves in speaking rolls on this track, a personification of Ye's bi-polar aspects. Kanye's more sensitive side interjects with lines like "I think this is the part where I'm supposed to say something' good to compensate it so it doesn't come off bad", mindful of his status and cautious with his approach. However, his brazen side is blunt, detailing his flat-out intent to murder. Take this 'ego' Kanye speaking passage into consideration: "And I love myself way more than I love you. See, if I was trying' to relate it to more people I'd probably say 'I'm struggling with loving myself', Because that seems like a common theme, But that's not the case here, I love myself way more than I love you... And I think about killing myself.." The corrupted perspective of ego Kanye finds the harmful lack of care from his lifestyle to be more enjoyable than the reserved nature of his other half. The egotistical Kanye saying both how he has thought about killing 'you', addressing his benevolent side, and himself, paints a further picture of how back and forth this war is inside Kanye's mind. The considerate, "thinking twice" side of Kanye gets a brief word in before being cut off by his own ego with the beat switch. This more introspective Kanye is mindful of the damage his actions are liable to cause - Equating his brash behavior as setting nukes off, as well as "screaming so loud I hear no one." This part of Kanye sees the harmful mindless he's exhibited in the past, even warning his loved ones that he'll "go dumb" in these destructive fits. However, the ego soon takes over, "clearing the cache" on the clarity just created, going into a mode of full braggadocio. The more aggressive beat, the more braggadocious/threatening lines and looser flow, all of these stylistic shifts detail how the darkness is taking over in Kanye's mind, and how a downward spiral has started.
Following this push towards a darker lifestyle, we get Yikes. “Here, Kanye describes how his tough posturing may lead to outcomes that are frightening to him, but due to this being the sort of façade that Kanye has created for himself over the years, he's forced to perform under this guise in a conflict of interests for the majority of this track.” This accomplished through a bi-polar relationship in which Yeezy brings forth a flex or posturing line, and immediately undermines himself. There are numerous examples employed to accomplish this, but here is some example few: Kanye flexes a hundred bands, then warns of friends snaking you behind your back when that kind of money is involved. My favorite Juxtaposition comes from the lines "Tweakin' Tweakin' off that 2C-B huh" vs. "This the type of high that get you gunned down", a condemning detailing of substance abuse and drug issues that seemingly glorifies usage on a surface level listen. This is expounded upon the hook, where the threat of "Sh_t could get menacing" is flipped to be applied to himself and his own drug abuse, ultimately reversing a common posturing rap threat to a cry for help. Kanye scares himself with the way he behaves, allowing for his corrupted intentions to rule over his thoughtful sensibilities, as demonstrated across the intro track. This compounds into a controlling fear, pushing his mind state further down his spiral of turmoil, as his braggadocious ego speaks out across the final chorus and outro of the track in a flagrant outburst; Kanye, unable to put up with this glorification of a lifestyle that is not true to his self, admits fully to the reality of his bi-polar nature, belting out visceral screams for the remainder of the track.
This noise recesses into the barren ambient production of All Mine. Ant Clemons, the album's first prominent feature, breaks down for the listener the lustful indulgence that Ye is going to be exploring on this track ; "Yeah, you supermodel thick... I'ma lose my mind it..." ; It's clear to the listener that Kanye is being consumed by the corruption stemming from his clouded judgement via temptation and lust. For the entire duration of this track, Kanye is his most crass, most immature, most childish and most disrespectful. His filter is gone, he is past caring. This chorus directly echoes Kanye's sentiments for the track, as he goes into detail about how a cheating scandal would implode the life he has built thus far, but continues to lust over this possibility; " Right now, let's do what we want ." Kanye has completely thrown caution to the wind at this point, entirely ready to risk it all for these thirsty impulses. Additionally, at this point, Kanye has reached an entirely new level of flagrant. Nothing is off-limits, with Kanye egregiously throwing shade at his sister-in-law Khole's fiancé for infidelity; " All these thots on Christian Mingle, Almost what got Tristan single." Kanye is beyond caring; He's directly coming for the heads of potential family members at this point. Darkness is fully enveloping. His bars, at this point, are crude and childish, detailing how ignorant he's truly allowed himself to get. How much lower can Kanye go after crafting punchlines around titties and cum? Kanye has hit terminal velocity on his descent, completely battered by the shadowy thoughts that plagued him prior. Kanye is alone and destitute, left to himself and his own corrosive vices. All seems lost for him at this point, his life seems thrown away, his mental state seems gone. As if an answer to a prayer, a voice calls to our protagonist, and the momentum of this plummet begins to reverse...
"I don't feel that she's mine enough!" Is the line to open up Wouldn't Leave. Kanye has sobered up from the darkness enveloping him, and now is left to stand before himself, and more importantly his wife, to own up to his behavioral faults. Kanye's media exploits prior to the album, such as saying "Slavery a choice" during an interview with a Chicago radio station, are detailed to have put West's wife Kim into hysterics, with her crying on the phone with Kanye, explaining that they're going to "lose it all" thanks to Kanye's brazen actions. It is here where Kanye is his most broken. Feeling isolated, unable to communicate with the world or his girl that sort of internal trauma he's experience, Kanye tells her that she'd be better off splitting from himself. And then, in an epiphany of newfound strength, Kanye is able to turn around the entire direction of his life and this album's mood through the reveal that Kim wouldn't leave him. Kanye realizes in this one moment that he's not alone in his struggles. He realizes that yes, his bi-polar is unshakable, and yes, he can't change who he is, a free-thinking, outspoken visionary, just to appease the media following his negative press, but he can always fall back on the support of his loved ones and simply try again at putting his energy out into the universe. Kanye realizes that although his actions are permanent, rather than dwell and fester in the negativity that may be brought from them, he can roll with the punches, get back up, and aim again to hit the mark he originally intended to. This is categorized best by the line "I got the mind state to take us past the stratosphere; I use the same attitude that done got us here." Kanye realizes that ultimately, he is the one who is responsible for all of his prior successes, and even as the world continually evolves into a place where he "don't know what happen after here", the one thing he can forever and always find consistency in is himself. From this point on in the album, Kanye shifts from a focus of mainly introspection to a place of mainly extrospection. On the outro of this track, Kanye addresses his listeners who may find themselves in a similar situation with a wakeup call; She still hasn't left. This is Kanye's way of detailing to his listeners that they are not alone, there's someone there for everyone, and everyone shares a similar capacity to make positive change in their lives in the same way Kanye just has done throughout this song. Reignited with a passion to spread love, self-love, and the guidance that has improved his life to others, Kanye tackles the splendor of "No Mistakes" with a euphoric enthusiasm.
The hook of this track is a simple reciprocation of the love Kanye has found from Kim, delivered through the beautiful vocals of Charlie Wilson and Kid Cudi. Kanye starts off the first verse detailing all of this pain he's just experienced; " Oh, I got dirt on my name, I got white on my beard I had debt on my books, it's been a shaky ass year." Kanye then tells the listener that he does not take advice from people less successful than him. This line serves two purposes, detailing how not only is Kanye rising above the noise of those outside of his life who judge his every move without knowing him, but also as a diss transition to the second part of this verse where Kanye threatens those poised to harm the love in his life, his wife, with many speculating these bars to be a response to the Duppy Freestyle put out by Drake amongst the chaos preceding Ye. Whether directed towards Drake or just anyone in general looking to stand between Kanye and his new-found love and confidence, one thing is clear ; Kanye doesn't intend to let that happen. After this brief detour from the jubilant nature of the track, the glamorous production and Wilson / Cudi hook carry that uplifting spirit with them to track 6, Ghost Town.
Partynextdoor returns with his second hook of the album on Ghost Town, detailing an acceptance of Kanye's bi-polar nature. Somedays Kanye wishes to be remembered in high regard for his artistic output to the world, and some days he wants to put a red dot scope to everyone's heads. However, Kanye isn't trying to hide his bi-polar side this time around. Slightly dourer than No Mistakes, Ghost Town's first verse details how things have not gone right for Kanye. Nearly every line is a reflection of how things have not gone entirely Kanye's way, but yet, West still hopes that some day, things will. I find the most emblematic of these to be "Years ahead but way behind." Kanye has been on the cutting-edge of hip-hop and artistic culture for so long, at the price of his mental health and reputation as a public figure in some instances, but still holds out that someday he will find his balance. Kanye has found liberation in his pain, his discontent, and his failures. Yes, things have been rough on Kanye in these first few months of 2018, but Kanye acknowledges that this is the past for him, and that he is able to move on from this with a renewed optimism in life's potential. 070 Shake's outro resounds this point with a darkly humorous twist on it. Shake sings "I put my hand on a stove, to see if I still bleed... and nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free!" Kanye put his own head to the fire, or in this case the stove; he created a media hellscape for himself and continued to raze his reputation with a continuous stream of misspoken, out-of-pocket interviews. And yet, he came out on the other side refreshed and alleviated from his demons - He can't feel that past pain anymore, and feels kind of free because of it.
Violent Crimes, the 7th track, ends this album completely extrospective; This track is entirely dedicated to Kanye's daughter. 070 Shake returns to deliver some of the advice Kanye has learned from his personal adversity - To enjoy all facets of life, down to the littlest things, and that even the negative things are still a crucial part of life, insisting to his daughter to appreciate those dismal moments once you've moved past them, as they've shaped you into a stronger person. Kanye tells all this to his daughter in hopes that her lows aren't as low as his own, but acknowledges in the following verse the reality that most likely simply won't be the case. Kanye details how men can be predatory to woman, and how his life experiences as a husband and a father have made him realize the error of these younger ways. Kanye acknowledges how that now that he's aware of how scummy some younger, naïve men can be, he's in no position to fully stop his daughter from experiencing their misdeeds, as it's a lesson that simply cannot be understood until you've experienced both sides. Kanye details the cycle of this, telling a hypothetical anecdote where his overbearing behavior with this issue could push his daughter away from him and into the exact lifestyle he wishes for her to avoid, showing he's fully aware that for as much as he's learned from his own life, there's only so much of its scope that is transferable to his daughter.
The heart-string tugging beauty of this is how this wraps up some of the major themes of the album. This is Kanye forethought alongside free-thought in a way that he seemingly never has before. Never have we as listeners seen Kanye so considerate, compassionate, and calculated in his decades of producing content for us. It shows us that Kanye has learned that he cannot rely on himself solely or his surroundings solely, that it takes a balance of self-love and supporting love to live a truly fulfilling and happy life. It shows us that Kanye isn't wearing a mask of full bombast and ego anymore, he's moved on to consider the effects of his actions on his loved ones. Whereas albums such as MBDTF and Yeezus have meant so much for the evolution of Kanye's sound, this album means so much more for the evolution of Kanye as a human. In the same way that 808's taught seemingly an entire genre that it's ok to be open and sad, Ye teaches us that it's totally ok to admit fault, to mess up, take ownership, and learn from it. Tell me, would you have ever pictured Kanye putting out such an unapologetically raw album in which he is being blunt to the fact that he is NOT a god? This album seemingly means so much to Kanye's growth as a person, and is similarly why it meant so much to me in 2018. The themes of hope, self-love, free-thought, overcoming adversity, and so much in this day in age with such a beautiful arrangement of production, instrumentation, and vocal performance (Which are aspects of this that I barely even got into mind you!) are so important in this modern rap climate. To me, for Kanye to spiral down the way he did, and then to stick the landing with the most thoughtful project of his career, there is no question that Ye exists as sleeper masterpiece in his loaded discography, that will hopefully receive it's due appreciation as time passes as a milestone album but the greatest artist of the modern generation.
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