lifeofpablo

No. 4: The Life of Pablo

“Seem like the more fame, I only got wilder,” Kanye proclaims on “Feedback.” At this point, it is undeniable that Kanye’s fame has begun to overtake his music. On The Life of Pablo, Kanye seems to be searching for someone to prove wrong but he can never quite find them. This leads to two things: First, an amazing Kanye West album; And second, a lot of embarrassing moments that take away from the actual music.

The Life of Pablo is a showcase of Kanye’s career. He spits straight bars with Kendrick Lamar on “No More Parties in LA,” lays his autotuned vocals over an entire church choir on “Ultralight Beam”, and gets intensely personal on “Real Friends” where he addresses his struggles in keeping close relationships. These three songs are amazing, and represent some of Kanye’s best work in years. But songs like these are undercut by songs like “Waves” and “Facts,” that make it hard to take The Life of Pablo seriously. The beat on “Facts” is amazing, but lines like “Do anybody feel bad for Bill Cosby?” and “Kimoji just shut down the app store” make it an awkward song to rap along to.

Part of what Kanye fans love about him is his willingness to release his mistakes and correct them, and the highlights of The Life of Pablo more than make up for its flaws.