This is it. We’ve been waiting to see how much more dark and twisted Kanye West would get from his 2010 album. We’ve been waiting to hear West rip into modern America, baring his teeth and soul, and his new album, Yeezus lives up to every line of hype posted in articles. It’s a powerful storm, starting off rapidly and only slowing down for the final song. With blatant socio-political themes, West doesn’t hold back with his wording, calling out white America and pounding it in the face with his thunderous beats and rhythms.
With samples from Jamaican dancehall artists to Nina Simone to classic soul, West experiments with a multitude of sounds and flavors, mixing them together precisely and cleverly to make each song blast in its own special way. His lyrics cut deeper in this album compared to his previous works, and he makes sure you listen to every single one of them with a pace you can keep up with.
Preparing for the onslaught about to happen, West warns that he’s the “monster about to come alive again” in “On Sight,” a track with gritty electronic beeps that morph and change as the song progresses.
After that, it’s on. With a loud drum cadence and heavy breathing, “Black Skinhead” layers entrancing sounds hyped up by West’s spitfire lyricism that leads to a unforgettable chorus that says, “I keep it 300 / Like the Romans / 300 b****** / where the Trojans.”
“Hurry up with my damn croissant,” yells West on “I Am A God,” a winding, prophetic track soaked in arrogance that could be real or just all ironic. West talks with Jesus as if he is an old friend, telling him about “stackin’ millions.” It’s blasphemous and right in your face, but it’s expected with West’s personality, so you can only enjoy his ambiguous self-righteousness.
Next, “New Slaves” explores new racism in which blacks are exploited and commodified, and it was up Kanye to say something about it in a brilliant, stylistic way. He fires away, rapping, “It’s broke nigga racism / That’s that don’t touch anything in the store / And it’s rich nigga racism / That’s that come in please buy more / What you want, a Bentley? / A fur coat, a diamond chain? / All you blacks want all the same things.” It’s ripe with sarcasm and honesty that people often choose to disregard. A kick in the face to white America, West speaks directly to white corporations who try to take hold of black culture.
Reminiscent of 808s & Heartbreaks, West throws in some auto-tune in “Hold My Liquor,” which has verse contributions from rapper Chief Keef and indie crooner, Bon Iver. The track has an anthem-like build up where the chords and rhythm swell while West rhymes about “waking up from a coma.” It could have ended sooner as the song goes on with a mesh of sounds void of verses.
But the album doesn’t slow down; it only gets rougher. “I’m In It,” drips with sexual visuals and insanely explicit lyrics all wrapped together with deep, electronic harmonies and a heavy, clicking beat. In case you were wondering, West describes his sex life very literally and loudly, but it’s witty, of course.
Then, the climax of the album: “Blood On The Leaves.” This gloomy track samples “Strange Fruit” by Nina Simone (originally Billie Holiday), which was one of the first anti-racism songs that talks about “black bodies hanging” from trees. As Simone’s and West’s voice work together with a twinkling piano for about a minute, the song is utterly smashed by an unexpected, thundering beat while a jilted West shreds. It’s not until the third verse that he completely let’s go, calling out a past lover: “To all my second string b******, trying to get a baby / Trying to get a baby, now you talkin’ crazy / I don’t give a dman if you used to talk to Jay-Z / He ain’t with you, he with Beyonce / You need to stop acting lazy.”
“Guilt Trip” features an intro that sounds similar to “Fly Like An Eagle” by Steve Miller Band which is completely surprising and pleasant. West raps about a lost love with a hook sampled from Jamaican dancehall artist, Popcaan, that adds a distinct layer of sound and vibe.
Complete with fiery verses telling everyone just how great West is, “Send It Up” talks about the good life with a siren-like rhythm. As West raps about being better than everyone, it all seems like an act as the outro, a sample from Beenie Man’s, “Memories,” says, “Memories don’t live like people do / They always ‘member you / Whether things are good or bad / It’s just the memories that you have.”
While previous songs have sounds no one has heard from a West album, the final song, “Bound 2” brings it back to vintage West. What’s a ‘Ye album without a sampling of a classic soulful beat with a catchy hook? This love song is sweet for West’s serious exterior: “Hey, you remember where we first met? / Okay, I don’t remember where we first met / But hey, admitting is the first step.” It’s the perfect ending to a hard, wild album.
Yeesuz rolls away a stone, and West is here to preach about Hollywood life, alcoholism, culture, sex and corrupt white America. So, just listen.