Yeezus is the sixth solo album by Chicago rapper, singer, producer, and fashion designer, Kanye West, and was released on June 18th, 2013. Fresh off of two fantastic albums with maximalist baroque production, his solo album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and his album with Jay Z, Watch the Throne, fans and critics were excited for what Mr. West had in store for them. And the album that was released was radically different than his previous albums, with a much more industrial, electronic, and experimental sound. This album had less soul samples, and instead relied on heavy synthesizers, distortion, and aggressive lyrics. I made a promise to review this album on it’s 10 year anniversary, and while I’m a bit late, I want to fulfill my promise.
We open the album with the glitchy synth instrumentation of “On Sight.” Kanye has a production credit on every track, but he’s not the only producer credited. Benji B, French electronic duo Daft Punk, and frequent Kanye West collaborator, Mike Dean are also credited. I like the abrupt change from the electronic aggressive main instrumental to a brief break, with the sample of “Sermon (He’ll Give Us What We Really Need)” The sampled track lyric says, “He’ll give us what we need, it may not be what we want,” which is Ye being self-aware knowing that his fanbase is going to be divided by the sound of this record.
Following that we have the lead single off the album, “Black Skinhead,” which features growly synthesizers, screaming background voices, and tribal drums. Another track produced by Daft Punk along with Ye, I love the aggressive approach he took lyrically on this track. “Number one question they’re asking, fuck every question you asking.” It’s a track where he embraces being “ran out by Catholics, and conservative Baptists,” and brags about being a “wolf,” and a “king.” I love the production on this track, because when it came out, it sounded radically different than any Kanye track that I had heard before. Sure it has one stupid lyric, “I keep it 300 like the Romans” which should be “the Greeks,” instead. Still, this song sounds so exciting and sinister, and it’s one of my favorite tracks off the record.
“I Am A God,” shows Kanye at his most egotistical as he raps over a punchy synth bass, with a echoey voice sample of Jamaican reggae artist Capelton in the beginning. I like the ethereal production of this track. Kanye’s declarations of “I am a God,” feel completely serious over the dark beat. I like how he scrutinizes his own personality, with “soon as they like you make ‘em unlike you.” This line presents a clear dichotomy, as Kanye is comparing himself to a god, but illustrates his human flaws. And he goes on to mention his college trilogy days with the line, “pink ass polos with a fuckin’ backpack, but everybody know you brought real rap back,” and likening himself to the rap equivalent of Michael Jackson. I love Kanye’s primal rage screams after the second verse as the instrumental completely changes and transitions us into the next track.
“New Slaves,” was the first track off Yeezus that was showcased to the public, and polarized audiences, but over time, like the rest of this record, it’s grown to be loved. The video that came with the song focused on a black and white video of Kanye rapping to the song while looking at the camera, and was projected onto 66 buildings around the world. The song has themes of racism and discusses the 13th Amendment loophole of unpaid prison labor, prejudice in the fashion industry, and the influences that big corporations have on people. The instrumental has this dark synth loop that’s infectious. I also like The Waterboy reference, “I’m ‘bout to wild the fuck out, I’m goin’ Bobby Boucher.” And the outro is a complete 180, with Kanye singing triumphantly over a sample of Omega’s “Gyöngyhajú lány,” as well as the angelic vocals of Frank Ocean to close out the track. Another favorite.
We follow that with the somber, “Hold My Liquor,” featuring Chief Keef and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver. The track is a symbolism of Kanye’s inner demons fighting for control. I love Chief Keef and Vernon’s contributions to the song as they do a good job with representing Kanye’s skeletons in his closet. Kanye’s verse over that electric guitar loop, and larger than life synth bass, is emotional, painting himself unflatteringly. “After that he’s just hopeless, soul mates become soulless. ‘When it’s over, it’s over,’ and bitch I’m back out my coma.” The production from Arca, Ye, and Mike Dean created the most beautiful track on the record, and I love Mike Dean’s guitar solo, as well as the synth harmonies. Another favorite off the album.
After that, is the highly sexual and graphic, “I’m In It,” which features vocals from Assassin and Justin Vernon. Some of the lyrics on this one are absolutely ridiculous and dirty, and while there’s a few lines that are definitely offensive, Kanye is clearly just having fun seeing how dirty he can be lyrically. I love the airhorns and synthetic orchestration of the album. I also like how during Assassin’s verse there’s what sounds like a Chain Chomp from Super Mario Bros., Vernon’s contribution on the hook glows over the heavy synth bass. Another favorite.
“Blood on the Leaves,” is another somber track that heavily samples Nina Simone’s rendition of “Strange Fruit,” which is an incredibly serious track that covers racism and lynchings. Handled by six producers, “Blood on the Leaves,” talks about failed relationships and heartbreak. And Kanye’s autotuned vocals sound like something from 808s and Heartbreak, but the heavy horn and electronic snares in the choruses and second verse sound bombastic and complement Kanye’s incredibly visual lyrics about drug use and how he feels all the women surrounding him want something from him, its an incredibly vulnerable track from him as well, maybe not as much as “Hold My Liquor,” but still the part of the verse that talks about abortion trapping the man in the relationship, which is an incredibly controversial topic, and as he references the pastor saying “you can’t abort that,” it creates a battle between personal values and religious values.
“Guilt Trip,” features a glimmering synth lead with heavy synth bass, and starts off with Kanye talking about how his heart got shot down. I also like the sample of the song, “Blocka (Ackeejuice Rockers Remix),” by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott, that’s in the chorus. The space laser like production combined with the synth lead I mentioned earlier makes a truly beautiful track where Kanye has some humorous lines like, “Star Wars fur I be rocking Chewbacca.” I also like Kid Cudi’s feature in the song over that symphonic orchestra of violins and strings, “If you loved me so much then why’d you let me go?” Another strong track.
“Send It Up,” is probably my least favorite track off the album, even though I like the King L contribution to the track, and the sample of “Memories,” by Beenie Man. The chorus is catchy, but the weakest part of the track is probably Kanye’s verse. I do like the line about him “ride around on my bodyguards’ back like Prince in the club,” that line always elicits a smile from me. The loop gets kind of annoying after a while, in my opinion, so that’s another reason why it’s one of my least favorites.
Finally, we close the album with the romantic track, “Bound 2,” which heavily samples the song, “Bound,” by Ponderosa Twins Plus One and features a chorus from the great Charlie Wilson. This track sounds barely like anything on the rest of the album, and sounds like old Kanye. Finishing the album on a more positive note is a welcome surprise, as Kanye declares his love for his then wife, Kim Kardashian. I especially like the line, “Close your eyes and let the word paint a thousand pictures, one good girl is worth a thousand bitches.” Kanye putting his aggressive Yeezus persona aside to show a more human side, where he’s scrutinizing his own flaws when it comes to romantic relationships, is something I wish we heard more of from him nowadays. And Charlie Wilson’s gorgeous hook ascends over that heavy synth bass and angelic background chorus.
To wrap things up, Yeezus was polarizing for fans at the time, but is now rightfully considered to be one of Ye’s best albums. I love how abrasive the production is and how vulnerable Kanye makes himself on this record. The instrumentation is orchestrated beautifully and at points in some tracks I feel like my soul is ascending. It’s one of my favorite albums, as well as one of my favorite Kanye albums, and while I don’t see Kanye making another great album like this one, The Life of Pablo, or Ye, I’ll always love this album as it’s gotten me interested in more albums that have an industrial and electronic sound. This album inspired so many musicians and it’s easy to see why. It encouraged other rappers to experiment more with different sounds such as dancehall, drill, and industrial rap. This album has aged phenomenally and I’d recommend it to every hip hop fan.
Overall Score: 10/10
Favorite Tracks: “Black Skinhead,” “Hold My Liquor,” “New Slaves,” “I’m In It,” “Blood on the Leaves,” “Bound 2”
Least Favorite Tracks: none
Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXeQ6bmV7oU
Genres: Hip Hop/Industrial Hip Hop/Electronic