Not one minute into Kanye West’s much-anticipated, highly-hyped Yeezus, America’s beloved and expectedly shocking MC utters the line, “Get this bitch shakin’ like Parkinson’s.” So there you have it, lyrically, this is the same old Kanye West that he wants us all to know and hate. Yes, that he wants us to know and hate. It’s important that you understand that and remember it for later.
If you’re not convinced by now that every ounce of this man’s fame isn’t carefully and meticulously calculated, then you need to wake up. That is even more apparent now that he is romantically involved with one of the very few people on this earth who has managed to gain more fame than he has. It’s kind of surprising, actually, that his ego was/is able to handle that. Perhaps it is yet another indicator that all of this is just one big act. So how much of Yeezus can be taken seriously?
Why are people so enthralled with this man’s music? How is it that the mere mention of an impending album by ‘the great Kanye West’ is enough to instill awe and anticipation in so many people across the world? The conclusion has got to be that it’s a mix of wanting to see what he’s up to next, coupled with that he really does make interesting music. Please, make no mistake about that, “music” as in the notes, instruments, and rhythms that are played behind his mediocre and shock-inducing lyrics. Anyone can compose shock-inducing lyrics, but the music that he puts it to keeps changing over time, and does carry with it the power to keep people interested. Check out “Hold My Liquor”, which features Justin Vernon of Bon Iver (QRO live review) or the album’s opener, “On Sight”.
In addition to lyrics that attempt to be overtly shocking, there is another unsurprising – and by now, unoriginal – element to this album, which can be described in two words: auto tune. See the boring “Blood on the Leaves”, which – also unsurprisingly, because this is a Hip Hop album – features the word “niggas” many times throughout.
How is it that because this is Kanye West, this time around paired with the mighty Rick Rubin on executive production duties, Yeezus is an instant classic? So they employed a less-is-more approach and not every song features the traditional Hip Hop beat – does that really make Yeezus a classic album? Rick Rubin does that with all albums with which he involves himself. Have we arrived in an era where shock value coupled with somewhat-interesting musicality is all it takes to make an album great? It’s scary to arrive at this conclusion, but six albums in it looks like America – the land of the free and independent thinkers – is officially suckling gladly at the Yeezus (if that’s what he’s going to be known as for now) teat.
There is no doubt about it – this is Kanye’s darkest album yet. Comically, he has now officially backed himself into a corner to the point that if he really wants to be hated and controversial he should release a Contemporary Christian album. Because, Kanye, while we can listen to you say, “Put my fist in her like a civil rights sign,” we won’t tolerate you talking about praying and believing in God, so bring it on.
Kanye West – Hold My Liquor
