Review Summary: Saints and Sins
DISCLOSURE: Apparently, this version on Tidal is not the definitive final version as Kanye is waiting a week before sending it out on sale. He plans to make an edit on
Wolves. This review is on the Tidal version available through their website on stream.
I have always had the feeling that Kanye acted like a Grad-A Hole on purpose. In an effort to not lose himself to his fame and go soft, he decides to piss people off every now and again, like a splash of water to the face so he continues to have something to prove. Regardless,
The Life of Pablo defies all logic and expectation, a continuation of the odd experimental streak Kanye has shown as of late.
If I had to apply genres to this album, it would be Psychedelia, Hip-Hop, and Neo-Soul. Psychedelia has made itself more prominent here than in previous tracks Yeezy has made. The best examples can be tracks like
Real Friends, or
Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 both of which make heavy use of sampling that is distorted repeatedly, but slowly and softly so as to flow through and not become too aggressive. Yet the soul influence cannot be knocked away given tracks like
Pt. 2, and
Low Lights, in which gospel choirs can be heard and Beyonce goes into a monologue about Jay-Z. Editing is a primary influence here, with a set narrative being thrown out the window in favor of experimentation.
Did we really think Yeezy would abandon his Hip-Hop tenacity though？ Of course not! Which is why Yeezy busts out one of my favorite tracks on the album in
Famous. Boasting some really excellent lyrics as Yeezy continues his musical evolution. Samples are a dying art, which is why it is so endearing to see Yeezy embracing the art form in almost all of his songs. Do things get a bit self-indulgent？ Of course, it's fucking Kanye West. This makes itself obvious in
I Love Kanye, to which the title speaks for itself. Meanwhile, Yeezy continues to bombard us with spit tracks like
Feedback a song that sounds oddly similar to
Runners by Lecrae. Perhaps I am going crazy, but both tracks sound very similar for some reason.
Did it surprise us that Yeezy was going to involve himself in the recent police debacle？ It didn't surprise me I can tell you that. He doesn't talk about the situation too much but the subject makes itself really obvious in
Feedback:
"Hands up, we just doin' what the cops taught us,
Hands up! Hands up! Then the cops shot us."
Everything that makes up
The Life of Pablo converges to make another excellent album from Yeezy. It took three long years of waiting since Kanye decided to cut his original
Yeezus album in half, but the wait has been worth it. Does
The Life of Pablo outdo
Yeezus？ Not by any stretch of the imagination; but I'll be damned if it doesn't electrify Yeezy's already titanic discography.
The Life of Pablo is Yeezy embracing his sense of insanity, something he only alluded to in
Yeezus. It has become clear that, ever since
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezy has slowly descended in a prison of manic intensity, as he continues to shake the foundations of his own brand over three albums.
The Life of Pablo is art. That is all Yeezy ever wanted it to be. It can't be hard to understand Yeezy's recent affection for Pablo Picasso, considering Pablo was critically reviled as an artist during his life. The difference remains, however, that Pablo was penniless throughout his life and Yeezy was not. I'm sorry Yeezy man, you are not and never will be Pablo Picasso. You know what you will be？ Kanye West, and your fans wouldn't have it any other way.
