Review Summary: "It’s almost surprising West, who is quick to congratulate his own creativity, continues to rely on something that’s become a bore." - Jessica Iredale, WWD
“When I make clothes…it’s funny because I would sit there with Obama and then Leo’s talking about the environment and I’m talking about clothes, and then everyone’s there looking at me like…that’s not an important issue or something. But I remember going to school in like fifth grade and wanting to have a cool outfit. I called the head of Payless and I said, I want to work with you. I want to take all this information that I’ve learned from sitting at all these fashion shows and knocking on all these doors and buyin all these expensive clothes, and I want to take away bullying!”
“Michael Jackson and Russell Simmons is the reason I was able to go so far in music. There was a time when Michael Jackson couldn’t get his video on MTV because he was considered to be “urban.” The Michael Jackson. So I literally have to be the “Michael Jackson” of apparel so I can break the door open for everyone after I’m gone. After I’m dead. After the call me “Wacko Kanye.” Isn’t that so funny? That people point fingers at the people who have influenced them the most? They talk the most *** about people who have influenced them the most? I’m sorry daytime television. I’m sorry for the realness.”
In a parallel universe, Kanye West’s off-the-cuff speech on The Ellen DeGeneres Show has already gone down in history as a truly great piece of rhetoric. The improvised, ranting emotional pulse of the language is infectious; Kanye’s complete sincerity and apparent care for others is irresistible. Perhaps, in this universe, someone is so moved by Kanye’s words that they donate the him large sums of money; perhaps in this universe the rumored Kanye X Payless collaboration is bringing cheap, fashionable shoes to disadvantaged children as we speak. Perhaps in that alternate universe, Kanye West is a well-respected fashion designer who really is breaking down the doors for other Black designers.
But in this universe, Kanye West has a horrible track record with charity (see any and all available information about the Kanye West Foundation) and his fashion shows have not only flopped, but endangered the models who are hired to work them. The Payless collaboration is nowhere to be seen. Instead, Kanye continues to manufacture extremely expensive clothing through Adidas, and cheaper Yeezy-wear is nowhere in sight. Of course, Kanye is a musician first, and this is a music review – so none of this matters if the music is tight, right?
Unfortunately, the cognitive dissonance that exists in Kanye’s unbacked claims of altruism reigns all throughout The Life of Pablo. Pablo starts off with the awe-inspiring Christian mission statement of “Ultralight Beam,” featuring one of the best verses Chance the Rapper has ever recorded. The instrumental’s sky-reaching gospel choir compliments the minimal drum machine and organ arrangements beautifully. In essence, “Ultralight Beam” is the perfect mission statement for a rapper committed to really bring joy into the world, a “God dream” if there ever was one. Upon the entry into “Father Stretch My Hands,” all seems perfect as Kid Cudi rhapsodizes the beauty of the world and of his woman and Kanye sings about the desire for liberation, reaching out the crowd like an all-too-human preacher with “If I ever instigated, I am sorry / Tell me who in here can relate.” And within seconds, the album starts to fall apart.
“Now if I *** this model / And she just bleached her asshole / And I get bleach on my T-shirt / I'ma feel like an asshole.”
The line is admittedly hilarious. It also runs completely counter to any Christian system of morality that one could imagine. The juxtaposition between the two sides of Kanye – Christian Kanye and Stereotypical Rapper Kanye – could form a really interesting outlet where both sides could be further explored. After all, several in the hip-hop scene have recently been exploring the duality of faith and cultural hedonism in really constructive and interesting ways (good kid m.A.A.d. city serves as one obvious example.) With The Life of Pablo, Kanye West jumps into this forum with both feet, but as each track rolls on towards its conclusion, it becomes increasingly apparent that he has nothing to add to the discussion. Worse yet, it seems as if he’s unaware that there’s such a discussion at all.
The problem with The Life of Pablo is that its two sides, one of egocentric bankrupt morality and one that champions Christianity and altruism, rarely come together. Instead, they’re compartmentalized; Kanye goes into one line of thinking and then flops back to the other without providing much insight into either. Similarly, Kanye constantly contradicts himself by swinging between two different attitudes towards money (“Feedback” vs. “Highlights” offer a litany of examples) and sex (“FML” vs. most other tracks on the record) without even trying reconcile them. He’s either completely unaware of the gap between his own professed attitudes or he just doesn’t feel like facing them; either way, it makes for incredibly boring music.
Even when Kanye does address the conflicts inherent in his lifestyle, he has little insight to offer. He’s talked in the past about struggling with his ‘open relationship’ with his wife, but there’s not really an exploration into the issues he talks about; rapping that “I’ve been thinking / about my vision / pour out my feelings / revealing the layers to my soul” doesn’t amount to anything when you don’t actually share concrete thoughts on the situation at hand. Similarly, on closer “Saint Pablo” Kanye acknowledges the criticism that he is “out of touch” with the world and his audience, but he doesn’t actually respond to that criticism or acknowledge its validity. Kanye knows the right topics to talk about, but as it turns out he has nothing to say.
Which leaves The Life of Pablo as a dumb piece of entertainment posing as something more. There certainly are some propulsive, textured beats (“Famous” “Freestyle 4” “Facts”) and pretty vocal arrangements (“Waves” “FML” “Wolves”) scattered throughout the intellectual wasteland of the album; if you can get past various and sundry 5th grade poetry gems such as “Sun don't shine in the shade / Bird can't fly in a cage / Even when somebody go away / The feelings don't really go away,” there’s a decent Madlib beat and some decent verses to be found on “Real Friends” and “No More Parties in LA” where Kanye complains about a cousin who stole a laptop containing his homemade porno and “Second class bitches [who] wouldn't let me on first base.” Without the conceit of its status as some divine message from a man who truly cares about making a difference, The Life of Pablo is little more than a party record bloated by an unsubstantiated god complex and lyrics that range from passable to abysmal. It doesn’t matter how much money you spend on a Tidal subscription when the material is this shallow.
I’m sorry for the realness.
