ye by Kanye West
- curated by autumn
- Jun 1, 2018
- 6 min read
Artist: Kanye West
Album: Ye
Genre: Hip-Hop
Released: 2018
I'm a simple woman. When I wake up and check spotify because I want to start my morning right with some music, and I see that Yeezy released a new project, I click PLAY! I don't have any time for games. I got so excited seeing the album cover and 7 tracks for me to vibe to! Yes, I was dancing in my kitchen with watery eyes and a cheesy grin full of excitement...
"I hate being Bipolar; it's awesome" is on the album cover. Oh, how I enjoy the mind of Kanye West. I have played this album three times in a row already, and I want more! It's hard to believe that this album is only 23 minutes because there is so much discussed, and so much to unpack.
I saw that the first song is titled, "I Thought About Killing You", and I say oh shit! It starts off with an R&B vibe, and Kanye is going back to spoken word to express himself on this one. I'm not quite sure of who he thought about killing. The first thought that came to mind was the doctor that performed plastic surgery on his mother which led to her untimely death. A few weeks ago, Ye posted a picture of that surgeon and contemplated using his face as the cover of this album. Therefore, I believe this is who he is talking about, but I could be wrong. What I love most about this beautiful intro is that he says, "I love myself way more than I love you and I think about killing myself. So, best believe, I thought about killing you today." He tells us that he has really bad thoughts, and of course I can relate. I always love how Kanye is so transparent with who he is, and he stands in his truth! Now, the first half of this track is somber and slow. Then, the second half switches and the beat goes crazy and is a good lead into the next track.
The album is littered with current events and controversy which I adore because this lets us know that Ye knows what's going on. As far as favorite production goes, "Yikes" and "All Mine" are in competition. "Yikes" is just dope cause it has a horror and trap feel along with Ye's scream at the end which I love. Before the beat comes in, the sound reminds me of Kanye's 2008 album 808's and Heartbreaks. It's a scary song with topics of getting too high on psychedelics, paranoia, fear of death, and demons. He recently exclaimed that he is hooked on opiods, a prescription drug prescribed to him to increase his mental stability. Michael Jackson and Prince were both name dropped for obvious reasons. They are all great artists, so Kanye's fear is that his death will be similar to theirs. He feels that he could die, probably too young, from a drug overdose. He also feel like the devil has been making an army of demons to hurt him, but Ye declares he is a zombie so he can't be harmed. He feels dead inside.
"All Mine" has production that is more simple than "Yikes." Drums and snares take stage on this track, so this song could easily become a club song especially due to its sexual themes. Girls and guys will enjoy grinding to this track in the dim lights of a nightclub.
“Wouldn’t Leave” is reminiscent of Life of Pablo due to its gospel influence thankfully created by Ty Dolla $ign and Jeremih. This song illustrates Ye’s seriousness and sarcasm. He drops the infamous HOW SWAY line from his Sway in the Morning interview which I couldn’t be more happy to hear because my friends and I say that phrase on a daily basis! He also describes the tension his slavery comments made between him and his wife. Apparently, she was not highly displeased with his antics because she warned him that his mouth can contribute to their lack of income as a unit. Nonetheless, he is appreciative of his wife sticking by his side through thick and thin. One line that stood out to me on this song is, “I ain't finna talk about it 'nother four centuries.” This is a reference to slavery in our country which lasted for about 400 years, so he is saying that he does not want to continue talking about it for another 400 years. I’ cool with this as long as we come to terms with our hideous past as a nation and learn from it. I’m cool with it as long as slavery does not still impact the current moment because we cannot say that it doesn’t right now. He knows that when he opens his mouth, he ends up sounding like George Jefferson but sounding like George Jetson. That was a nice line by the way.
When I first put on “No Mistakes” I immediately got my life when I heard Charlie Wilson and Slick Rick soundbites. Yaaaaaaaaaasssss! His famous “OOO WEE” is EVERYTHING! I love it for this song which sounds very happy. I also like his arrogance here, “I don’t take advice from people less successful than me.” I do not agree with this sentiment, but I like it anyway. The hook on this track mainly carries it, and I am not mad at that at all.
On “Ghost Town”, I really love how Kid Cudi pours his heart out expressing that he’s tried to make someone love him, but everything he tries pushes that person further.” Love is risky, complex, and seems highly illogical at times. Cudi could be talking about a significant other or fans, media, or people in general. The feel of this song reminds me of My Beautiful Dark Fantasy. It’s those damn guitars and Ye’s crooning! Anyway, I love the childlike aspect of this song. The lyrics really stand out even more towards the end of the song due to the lines, “I put my hand on a stove, to see if I still bleed. Yeah, and nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda freeeeeeeeee.” These words remind me of that Johnny Cash song where he says, “I cut myself today to see if I still feel.” It is a painful, but delightful way to recognize that you are still alive.
I feel like it is the highlight of this project because it’s so happy and freeing.
The album ends with “Violent Crimes”. This song is special because Kanye is talking about men, particularly black men, feeling like pimps and players until they have daughters. This is not a new idea, but I am appreciative of Kanye talking about his relationship and internal thoughts while he has while being a protective father to his daughter. This song covers many of his thoughts. For one, he paints an uncomfortable but realistic picture of how his daughter is growing up in an age of internet pedophiles that could prey on her from a distance. He also expresses that he does not want his girl to grow up with curves like her mom, and he would rather her take his shape instead. Now, his daughters won’t be likely to have Kim’s curves because she wasn’t born with them herself. It’s absurd, but I understand it. In regards to women he says, “I see women as something to nurture, not something to conquer.” This is a beautiful quote, and I really want more men to think like this because trying to conquer and own women hardly leads to any real love which can cause a demise for both parties. I digress, this album ends on a beautiful note along with some rhyming from Nicki Minaj which I cannot be mad at. The only downside to this project is that I want more than 7 songs! However, it does have ginormous re-play value which only means that I will pick up more themes as I continue to listen. I look forward to music videos and everybody’s thoughts on this album.
My Favorite Tracks: all of them
Quotables: "Ayy, time is extremely valuable and I prefer to waste it
"Some day I wanna lay down, like God did, on Sunday"
"I put my hand on a stove, to see if I still bleed"
"Cause now I see women as somethin' to nurture, not somethin' to conquer"
"When I'm thinkin' like George Jetson but sounding like George Jefferson"
"That's my superpower, nigga ain't no disability. I'm a superhero! I'm a superhero! Agghhhh!"
Support the artist: https://open.spotify.com/album/5EBGCvO6upi3GNknMVe9x9
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