Click HERE to purchase the album.

This album was released on November 22nd in 2010. I don’t even know how to describe how popular this album is. This is the climax of Kanye West’s discography. I can already tell y’all that. I haven’t heard the album. I’ve heard a little over half of the tracks. It came out about a year before I started getting into Hip Hop. It’s easily his most popular, and critically acclaimed album. It’s just supposed to be a really important album. That’s pretty much all I can say. It’s one of the highest rated albums of all time. It’s rated two points below To Pimp A Butterfly on Metacritic, which is my highest rated album. It’s also in between Stankonia by Outkast & Madvillainy by Madvillain, so this should be pretty good. I’m definitely expecting this to be dope af, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this ends up being my favorite album from Kanye. What I’ve heard from it already is definitely great. There’s really no reason for me to believe that this album isn’t incredible.

Track 1: Dark Fantasy (Prod. Kanye West, RZA, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean & No I.D.)

This intro from Nicki Minaj is corny as fuck. She’s speaking with this fake ass British accent. Why would you do that? Of all the accents you could possibly do, why would you choose British? Sorry. That’s a personal problem. I don’t like British accents. It would’ve sounded less stupid if she just talked normally. It’s not that big of a deal I guess. Oh shit, I’ve heard this song. When I first started getting into Hip Hop, I went on my family’s iTunes account and looked at the shit we purchased. There were a bunch of random songs from this album. I remember hearing this hook from Teyana Taylor. It was als0 in the trailer for The Hangover, Pt. 2. I never saw the second one. Should I? Is it good? What about the third? I only saw the first one… Anyway, I definitely fuck with this hook from Teyana Taylor. Goddamn. This beat is fuckin’ bananas. Wow. This is incredible. The production is on point. It’s great to hear Kanye actually rapping again. He sounds like a fuckin’ G on this shit. That first verse was dope. “Fresh air, rollin’ down the window / Too many Urkels on your team, that’s why your wins low.” HA. This is great. There’s not really anything negative to say. Well, I guess I did kinda shit on that intro from Nicki, but it’s not a big enough problem for me to actually penalize the song. This is dope af. I definitely fuck with this shit. This was a great way to start the album. 5/5

Track 2: Gorgeous Feat. Kid Cudi & Raekwon (Prod. Kanye West, No I.D. & Mike Dean)

I often see this song listed as one of Kanye’s best songs ever, so this should be good. Oh shit… I’ve heard this one too. I remember this beat. This beat is fuckin’ crazy. Kid Cudi’s hook is dope af. I love it when Kid Cudi doesn’t suck. Why wasn’t this song in my iTunes? I already know I love this song. He killed every fucking verse. There are so many dope lines. “I treat the cash the way the government treats AIDS / I won’t be satisfied ’til all my niggas get it, get it?” That line is fucking incredible. He even referenced the “gay fish” joke from South Park. “We make ‘em say ho cause the game is so pimpish / Choke a South Park writer with a fish stick.” He fucking murdered that third verse too. “The same people that tried to black ball me forgot about two things: my black balls.” Raekwon’s on the last verse. He went in. This song is fucking incredible. I definitely fuck with this shit. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 3: Power (Prod. Kanye West, S1, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean & Andrew Dawson)

Okay, this is another one of those dope Kanye songs that got played the fuck out. I don’t believe that there are people who haven’t at least heard a few seconds of this song. As I said, it’s played out, but it’s been a minute since I’ve heard it, so maybe I’ll enjoy it again like how I enjoyed Gold Digger again. This beat is legendary. Unfortunately whenever I hear this song I just think of a bunch of fist-pumping white kids. That’s a personal problem tho. “Fuck SNL and the whole cast / Tell them Yeezy said they can kiss my whole ass / More specifically they can kiss my asshole / I’m an asshole? You niggas got jokes.” I really don’t have shit to say about this… It’s just a great song. The beat is dope af. The verses are great. So is the hook. It’s dope af. I definitely fuck with this. He killed that last verse. I really like the electronic direction the beat went after the last verse too. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 4: All Of The Lights (Interlude) [Prod. Rosie Danvers, Mike Dean, Jeff Bhasker & Kanye West]

I’ve heard the actual All Of The Lights song, but I don’t know if I’ve heard the interlude. This should be interesting. Okay, I just listened to it. I really don’t need to say anything about this. It’s an instrumental interlude, which leads into the actual song.

Track 5: All Of The Lights Feat. Rihanna (Prod. Kanye West & Jeff Bhasker)

This song features background vocals from John Legend, The Dream, Elly Jackson, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Tony Williams & Drake. This is another song that I’ve already heard. I usually don’t like really Poppy shit like this, but this one is just too good. Rihanna’s hook is dope af. This beat is fucking incredible. This is seriously one of the greatest beats I’ve ever heard. The drum pattern is fucking crazy, and the horns sound amazing too. Technically, Ye didn’t spit an amazing verse or anything, but it started the narrative of the song. It’s about a guy who beat the fuck outta his girl, went to jail, came back, and saw that he was replaced by some other guy. Then he was like “Come on. I wanna see my daughter,” but his baby mama was like “nah, son.” Lyrically, the song doesn’t really do much for me, but it’s so dope sonically that I can’t help but call it dope af. I mean, just listen to the fucking production. It’s insane. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. Don’t bother watching the music video. Rihanna was lookin’ bad af, but other than that the only thing this video is good for is giving you a seizure. The song itself is dope af tho. 5/5

Track 6: Monster Feat. Bon Iver, Rick Ross, JAY-Z & Nicki Minaj (Prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean & Plain Pat)

When I first started getting into Hip Hop, this song—along with So Appalled and the Start It Up remix—was one of the first songs that I really fell in love with. I had this shit on repeat for about two weeks straight. I’m just gonna start from the beginning. I never really liked this Bon Iver guy. I don’t really mind this intro tho. Also, I really don’t like Rick Ross, but I actually enjoyed his short, four bar verse. There wasn’t really any room for error, so he made it count. This hook is dope af. The beat is fuckin’ crazy too. “Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? / Put the pussy in a sarcophagus.” Kanye fuckin’ killed his verse. “I’m living in the future so the present is my past / My presence is a present, kiss my ass.” He definitely had the second best verse. I’m not a JAY-Z fan, so my thoughts on his verse shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. It was corny. It wasn’t a bad verse. Just kinda corny. Definitely the weakest verse on the song. I still enjoyed parts of it tho. That line about hearing the dope fiends scream in his dreams was kinda hot, and his flow was cool. It was a good verse. I just think it was wack compared to the other ones. This line was dope af tho: “All I see is these niggas I made millionaires milling about, spilling they feelings in the air.” Nicki Minaj absolutely murdered this shit. She easily had the best verse. She controlled this shit. I’m definitely not a Nicki Minaj fan, but anyone that says she’s incapable of putting a dope verse together is lying to themselves. She fuckin’ killed this shit. Also… I’m finna come clean… Every time I hear Nicki rap it makes my dick move a little bit. That’s with any Nicki verse tho. Except Stupid Hoe. That song just pisses me the motherfuck off. She murdered this shit tho. This is easily the best Nicki Minaj verse I’ve ever heard, and I’d be surprised if she ever spit like this again. This is dope af. I kinda don’t like that long winded outro from Bon Iver, but it’s not bad enough to lower this track’s rating, especially after a verse like that. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. 5/5

Track 7: So Appalled Feat. Swizz Beatz, JAY-Z, Pusha T, Cyhi The Prynce & RZA (Prod. Kanye West, No I.D. & Mike Dean)

This was my favorite song ever for a very long time. There are plenty of things that I don’t like about it tho, starting right at the beginning. Swizz. Beatz. SHUT THE FUCK UP. YOU ARE A PRODUCER. NOBODY WANTS TO HEAR YOUR FUCKIN’ VOICE ON A SONG. NOBODY. NOBODY LIKES IT WHEN YOU DO THIS SHIT. “One hand in the air if you don’t really care / Two hands in the air if you don’t really care / It’s like that sometimes, I mean ridiculous / It’s like that sometimes, this shit ridiculous.” WHAT THE FUCK IS YOU EVEN TALKIN’ ABOUT? FUCK. FUUCK. FUUCK. GodDAMN you, Swizz. Fuck. Alright. Sorry. Seriously tho, he damn near ruined this track. Well, I wouldn’t take it that far. He damn near made it less than dope af. That’s what I meant. Basically, for me, Swizz Beatz is to So Appalled as Bon Iver is to Monster. That’s just me tho. I’m sure there are about 12 people out there who enjoyed Bon Iver & Swizz Beatz’s contributions. This beat is absolutely fucking incredible. It sounds like a sonic explosion of shrapnel hitting my ear drums. Kanye went in on this first verse. “Balding, Donald Trump taking dollars from y’all.” Fuck Donald Trump. Sorry. Anytime his name is brought up I have to say that. Kanye & Cyhi both did two lines in the hook. It’s dope. This verse from Jay is much better than his verse on Monster. I actually think this verse from him is dope. “All of y’all can suck my balls through my draws.” Pusha T’s goin’ in now. Since this is one of the first Hip Hop songs that I really payed attention to, this is how I found out who Pusha T was. I always thought his verse was dope af. I could never decide who had my favorite verse. It was either him or Cyhi. He fuckin’ killed this shit. Cyhi ripped this shit to shreds too tho. I still can’t decide who had my favorite verse. I remember reading all the features. I was like “I’ve never heard of Pusha T, RZA (I know), or Cyhi The Prynce.” I was worried that it would just be some random motherfucker who no one cared about and that he would have a weak verse. NOPE. He went the fuck in. I remember when I first heard it. The way his verse started was so dope to me. The way it was set up made me think it was about to be dope af before it even started. That confident “Ha” that he says right before he goes in is what caused it. I was like “ah shit” when I heard that. He went off. Alright what’s next. Oh yeah… Why is RZA here? I mean, don’t get me wrong; I love RZA. His feature was unnecessary tho. The way he started by yelling “AYO” made me think he was about to fucking get busy on this shit, and show these new motherfuckers—not Jay I guess—how it’s done. He didn’t tho. He literally just spit the hook. WHY? Why the fuck would Kanye tease us like that? Why would he do that to us? Can you fucking imagine if he spit a verse? If he just closed this shit out with 32 bars… That would’ve made this song even better. But no. We didn’t get a dope RZA verse. Instead, we got a hook which we already had, and then more Swizz Beatz. AGAIN, NOBODY WANTS SWIZZ BEATZ. YOU GIVE US SWIZZ BEATZ, BUT NOT RZA? IS YOU FUCKIN’ SHITTIN’ ME? FUUUUUUUCKKKKK. FUCCKKK. FUCK. GOD FUCKING DAMNIT. I can’t believe this shit. I didn’t think I would get this mad… This is still one of my favorite songs of all time. I just really wish it was put together differently. I would’ve gladly taken a verse from RZA over JAY-Z. One time I listened to this song on YouTube, and one of the comments said something like “RZA didn’t even have a verse and he still killed it.” Fuck you. Whoever wrote that shit, fuck you. I’m pretty sure that that was the first time I ever encountered a dick rider. I can’t believe somebody would say that shit. That is the definition of dick riding. Don’t accept shit like that. You should expect more from RZA. The song is still dope af tho. I definitely fuck with the song. 5/5

Track 8: Devil In A New Dress Feat. Rick Ross (Prod. Bink! & Mike Dean)

Oh. I think I’ve heard this song too. This beat is definitely familiar. Huh. Maybe I HAVE heard this album before… I can’t really remember. This beat is alright I guess… I definitely don’t like it as much as all the other beats, but it’s not terrible. Yeah, I’ve definitely heard this song before. I’ve definitely heard this “Put your hands to the constellations” line. And I’ve definitely heard him repeating “Satan, Satan Satannnnn.” I don’t know. This song is honestly kinda boring to me. The production is kinda bringin’ me down. I just don’t really like the sample. The bassline is really fucking dope tho. I wish I could fuck with this sample, but I just don’t… The shit he’s rapping about isn’t that interesting to me. Lemme see how Ross does on this last verse. Uh… This break between Ye and Ross’ verses is definitely too long. This song is just too slow for me. Not that it has to be super fast paced or anything, but it has no momentum. There was just silence for a minute and twenty five seconds. I mean, the beat was playing and Mike Dean had a guitar solo. Y’all know how I feel about guitars tho. Ross actually kinda went in. That’s probably the best Rick Ross verse I’ve ever heard. He did his thing, but I can’t really get behind this song. Sonically, I’m not feelin’ this at all. Ross had a dope verse tho. Ye did his thing. It’s just not good to me. I don’t really think it’s a bad song tho. I’m just not really into it. It’s okay. 3/5

Track 9: Runaway Feat. Pusha T (Prod. Kanye West, Mike Dean, Emile & Jeff Bhasker)

I’ve obviously heard this song before. Kanye released a short film of the same name to go along with this song. Or maybe it was for the album in general. I don’t know. I’m definitely not gonna check it out. I might some day, but I’m good for now. Not interested. Anyway, this song has one of those legendary beats. It’s dope af. That’s apparently Kanye singing the hook. It doesn’t have any autotune on it. It sounds a lot better than his singing usually does. I remember when I first heard this song. I loved the beat, but I wasn’t sold on this hook. I used to hate sung hooks. I don’t mind it these days if it’s done well. This one is. Another reason I couldn’t get behind it was the lyrics. “Let’s have a toast for the douchebags / Let’s have a toast for the assholes / Let’s have a toast for the scumbags / Every one of them that I know / Let’s have a toast for the jerk-offs.” I don’t know why it doesn’t bother me anymore. I love this song. I think the hook is great now. I also didn’t like Kanye’s first verse when I first heard this. “She find pictures in my e-mail / I sent this bitch a picture of my dick.” That was technically the only line that I didn’t like, but it was enough for me to stop listening. I was pretty closed-minded when I was first getting into Hip Hop. I remember specifically saying “I don’t really like Kanye West.” My mama and sister were like “Really?” We were in my mama’s car. I don’t know why every time I have a story about my experience with Kanye West, it takes place in my mama’s car with her and my sister… Anyway, that line that I mentioned is actually true. There are apparently dick-pics from Kanye floating around the internet. I’m not really sure who he sent it to. It doesn’t matter tho. I guess I didn’t get that Kanye was purposefully trying to paint himself as the biggest douchebag on the planet with this song when I first heard it. It’s dope af. Pusha T did his thing. It’s just a great song. That’s really all I have to say. I definitely fuck with this. The music video I put up there isn’t anything special, but it might be more entertaining inside the context of the actual Runaway movie. I don’t know. The songs dope af. 5/5

Track 10: Hell Of A Life (Prod. Kanye West, Mike Caren, No I.D. & Mike Dean)

I’ve heard this song. I don’t think I like it, but I don’t really remember. I’ll give it a chance. This beat is dope. It’s definitely not as good as the other ones on the album. I still like it more than the Devil In A New Dress beat tho. Kanye’s goin’ in. “I think I just fell in love with a porn star.” It’s kinda cool that he predicted his marriage with Kim K. This first verse is cool. It’s not amazing or anything. It’s fine tho. This hook is kinda dope. Kinda. Damn. The production is really dope after the hook. If the beat was like that during the verses I would probably enjoy this a lot more. The lyrics are kinda vulgar. Definitely not the worst I’ve heard tho. I fuck with this shit. This beat is dope. This song is so… It’s crazy how accurate this song is… “One day I’m gon’ marry a porn star.” “Got divorced by the end of the night.” Hopefully that second one I quoted doesn’t come true. If it does we might get another album like 808s & Heartbreak. Not that that would necessarily be a bad thing… Anyway, I fuck with this song. This is dope. 4/5

Track 11: Blame Game Feat. John Legend (Prod. Kanye West, DJ Frank E & Mike Dean)

I think this might be the first song from this album that I haven’t heard. I don’t know for sure tho. I guess I’m ’bout to find out… Yup. I’ve never heard this one. This beat is dope. John Legend’s singing on the hook. It’s cool. It’s not the best shit I’ve ever heard, but it’s pretty good. This beat’s actually really dope. Kanye did his thing on the first verse. That second verse was definitely better. I’m not in love with the pitch shifting tho. Damn. Kanye’s singing the hook now. It actually sounds really good. Well, it’s not amazing. It’s definitely way better than you would expect it to be tho. This long ass outro was definitely unnecessary. I did not need that shit. That really kinda ruined the momentum of the track. Not that it had a lot of momentum… Still tho. I mean, it’s hilarious, but it could’ve been on a separate track. It should’ve been a skit. I’m definitely gonna have to cut that shit out in GarageBand. The song itself is dope tho. I fuck with the song. 4/5

Track 12: Lost In The World Feat. Bon Iver (Prod. Kanye West & Jeff Bhasker)

I’ve never heard this one. Bon Iver is singing on the intro. You really can’t tell who it is because there’s so much autotune over this guy’s voice. This intro lasts way too long. The beat doesn’t drop until the song is exactly one minute in, and it sounds really jarring when it finally does. I’d already gotten used to the slow, somber singing, and then this fast paced, energetic beat dropped outta nowhere. It’s not bad. They just shouldn’t have waited so long. I was expecting a slower, less energetic beat. The hook’s dope. It’s not great, but I fuck with it. This beat is dope. The first verse from Kanye’s dope. Oh. There’s only one verse. You hear more from Bon Iver on this track than Kanye. Well, I guess that’s not true since Kanye produced it… Still tho. It feels like more of an interlude than a real song. I don’t even know if I should rate this. It feels so… I don’t know. It just doesn’t seem like a real song. It doesn’t say interlude tho, and it’s the normal length of a song… I really don’t know. I’m gonna take a chance with this one and say that it shouldn’t be rated. It doesn’t feel like a full song. If it is, then fuck me.

Track 13: Who Will Survive In America? (Prod. Kanye West & Jeff Bhasker)

Okay, that last track definitely wasn’t a full song. If anything it was a long winded intro to this song. It has the same beat and everything. You could even hear the words “Who will survive in America?” in the background of the last track. Oh, fuck me… I was wrong. That last track was the song. This one isn’t real. This is the outro. It’s not a real song tho. It’s just a sample of a Spoken Word track from Gil-Scott Heron over the same beat from the last track. I guess I enjoyed this, but it isn’t the real song. The previous track was the last song. Well… I guess I’ll just give this track the score that I would’ve given the previous one. 3/5

Track 14: See Me Now Feat. Beyoncé, Charlie Wilson & Big Sean (Prod. Kanye West, No I.D. & Lex Luger)

This is technically a bonus track for the iTunes version of this album. I’ve heard this one before. That single cover is awful tho. Look at that shit. Who made that single cover? Anyone coulda done that shit. That’s neither here nor there tho. I’m finna start the song now. This beat is dope af. The intro from Charlie Wilson & Beyoncé was great too. Kanye went in on that first verse. This feels like the real outro. It sounds like some shit that would play during the credits of a movie. Basically, it gives me the same feeling that Good Night from Graduation gave me. Goddamn. Kanye went the fuck off on that second verse. “We all know the beats is like a mix between Fergie and Jesus / Imagine the direction of this immaculate conception / Every one of His Majesty’s swim parties is pageantries.” Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson are singin’ they fuckin’ asses off. This is great. Big Sean’s verse kinda sucked, but it wasn’t bad enough for me to penalize this song. Apparently the original version of this song didn’t have Big Sean. I guess that explains why his name isn’t on the picture up there. I’m definitely about to download that version. I still think the album version of the song is dope af. Big Sean didn’t ruin the track. I’ve definitely heard worse from him. I just think it would be better without him. The songs dope af. I fuck with this. 5/5

Track +1: Power (Remix) Feat. JAY-Z & Swizz Beatz [Prod. Kanye West, S1, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Dean, Andrew Dawson & Swizz Beatz]

This was the first “G.O.O.D. Friday” track that Kanye ever released. If you somehow don’t know what I’m talking about, Kanye released one new song every Friday in promotion of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. He recently started a 2016 version of G.O.O.D. Fridays in promotion of his upcoming album, SWISH (EDIT: He thankfully changed the title to WAVES yesterday) . As of January 19th, 2016, he has released Facts, Real Friends, & No More Parties In L.A. I’ll save my thoughts on those songs for my SWISH review. Anyway, as you can see, this is the remix to this album’s first single, Power. This one came out on August 20th in 2010. Okay, it’s starting now. Jay’s on the first verse. Oh. I’m definitely not feelin’ the revised hook. They changed the sample. It’s not even a sample anymore. It’s just a chick singing “No one man should have all that power.” I’m not a fan of that change. It’s not a huge problem I guess. Jay’s verse was average at best. I’m known to be a “Jigga hater” tho, so I guess if you like JAY-Z you might like his verse here. I thought it was kinda weak. Oh my God. This new version of the hook is fucking horrible. Who was that singing? Was that Swizz Beatz? That sounded awful… These vocals that they put over the hook are God awful. The beginning of this second verse from Kanye West is pretty corny too… “Now when I walk in everybody do the Power Clap / Clap, clap, clap, clap / Fresh for the club, I just took a half an hour nap / Clap, clap, clap, clap / I seen people go crazy when the whole world in our lap / Clap, clap, clap, clap / My socket was out the plug, now it’s time to get the power back / Clap, clap…” His verse thankfully gets a lot better after that tho. I mean, I don’t think it’s as good as any of the verses on the original song, but it’s still cool. I’m really not feelin’ this new hook. The third verse is fucking incredible. Unfortunately, Swizz Beatz’s annoying ass kinda kills the vibe. The beat switches up and Ye goes the fuck off. Before the beat switches up, Swizz Beatz is like “SHOWTIME.” SWIZZ BEATZ… SHUT THE FUCK UP. JUST SHUT UP. SERIOUSLY, SHUT THE FUCK UP. I fuckin’ hate that shit. Nobody wants to hear your voice on the song. SHUT THE FUCK UP. Jesus fucking Christ. At least he didn’t actually try to rap, or spit some lame ass bridge. The actual verse itself is definitely dope af. Everything else about it is wack tho. I mean, this new beat that Swizz Beatz made is really wack. Seriously, I don’t know what the fuck Ye was thinking when he did that. If anything, he should’ve just increased the tempo of the original beat and spazzed over that shit. It samples I’ve Got The Power. It’s not a good beat. I mean, it’s far from the worst beat I’ve ever heard… It’s still wack tho. Kanye went the fuck off tho. He killed that shit. I feel like the only reason this isn’t often listed as one of the best Kanye verses is because the wack beat ruined it for a lot of people. It’s a great verse. The production is pretty bad tho. Swizz Beatz really fucked this shit up. I would call this wack if it weren’t for Yeezy’s dope verse. That kinda saved it to an extent. I guess. It’s okay. 3/5

Track +2: Runaway Love (Remix) Feat. Raekwon & Justin Bieber [Prod. RZA & Method Man]

This is technically the third G.O.O.D. Friday song. The second G.O.O.D. Friday release was Monster, which I obviously already reviewed for the actual album. I never heard the original Runaway Love, so I’m not really sure what I’m gonna think of this one. Oh. It was originally a Justin Bieber song… So… Kanye remixed a Justin Bieber song. Great. Okay it’s starting now… Wait a minute… I’ve heard this beat… This is an Enter The Wu-Tang beat… Yeah, this is the same beat from Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit. Okay… So, I guess I’m listening to a remix of a Wu-Tang song… and a Justin Bieber song… at the same time… Wow. I never thought those words would ever come out of my mouth… Well, I guess I’ll just treat this like a normal track. Obviously the beat is dope af. You don’t really hear Kanye rhymin’ over this kind of production very often. Raekwon’s on the first verse. Well, lyrically this is absolutely nothing like Wu-Tang Clain Ain’t Nuthing Ta Fuck Wit. The only thing this song has in common with that one is the beat. What the fuck? Oh my God. This song is really old… Justin Bieber hadn’t hit puberty yet when this song came out. I didn’t realize how high his voice used to be… It sounds like I’m listening to an eight year old sing this shit. Hahaha. Wow. I was not expecting that. I know he couldn’t help that shit, but personally I can’t fuck with some shit like this. “You see, my baby up and hit the road / Where she’s going? That’s what nobody knows / I need to find her before another man does / I wouldn’t want him to steal my love.” I mean, you can’t really deny that he still had a lot of talent. He did a good job singing. It’s just the voice itself, and the subject matter. It sounds like Justin Bieber today, but pitch shifted up like thirty octaves. OH SHIT. I remember this Justin Bieber song! “I’m just tryna be cool, cool, cool.” I don’t know. Why did they put it over the Wu-Tang instrumental? Seriously, these songs are like polar opposites. I mean, I guess it technically works. It sounds fine, but as a hardcore Hip Hop fan, having a prepubescent Justin Bieber sing a love song over this classic Wu-Tang instrumental is a little blasphemous. I really can’t fuck with this. I guess the verses weren’t horrible, but this is just not… No. Okay? No. It just… No. This shouldn’t have happened. As a stubborn Hip Hop fan, I’m not gonna accept this song. I don’t know who this song is for. I know Wu-Tang fans don’t wanna hear this shit. Justin Bieber fans probably don’t even know who Raekwon is. I can’t do this one. This is wack af to me. I really don’t even know what to think honestly. All I know is that this track makes me really unhappy. 1/5

Track +3: Good Friday Feat. Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson (Prod. Kanye West)

This was the fifth G.O.O.D. Friday release—the fourth was a shortened version of Devil In A New Dress, which didn’t have the Rick Ross verse. I’m expecting this to be dope. All of the features look great. Except Big Sean. Hopefully he doesn’t have a significant presence. It’s starting now. This beat is dope af. It’s real smooth. Kanye did his thing on his verse. It was real short. Just four bars. I guess this is gonna be another one of those laid back tracks like We Can Make It Better. That’s cool. Common only had four bars. Ye came back in for another short verse after that. Kid Cudi’s on the hook. It’s dope af. Fuck, man. I miss when Cudi made dope music. What the fuck happened to him? This song is really dope so far. This is making me so happy. Especially when Yeezy says “This goes out to the hardcore Hip Hop.” Pusha T had a full length verse. It was dope. Oh God. Okay, here comes Big Sean. Well, his verse wasn’t bad I guess. It definitely wasn’t good, but I wouldn’t call it wack. His delivery was a little annoying for the first few bars, but he thankfully changed it later on. I actually kinda liked the last two bars. “Hold on; that’s the girl you gave a wedding ring? / Man, me and my niggas nutted on her everything.” I mean, it was juvenile as fuck, but I’ll take what I can from Big Sean on a song like this. Charlie Wilson sang his fuckin’ ass off like he always does at the end. I definitely fuck with this. This is dope af. 5/5

Track +4: Lord, Lord, Lord Feat. Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon & Charlie Wilson (Prod. Kanye West)

Why. What the fuck? WHY IS SWIZZ BEATZ ON SO MANY OF THESE SONGS? Seriously, what the fuck was Kanye thinking? Nobody likes Swizz Beatz. He’s a producer. I swear to God if this motherfucker says more than ten words on this track… Alright, it’s starting now. Okay, this beat is dope af. Okay, Swizz Beatz is talking a little bit on the intro. It’s fine tho. I don’t mind this. That better be all he does. I can tolerate him speaking in the background. Mos Def is about to go in now. Charlie Wilson is just singin’ in the background. He sounds great. He’s on the hook. It’s dope. Mos Def went in on the first verse. It was great. Kanye had a dope verse too. What… Is… Is this… I… IS YOU FUCKIN’ SHITTIN’ ME? Y’ALL GAVE SWIZZ BEATZ A FUCKIN’ VERSE? WHAT THE FUCK? WHAT? WHAAT? WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU DO THIS SHIT? WHAT ARE YOU DOING? I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS FUCKING BULLSHIT. FUUUCK. Oh my FUCK! What the fuck… WHY? Why, God? How the fuck did this happen? Yeezy, why? No, man… No… I can’t believe this shit. Fuck. Well… I guess Swizz Beatz is goin’ in now… Let’s see how he does. Wow. I can’t believe I’m listening to this shit. “All black Carbon on my wrist, yeah / It’s gonna take you a couple years to get this here / Thank AP; well, they thank me.” You can tell just from those bars that this guy is a fucking amateur. And yes, I know that he’s a legendary producer. I don’t give a fuck. That doesn’t mean he’s allowed to spew shit like this. “Call me Mr. Dean or Mr. Bars.” Yeah……. No. No one gonna call you “Mr. Bars.” I wouldn’t even call a good rapper Mr. Bars because that’s stupid as fuck. Swizz, what the fuck do you think you’re doing? Did you think that this was a good verse? “Mr. Bars.” Who the fuck do you think you are? Alright, lemme move on to the next bar before my anger gives me a stroke. “See me riding clean in a Rolls Royce.” That’s the next line. This motherfucker didn’t even TRY to rhyme this shit. There is no way that he thought for a split second that “Mr. Bars” rhymes with “Rolls Royce.” Alright, let’s see what other gems this lyrical mastermind decided to bestow upon us. “Niggas talking funny, that’s old money / Niggas looking crazy, but they talking funny.” Wow. That might actually be the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard in my life. Keep in mind, I’ve watched every GOP Debate for this upcoming election, so I’ve heard quite a few dumb statements, but this one has to be the worst. “Coming through your hood in a Brinks truck / With 25s on it like what the fuck.” Oh my God. I know I kinda just went in on that other line that I quoted, but this whole verse is fucking God awful. This might just be one of the worst verses I’ve ever heard as a whole. There is absolutely nothing good about this verse. The flow was lazy as hell. The lyrics were dumber than Donald Trump’s would-be State of the Union address. The delivery was monotone and boring. Even the mixing sounded off. He sounded like his lips were knocking against the fucking microphone. This is fucking horrible…

That’s the face I imagine him making as he reads what I just wrote about his verse. Like, he’s trying to pretend that he doesn’t care because he’s busy “stackin’ that paper.” Nah. I mean, I’m not trying to make MCs feel like shit when I tear there music apart like this, but that verse was on another level in a bad way. This song was so good until that verse came on tho. I don’t even wanna finish this song. That verse makes me wanna cry. Seriously he makes Puff Daddy look like… Well… Kanye West. Raekwon’s verse was dope. That shit was almost dope af. Seriously, it was going so well until Alicia Keys’ Husband decided to open his mouth. Everybody did a good job except him. If it weren’t for him this would’ve easily been dope af. I can’t call it that tho. He ruined this shit. It’s okay. 3/5

Track +5: Christian Dior Denim Flow Feat. Kid Cudi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Banks & Ryan Leslie (Prod. Kanye West)

This was the eighth G.O.O.D. Friday release. Lord, Lord, Lord, was the sixth, and the seventh was an unmastered version of So Appalled. I’m not really familiar with Ryan Leslie. He was technically featured on Start It Up by Lloyd Banks, but he really didn’t do much on that song. What he did wasn’t bad tho. All of the features on this song look great. This should be good. It’s starting now. Damn. It sounds like they’re all singing on the hook. Except Lloyd Banks & Pusha T… This beat is fucking incredible. Kanye’s on the first verse. It was cool I guess. Lyrically, he pretty much said nothing. All he did was list a bunch of models that he wants to smash. His flow was cool tho. Pusha’s verse was cool. It’s far from his best, but it definitely wasn’t bad. It was definitely better than Kanye’s verse. Same goes for Ryan Leslie. His verse didn’t stand out much. Lloyd Banks is goin’ in now. His verse was dope. It’s definitely my favorite verse so far. It’s not amazing, but it’s better than the others. Cudi’s goin’ in now. His verse was cool, even though a good portion of his bars didn’t rhyme at all. Not a fan of this guitar solo at the end. I don’t like electric guitars. The song ended kind of abruptly too. It’s cool tho. I fuck with the song. It’s far from amazing tho. This song really isn’t anything special, but I still kinda like it. I mean, sonically it’s pretty good aside from the guitar solo, but other than that it’s really not that good. I enjoyed it tho. It’s dope. 4/5

Track +6: Don’t Stop (Performed by Child Rebel Soldier) [Prod. Kanye West & The Neptunes]

This was the ninth G.O.O.D. Friday release. Child Rebel Soldier is apparently a Hip Hop supergroup, containing Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco & Pharrell Williams. That’s fucking amazing. Apparently they’ve only released three songs, and one of them is a remix of an N.E.R.D. song. I’m pretty sure we’re never gonna get another Child Rebel Soldier song. I don’t know for sure. It really seems like it tho. Okay, it’s starting now. Pharrell immediately starts rapping on the first verse. I’m not really a fan of Pharrell as a rapper, bur I don’t think he’s trash. He’s definitely better than Swizz Beatz. Oh. He just dropped a hard F bomb. I mean the homophobic kind. This beat honestly kinda sucks… It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely not good. Not to me at least. Pharrell’s verse was alright I guess. Goddamn. Lupe Fiasco is goin’ the fuck in. His flow is crazy on this one. He killed it. Kanye’s verse was dope too. I like the way the beat switched up during his verse. Wish it was like that the whole time… I like the structure of the song, and Kanye & Lupe did they thing, but other than that I’m not really feelin’ this one. The beat was lackluster and Pharrell’s verse just wasn’t that good. This was pretty disappointing. I feel like they just threw this together. Kanye clearly didn’t put as much effort into this song as he usually does. That could be said for all of these G.O.O.D. Friday songs tho. This is okay. 3/5

Track +7: Take One For The Team Feat. Keri Hilson, Pusha T & Cyhi The Prynce (Prod. Kanye West & Mike Dean)

This was the tenth G.O.O.D. Friday release. I’m pretty sure the only song I’ve heard from Keri Hilson is that one that they used to play on the radio thirty times a day that went “Sometimes loooooooooove knoooocks you down. And then you get up and then it knocks you down and then you get back up and it knocks you down and then you get up again and it knocks you down again and then you just get back up and it knocks you down, knocks you down.” That’s basically how it went. This one’s starting now. This beat’s dope. It’s not amazing. It’s cool tho. Pusha T’s on the hook. It’s cool. I actually really liked Kanye’s verse. He sounded bitter as fuck. He’s just talking about a bunch of shit that he hates. Pusha T did his thing. Keri Hilson just had a short bridge. It was dope tho. Cyhi’s verse was dope too. The outro verse from Kanye was nice. I fuck with this. It’s not amazing. It’s dope tho. 4/5

Track +8: Don’t Look Down Feat. Mos Def, Lupe Fiasco & Big Sean (Prod. Swizz Beatz & The Individuals)

This was the eleventh G.O.O.D. Friday release. I’m just gonna go ahead and start it now. Mos Def’s on the hook. This beat is dope. Mos Def’s hook wasn’t bad I guess. I don’t know if I would call it good, but I don’t think it’s bad. Lupe’s verse was cool. This seems like a song about some chick that broke up with her guy, and the guy’s like “Nooooo. Come on.” Kanye did his thing I guess. Lyrically, this isn’t really that interesting to me personally. Big Sean’s verse wasn’t terrible, but I just wasn’t really feelin’ it. His voice is just annoying to me. He had some corny lines in there too. “Man, our vacation was coming next week / Girl, I swear you was a trip, let’s make it a couples’ retreat.” Of course Mos Def didn’t get a verse. This song just isn’t for me. I like the beat, but other than that it’s just not that good to me. The shit they’re rapping about just isn’t that interesting, and none of them really had any amazing lines or dope flows or rhyme schemes or deliveries. It’s just not that good. I don’t think it’s really bad tho. It’s alright. 3/5

Track +9: Looking For Trouble Feat. Pusha T, Cyhi The Prynce, Big Sean & J. Cole (Prod. Kanye West)

This was the thirteenth G.O.O.D. Friday release. The twelfth one is a song called The Joy, which also appeared as a bonus track on Watch The Throne, so I’ll just review that one when I’m doing that album. I would be excited for this song if it didn’t feature Big Sean. Okay, it’s starting now. Pusha T’s on the first verse. He killed it. That verse was great. “Panoramic roof under glass like a coaster / Backseat driver, racial slurs at the chauffeur / Killian loafers / Mikimoto chokes her / Photo-op is priceless, frame our wanted posters.” Kanye’s verse was cool. Definitely not his best. It ended kind of abruptly. It almost sounded like he only wrote half a verse, so he just stopped in the middle. Cyhi’s verse was dope. Big Sean’s goin’ in now. Nope. Not feelin’ his verse. He tried to spit with a double time flow at the beginning, but it wasn’t really working out, so he eventually went back to his normal flow. You can definitely tell that he doesn’t usually do that. About halfway through his verse, he tried to say “Drizzy Drake,” but unfortunately said “jizzy Drake.” Even if you like Big Sean’s verse, you can’t deny that he said “jizzy.” He did. I’m not feelin’ his verse. Definitely gonna have to cut that out with GarageBand. Cole’s verse was dope. I’m sure most people would say that he had the best verse, but if you ask me, Pusha T had a lot more quotable lines, so I personally enjoyed his verse the most. Cole did his thing too. Cyhi’s in third. Then Ye. Sean’s definitely in last. I was not feelin’ his verse… It’s a dope song tho. It might have been dope af if it weren’t for Big Sean. Maybe. I don’t know for sure tho. I fuck with this. This is dope to me. 4/5

Track +10: Chain Heavy Feat. Talib Kweli & Consequence (Prod. Q-Tip)

This was the fourteenth G.O.O.D Friday release. This beat is dope af. Kanye’s on the first verse. He went in. This is great. They’re just rappin’ about their chains. That’s not usually something I would be into, but this track has a real old school vibe. The second verse from Kanye is definitely better. Racism seems to be a strong theme in this song “This is the making of a masterpiece / So we broke out the chains and told the master ‘Peace.‘” Both of Kanye’s verses were dope. Talib Kweli fuckin’ killed that shit. “A couple rappers tried to beef with me nobody scared / Niggas was so fucking corny that nobody cared.” Consequence’s verse was great too. This is really good. This is probably the best G.O.O.D. Friday song so far. Each MC had a great verse, and the production was dope af too. I fuck with this. This is dope af. 5/5

Track +11: Christmas In Harlem Feat. Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Vado, Cyhi The Prynce, Pusha T, Musiq Soulchild, Teyana Taylor & Big Sean (Prod. Hit-Boy)

This was the fifteenth and final G.O.O.D. Friday release for this album. This beat is cool. This is really a Christmas song. Lyrically, this kinda feels like something that could’ve been on one of Kanye’s first albums. Well, it did until he started talking about getting his dick sucked. Teyana Taylor did her thing on the hook. Vado & Jim Jones did they thing I guess. Vado definitely has the worst verse so far. It wasn’t horrible tho. None of this… I mean… This isn’t really something I would normally listen to. It’s cool tho. I definitely think it would be better if they stopped talking about their rolexes and shit. Big Sean’s verse was pretty bad. Cam’ron did his thing. Teyana Taylor & Musiq Soulchild did a good job singing. It’s just not for me. I would probably like this a lot more if they weren’t shoehorning the stereotypical Hip Hop norms into it. I don’t wanna hear about how you got your dick sucked on Christmas eve or about your stupid fuckin’ rolexes. Nobody gives a fuck about that shit. I don’t think it’s terrible, but I wouldn’t listen to it again. It’s alright I guess. 3/5

Final Thoughts:

This album is dope af. It’s definitely my favorite Kanye West album. It really feels like a work of art. This album holds some of Kanye’s best work. There aren’t really any bad songs on here. The production is fucking incredible for the most part. There isn’t a specific problem with the overall album. The production, hooks, verses… It’s all great. I really think that Kanye was at his best with this album. I hope he goes back to this style, or tries to surpass this album with SWISH (EDIT: Again, it’s WAVES now). I mean, aside from Facts, all of the G.O.O.D. Friday releases have been great, so he seems to be on the right track. There’s no reason for anyone to not check this album out. I don’t really see how you could dislike it. Everything about this album just feels huge. It felt like an event. You can tell that this album is special just from the aesthetics. The title alone can let you know that this isn’t an average Hip Hop album. All of the accompanying artwork was dope af. I guess the G.O.O.D. Friday songs leading up to this album’s release weren’t that great, but that was mostly because of the features. That applies to the album itself too tho. I’m pretty sure that everything I wasn’t feeling about this album came from someone other than Kanye. For example, I wasn’t really into the beat for Devil In A New Dress. That was the only track that Kanye didn’t produce at all. It really seems like everything that Kanye did was damn near perfect tho. This album is dope af. You need to check this album out if you haven’t already. You’ve probably already heard most of it, just like I had, but still. Even if you don’t think this album is that good, there’s no way you could think that it’s bad. If it’s not for you, then it’s just not for you. I really can’t find any consistent problems with it tho. It’s dope af.

Favorite Song: Gorgeous

Least Favorite Song: Devil In A New Dress

Verdict:

90%

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