Click HERE to stream this album on Apple Music

This album was released on June 1st this year. I streamed the listening party at midnight even though I had to wake up early for an appointment with my therapist. It was originally titled “TurboGraphx16,” and then some people were saying it was called Everybody Wins. Some people even thought it would be called Wyoming just because the listening party took place in Wyoming. It’s crazy what fans will think of when you give them enough time to speculate. Nobody knows what Kanye’s thinking aside from Kanye, so I wasn’t really interested in all the controversy surrounding the project. All I knew was this shit was about to be fire.

I Thought About Killing You produced by Mike Dean & Kanye West
Yikes produced by Mike Dean & Kanye West
All Mine featuring Valee & Ty$ produced by Kanye West, Mike Dean & Francis & the Lights
Wouldn’t Leave featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jeremih & Ty$ produced by Francis & the Lights, Mike Dean & Kanye West
No Mistakes featuring Kid Cudi & Charlie Wilson produced by Kanye West, Mike Dean & Che Pope
Ghost Town featuring 070 Shake, John Legend, PARTYNEXTDOOR & Kid Cudi produced by Kanye West, Mike Dean & Trade Martin
Violent Crimes featuring 070 Shake, Ty$ & Nicki Minaj produced by Kanye West

The first song is pretty good. The production is nice & dreamy; on my first listen, I got really excited when I heard the beat switch up. It’s probably the most relatable Kanye song I’ve ever heard. He revealed that he’s suicidal in the “premeditated murder” spoken word intro. His flow was nothing special, but the production was cool, and the lyrics about mental health disorders really hit home. That shit he said about it being a superpower was really empowering to me. Yikes has a really catchy hook, and his flow wasn’t bad. It’s loaded with quotable lines.

I done died and lived again on DMT.

When I was in the mental hospital, I met a rapper named Maxed Out who’s trying to sign with Strange Music. He told me that he tried DMT, died, and then came back to life. I don’t know why I felt the need to tell that parable lol.

The high pitched vocals from Jeremih on All Mine are great. I can already tell that it’s gonna be one of the most popular songs from the album. Wouldn’t Leave was a lowpoint for me to be honest. It’s not bad, but it was a tad bit slow for my taste. It’s dedicated to loyal female companions. That’s cool. I think my biggest fear in life is being cheated on by the one I love. The song itself is just decent to me though. I probably won’t be returning to it very often. The minimalistic production didn’t really impress me. Not that it was bad. No Mistakes is way better. I love the sample he flipped, and the background vocals from Charlie Wilson are incredible. That motherfucker can seriously sing his ass off. It’s a really short track, but it’s dope. Ghost Town is the only track on the project that really stands out as being exceptional in my opinion. The additional vocals from 070 Shake really pushed it to the next level. Cudi did a decent job too. It’s the most captivating track on the album sonically, and that’s coming from someone who normally dislikes electric guitars. Mike Dean did a hell of a job. It kinda reminds me of Graduation. It sounds like it could be played in a stadium. I’d love to see this song played live. I love the weird laser sound effects that came in during 070 Shake’s outro. It’s a phenomenal song.

Violent Crimes is a great outro. The hook from 070 Shake—she really did a fantastic job on this album—is dope, and the verse from Kanye is pretty good too. He raps about how he used to be a misogynist until he had a daughter. It’s the idea that the most perverted, objectifying men are cursed with daughters who will go on to be objectified. It’s kind of a fucked up perspective.

Father forgive me; I’m scared of the karma
‘Cause now I see women as somethin’ to nurture
Not somethin’ to conquer

At least he’s learning. The production is heavenly. The Nicki Minaj feature was completely unnecessary. It’s just a voicemail message, suggesting that she wrote a few of the lines in Kanye’s verse. I’d be lying if I said it really bothered me though. The song is great.

This album is good. Just good. Not great. Musically, it’s not that different from The Life of Pablo to be honest. It just has a theme of mental health rather than the biblical themes that were on the aforementioned album. On first listen, I think I was just excited to be hearing new music from Kanye West. However, once I looked at it from an objective viewpoint, I realized that he didn’t really do anything that he hasn’t done before with this album. It’s still pretty good though. I don’t mind the short length. I’d rather have 7 great songs than 20 mediocre ones. It’s dope.

Favorite Song: Ghost Town
Least Favorite Song: Wouldn’t Leave

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