Kanye West’s "Yeezus"

A Track-by-Track Review

Kanye West’s sixth studio album, Yeezus, was meant to go where nothing in hip-hop had before.  The album was promoted by showing videos on buildings as well as performing in front of live audiences.  Although these were unique ideas, Yeezus still felt like it snuck up on us.  Fifteen days before the due date, ‘Ye asked for the help of producer Rick Rubin, who would strip down the record to achieve a minimalist approach.  Kanye also was said to have completed the lyrical components in somewhere around two weeks.  These were abnormal tactics, but would the final product push boundaries as planned, or just push people away?

On Sight- “Holllllyyy!”  This was my reaction the moment I heard the opening seconds of Yeezus.  Kanye was on some other stuff when he made this.  The song is strangely interrupted with a change in the beat, but soon after returns to the original beat, which is a recurring theme on the album.  The beat is out-of-this-world crazy, but at the same time somewhat catchy.

Black Skinhead- Kanye did not produce an official single before the album release date, but this song may serve as a hit commercially.  I heard it in a preview for Leonardo DiCaprio’s upcoming film The Wolf of Wall Street, early this summer, and it sounds amazing in a theater.

I Am A God- Yes.  Believe it or not, Kanye did include God as a featured artist on this track.  Here, ‘Ye compares himself to God, while also acknowledging the importance of God:  “I know He the most high.  But I am a close high.”  He views himself as being very important and influential to the music scene; almost as if he is a god.  The song uses a lot of medium-to-high pitched synths, a low bass beat, and the egotistical proclamations we have all grown accustomed to.

New Slaves- Here, Kanye says blacks are the new slaves for several reasons, all of which ultimately relate to money.  It has deep meaning… but enough to justify Kanye calling his second verse “the best rap verse of all time”?  Preposterous!  It is not surprising, though, coming from a guy who never shies away from an opportunity to share his opinions. (Taylor Swift knows best.)  After all, as he said, he wears his “heart on a sleeve.”

Hold My Liquor- Chief Keef and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon on the same track!?  Only Kanye.  “Hold My Liquor” has Kanye battling his inner demons and addressing the dangerous effects drugs and alcohol can have on relationships.

I’m In It- In this song, the relationship theme continues, but is much more sexually explicit.  Justin Vernon continues to make his imprint on the album as he and Kanye are developing quite a repertoire of songs together.  Assassin provides an aggressive hook and his Jamaican touch makes it all the more memorable.

Blood On The Leaves- This is one of the more aurally pleasing beats on the album.  Kanye samples Nina Simone’s cover of Billie Holiday’s song “Strange Fruit.”  This song is an ode to past relationships as Kanye talks about what could have been.  It has captivating piano playing in various parts of the song throughout, as well as an intense brass beat, heavy synthetic percussion, and auto-tune effects.

Guilt Trip- “Guilt Trip” is about moving on from a relationship.  Kid Cudi is featured in the song, so of course it has a somber feel to it.  Originally, this song was intended for Kanye and Jay-Z’s Watch the Throne album, but the style did not match well.  The auto-tune-heavy track fits better on this experimental album.  It should also be noted that the rising synths in this song are sampled from Steve Miller Band’s classic, “Fly Like an Eagle.”

Send It Up- “Send It Up” begins with featured artist King L boasting about how great of a club banger the song is.  On the contrary, this is nothing that will get anyone up and dancing.  If you are going to skip a song, this would be the one.

Bound 2- The last track on Yeezus contains elements of Kanye that everyone has grown to know and love.  This soulful sample makes for a distinct sound reminiscent of his past work.  The song uses Charlie Wilson on the bridge in what feels pleasantly familiar, yet arguably unrelated to the rest of the project.  It is a nice song in and of itself, but it sounds like the end to a different album.

Yeezus is different… and if you don’t like ‘different’, you will not like Yeezus.  Kanye tapped into the realm of house music and was inspired while in Paris, where he recorded part of the album.  It is not a traditional hip-hop album, and you must absolutely keep an open mind.  It takes more than one listen to fully grasp what Kanye is trying to accomplish here.  Hopefully, instead of turning people off, this album encourages others to seek complete creative control of their marketing and their music, and to not feel like they need to restrict themselves to a single, defined genre.

Jay-Z's "Magna Carta... Holy Grail"

A track-by-track review:

Jay-Z is one of the most recognizable names in entertainment, and when he aired a three minute commercial during Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals, he garnered the world’s attention.  The commercial contained beats that seemed like eventual classics, especially because some of today’s best non-classical producers worked on them.  Everything about Magna Carta was to be special… but does it live up to the hype?

Holy Grail- This title track definitely sets the tone for the album.  Although the highly anticipated speaker-bursting downbeat from Jay’s three minute commercial is not fulfilled, “Holy Grail” is a song that begs to be played over and over.  It is not the flow of Jay-Z’s lyrics, but the simple piano before the beat drops in addition to the crooning of Justin Timberlake on the ever-captivating hook that makes this song so easy on the ears.

Picasso Baby- The beat in this song immediately commands your head to bop.  The lyrics are sort of boastful, but rightfully so.  The best example is at the end of the song where Jay claims to have artistic abilities that establish him as “the modern-day Pablo… Picasso, baby.”

Tom Ford- Get up on your feet and dance. That is what “Tom Ford” wants you to do.  Jay is a rare case of someone rapping and staying relevant past the age of forty.  This is an example of why he is still very much respected because he is able to connect with a younger audience.  This song is also a cool way of discouraging kids from popping the popular club drug known as molly.

F***withmeyouknowigotit- Rick Ross fans: Unfortunately, the self-proclaimed ‘Teflon Don’ doesn’t utter a single “uhhh” on this track.  He does, however, deliver a memorable verse that creates a smooth transition into Jay’s verse.  This beat continues with a dance feel like the last song.

Oceans- The mood of the album is mellowed with this darker, slower track.  Frank Ocean adds another chorus that you will be humming well after the remaining time hits 0:00.

F.U.T.W.- Magna Carta has been consistent thus far in that every beat is enjoyable, and it doesn’t stop here.  For the first time, though, there isn’t much of a hook or chorus.  We finally get straight rapping, and there are no disappointments.

Somewhereinamerica- This song talks about how old money (people who inherited money) looks down on new money (people like Jay-Z, who made a fortune himself).  Jay-Z rubs it in their faces, though, as he brilliantly observes that times are changing and the same young white girls all over America who come from privileged families are the ones that support him and contribute enormously to his paychecks… Hence the memorable reference to Miley Cyrus.

Crown- The chorus and verses of this song are clearly meant to show that although people will always try to put you down, you must keep your goals in mind and pay no attention to the haters and doubters.  Jay-Z has created an entire money-making empire (mostly outside of his lyrics) and has proven that it is possible to exceed expectations.

Heaven- “Have you ever been to heaven?”  This thought-provoking question, among many others, is brought to our attention.  According to Jay, it’s not his belief that “a just God will make you burn for eternity for free will that He gave you.”  Having been through a lot of struggle and turmoil early on in his life, Jay has made significant strides in righting his wrongs and transforming his life into one of meaning… and that’s all he can do.  Besides, in the end, “only God can judge us.”

Versus- This interlude is Jay-Z being real about his worth, success, and fame as compared to his peers and fellow rappers. 

Part II (On The Run)- We all know that when the ultimate celebrity couple decides to hop on the same track, it will be golden.  To no surprise, this follow up to “03 Bonnie and Clyde” is that and more.  Beyoncé does her thing on the hook, with Jay going in on the track.  This song about love and how two people would do anything for each other is my personal favorite on Magna Carta.

Beach Is Better- This is an interlude about money, Beyoncé, and everything Jay-Z has that nobody else does.  It has the makings of a great song, but is inexplicably cut short.  Rumors are that Jay will make an extended version, though, so stay tuned.

BBC- “Billionaire Boys Club” is full of stars.  Beyoncé, Jay, Swizz Beatz, JT, Pharrell, Nas, and Timbaland are all on this track.  It is heavily influenced by Pharrell, which is the main reason it has been compared to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.”  This is the most disappointing track by far, given the cast.

JAY Z Blue- Here, we have recognizable lyrical content from none other than The Notorious B.I.G., along with Jay-Z in his most vulnerable state.  This song displays an aspect of paranoia, as a man who grew up fatherless tries to learn how to treat a woman and raise a child.

La Familia-Jay-Z adjusts his flow to this slower beat.  If you look up the lyrics, you can see that Jay is finally addressing Lil Wayne’s latest shots at him.  Once again, there is no hook here.  It is strictly rap.

Nickels And Dimes- This is the final song on the album.  According to Jay-Z himself, it is about dealing with charity; family included.  He gives money to people back home all the time, knowing he has no control over the end result of that money.  He wonders, “…at what point are you enabling [people] and causing more harm than good?”  This is yet another song that just allows you to spend some time in thought.

The musical aspects of Magna Carta do not live up to the hype.  Lyrically, it is what has become expected of Jay-Z:  Well thought out double and triple entendres that require more than just a single listen to fully understand, provided to us via his awkward yet enjoyable flow.  Although the beats are solid, they hardly push boundaries as one would expect.  The marketing for this album was genius, and should be used as a model for future hip-hop albums to continue to write the new rules, as Jay-Z said in his commercial.  While it is far from the greatest hip-hop album I've heard, Magna Carta is definitely something that I would ride to.