There is no doubt that Kanye West has become one of pop culture's favorite villains. His newly released album "The Life of Pablo" came out the day before Valentine's Day of 2016 on the Tidal music-streaming app. It gives listeners a cryptic peephole view into his personal life and mind as a man, a “genius” and artist. Seemingly inspired by the life of Pablo Escobar, the infamous Columbian drug lord but according to Kanye St. Paul of Tarsus, a Catholic Saint (“Pablo” in Spanish) was his real inspiration.
The album begins on an inspirational note with the song "Ultralight Beam." It opens with the audio of a 4-year-old preaching gospel. The song features Chance The Rapper as well as a feature from Kirk Franklin. Yes, you read that right; Kirk Franklin the gospel man himself did a feature on Kanye West’s album, that one threw all fans a curve ball. This is not the first time that Kanye has included a song like this on an album; after all, he did make "Jesus Walks." In the aftermath of the media frenzy Kanye has been causing, the last thing listeners expected to hear was Kirk Franklin’s warm words of encouragement on the very first song of the album. Overall, this song is upbeat and feels good to listen too, it was a great way to start this rollercoaster ride of an album.
Next up, we hear "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" featuring Future and Kid Cudi. This song is one of my personal favorites, with these three artists on one song it is a pure eargasm from start to finish. The beginning of the song perfectly fuses Future and Kid Cudi’s voices together for a burst of flavor in your ear. The hook “I just want to feel liberated, if I ever instigated I’m sorry” sounds like words of apology, but of course in true Kanye fashion, is it really? FSMH Pt.1 continues with a song called "Pt. 2."
The 2009 VMA’s still feels like it was yesterday. “Sorry Taylor but Beyoncé had one of the greatest videos of all time” left America in a pop culture uproar. Seven years later Kanye still refers back to one of the lowest points of his career, which is obviously what inspired the most controversial song on the album, "Famous." “I feel like me and Taylor still might still have sex, why? I made that b*tch famous,” are the lyrics that have recently sent pop culture into pandemonium once again, the fans of Taylor Swift in Particular. Songs "Feedback" and "Highlights" also give a huge stroke to Mr. West’s ego but are clever nonetheless. Leave it to Kanye to create the catchiest songs about his own achievements.
"I Love Kanye" is the ninth track on "The Life of Pablo," and is only one verse. It is a pokes fun at the comments often made by fans “I love you like Kanye loves Kanye.” A very laughable 44 seconds of the album.
My personal favorite on the entire album is "FML" featuring Grammy award winner The Weeknd. It gives listeners the same kind of dark Kanye we hear in his fourth album "808’s & Heartbreak." The Weeknd was a perfect feature for this dark and emotional tune. “They wish I would go ahead and f*ck my life up, Can't let them get to me and even though I always f*ck my life up, only I can mention me” is the perfect hook for Kanye’s IDGAF anthem. An additional favorite of mine is Waves featuring Chris Brown. It gives listeners perfect nostalgic feeling.
"Real Friends, No More Parties In L.A.," and "Wolves" provides listeners with the real on what it is like in the celebrity world from Kanye’s point of view. He even reveals that a family member blackmailed him by stealing his laptop that had explicit videos and tried to sell it back to him for $250,000. How crazy is that? About as crazy as we expect Kanye’s life to be.
Despite Kanye’s eccentric lyrics, sporadic outbursts of anger on social media his music is always riveting. He is among the timeless musical artists and rappers that we will always remember because his music is unforgettable. "The Life of Pablo" is a great addition to your music playlist. “I love being a voice of freedom when so many people are scared to speak up” Kanye tweeted, “The world needs a guy like me. The world needs somebody to not be scared and tell his truth.” So, is "The Life of Pablo" worth the listen? I vote yes.
