The recently released "Life of Pablo" by Kanye West has finally been released to Apple Music and other popular music streaming services. This marks the eighth studio album by the artist you either love or hate. With that being said, I’ve decided to look back on his music career and discuss what Mr. West has taught the world.
Beginning his career, West used a theme of school and the “Dropout Bear” for his first three albums. Titled "College Dropout," "Late Registration," and "Graduation," these albums capture a variety of topics, from sex ("Slow Jamz"), to commentary on society and foreign affairs ("Heard Em Say" and "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"), inspiring and uplifting tracks ("Champion" and "Good Life") and more. In these first three albums, West defined his identity as a rapper that can hit a range of subjects.
In "808s & Heartbreak," West captures the emotion of love and heartbreak from many angles. His heartbreak is caused by many things, including loneliness and unrequited love. He also discusses females’ distrust and over stepping the boundaries of a relationship in “Robocop” and “Paranoid.” He uses auto tune and a combo of hip hop and pop to create an album that further diversifies his image. Next was the critically acclaimed "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy." This album deals with themes such as the American Dream and the price of celebrity. It is uniquely crafted and is accompanied by disturbing and abstract album cover art work.
"Watch the Throne" combined the talents of Kanye West and Jay-Z. It contains powerful, booming beats with lyrical wizardry. "Yeezus" introduced the world to the “god” that is Kanye West. This album was filled with songs that seem pointless, but provoke thought when examined close enough and includes a beautifully executed sample from Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit.” Finally, "Life of Pablo" is the gospel touched-album that takes you to a new form of church. It follows the theme of Kanye being a god, or at least thinking he is, to this generation of music.
Kanye West has shown society two important things. The first is what it looks like when you love yourself above all else. He is the epitome of self-confidence and displays a devil-may-care attitude in the high-profile settings. Looking at his actions in the most positive way, he teaches us to live life like you can never fail and even if you do, who cares what others think? The second life lesson from Kanye is that your identity to others is always changing. Kanye West was a rapper who spoke to everyone about life in a jubilant yet dark tone. Then he transformed as he captured the painful feelings of heartbreak and celebrity. From there he became the flamboyant god on his tracks that speaks with immense confidence.
He has become a figure in pop culture. Being synonymous with self-confidence and the face of numerous memes on social media, it is hard not to hear something about the life of Kanye West.
