Kanye West, Ye | Album Review 💿

Kanye West raps about family, mental health, and his controversial year among other topics on his brief, polarizing album, ‘Ye.’

“I hate being Bi-Polar it’s awesome.” The bipolar quote graces the album cover artwork for Ye, the seven-track album – rather mini-album by the ever-polarizing, egomaniacal, self-described asshole, Kanye West. Apparently, that’s the mental condition that he was diagnosed with. Throughout his career spanning the 00s and beyond, West has been a pop culture fixture.  That’s been perfectly fine when he’s used his status to wow musically, with rap masterworks such as The College Dropout (2004), Late Registration (2005), and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).  It’s ‘not-been-so-good’ when West asserted (1) President “George W. Bush doesn’t care about black people”, (2) crashed Taylor Swift’s VMAs speech (he also interrupts Beck at the Grammys), or (3) his 2018 faux-pas, embracing a ‘chief’ polarizing figure, President Donald Trump, and (4) asserting slavery’s a choice. #Bad Mr. West.

Leading up to Ye, West has done a great job of putting himself squarely in the center of controversy. It would seem that this has been intentional, truly confirming the self-described ‘assholery’ of “Power.” How does his mental health itself tie into his behavior?  Apparently, the version of Ye delivered to listeners isn’t the original – he scrapped an entire new album, following what could colorfully, but accurately be declared quite the ‘shit-show’. Now the question is, is Ye even worthwhile?

“I Thought About Killing You”

Ye starts off with a bang – rather off-putting – with the bluntly-titled “I Thought About Killing You.” This is creepy, particularly if you’ve read about the mindset of psychopaths and serial killers. During the spoken word portion, one has to wonder what Kanye West is thinking.  Is he really exploring premeditated murder or does this tie in with his bipolar disorder?  The most sensible answer is he’s referencing his mental health.  He goes on to rap one big verse, incorporating ample wordplay, referencing how others describe and view him, as well as how he views himself.  It’s odd, but certainly interesting, if for no other reason than attempting to get into his headspace.

“Shit could get menacin’, frightening, find help / Sometimes I scare myself, myself.” “Yikes” addresses his physical and mental state head-on on the hook, which kicks off the second song from Ye. As catchy as the hook is, it’s his rhymes on the verses that deserve the most attention.  On the first verse, he references TMZ and takes a shot at Russell Simmons regarding #MeToo.  On the second, he references his stint in the hospital, Drake/Pusha T, North Korea, Wiz Khalifa, and Martin (!). On the third and final verse, he references his Opioid addiction, citing icons Prince and Michael Jackson, in addition to mentioning Gandhi and Abercrombie.  Safe to say, “Yikes” keeps the bipolar nature of Ye front and center.  What a trip.

“All Mine” 

“All Mine” shifts from mental and physical health to infidelity and sex in general.  Notably, it features uncredited appearances by Valee performing the chorus (“Get to rubbin’ on my lamp, get the genie out the bottle”), as well as a verse from the ubiquitous Ty Dolla $ign.  The Ty Dolla $ign verse sets the tone sexually, prior to West rapping about women he could cheat with (Kerry Washington, Naomi Campbell, and Stormy Daniels), as well as blaming “Christian Mingle thots” for nearly causing Tristan Thompson to be single. Okay… The line sure to have everybody buzzing comes at the end of the second verse: “I love your titties, ‘cause they prove / I can focus on two things at once”. No words.  On verse three, West gets sexual – not a great look.

Uncredited appearances continue on “Wouldn’t Leave,” which brings PARTYNEXTDOOR and Jeremih, not to mention a brief appearance by a choir and Ty Dolla $ign. “Wouldn’t Leave” is much kinder and gentler compared to the over-sexualized “All Mine,” including the production work as well.  There’s a warmth regarding the sound that contrasts the sketchier, coarser “All Mine.” On the first verse, Kanye West reflects on his faux pas, his wife’s reaction (Kim Kardashian), and how he asserted, “Told her she could leave me now, but she wouldn’t leave.” On the second verse, he seems to incorporate his mental state and flaws into the picture once more, stating, “When I’m thinking like George Jetson / But sounding like George Jefferson.” At the end, there’s an outro that finds West reflecting on hurting his wife, which may come from his heart… you decide if it’s genuine or, um, corny…

“No Mistakes”

More star power shines on “No Mistakes.”  The intro arrives courtesy of Slick Rick (“Believe it or not”), while Charlie Wilson and Kid Cudi appear on the chorus.  West, with just one verse to his name, is all over the place, generally the case on Ye.  Even so, everybody can get behind the fact that “it’s been a shaky-ass year” for him in 2018, much of which was brought on by himself.  2016 wasn’t great for him either. Arguably, the best part of this record is Wilson’s robust, soulful pipes.

Kid Cudi actually shines more on the album’s penultimate cut, “Ghost Town.”  The sound of this record serves as its best attribute, with its throwback, soulful, gospel sampling. PARTYNEXTDOOR reappears for the first verse, notably slurring his words at the close.  West again drops only one verse, and he doesn’t even rap – he sings.  In addition to the sound of the record, the extended outro, performed by 070 Shake, is a defining feature.

070 Shake returns on closer “Violent Crimes.” So does Ty Dolla $ign – again uncredited.   West, once more delivering just one verse, focuses on wanting to protect his daughters.  That includes “Don’t do no yoga, don’t do Pilates / Just play piano and stick to karate.” The mellow production is a fitting backdrop, lying somewhere between urban contemporary and contemporary gospel.  The harmonic progression is lovely (all you music theory nerds like me).  The Nicki Minaj contribution arrives at the end, but don’t expect to be wowed – it’s an outro and she speaks four lines.  No “H.A.M.” collaboration like “Monster” unfortunately.

Final Thoughts

After listening to Ye several times, it’s a project that remains polarizing listen after listen.  Analyzing the lyrical content while listening sheds ‘more light,’ still, that doesn’t eliminate the polarizing effect or skepticism of given moments.  To Kanye West’s credit, he gets personal, which is respectable.  Also, with Ye being ‘all over the place,’ it definitely fits the bipolar concept.  But merely throwing bipolarity as the concept and not completely tying the album as a whole together isn’t enough to make a truly great album.  Furthermore, a seven-track, 23-minute project leaves a lot to be desired, particularly from an artist that’s been as prolific as West has throughout his career.  Ye has its moments, but fails to be cohesive, commercial, or as memorable as his best, full-length LPs.  

Gems: “Yikes,” “Wouldn’t Leave” & “Ghost Town”

Kanye West • ye • Def Jam • Release: 6.1.18

Photo Credits: Def Jam