Yeezus
Genre: Industrial Hip-Hop
To say that Kanye West is a controversial figure is the same as saying Lady Gaga's fashion choices are only slightly questionable. However, that doesn't mean the man can't produce a mean beat, smooth rhyme, or earwig hook. Yeezus is no different; in fact, it's the best material West has ever produced.
While many critics and other reviewers describe West's lyrics as evidence of his persecution complex and seemingly anti-white political views, I read into them differently. While Twisted Fantasy made many references to Kanye's own faults, the lyrics on Yeezus see him move from self-deprecation to full-on misanthropy. West has an issue with humanity, it's failings and hard truths the subject of nearly every line. The best examples here are "New Slaves," which obviously points out America's prison system as racist, but also includes sly references to how rap culture feeds the system, creating a vicious, never-ending cycle of poverty and oppression; and "Blood on the Leaves," which uses the classic West sampling technique overlaying his own relationship study on top of Nina Simone's rendition of "Strange Fruit," a song about lynchings in the 30's-era American South.
If Kanye's lyrics are something to marvel at, then the music over which he rhymes is beyond comparison to anything else in Hip-Hop. Here he makes good on his statement from years before where he named Trent Reznor and Thom Yorke as inspirational figures. The instruments and samples are loud and angry, distorted by overblown fuzz and walls of static. "Black Skinhead" is clearly the masterpiece here, warping background vocals to the point where they sound like guitars, drums pounding louder and faster than anything from 808's. The production is stellar, the effects are mind-blowing.
Here's a controversial statement for you: If you thought Kanye was the new Michael Jackson, you're wrong...Kanye's better than Michael Jackson.
No comments:
Post a Comment