ye
Kanye doesn’t shy away from darkness or drama on his eighth solo album, written and recorded while holed up with an extended circle of friends and collaborators amid the snowcapped mountains encircling Jackson Hole, Wyoming. As expected, he mentions recent controversies—including that notorious “slavery was a choice” comment—and possibly sparks some new ones, name-dropping the #MeToo movement and Stormy Daniels. Even those headline-grabbing asides, however, don\'t overshadow what are arguably the most candid lyrics of Kanye\'s career. His mental health is a constant theme: Kanye confesses to suicidal and homicidal thoughts within the album’s opening minute, then admits he’s bipolar on “Yikes”—but proclaims the condition is “my super-power…ain’t no disability.\" He praises wife Kim Kardashian for standing by him through \"the worst times” (“Wouldn’t Leave”) and reveals how his daughters have changed his views about women (“Violent Crimes\"). Like G.O.O.D. Music president Pusha-T’s *DAYTONA*, released a week prior and produced by Kanye in Wyoming, the album has just seven songs, most under four minutes—his most focused and concise project yet, even with yet another impressive, sprawling guest list (Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla $ign, Nicki Minaj, Charlie Wilson). And the production, as always, is often remarkable: Kanye’s political beliefs may have changed, but his ear for skillfully chopped-up samples and uplifting, gospel-informed vocal arrangements hasn’t.
Kanye West’s stint in Wyoming created an album born from chaos for chaos’ sake. Though it can be somewhat fascinating, it is undoubtedly a low point in his career.
In a way, Ye is what everyone wanted. The word “Trump” appears nowhere on the album. Kanye only acknowledges his risible claim that “slavery was a choice” obliquely, and with regrets (“I ain’t finna talk about it another four centuries”). He doesn’t attempt to fit the hateful rhetoric of his YouTube thought leaders in…
Kanye West’s modestly formed eighth record is a meditation on marriage, mental health, and addiction. Read the NME review of 'ye'.
Flashes of genius hide behind the unrelenting horror on Kanye’s eighth LP
Kanye West continues the most controversial period of his career with a wildly uneven 23-minute album, titled 'Ye.'
Kanye may have set himself an impossible task trying to redeem himself through music from the past year's shenanigans, but with this new album it's like he didn't even try
When Kanye West declares "It's been a shaky ass year" on 2018's Ye, it's an understatement.
So, did he pull it off? Did Yeezy create a masterful enough LP to redeem himself after his recent alt-right screeds? No, of course he di...
Two weeks ago I didn’t want to hear a new Kanye West album. I’ve been a fan since I ordered an imported copy of ‘The College
As a chronicle of living with mental illness, Ye is Kanye West’s most unsparing work to date.
It's been almost two months since Kanye West's return to Twitter, and my ears have not stopped ringing from the sheer volume of the conversation...
The world’s most talked-about rapper is bracingly honest about his mental health struggles – though his attitude towards women still needs work
While the troubled megastar is tender, warm and devoid of ego, the old Kanye hasn’t completely left us
Suicidal ideation, greed, marital strife and paternal sexual obsessions as entertainment: just another day chez West. CD New Music review by Jo Muggs