Yeezus Kardashian Album Thread (6.18)

[FyHunnit]

The intro is ear wrenching to me.

On Sight from 1:12 to 1:30 just sums up why I wasn't feeling the album.

At the 1:12 point, Kanye is practically saying 'i don't give a fuck' and proved it by randomly dropping a sample... That was my first "WTF?" moment. The song up to that point already had bland lyrics, and a struggle hook.. That random drop just felt unnecessary. I couldn't help but notice other "unnecessary" shits throughout the album.

 

[SheerExcellence]

if any of y'all like saul williams Niggy tardust, i wonder how you feel about this kanye album

 

[za'kiss]

The most ironic thing out of all of this though is how the defenders of this album are trying to make like the critics are close minded hip hop heads that aren't open to new experimental sounds.

When in actuality saying such a thing just goes to show that you guys are the close minded ones. There's so much fresh experimental hip hop out there right now that it's insulting to act like this album is the first to tread into that territory or that people that dislike this album aren't privy to the other stuff that's out there.

How does defending this album commit me to saying there aren't any other experimental rap albums? It doesn't. Just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I don't think there's other experimental rap out there. And just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I think you're close minded for not liking it.

The critics of this album are too sensitive. They think every defense is an indictment of their intelligence and musical tastes. But it's not. It's a defense of one's own. There's a difference.

 

[Baw$3$mok3.JR]

@LeChic should post in the reason more

 

[(ob)Scene]

The most ironic thing out of all of this though is how the defenders of this album are trying to make like the critics are close minded hip hop heads that aren't open to new experimental sounds.

When in actuality saying such a thing just goes to show that you guys are the close minded ones. There's so much fresh experimental hip hop out there right now that it's insulting to act like this album is the first to tread into that territory or that people that dislike this album aren't privy to the other stuff that's out there.

How does defending this album commit me to saying there aren't any other experimental rap albums? It doesn't. Just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I don't think there's other experimental rap out there. And just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I think you're close minded for not liking it.

The critics of this album are too sensitive. They think every defense is an indictment of their intelligence and musical tastes. But it's not. It's a defense of one's own. There's a difference.

If you didn't say it then obviously I'm not talking to you... there are people that have said those things in this thread so if the shoe doesn't fit then don't put it on.

 

[SheerExcellence]

suck a dick all u bitch ass mf'ers

if u aint a bitch ass mf'er then i aint talking to you

if this shoe don't fit u don't put it on

 

[za'kiss]

The most ironic thing out of all of this though is how the defenders of this album are trying to make like the critics are close minded hip hop heads that aren't open to new experimental sounds.

When in actuality saying such a thing just goes to show that you guys are the close minded ones. There's so much fresh experimental hip hop out there right now that it's insulting to act like this album is the first to tread into that territory or that people that dislike this album aren't privy to the other stuff that's out there.

How does defending this album commit me to saying there aren't any other experimental rap albums? It doesn't. Just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I don't think there's other experimental rap out there. And just because I think this album is good that doesn't mean I think you're close minded for not liking it.

The critics of this album are too sensitive. They think every defense is an indictment of their intelligence and musical tastes. But it's not. It's a defense of one's own. There's a difference.

If you didn't say it then obviously I'm not talking to you... there are people that have said those things in this thread so if the shoe doesn't fit then don't put it on.

Hard to tell when you say "the defenders of this album" and I've been doing the most of that in the past two pages. I'm a defender of the album and responded because it looked addressed to me. But you're right, the shoe doesn't fit me. And that's kind of the point. My guess is that it doesn't fit many people in here. Most of the defenders of the album (that I've seen) have been more in line with what I've been saying.

 

[za'kiss]

suck a dick all u bitch ass mf'ers

if u aint a bitch ass mf'er then i aint talking to you

if this shoe don't fit u don't put it on

It's just the internet homey. Don't catch feelings.

And man up and call out who you're addressing. Of course the shoe doesn't fit anyone when you're wrong. That don't mean you're not going around being wrong about me. It's your job to clarify who you're talking to duke.

 

[Lab Baby]

will.i.am actually did make an album like this. (I hate myself for knowing this) The Black Eyed Peas's The End was one of the first hip hop albums that had electronic beats of that nature, sampling artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Adam Freeland. They had two songs speaking on consumerism and world peace (Now Generation and One Tribe, respectively). The only difference was they didn't have the lo-fi sound or the juxtaposed samples. That album got shitted on by everyone. If we can call will.i.am wack for producing that, we gotta be consistent.

Can't say I agree man. I've got that album and I actually like a few songs off that joint, but it's sonically a very different album from Yeezus. First of all, the album is rife with melody. There are catchy hooks, melodic singing and samples on nearly every song.

Take "Meet Me Halfway" for instance. It samples the guitar-line from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs as you mention. This ambient guitar line and dance-beat rhythm gives the song a very strong New Wave feel (Yeah Yeah Yeahs are a post-punk band which is closely aligned with New Wave). New Wave and House aren't the same, although there's also a House influence here. New Wave is far more romantic, ambient, and melodic (think The Cranberries). Yeezus draws on a more stripped down, almost tribalistic and abrasive sound. There's no melody, very little harmony, and the syncopation mostly isn't danceable. This isn't exactly a dance album, although it's very electronic.

By the way, I like "Meet Me Halfway" and other songs off this album. It's not bad. But it doesn't really sound anything like Yeezus. The only real relation is that both are influenced by electronica and synth.

True (btw, the YYYs are one of my favorite bands... Mosquito is my shit right now). But what made people so quick to shit on the Peas for their album, but at the same time give Kanye a pass? When that joint came out, ain't nobody was tryna sit there and learn music history and critique it. They just called it wack and kept it moving. And ironically they ended up starting a trend that would be followed for the next 3 years. Shouldn't they get credit for being trendsetters? And aside from the new wave/industrial difference, there's still a lot of similarities between The End and Yeezus I can point out. For one, the content. Aside from the 2 songs from each album, they weren't talking about much. The Peas were criticized for this, but went ignored when Kanye did it... even going as far as calling it "braggadocios". All I'm asking is why are both these albums being treated differently, even though they have the same approach? BTW, I'm indifferent about The End cuz I'm still salty about their obvious sell out moves... shit, I think I just answered my own question.

 

[usmarin3]

I was playing Kanye's album at my crib and three UFO's crashed in my back yard.

 

[StillFaggyAF]

I don't necesarily agree with @lechic but she should post more in the reason

 

[SheerExcellence]

suck a dick all u bitch ass mf'ers

if u aint a bitch ass mf'er then i aint talking to you

if this shoe don't fit u don't put it on

It's just the internet homey. Don't catch feelings.

And man up and call out who you're addressing. Of course the shoe doesn't fit anyone when you're wrong. That don't mean you're not going around being wrong about me. It's your job to clarify who you're talking to duke.

sarcasm, study it.

 

[JDSTAYWITIT]

I wonder how you niggas would have received all of these "hipster" "white people" reviews had them shits been negative ...lol .... The bias is too easy to read in some of y'all's post ... All you gotta say is ..that's coo they think such n such ... I don't agree ... And leave it at that..But niggas gotta go all out of their way to find some cop out excuse or rationalization as to why the albums getting good reviews .... That makes niggas arguments seem mad desperate and as if you gotta grasp for straws since you don't have any confidence in your own opinions..

This is kind of a contradiction. You responded to me because I was saying that a mock up review was overblown, yet you are trying to dictate how people are negatively responding to the album.

The bolded statement could also apply to people who think positively of the album. There's post in here disagreeing with people who don't think so positively of the album. Instead of saying "I disagree", they are posting reviews to negate the statement. It's the exact same thing that you are speaking against. They are passing off reviews (professional opinions, but still an opinion) as fact.

People who like the album are also going out of their way to rationalize why people don't like the album.

It's a contradiction? Why? How am I trying to dictate what people think? Because I'm questioning their logic and rationale? That's normal adult shit bruh ...if you have your thoughts together coherently it shouldnt be a big deal ...it's not about trying to change anyone's mind ...it's simply about me seeing what made them get to their destination... Are people even thinking before typing or are they just emotionally and irrationally ranting .. I'm trying to have decent discourse ...but you can tell when a persons argument starts to fall apart or dosent make sense tht they're just ranting and not thinking ...which is funny

Who's passing off critics reviews as empirical facts? Lol ...the only fact about a reviewers write up is that it's an opinion ... The reason I posted those reviews was to simply show that other people liked the album and its not crazy to think the shit is good like some individuals on here were trying to frame shit ... To be honest I ain't read nan one of them shits ... I just knew that by posting them I would be able to see who the emotional incoherent people were(@stew @bawse..etc) and who the logical and reasonable people

Were ...personally and I'm not speaking for anyone else .. A review shouldn't dictate how you feel about a piece of music ..I mean as an adult you should be able to make your mind up independently ...their opinions while valuable and useful to the overall discussion (especialy if reputable) are just as much up for questioning as anyone else.. It just should be done in a intelligent and reasoned fashion ..That's why I told you wayyyy back that if you were going to criticize the write up you should do it from a more Objective standpoint because if would give your arguement more validity ..

 

[Stew]

Everytime I listen to On Sight I can't help but laugh.

Yo str8 up lol every single time. Like these niggas was really in the studio jammin to this shit and was like "Yo niggas this gon be track #1, we gonna fuck up the game with this shit son" lmao foh Kanye

 

[SheerExcellence]

Yeezus

yeezus

yeezus

this shit is the perfect album

 

[Lebong James]

What a great album. After I am a god everything is epic

 

[za'kiss]

sarcasm, study it.

My fault.

 

[za'kiss]

True (btw, the YYYs are one of my favorite bands... Mosquito is my shit right now). But what made people so quick to shit on the Peas for their album, but at the same time give Kanye a pass? When that joint came out, ain't nobody was tryna sit there and learn music history and critique it. They just called it wack and kept it moving. And ironically they ended up starting a trend that would be followed for the next 3 years. Shouldn't they get credit for being trendsetters? And aside from the new wave/industrial difference, there's still a lot of similarities between The End and Yeezus I can point out. For one, the content. Aside from the 2 songs from each album, they weren't talking about much. The Peas were criticized for this, but went ignored when Kanye did it... even going as far as calling it "braggadocios". All I'm asking is why are both these albums being treated differently, even though they have the same approach? BTW, I'm indifferent about The End cuz I'm still salty about their obvious sell out moves... shit, I think I just answered my own question.

The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are dope. Loved their first album. "Sacrilege" from the new album is great.

As for the reaction to The End on the IC, I can't comment on that. I don't post here very often and I didn't see the response to that album. My guess is that the overall level of musical criticism has deteriorated over the years, as you suggest. I was a member back on the old forum circa 2001-2005 (transition to new forum deleted all my posts), and back then you had a lot more cats that were down for more serious musical discussion. From what I've seen you just don't get that same level of quality these days.

In regard to the differences, I don't see any industrial influence on The End, not really. It's got House, but more Euro-centric influenced House, New Wave, and dance pop. Kanye's album, in my eyes, is really neither a dance album nor very pop (it's significant that he's drawing on more black musical influences). There's barely any melody, although there's a little soul here and there with the sampling. This gives the album an overall darker and more abrasive tone. This is why the lyrical content on the album has more serious weight, in my opinion, than The End. Secondly, from a purely technical standpoint, the rhyme schemes, metaphors, punchlines, similes, flow, and overall content is just weaker, watered down, and let's face it, whack on The End. It's got some good tunes in terms of song structure and musicality, but lyrically the album is awful to me.

Most of the songs on The End are just straightforward dance songs that are mostly about sex and partying. No complexity there at all. Kanye's lyrics have more layers of articulation, narrative structure, and with much more nuance and irony (not saying it's anywhere near a Nas or Tupac, but it's certainly miles ahead of a will.i.am). You mention "New Generation" but that's not a very sophisticated song to me. It's supposedly mocking the "me generation" and consumerism, but in a very simplistic and obvious way by talking about iPhones and twitter or whatever. Kanye's album deals more with problems of the perception of black identity for black celebrity culture, reconciling the history of black oppression and persecution with the aspirations, expectations, and disappointment that follows the illusory rise and success of the modern black entertainer. And you're right on the credibility front. BEP clearly sold out to pander to a certain sound and certain demographic to make money. Kanye's been wrestling with the same types of themes and questions his entire career, although it's evolved with reflections on his personal experiences and struggles.

 

[JDSTAYWITIT]

smh.

this thread shows me who is musically incline and who just listen for the beat to drop.

not a terrible album because there are few gems. however, its very sloppy musically, the blends are horrible to the transition to the beat.

those mags are filled with hipster writers who think "new" shit is interesting.

this album isn't innovative, refreshing, or new. its mentally tiring to hear and dechiper because of the chaos he is going through personally.

What you don't like a out the transitions chuck? I mean I ge you think they are sloppy and all but how do you mean? And how could they have been done different?

musically the transition doesn't make sense. as in the original song plays then another song jumps in and your ears are like wtf.

there are no smooth transition in most songs on this album.

you can definitely tell that it was rushed, with no true direction, no new thought due to his repeated lyrics, rhyme structure, and flow.

he need more time.

well he's been working on this album since nov. sooo 9 months shouldve been enough time t o make an album .

he is now one of those artists that can take a two-three year break and work on a masterpiece for an album.

this chaotic album is a reflection o f his personal life. pretty sad shit.

I got you... What songs you talking about in particular? Or is it just the whole thing in its entirety?

the whole album. its extremely chaotic. its like listening to a schizophrenic on a record.

I got you

 

[SheerExcellence]

yeah yeah yeahs!

dont think i ever seen them mentioned on this forum before

were u the person who mentioned niggy tardust?