by Vic D
Conceptually, Yeezus isn’t groundbreaking by any means. J. Cole released Born Sinner on the same day, with equal intentions of sharing an artistic purge of personal demons. But where Jermaine attempts to rationalize his vices empathetically, Kanye allows his vices to dizzily unravel through his music, the avenue through which Yeezus excels.
‘Ye wastes no time admitting “a monster about to come alive again” over Daft Punk’s house-tinged opening track “On Sight”. This song plays like the initial rush of a drug before the album begins to spiral & dissolve into an almost frightening setting sonically. While lyrically there’s, arguably, some left to be desired, Kanye’s production is riveting, engaging, and intentional sparing no slack. Every sample, sound effect, bridge, & feature serves a distinct purpose, leaving the aftermath a layered and heavy experience with much to dissect. ‘Ye rehashes the “Blocka”-intro/hook for “Guilt Trip”, “I Am A God” is completely maddening and tense while pinching from Capleton’s “Forward Inna Dem Clothes.”, and “I’m In It” has a furious verse from Assassin; all exceptional Dancehall moments. “Blood On The Leaves” is an amalgamation of so many components that don’t belong together, but proves absolutely genius exploding into the infamous horns of “Down 4 My Niggas” then shrinking back to the ghastly chant from “Strange Fruit”. Chief Keef’s drunken candor was raw and truly an honest fit as was CuDi seamless placement. “Send It Up” is the banger of the album that I’m not too crazy about, but more so because it doesn’t sound great smashed between “Guilt Trip” & “Bound 2”, which, by the way, is a heavenly outro and a figurative coronation of sorts.
If I wasn’t attempting to be concise I could write about this album all day. I honestly was not looking forward to the project and actually was throwing a lot of shade at it (check my Twitter), but this is high art. Yeezus transcends the boundaries at which we define Hip-Hop and has been received quite negatively despite it being musically brilliant. To the perceptive ear, this is a masterpiece and an imminent classic. Mark my words.
