6. Kanye West SWISH
Kanye West seemed to have it all figured out. The release of 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy forced critics to take West's work much more seriously, with the record receiving acclaim across the board, selling ridiculously well and bagging West the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album (many considered it an insulting snub that the record wasn't nominated for Album Of The Year). 2013's Yeezus was the follow up, a much darker, more experimental record that rejected the commercial aspects of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West seemed to be pouring all of his rage and cynicism into the record, and once again it received an absolutely phenomenal reception from critics. It appeared as if West had an intense vision for the future of his music, and didn't mind sacrificing radio play or alienating fans in order to achieve it. Since then, however, West seems to have lost that coherence of vision. Initially, he announced that Yeezus's follow up would release in mid-2014 and would be titled So Help Me God. Mid-2014 came and went, however, and no album dropped. At the end of the year, he released the single Only One (featuring Paul McCartney), which sounded similar to some of the stuff on 808s & Heartbreak. Not long after, a collaboration between Rihanna, West and McCartney was released titled FourFiveSeconds. There was confusion regarding whose song it actually was, and whether or not it was from West's new album. In March of 2015, West released All Day, which had a completely different sound than Only One, much closer to Yeezus. Not long after, he announced the album title had been changed to SWISH. As it stands, it seems like West is struggling to find a coherent sound or aesthetic for the album. Two singles have been released, the name has been changed and there's still no release date, though West has assured fans it'll drop in 2016. After the clarity of vision that made West's last two records so enjoyable, it seems like he might be creatively burned out.
Brian Wilson
Contributor
Commonly found reading, sitting firmly in a seat at the cinema (bottle of water and a Freddo bar, please) or listening to the Mountain Goats.
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Brian