Kanye West - Yeezus Review

rating: 4

Even after all this time, when discussing Kanye West, it is difficult not to speak about the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and his infamous on-stage incident with Taylor Swift. In the immediate aftermath, many predicted it would be the moment that brought an end his mainstream success. Instead, it was the moment which re-energised him from a professional perspective. Prior to the incident, his 2008 album '808s & Heartbreak' had brought about a drastic change of style. It featured slick production and well-crafted songs, but it divided opinion somewhat. His core audience, up until that point, had been used to hearing a very different style on his previous three albums. What '808s' did provide, however, was a solid base to move forward from. Its influence on West's subsequent work is now obvious. In the aftermath of the VMAs, Kanye produced the critically acclaimed 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', as well as a collaboration album with Jay-Z, entitled 'Watch the Throne'. While Kanye West's public image had been damaged, in the recording studio he was delivering some of his most solid work to date and the music-buying public responded positively. He was, for lack of a better word, 'forgiven'. In a recent interview, West said that 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' was him giving in to peer pressure and apologising for his actions. If that is the case, then 'Yeezus' is Kanye West at his most defiant. If 'MBDTF' was asking listeners to accept him back, 'Yeezus' is telling listeners exactly why they were right to. Like with '808s & Heartbreak' almost five years ago, 'Yeezus' marks a dramatic departure from West's previous work. If listeners are hoping for a logical follow-up to the introspective 'Dark Twisted Fantasy', they may be disappointed. Instead, the album presents us with an incredibly aggressive streak and dabbles with interesting new genres, including industrial and progressive rock. Another notable change is the album's production style. In the past, Kanye West has built up a reputation as one of hip-hop's elite producers, working with some of the industry's top stars and handling the production of his own albums as well. On this album, he only has production credits on four of the album's ten tracks. 'Yeezus' opens with a series of songs produced by Daft Punk, including 'Black Skinhead', which is one of the album's highlights. Few moments on the album hark back to 'MBDTF', although 'Hold My Liquor' includes another feature from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. It is a less measured album; at times it can even feel dis-jointed and there are a few occasions where, lyrically, the album falls short. However, pure rapping has never really been Kanye's strength and the dis-jointed nature of the record fits with its overall rebellious tone. In the build-up to the album's release, Kanye described its style as 'minimalist' and it is. There are only ten tracks and most of them last less than four minutes. It is certainly less obviously ambitious and grandiose than much of his back catalogue. But it is also, in many ways, a more challenging listen. To say it falls slightly short of 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is no real insult. 'Yeezus' is a very strong album in its own right and will further cement Kanye West's standing as hip-hop's biggest rock star and enhance his reputation as one of the genre's most talented artists.