This idea of reconstruction is a pivotal fixture of rap music, with artists often lamenting past wrong-doing as a means of progressing and improving oneself – Kanye and Kid Cudi are often seen as big players in this style of writing, and the consistency and clarity of communication in both projects validates that opinion to a very high extent.ĭespite the strong introspective basis for a lot of the subject matter in both albums, it begs an interesting question. The idea of hitting rock bottom to climb is intertwined within both albums destroying to rebuild. KSG‘s “Reborn” is also pivotal to this development – with both artists using their experiences as a source for development and growth. KSG definitely leans more-so into the mental health angle, more than likely brought about by Cudi’s presence on the album, following his release from rehab.ĭespite the subject matter, both projects look to these issues as sources of triumph and growth, most poignantly expressed by “Ghost Town” and “Freeee” (Ghost Town MKII as it seems), the latter particularly punchy as the shouts of ‘I FEEL FREEeEEEeee’ echo in the ears of listeners. The thematic nature of both albums has a semblance of overlap, with Kanye still ruminating upon the consequences of fame and fortune, while coming to terms with his own mental illness – his ‘superpower’ to quote the man himself. Luckily, most of the albums released thus far have been consistent enough to uphold the standard required for a such a tight project. So each one really has to make a statement, as opposed to just furthering the concepts and themes explored in the album. Personally, I am quite a fan of the less-is-more approach, because each song has so much more significance tied to it. There has been critiques and questions raised about this length, with most albums only barely scraping past 20-something minutes. Where Ye was soulful and smooth, KSG is psychedelic and distorted, with lurching instrumentation and a wide array of effects and modulation that only accentuates the darker tone of the project.īoth albums weigh in at the magic number of 7 songs – a trend maintained throughout the Wyoming release cycle. This difference in the social climate of this release reflects an initial separation between these albums, and this is only the beginning. In the case of Kanye, he would be successful regardless, because as much as he was declared as ‘cancelled’ when he came out in support of Trump, the same fans were likely crowded around an iPhone watching the live stream – whether it be out of support or just pure morbid interest.Ĭomparatively, Kids See Ghosts was less tinged by the Kanye-rant era, due to his partnership with Kid Cudi – which kind of acted as a mitigating factor for the hype, and allowed a greater focus on the project as a whole the shitstorm had subsided when compared to the flurry of discourse surrounding Ye.
It begs an interesting question: is someone whose beliefs are seemingly at odds with the basis of the art forms he operates in, able to promote those beliefs and remain successful? One of the main elements to this release was the discourse surrounding Kanye’s recent social media presence, jumping between yelling about Republicans, his theories on slavery, and tweeting random thoughts like ‘I be taking naps’ fans were left confused about, or disappointed in, what Kanye had to say. Ye was soulful, eclectic, and much more introspective than first anticipated, with beautiful sample work and some typical Kanye-tier one liners that are equal parts absurd and catchy (there are other ways to prove you can focus on two things at once). Ye was the first true Kanye project to come from the Wyoming era, and was met with relatively high acclaim, excusing some scathing reviews from Pitchfork, that still rated the album higher than what they said in the body of the review. Following the meteoric success of Pusha T’s Daytona, the focus shifted to Kanye’s solo album Ye, and his collaborative project with Kid Cudi.
The recent Kanye West release schedule has brought happiness to skinny jean wearing hipsters, and serious hip-hop fans alike.
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