Damn it Brofessors i can appreciate a good Brofest but i liked it better when everyone was pissed at Kanye ;)

Yeezus was supposed to be a 2-part project though, originally. At least, that's what the word on the street was. They cut half the material with the intention of following it up with a release at the start of the following year. But Kanye West is incapable of carrying out long term plans like that. Also, Yeezus was such a unanimous critical success (something I'm not sure Ye was expecting, considering the way he talked about the record) that it ended up being a smarter move to let it have its own "era" ... I still wonder what the nixed material sounds like. But I understand all of that. He had an image for Yeezus, and I think it started as more of a "get it off my chest" kind of project.... but when an album gets reviews like that, and goes to no. 1 despite having no real concept and an overtly aggressively anti-populace promotional strategy, you give it its breathing room.

Clearly Kanye is taking letting himself make the calls this time around. I think he's kinda focus group testing the material, trying to make sure it's taken seriously.

But he needs to get #FACTS off that album. Seriously. Unless it's a bonus track or some shit... Why the hell would he fuck around with the warm reception by tacking on what so many people agree is his worst song ever?

#KeepFACTSOffPablo.

Kanye bringing us together. Sorry SFAD. Love you too, son.

Y'all watching SNL right...?

"High Lights" Was sort of underwhelming on SNL for me.

Too many folks on the stage. Too much autotune. Felt clumsy.

But them network censors must've been having a panic attack, huh? haha.

It was good. Not great. I mean y'all seen Kanye do "Power" on SNL? That was incredible.

maybe it's cuz I worked in a record store from 18-25 yrs old.... but release dates were awesome when they were strict. They were an event.

Even some years later, I remember going to pick up Carter III on my lunch break and running into other dudes looking for the copy w/ the bonus EP.

I remember even days when Smashing Pumpkin's Zeitgeist or Weezer's Red Album came out and guys being out there crowding to pick up albums... I miss that.

Now it's like "oh well, the album's not finished so I don't know... it'll be done in a few days, and I'll upload it to iTunes whenever." Sucks the fun out for me.

Yeah, I feel you.

I used to work for a marketing firm that was a hop skip and a jump from one of the best record stores around, and I went and fetched albums on my lunch break all the time.

It's a different era now. I'm living in a small town for the first time in my adult life and I am actually thankful for iTunes and online purchases because there is no record store here. Just a few major chains like Walmart and Target, and WalMart censors everything so, being a fan of hip hop and punk and obscure shit, I've quite literally NEVER purchased an album there. And target often doesn't have new albums when they're released. So I'd be looking at an e-copy no matter what.

Still, I'd love it if this thing was available for mail order on CD and LP, because I'd be all over that shit.

Apparently Chance is finishing up something on the album. Not sure what. But ye's saying the delay is his fault. Poor Chance. I'm loving Chance right now.

no don't get me wrong. I adore Spotify/etc because that's what I use on the daily.

Just miss the anticipation of serious "street dates."

Chance is a beast tho. Yeah.

Wait, people lined up for Zeitgeist?
The Red Album I can kinda believe... I guess... but... Jesus. I've never hears anyone mention that record except for online zine writers who turned it into a punchline.

That's crazy man.

Now i know how all the Jewish kids feel

No I get it. I actually still buy hard copies as often as I can, but usually I make iTunes purchases these days and put them on my iPods and phone. I use Spotify mostly as a reference. I don't actively listen on it because I really like the idea of owning the music in some capacity. I know, #artshouldbefree and all that, but it makes me feel committed and invested.

I'm never going to be into idea of streaming only.

I totally miss release dates too. It's a ritual from my childhood that means a lot to me. Example: waiting in line for Vs. in '93? That was Fucking exciting. That was epic.

Hey NR, check YouTube or something and find a stream of "Ultra Light Beams"

I think you'll like it. It's definitely got a somewhat "beatless" vibe to it (there's a beat, but... you'll see), plus the choir is anthemic. Also listen to Father Stretch My Hands pt1 and 2. Killer gospel sample on that track. Just phenomenal. Very powerful.

I missed SNL. Was watching SPECTRE with the lady.
Wish I'd watched SNL.
...

Yeah, I love SFAD too. He's an important part of the café. Also he's hilarious.

It's out on Tidal

Yeah this is the same album as the stream. I'm not impressed. Worst Ye album to date.

This album is a compilation of random demos to me. Real Friends and No More Parties are the only songs that feel complete.

You know, the name Waves actually fits this album a lot more now that I came down to think about it. Those songs are like waves. They are short and they just come and go.

Some of those "waves" are bigger than others but they don't stick with you upon hearing them.

Swiish.. swooosh.

Aw goddamn. God morhetfucking dammit man.

I'm still totally down with this shit yo. Waves is soooo hype.30 Hours kills now that's it's fully mastered!

You know, even FACTS goes hard. I still hope it ends up being a bonus track, because I just don't care about ye's shoes or Nike or whatever, but aside from the lyrics (really the only thing that needs to change is that "Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over jump man line" because ... It's just a Drizzy rip. Yeezy doesn't rip off anyone.

I'm really sad that you don't like it.
I can tell you were trying to get yourself pumped back up about it.

So my theory (which I now believe in even more than I did before- think I positively nailed that one, and probably will end up writing a piece about it so I can sue the shit out of anyone who comes to the right conclusion late :) ) .... I'm guessing it didn't help? Didn't give the album any cohesion or perspective?

I posted that for you my man. I've found that sometimes other people's perspectives can really alter the way we feel about music. Obviously, reading bad reviews never helps much, but hearing interesting views from people that frame the music in a new way can really be worth a lot.

Was crossing my fingers that my stupid tirade would get you a little hyped up.

I'm sorry dude :(

I don't feel that the songs are incomplete. I really don't.

But ok, confession time... When Yeezus first came out, I liked "On Sight" and "Bound 2" but everything in between -- speaking here in terms of content, because the production and samples were always dope as hell-- everything kinda made a giant question mark balloon pop up over my head.

I remember playing it for my girlfriend in the car, talking about it, sounding super excited, and genuinely being excited, but I was trying to talk myself in to liking it. I've never admitted that before, but there it is. It felt like SUCH a Fucking mess compared to its predecessor, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the greatest hip hop album ever made and the greater album of this century. It even felt weak compared to WTT and Cruel Summer.

But as time passed (and it only really took a few days, maybe a week tops) the record started to take form around my life. I started to understand what it meant to me personally, and if I'm being honest that has always been a bit of a long process with Kanye albums for me. I didn't fully accept Late Refistration until at least a couple years ago. And The College Dropout took even longer.

The only album that grabbed me by the balls the first time around was Graduation.

Someone writes about this in that NPR piece I posted... You guys should really read that... I think it's one of the first writers. She says that as is the case with all Kanye albums, it's going to take her some time to figure out exactly what it means to her, so what she was writing was just her immediate impressions.

I truly hope that you come to like this album louder. I really do. I know how much you love Kanye, and if I didn't like this, I'd be really fucking depressed.

Tidal? Pfft.

Sev, the Zeitgeist thing - it WAS the first SP album in a long time. Y'know? Cuz Billy did his solo LP and Zwan for a while. So I think it was the start of some 90's nostalgia.

IDGAF. I bought it that day. I heard another guy blasting it at a gas station. It's probably their worst album, but I still like a lot of it. Shrug.

Ok, so for me.... These songs all qualify as absolute top tier Kanye:

Ultra Light Beams (5/5)
FML (4/5)
30 Hours (5/5)
Real Friends (5/5)
Waves (5/5)
Wolves (5/5)
No More Parties in LA (5/5)
Feedback (5/5)
Highlights (4/5)
Father Stretch My Hands pt. 1 & pt. 2 (5/5)
* Famous (5/5) (despite the Swift lyrics, this song makes me tear up during the chorus... Fucking Rhianna covering Nina Simona with a "Wake up, Mr. West" shoutout? Unbelievable!!)

All of these songs kill it. I love them. I LOVE them.

The rest I'm on board with. Though I'm still praying that FACTS is only here as a Tidal exclusive or some shit. Everyone get on Twitter and type: #KeepFACTSoffPablo

I'm sorry dude, I didn't realize you liked the record. I shouldn't have been an ass about it. I'd never judge you for the music you like. Dude, I genuinely like several Coldplay songs. That's gotta be the most embarrassing thing for a self styled music connoisseur to admit. A Sonic Youth, Aphex Twin, VU and Beatles freak who *legitimately* loves several songs by fucking COLDPLAY?

Well, I've got my own "bad Pablo" and he's a fucking Coldplay semi-fan.

Sorry man

Ok so I'm rocking out to new final version of 30 Hours, and Kanye says "this is just a bonus track, all my favorite albums have bonus tracks and shit"

I think tracks 11-18 might be bonus tracks. Which would be a shame for dope ass songs like 30 hours and No More Parties, but it will make the album longer (dope) without letting FACTS fuck up its awesomeness.

my wife makes fun of me for liking Coldplay songs haha.

Yo "Shiver" is still awesome!

My favorite moments:

• All of Ultralight Beams. Chance's verse, oh my Fucking God ... yes this also makes me cry.
• Rhianna's chorus in "Famous" (not gonna lie, I cried during that "I don't blame you much for wanting to be free - Wake up, Mr. West!) ... Cried like a goddamn Say Anything fan)
• All of Real Friends... the coda, where the sample morphs a bit and gets even *more* morose... oh yeah, I also cried during this part, for the millionth time :)
• No More Parties in LA - all of it. None of it makes me cry, but it's the hottest all out RAP track I've heard since "The Blacker the Berry" dropped. And it's better than "TBTB" because it's gotcha boy on it.

sev, your pm's are full. 50 is such a bullshit limit. Here's my pm, publicly, since nothing all that private was being discussed...


honestly, "new" SP is not even SP. It's just Billy's solo project. Which is what SP was like 75% of the time, but...

But a lot of it is just really mindlessly good. I don't have to think about it. It sounds comfortable to me.

Macklemore - I don't hate the guy. But yeah, he's such a... did you ever see the episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm where Ted Danson donates anonymously to a museum? But then he tells everyone it was him. So everyone's talking about how great he is for donating anonymously and Larry's like "that's not anonymous! Everyone knows!"

Anyway, my sort of obsessions go in weird eras. I never know what I'm gonna be in the mood for. And sometimes it's so GD random. I remember that like 2007-2008 I was really into Eminem, SP, Zappa, Animal Collective and YNQ. A few years later I was hoarding Lips stuff and Weezy mixtapes. The past couple years was mostly 90's hip hop. The last year it's been jazz. But even I don't know. I could be pulling out Everything Is Wrong next week and it wouldn't shock me.

For me it's parts of X&Y and Viva La Vida. I mean, who didn't turn up "Talk" when it was all over the radio in '05? It was like early U2. And "Speed of Sound" was all kinds of awesome. Frank Ocean covered "Strawberry Swing," which is dope. And "Lost" is a great song, as is "VLV." I also like "Yellow" and "Every Tear Drop..." So yeah. I'm lame as hell.

Sev I still think your theory was on point. This album was all over the place, it had a little bit of CD, Grad, 808s and Yeezus.. I think the lyrics suck but they are probably truer to Kanye's personality than the more complex lines on MBDTF.

What I hear is a mess. A lazy album with a lot of untapped potential. It's the first year where a new Ye album won't be in my favorite albums list and it hurts me to the core.

Now i feel good again

I'm glad to have each and every one of you in this thread. Difference of opinion makes this thread more interesting!

LL Cool J Reveals Kendrick Lamar Has Something "Controversial" Planned for His Grammys Performance
http://www.complex.com/music/2016/02...or-the-grammys

Tomorrow! Looking forward to it. Gonna be amazing!!

One of the few witty and clever moments on the album.

Man I thought the lyrics on Yeezus were intentionally bad (at least it had good lines as well, and the bad/corny lyrics weren't as bad as they are here.. they also worked because of the way they were delivered. This time Ye hit a new low). But this album makes me question things and see Ye in a slightly different light.

This album is basically the hip hop version of Keeping Up with the Kardashians. All flash no substance.

Examples:

Been listening to that nonstop since The Life of Pablo was first announced..

MALIBU is my favorite album of the year so far. Anderson Paak is the real deal. Needs to drop the dot from his name though..

Blame Game is so ridiculously brilliant. The odd voices... The chris rock... The afx...

My fav of the year so far too.

I don't think I could possibly disagree more.

There are examples of "bad" lyrics on all of Kanye's albums.

This record sounds so goddamn extraordinary to me that I feel grateful for the 3 year wait. If that's how long it took to get this down, then I wouldn't have it any other way.

Wow, you're jumping to that conclusion pretty quickly.

Even if I hated this record, I'd spin it for a week straight before I made any statements about its quality.

I'm actually surprised that it hit me like a slug to the chest on first listen. That's not how I usually process Kanye.

I think the album is loose, for sure, and it's a strange mix of sacred and profane, of positive and negative emotions and sentiments, but I can't believe you hate it so much. Really, man. Compared to so-so homies like Future, like Drake, this album sounds like the most original and vibrant thing I've ever heard.

I get that you're not happy with it, but I hope it grows on you. I really do.

Pleas don't say that it's got you looking at other Ye albums and questioning how you feel about them. That's insane man! Even if the album is just plain bad ... Why would that have any impact on his other albums?

You've said it yourself, the man has done what no other artist in god knows how long has been able to do. A decade of non-stop innovation, ever uncreasing quality, pure brilliance. Even if you're right and this album is the runt of the litter, why would you hold that against the rest of his work?

You can't expect him to be perfect forever. So I'm begging you: please, hate the album if you have to, but don't write off a decade of excellence just because he finally dropped an album that you don't think is excellent.

That's not fair to you or to Ye.

I didn't care much for The Eternal, but did that change anything about SY's musical legacy for me? Fuck no. The Eternal is a great album by normal standards. It's just not a DDN/Sister/Washing Machine level masterpiece.

So go easy bro.

You recently said that you thought the lyrics on Yeezus were overlooked!

I don't think they're bad. I think they're brilliant. For that album. Had they come up on MBDTF or LR or Graduation, I would have been like "what the fuck?" But for the vibe and feel of Yeezus, which is basically a hip-hop noise punk album, it works beautifully!

That's the thing. You're disappointed because this album doesn't have the same lyrical depth as MBDTF. But neither did any other album. Everything he's done has been almost incomparable to everything that's come before it.

It's pretty clear to me that he's done something new yet again. And I feel like the lyrics work. (Don't quote FACTS because as I said, he claims in the final take of 30 hours that "these are bonus tracks" ... Do you count "See Me Now" as a part of MBDTF? Cause if so, that's not a perfect album.

The lyrics to me work very well within the context of this album. And I don't think they're bad! I think the music is absolutely electrifying and I wish I could crawl inside your brain so I could understand how this isn't the most satisfying thing he's done since 2010.

The Life of Pablo will be its own chapter. Its merit will be determined by how it affects us over time. Give it the same courtesy you've given the rest of his work.

Not trying to be a dick here, I just think you're going to regret saying some of this stuff. This is a Kanye album! It sounds like a Kanye album. And as a result of being a Kanye album, it's different from all other Kanye albums.

Sleep on it and re-evaluate. But don't you dare pull a revers Severian on me and turn into a hater overnight. Give it a chance. I know the world moves fast these days, but I'm talking about a real chance... Let it sink in for a while.