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Also, hey, louder.. I think I've figured out the album's overarching concept. I know you said it felt a bit all over the place, but I've got a theory I want to run by you:
I've been thinking on this since we learned the name of the album, but it really started to click when NR posted that crazy cover (?) with the family photo and the ass pic with the words "WHICH/ONE" all over it. So here goes...
I think the album is about Kanye's life and legacy, and the duality of his identity. People have been asking "which Pablo? Escobar? Picasso?" and I think that question is the key. I think the album is about the dichotomy between Kanye the parent/man of God/family man/good person/social activist/positive influence/genius/artist/son of Donda West" and Kanye the "crazy bastard/misogynist/sexist/aggressive/possibly drug addled/controversy making/fuckwad son of a bitch" with the main theme being "WHO AM I?"
I think certain songs and lyrics represent the former, and others represent the latter. My idea is that this is actually a high concept album that is quite literally supposed to be "THE ALBUM OF THE LIFE" of Kanye West. I think that's what he meant whene he said that. Not that it's the best album ... of... life... or whatever because that doesn't even make a speck of sense, but that it's actually the life of Kanye in song form.
That line you mentioned before:
"if I fuck this model,
and she bleaches her asshole,
and I get bleach on my t-shirt,
will I look like an asshole?"
... I think it's supposed to sound absolutely ridiculous and shallow and stupid, because in that verse Kanye's playing the part of Kanye "Escobar" (for lack of a better term), while lyrics like
"I guess I get what I deserve don't I? Word on the street is they ain't heard from him,"
and
"Pray for Paris/pray for Iran
This is a God dream/this is everything
we are on ultra light beams"
... is Kanye playing the part of Kanye "Picasso" (again, for lack of a better term).
I think it's a very big picture, meta-concept album in which different parts of Kanye's personality, identity, history, etc. are "played" by Kanye and others over the course of an album that's supposed to let the listener decide "WHICH ONE."
Maybe Chance's stellar verse is supposed to be the "good angel" on ye's shoulder, or possibly a younger Kanye.
Notice that this is the first album in almost a decade to use the phrase "Wake up, Mr. West!" and to refer to being "on time" or "late". To me that's supposed to get us thinking about the whole story, and what we're going to believe, how we're choosing to see Kanye. Is he Pablo Picasso? The gifted dreamer, lover, troubled genius we know from the early years... Or is he Pablo Escobar? The Twitter war waging, materialistic dick-pick sending sick son of a bitch we see in the media and frequently on tracks from the last two albums?
I think he's acknowledging that he's a little bit of both, and "WHICH/ONE" represents him better has yet to be determined.
I know someone's probably going to take me to task for overthinking stupid rap music, but this is how the album sounds to me. I actually believe this is the concept of the record. I'm sure when the final album is released, it will be easier to tell if I'm onto something here, or if I'm just full of shit and have completely missed the mark.
So... thoughts?
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