We talk about how Life of Pablo is great, but is it MBDTF great? I hate the which Kayne album is the best question because they are all so different, and 808s & Heartbreaks always comes in last by default. The subject then changes to what is the best Kanye song of all time.
My friend pulls his phone out and immediately sends out this drunk tweet:
Yeah, okay the “I treat the cash the way the government treats AIDS / I won’t be satisfied til all my niggas get it, get it?” line is fantastic, but the debate isn’t that easy, and can’t be argued in 140 characters.
This past February we stood outside of Kanye’s Zine party in Soho, making friends with the kids around us in line who were maybe 19 years old. FADER was there interviewing bystanders on why they love Kanye. One of my friends from college and I began a sidebar conversation on how freshman year was exponentially better with the releases of G.O.O.D. Friday. A kid next to us turns and says, “What are those?” Oh my god how old am I? 2010 wasn’t that long ago was it?
I think about how Kanye’s music has followed me on my journey through life, in the same way an 80 year old man reminisces on the good ole’ days. There was the sneaking of The College Dropout on my camp bus, resulting in my parents making me purchase the edited version of Late Registration. Does Watch the Throne count? Front row for N***as in Paris eleven times was out of this world. One of my friends states that his biggest regret in life was not going to the Glow in the Dark Tour, an obvious mistake as I can remember sitting upfront high on the Graduation album that had been released earlier that year. Junior year of high school we sang Robocop and See You in My Nightmares in the parking lot. I had a professor at Princeton ask my class to analyze We Don’t Care. You know the song for the kids that has that line, “And they DCFS, some of em dyslexic. They favorite 50-Cent song 12 questions.”
My personal experience does not define what the best Kanye song is, but what does? Is it his sampling, producing, lyrical ability, or the fact Kanye can bring out the best in any rapper? Are there people in this world who don’t think Nicki Minaj’s verse on Monster is her best? Is Dark Fantasy one of the best because its opening line previews the incredible journey the next twelve songs are going to take you on? All of the Lights is spectacular, but should I listen to it without listening to the Interlude? Nope.
What separates Kanye West from other rappers is his continued ability to break barriers and defy the unexpected. He is fearless in his expression. Jesus Walks. New Slaves. Countless rants. He sampled Chaka Khan, the rapped over it with his mouth tied shut on Through the Wire. Is it even fair what he did to Desiigner’s “Panda” on Pt. 2? Kanye heard something in that song and was able to send it straight to mainstream. Now we all have “broads in Atlanta.”
This year, “No More Parties in LA” and “30 Hours” were released and suddenly those “I miss the old Kanye,” the “I like pre-Yeezus Kanye” fans returned. The Life of Pablo also gave us “Ultralight Beam.” We knew Kanye felt he was on a God-Level, but none of us expected this kind of God Dream. A God Dream, featuring The Dream, Kelly Price, and he had Kirk Franklin in kneeling in Yeezys on Saturday Night Live. Let us not forget Chance the Rapper who has been vying for Kanye’s attention since day one. Bridging the gap between hip-hop and gospel, Kanye even had atheists making room for Jesus.
Then there’s Runaway, and you remember everything is going to be ok.
It's hard for me to hate anything Kanye does, so this may be a little biased. This track for the movie The Man with the Iron Fists brought out the Late Registration Kanye, the one that we all knew and loved. So if you haven't heard it yet, give it a listen. This song is one to put on repeat.
It's been a minute, but here's Cris Cab's latest visual for "White Lingerie," a song off his RISE EP which dropped TODAY. I'm listening to it now, and it's quality, so give it a listen or buy it off iTunes!
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