I hadn’t bought new music in so long. I’ve been writing much much more. I feel as if it could possibly get somewhere pretty great if I really keep pushing. But I needed to pick up the Yeezy album after hearing it in entirety over the weekend. (Part of the absence comes in seeing so many movies at the Plaza Classic Film Festival. Part of me wants to write about some but part of me says not to, either way, awesome thing they have here) I heard it and was so sad I couldn’t finish all of it right then and there! It’s mind-blowing the strength that Kanye West blows into all of his albums. It’s no wonder why both the aficionados and lame masses can combine in really admiring West’s skill, this time with Jay-Z. So here are some songs from it until more digesting can be done.
By now many have probably already had enough time to blast “Otis” and hopefully we can sort out how stunning it is. The liner notes say ‘featuring Otis Redding’ and well, Jay-Z starts off by saying “sounds so soulful don’t you agree?”— and later on he asks “I guess I got my swagger back?” Hell yeah. You’d think that the bitterness of haters would tear at you til it took over (they can really be annoying as hell) but instead, West’s ability at placing the perfect samples, the perfect hooks and aligning them with something both fresh, refreshing and simply sublime – there’s nothing but genius going on here. Picking apart the way they each rap within each other’s spectrums, playfully borrowing ideas and chantingly singing together, “What more can I say?”, there is absolutely nothing but greatness going on here. Or something the other, here is “Otis,” officially:
After the ornately lush ending to “Made in America” (where the strings are left to bounce against the backdrop with absolutely zero support) there’s a brief half second pause before the intensity of “Why I Love You.” It’s fair to take the immediately catchy chorus and throw it out there:
“ooooh, I love you so but why I love you, I’ll never know…”
The ooooh is pretty important, too, because it just screams of emotion. Many of us live our lives with sordid relationships that never reach that maximum output and whatever it may be, the longing for more is felt. It’s like a wicked kind of love that teases you while never fully satisfying you at the same time either. Here you take Jay-Z and Kanye West rapping in between this hyper-melody that features Mr. Hudson’s maddening vocals and a celebratory, 80s-flowing drum machine. There are so many lyrics that jump out at you; part of the album’s greatness is how well Jay and Yeezy compliment each other. And here they are rapping about how people are fake and how the closest ones to you will tear at you when you’re least looking. It’s sad, really, how jaded we allow ourselves to get and they never cease to mention how we’re all human, all filled with flaws. There’s one line where Jay-Z questions, “What do you do when the love turns to hate?” and West quickly replies “(Gotta separate from these fuckin’ fakes).” Here they are breaking down life and relationships and showcasing their stronger-than-ever unity (The Throne) – they’re both amazingly flashy – but amazingly great, no doubt. – Bryan
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