When an artist self-titles an album, they're most likely introducing themselves to the vast world of music. These albums, particularly ones like Gorillaz (2001) Burial (2006) and The XX's xx (2010) have a tendency to add or change something to a genre we thought we knew all about, while simultaneously making sure we remember who did it. So for an artist whose career is overshadowed by a dark cloud of ego and elitism, "ye", one of Kanye's monikers, as a title seems odd but not unexpected. Everyone and their cool uncle knows Kanye West for better (his music) or worse (his controversy). However, if his latest album speaks for who "ye" really is in 2018, that cloud may finally get a little brighter.
This is because "ye" is Kanye's most personal album since 2008's "808's & Heartbreaks". It fits in that same vein of albums as Frank Ocean's Blonde and Kendrick Lamar's DAMN., where artists step away from the formula of their genres to craft something that's near-autobiographical in nature. In West's case, he takes a step back from his own grandiose genre, particularly from his bolder albums (Yeezus, The Life Of Pablo) and prehaps the album he was reportedly creating to provide us with a more retrospective take on his life, especially the past year.
In ye, this is reflected frequently in West's lyrics on "Yikes". With references to his infamous TMZ interview (“turn TMZ to smack dvd huh”), his experiences with psychedelic drugs ("Tweakin', tweakin' off that 2CB, huh?", "I done died and lived again on DMT, huh") and the implications of his emotional highs, ("This the type of high that get you gunned down") which could link to the response from his controversial comments from the past year, including those about Trump and slavery. Lyrically, Yikes' standout is West's outro which sees him speak about his bipolar disorder, "That's my bipolar s**t, n***a what? / That's my superpower, n**** ain't no disability". While many have called his discussion of bipolar disorder problematic, now having it associated to the persona of someone as controversial and problematic as West, I see it as progressive; especially from the standpoint of a person as successful as Kanye openly talking about it in a song and calling it a "superpower", viewing it in a positive light and a contribution to his success.
As proved by Pusha T's Daytona, Kanye is at his best when producing and ye is no exception. Being a retrospective look into Kanye's life, the album's production certainly mirrors this. It's neither 'old Kanye' or 'new Kanye', but something in-between that feels familiar and sounds new. While "All Mine" starts off with a similar minimalism to the album's first track, it's second half spontaneously drops some bold, distorted stabs reminiscent of the heavily electronic Yeezus. "No Mistakes" and "Ghost Town" share that same soulfulness and sampling work Kanye exhibited in his earlier work, as well as The Life Of Pablo, that avid fans had been waiting to hear for so long. Even the distinct mellowness of 808's is reflected in "Wouldn't Leave", a more honest track themed around West's battle between "free thought" and the public's acceptance of this, particularly his wife's acceptance.
Past lyricism and production, the secret weapon of ye is it's features. It's no Life Of Pablo, but with PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jerimih and Ty Dolla Sign featured just one of seven tracks alone, it continues the trend of Kanye working alongside the best collaborators and yielding the best results. Although no track proves this better than "Ghost Town" featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR, Kid Cudi and 070 Shake. The opening sample and its transition into it's instrumental come together to create a feeling of triumph that feels rewarding after hearing the more sensitive songs that come before it. While PARTYNEXTDOOR and Cudi's vocals fit perfectly to it's soul-sampling beat and the nostalgic tone, the real star of "Ghost Town" is 070 Shake, who is also featured on Pusha T's "Santeria" and ye's "Violent Crimes". Her lyrics really evoke the themes of nostalgia with lines like "We're still the kids we used to be" as well as encompassing the album's idea of moving on from the past, namely with "I put my hand on a stove / to see if I still bleed / and nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free". Her bold vocal style also pieces into the track's vibe with ease, lifting it up it from an ode to happiness to a chant of victory.
Overall, "ye" may not have been the album we thought "TURBOGRAFX16" or "LOVE EVERYONE" was going to be and it's runtime may cause the occasionally eye-twitch (especially with a album's worth of material on the cutting floor), I'm happy with it nonetheless. I'm happy for the album not just as Kanye fan, but for what it offers both fans and non-fans of Mr West; a new, alternate perspective on him both as a musician and, most importantly, a person told by Ye himself.