My Gut Reaction: Kanye West - Donda (August 29, 2021) (PART TWO)

 

Welcome back to our continuing coverage of Donda, the tenth album from the artist formerly known as Kanye West, Ye. If you’ll recall, last time we made it through a little over half the album, running through fourteen tracks that somehow weren’t all one single song featuring eleventy billion guests, and yet we’re not even close to finishing this exercise in gluttony. The back half of Donda features even more guests, along with alternate takes of songs featuring different guest verses that I guess our host couldn’t bear to part with or something? I mean, did we really need a “Jail Pt. 2”?

(No. No we did not.)

We now join this write-up for Donda already in progress.

 

My Gut Reaction: Kanye West - Donda (August 29, 2021) (PART ONE)

I think we can all agree that the rollout for Kanye West’s Donda was less than ideal, correct? The phrase “utter shitshow” doesn't do a decent enough job describing the fuckery present during this project’s run-up.

My Gut Reaction: Kanye West - Jesus Is King (October 25, 2019)

And now, a selection of lyrics from the catalog of Kanye Omari West:

“You got sick thoughts? I got more of ‘em / You got a sister-in-law you’d smash? I got four of ‘em/ Damn, those is your sisters / You did something unholy to them pictures” – “XTCY”

“Now if I fuck this model  / And she just bleached her asshole / And I get bleach on my T-shirt / I’ma feel like an asshole” – “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1”

“I am a god / Hurry up with my damn massage / Hurry up with my damn ménage / Get the Porsche out the damn garage / I am a god / Even though I’m a man of God / My whole life in the hand of God / So y’all better quit playin’ with God” – “ I Am A God”

“I wanna fuck you hard on the sink / After that, give you something to drink / Step back, can’t get spunk on the mink” – “Bound 2”

“I know I’m preaching to the congregation / We love Jesus but she done learned a lot from Satan... Don’t leave while you’re hot, that’s how Mase screwed up” – “Devil in a Blue Dress”

“I be sniffing Miley Cyrus with Miley Cyrus / In a bathroom with my thumb in her ass / Now I’m actin’ like I’m white” – “Hold Tight”

“Poopy-di-scoop / Scoop-diddy-whoop / Whoop-di-scoop-di-poop” – “Lift Yourself”

“When I grab your neck, I touch your soul” – “Say You Will”

“Make her knees shake, make a priest faint, uh / Make a nun cum, make her cream-ate, uh” – “Hell of a Life”

“So here go my single, dog, radio needs this / They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus / That means guns, sex, lies, videotape / But if I talk about God my record won’t get played?” – “Jesus Walks”

That last one is important, as it is the foundation of today’s subject, Kanye West’s ninth solo album Jesus Is King. This project’s existence is a bit of a cosmic joke, as it seems to be the culmination of a bet Kanye made against himself back when “Jesus Walks” was originally released. “Here go my album, dog, humanity needs this,” he may as well have said.

Do we, though?

Bonus Post #7

Ugh. Fine.

Kanye West - The College Dropout Video Anthology (Bonus CD) (March 22, 2005)

In February 2004, Roc-A-Fella / Def Jam Records released The College Dropout, the debut album from producer-slash-rapper Kanye West. Although he was riding a wave of success generated from his first single, “Through the Wire”, hip hop heads had extremely low expectations for this effort, especially since the only other time most of us had ever heard West actually rap was during an uncredited cameo on Jay-Z’s “The Bounce”. We know how this story ended: the underestimated Kanye West ended up on top, moving tons of units, surprising critics, and ultimately becoming one of the biggest names in our chosen genre, one whose every album release is treated as a blockbuster event, for better or for worse (*cough* ye *cough*).

As The College Dropout kept surpassing sales projections, Def Jam continued to throw money toward promoting it, resulting in multiple singles and videos being released for the project (including three just for the Grammy-winning breakout “Jesus Walks”). So it makes sense that, as an alternative avenue from which to collect revenue, the label pressed and released a DVD compiling all of those videos, cleverly called The College Dropout Video Anthology, one year later.

But I don’t care about the videos (right now). What I’m looking at today is the bonus disc of additional songs that Roc-A-Fella threw in to entice the consumer.

Two Gut Reactions (Including My Own): Kanye West - Ye (June 1, 2018)

I don’t follow rap artists for their personal or political views: if I did, I would be a horrible fucking person. I mean, have you heard about how some of these guys feel about women? But Kanye West is a special snowflake, in that he’s incredibly outspoken about what he feels are unique views but are really shared talking points conceived by the alt-right, white supremacists, and other supporters of the fat couch in the White House that will still likely kill us all just to make a few more bucks, and yet, he's a fucking moron who admits to not studying history and doesn't read books. His stance on slavery, especially, had lost him a significant number of fans and inspired thinkpieces from many journalists and music critics who proclaimed him “cancelled” and told anyone who would listen that they would never listen to any of Kanye’s music ever again.

Until West debuted his eighth solo “album”, the seven-track, twenty-three minute, self-produced (with a bunch of collaborators, as is his way) ye, at an exclusive listening party in Wyoming, where he’s been holed up in a studio prepping his label, G.O.O.D. Music, for their summer 2018 lineup. ye is merely the second of five projects allegedly coming our way (following last week’s Daytona from Pusha T, which made a lot of waves, almost all of which stem from a single track and not from that album as a whole), but it’s the one everyone was most curious about, so those same fans, journalists, and music critics excitedly boarded flights to Wyoming and have praised Kanye as a genius, dancing along to soul samples and surprise celebrity sightings at the party, exposing themselves as the starfuckers they truly are. It apparently never occurred to any of these folks that Kanye West was merely using them to promote his product and further his own agenda, as everything the man does stirs up the media machine, so they fell right into his trap.

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo (February 14, 2016)

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My Gut Reaction: Kanye West - Yeezus (June 18, 2013)

One think I really miss about Kanye West is his sense of humor.  I've followed his career from The College Dropout onward (and have written extensively about the guy), and have even taken in some of his earlier production work pre-fame, and what strikes me the most about the progression of West is how he gradually stopped smiling.

My Gut Reaction: Kanye West Presents G.O.O.D. Music - Cruel Summer (September 18, 2012)

Earlier this year, Kanye West took a break from his Paris fashion shows and midnight Twitter rants to announce a group effort from the acts signed to his G.O.O.D. Music collective, a crew that he had been steadily making additions to for the past few years and now boasts the likes of Pusha T, Big Sean, Mos Def, Common, KiD CuDi, John Legend, Malik Yusef, and many others.  The Interweb quickly deemed it to be the first great release of 2012, regardless of the fact that Kanye had merely mentioned the project as an aside and had yet to even name it, let alone decide who or what was going to appear on it.

My Gut Reaction: Jay-Z & Kanye West (d/b/a The Throne) - Watch The Throne (August 8, 2011)

As you two probably saw coming from a mile away, I'm taking a break away from my break to offer my thoughts on what will probably end up being the biggest rap album of the year.  Still doesn't mean I'm actually back, though.

So, Watch The Throne, the joint effort from Kanye West and Jay-Z (who refer to themselves as the duo "The Throne" on here) that was promised way back in October of 2010 (back when it was just going to be an EP that featured, among other songs, the Nicki Minaj-assisted "Monster"), finally dropped on iTunes this past Monday.  Miraculously, it didn't spring a leak: somehow, their plan to offer a digital download first and physical copies long afterward actually worked, so you should expect other projects to quickly follow suit.  All I have to say is, it sure took the fucking record industry long enough to think of that, huh?  Although it doesn't really matter, since hackers will always find a way, but I digress.

Watch The Throne is being touted as the collaboration album of the year, in a year that has already seen a couple of stellar entries (Bad Meets Evil's Hell: The Sequel wasn't terrible, and Random Axe, the supergroup made up of Black Milk, Sean Price, and Guilty Simpson, takes it in a walk), but the difference here is that we're supposed to care that this project features both hip hop's biggest star and its biggest asshole.  Nobody's contesting Kanye's artistry, and Jay-Z has been at the top of his game for more than a decade now, so clearly these two know what they're doing, and a joint effort from then should be nothing short of mesmerizing, right?

Right?

Those of you looking for Jay-Z to rhyme over My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy-type beats will be disappointed right from the start, as The Throne decided to recruit a number of different producers to share in the profits (or to shove the blame upon, in the extremely off chance that this album sells miserably).  Although Kanye mans the boards, he cedes his chair to the likes of The Neptunes, The RZA (which had me excited from the jump), Q-Tip, Pete Rock (on one of the bonus tracks), 88 Keys, and motherfucking Swizz Beatz, among others.  Nearly every single fucking song on Watch The Throne features multiple producers, which could result in a less cohesive vision, although when it comes to music, that isn't always a bad thing.  Anyway, even though there are numerous producers involved with Watch The Throne, the guest list for the vocal booth isn't nearly as long: only R&B diva Beyonce and newbie crooner Frank Ocean represent for the living (Otis Redding and, on the deluxe edition I'll be reviewing, Curtis Mayfield also scored credits, which is impressive for a couple of guys who passed away long ago).  There are no other rappers who appear on Watch The Throne, which makes this project damn near refreshing in an otherwise lackluster year for our chosen genre: I was afraid that Lil' Wayne, Drake, or Rick Ross would somehow jump out of the woodwork, which is downright impossible to do when you're listening to an mp3, but whatever.

So the real question is, should you two give a fuck?

1. NO CHURCH IN THE WILD (FEAT. FRANK OCEAN)

Well, the instrumental (mostly credited to 88 Keys) is already better than what I was expecting from Watch The Throne: it is equal parts eerie and moving. The first voice you hear on the project is that of Odd Future crooner Frank Ocean, who sounds okay but not good enough to warrant the crazy amount of buzz that he's been the recipient of as of late: later on, some Auto-Tuned vocals (that I believe belong to The-Dream, who plays a background role on here) that sound absolutely fucking terrible pop up before 'Ye's verse. Jay-Z is technically proficient, but his verse feels empty; Kanye fares much better with one of his typical “this is the life I live and the girl I get to fuck”-type sets, even though it has nothing to do with the alleged theme of the track itself. At least Yeezy isn't actually rapping about boning: that, and the fact that “No Church In The Wild” isn't a rap album intro, are two marks in the “plus” column. The brief instrumental interlude at the end was a nice touch, too.

2. LIFT OFF (FEAT. BEYONCE)

And then we're presented with this horseshit. Have you ever listened to a song more than once simply because you couldn't believe how fucking godawful it was? Or is that something only music critics do? Anyway, “Lift Off” is that fucking godawful. Hov's wifey Beyonce sounds horrible, singing random phrases about being great and fuck off, that's why, with vocals so flat that the only plausible explanation is that Jigga agreed to curb it on his need to start up a family for a few months if she will just record the goddamn hook already. (Apparently Don Jazzy, Mr. Hudson, and Seal (among others) were also roped in to provide vocals. Yes, I said Seal. Mr. Heidi Klum himself. It's a testament to just how fucking baller Jay-Z and Kanye West are that they throw money at A-list talent to sing fucking backup on their songs.) 'Ye's instrumental (co-produced by Pharrell Williams and Q-Tip, programmed by fucking LMFAO, of all people) is an aural mess in need of an intervention, and both of our hosts sound embarrassed to be on the same planet as the beat. If you had lowered expectations about Watch The Throne before, well...

3. N----S IN PARIS

The Throne recruit Hit-Boy, late of Kanye's “Christmas In Harlem” and Pusha T's “My God”, to, apparently, marry a hard instrumental with Tangerine Dream's score from Risky Business, and the results are okay-to-middling. Actually, scratch that previous sentence: “N----s In Paris” sounds like a sonic cousin to KiD CuDi's “The Mood”, except on steroids: while I don't necessarily need to hear a mash-up of the two, I wouldn't kick one out of bed. Both Shawn and Kanye sound distracted by the beat, 'Ye more so, since he has to bob and weave around the Jay-Z sound bite (“Ball so hard”...um, that looks weird when written out like that) that Hit-Boy keeps throwing in his path; this results in some inane bars about how awesome they are, with only a couple of lines combined ever referring to Paris. Jay even takes the time to rip off some more Notorious B.I.G. lyrics (from “Victory”, although, to be fair, it isn't a direct lift). Kanye furthers his obvious obsession with Will Ferrell's IMDB page by inserting two sound bites from the pitiful Blades Of Glory into the track, one at the beginning, and one toward the halfway point. I'd like to think that both Will Ferrell and Jon Heder (his co-star, better known as the title character in Napoleon Dynamite) are both pleased and fucking terrified that they have inadvertently contributed to a Jay-Z and Kanye West rap song with a title that neither man can repeat to his children.

4. OTIS (FEAT. OTIS REDDING)

Alright, I just listened to “Otis” within the context of Watch The Throne, and my opinion is exactly the same as it was before: “Otis” is what it sounds like when two successful rappers are coasting. There are a few funny lines, most of them coming from Kanye's direction, but never before has hearing two rappers brag about how rich they are and how much better they are at living than you are been so goddamn mentally exhausting. Using a large enough chunk of Otis Redding's “Try A Little Tenderness” to warrant giving a deceased artist a co-starring credit (and causing me to immediately think of Jon Cryer every time this song plays) sounds lazy as fuck: had “Otis” not started with its extended intro and instead led directly into Jay's goofy “I invented swag” line (which is then contradicted a few bars later, with a sound bite taken from Hova's earlier “All I Need”, where he brags about having regained his swagger: if he truly invented the fucking concept, how the hell did he lose it?), maybe this would have worked better for me. Maybe. Instead, I found “Otis” to be an attempt by two artists to create a soulful mood out of nothing, and, at least for this track, they fail, and that's coming from a huge Jay-Z stan and Kanye West supporter. This song isn't garbage or anything: it just is.

5. GOTTA HAVE IT

This is a natural extension of “Otis”, in that Jay and Yeezy continue to trade bars, perfecting their back-and-forth braggadocio routine. In that regard, this song works a bit better, as both men roll over the Neptunes beat (don't get excited, only Pharrell Williams had a hand in it) effortlessly, with Shawn Carter's rich ass even managing to sound threatening at the beginning of his second verse (before he brags about “planking on a million”, anyway). The vocal samples laid throughout tread that fine line between tolerable and annoying as balls, though, so you should tread through these waters carefully.

6. NEW DAY

Strangely, this RZA-produced concoction wasn't the first song I gravitated to when I started playing Watch The Throne. Not really sure why that happened: maybe I don't have that much faith in Prince Rakeem anymore? No, that can't be it. But now that I'm listening to Nina Simone's “Feeling Good” vocals being filtered through Auto-Tune (blasphemy, I know), I can't help but feel disappointed with the end result. This is nowhere near that hardcore Wu-Tang shit that RZA promised in an interview with Rolling Stone: instead, this sounds like another one of those social commentary-fueled tracks that the Clan likes to put on every group album (see: “I Can't Go To Sleep”; “A Better Tomorrow”; “Can It Be All So Simple”). However, Jay and (especially) Kanye both deliver exceptional verses dedicated to their not-yet-conceived children who they have already damned because of their fame and their very public lives, so they elevate the track beyond anything it truly deserves. Admit it: when Jay (and Kanye, I guess) said “Me and The RZA connect” for the first time, even though you knew deep in your heart that he was just aping a line from Raekwon's “Incarcerated Scarfaces”, you got a little excited, as this was the first time Jay-Z ever really acknowledged the Wu-Tang Clan's existence after blowing the fuck up (Big Daddy Kane's “Show & Prove” doesn't count).

7. THAT'S MY BITCH (FEAT. ELLY JACKSON)

Well, that was a fucking weird transition from optimism to misogyny. “That's My Bitch” is the same song that leaked to the Interweb shortly after 'Ye's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy dropped (except newly mastered, kind of): in all honestly, I'm surprised it still made the final cut due to its age. I'm glad it did, though, since Q-Tip's instrumental (with an assist from 'Ye and Jeff Basker) is both the hottest beat on Watch The Throne thus far and the only real beat that could be classified as true “hip hop” (sampling The Incredible Bongo Band's “Apache” has that effect on me; shit, I wouldn't be surprised to find out down the line that Kamaal snuck in some of Bob James's “Nautilus” as well). I mentioned in a previous post that this track originally sounded incomplete but promising: turns out it was finished (even though the album version is shorter than the leak, all you're missing is an extended instrumental and Kanye repeating the title over and over again), but it still works for me, even though this still seems more like a Kanye West song than a collaboration with Jay-Z, who knocks out his verse and quickly skedaddles. Elly Jackson from La Roux supplies the hook: as the nightclub I frequent plays entirely too many La Roux songs, I've grown fucking sick of her voice, but her work on here (which still has nothing to do with specifying which bitch actually belongs to you) isn't bad. (Connie Mitchell and Justin Vernon (of Bon Iver; apparently Kanye left him locked in the studio after My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was completed) also provide background vocals, but I swear that's Charlie Wilson's voice in the middle of the song; regardless, he didn't get a credit in the liner notes.)

8. WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (FEAT. SWIZZ BEATZ)

This song is shit. Why Jay-Z and Kanye West feel this unnatural kinship with producer-slash-rapper-slash-jackass Swizz Beatz is beyond me, especially when it was originally reported that the duo had purchased some Madlib beats for Watch The Throne. The music on here is garbage, and Swizzy's verbal contributions should have been put out of their misery. The only mildly interesting aspect of “Welcome To The Jungle” (which could only have been worse if it was a straight-up Guns N' Roses cover) is how Jay and 'Ye share the microphone at first, but then Shawn pushes aside his partner to rap about his alleged depression, like the emo rapper he's never been. So that happened.

9. WHO GON STOP ME

Whenever two big-name talents collaborate on a song, there's always an awkward feeling of competition, even if it's unintentional, since someone has to have the better verse. Well, if I had to choose between Jay-Z's boasts and Kanye West's odd attempts at absurd humor, I'd go with Jay all day. And Shawn destroys Yeezy on “Who Gon Stop Me” (although 'Ye loses points from the jump by comparing the song to he Holocaust without backing up his claims). Over an otherwise uninteresting Sak Pase production that morphs into something batshit crazy about halfway through, Jay-Z shows up the entire new school of rappers following in his footsteps. Too bad this song was only alright.

10. MURDER TO EXCELLENCE

Actually two songs in one, and both halves are really fucking good. The first part, aided by an actual good Swizz beat that had to have been created in error, is another one of Jay and 'Ye's attempts at social commentary, dissecting the horrors of black-on-black crime; the second, S1-produced effort, which kicks in at around the two minute and forty-second mark, is a tribute to excellence, which you may have picked up from the title. Aside from his singing, which was unnecessary but not awful, Kanye West delivers some potent bars that rank among his best ever, while his running buddy is no slouch, turning in two terrific verses (one on each “song”) about two entirely different subjects without missing a beat (and sounding great even when he does veer into The Silence Of The Lambs territory, oddly during the “Excellence” song and not on “Murder”). Nice!

11. MADE IN AMERICA (FEAT. FRANK OCEAN)

An out-of-place attempt from two rich guys trying to appear humble, which Kanye will never be able to rightfully pull off. This kind of track has no real place on an album entitled Watch The Throne. Frank Ocean returns to lend the hook, which has fuck-all to do with the respective verses of our hosts: instead of getting religious or political, they simply reflect on their past lives. It was alright, but it wasn't real. Although they do acknowledge the fact that neither of them would be nearly as successful had they not hailed from the United States, so perhaps I should thank them for granting me this moment of clarity. (See what I did there?)

12. WHY I LOVE YOU (FEAT. MR. HUDSON)

Isn't it cute how Kanye West keeps pushing his artist, Mr. Hudson, onto American audiences as if we'll suddenly give a fuck? At least he sounds alright over this track, which is damn near a Hova solo shot, on which he delivers a message of empathy, feelings of betrayal, and ultimate forgiveness for his enemies over a rock-tinged West instrumental. The motherfucker is mad that certain people who used to be in his employ (*cough* Beanie Sigel *cough*) have the audacity to speak out against him as though he somehow mistreated them (when, in reality, he's a businessman, and since Jay-Z was the only marketable artist on Roc-A-Fella Records (before Kanye entered the picture), it makes sense that he would focus on himself a bit more). Perhaps sensing that getting involved in a rap beef wasn't the best move for him, Kanye barely registers into the vocal portions of this track, mostly acting as Jay's hypeman. Not a terrible way to end things.

The deluxe edition of Watch The Throne, which has got to be the only version anybody even bothered to buy, contains the following four extra tracks.

13. ILLEST MOTHERFUCKER ALIVE

After three minutes of silence (clearly iTunes had no idea if the following four songs were “bonus” tracks or simply deluxe-edition exclusives: I wonder if the physical disc version of Watch The Throne will feature such a long lapse) and another one of those brief instrumental interludes that Kanye has been teasing us with all throughout the project, Southside's beat, which doesn't sound as powerful as the song title would suggest, nay, demand, kicks in, and Kanye West starts pleading his case (sometimes even in slow motion) to the audience. Other than the fact that Jay-Z also appears on here, this sounds like a weak castoff from the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy sessions. The title is awesome, sure, but the end result was cut from the regular program for a really good reason. I also found myself appalled at the idea that Hova views Warhol and Basquiat prints “while [he's] peeing”. Moving on...

14. H*A*M

The first actual single from Watch The Throne has been reassigned to administrative desk duty, mostly because it didn't leave as much of an imprint on our chosen genre as Jay and 'Ye had hoped. I was never a fan to Lex Luger's instrumental: it sounds too bombastic (and headache-inducing, and pretentious as fuck) for a song about going “hard as a motherfucker”. This beat is the aural interpretation of attention-deficit hyperactive disorder. 'Ye's verse is kind of disgusting (why yes, he does rap about having sex on here, why do you ask?), and Jay only barely manages not to drown in the ocean (being the more skilled artist of the two gives him some much-needed leverage). I was never impressed with this mess, and I'm still not. Groan.

15. PRIMETIME

No I.D. (of “Dion”, as Hova affectionately refers to Kanye's mentor) lends Watch The Throne its best instrumental, a haunting piano-and-vocal sample-based ditty that brings out the best in both of its collaborators. Neither man says anything on here that is even remotely important, and the chorus is ass, but the instrumental goes a long way toward helping this track ride along the sidewalk without its training wheels. “Primetime” gets me even more hyped for that Common album scheduled for this year that is supposed to feature wall-to-wall No I.D.

16. THE JOY (FEAT. CURTIS MAYFIELD, PETE ROCK, KID CUDI, & CHARLIE WILSON)

I'm actually kind of glad that people now have the opportunity to pay for “The Joy”, one of the freebies Kanye gave away during his G.O.O.D. Friday promotion, if only because that would mean some royalties being thrown at producer Pete Rock and the estate of Curtis Mayfield. His “The Makings Of You”, which is sampled throughout the song, creeps into your mind, so even though “The Joy” doesn't fit the overall mood of what Watch The Throne turned into, it still sounds fucking good today, even though Hova's lone verse makes this song's origin as a West solo effort featuring his guest spot all the more obvious. Odds are pretty good that, if you've read this review this far, you probably already have this song on your hard drive. Well, other than being mastered, it's the exact same song, all the way down to KiD CuDi's bullshit cameo, so take that as you will.

THE LAST WORD: So is Watch The Throne an important album? Probably, depending on your definition of the word. For me, it's better for a rap album to be entertaining, and, aside from several aberrations, this project actually worked out okay enough to warrant a listen or two, although in no way would I ever mark this as a classic, since the awful songs on here really fucking suck. A joint effort from Kanye West and Jay-Z, both of whom I'm a noted fan of, should be an earth-shattering listen, mostly because of 'Ye's artistic tendencies constantly getting the best of him (did the world really need to hear a nine-minute version of “Runaway”?), but, surprisingly, Watch The Throne is a stealth Jay-Z solo album that happens to feature a guest on every single goddamn song. Hova dominates the discussions, dragging his toolbox into the fray in an effort to drill into your head that he is worth fucking millions, and he still comes off as a more down-to-earth (and better) rapper than Yeezy. Just when you think the instrumentals, all of which vary wildly in quality (for each No I.D. or Q-Tip track, you are also forced to contend with a Swizz Beatz or a Lex Luger), are going into My Beautiful Dart Twisted Clusterfuck territory, the track ends, a new one begins, and the world resets itself. In hindsight, it makes perfect sense that Shawn Carter would take the lead on Watch The Throne: he is a living legend (like it or not), so he gets to call the shots. Watch The Throne is a better joint effort that Hova's work with Linkin Park or either of his projects with R. Kelly, since Kanye West is a far more interesting artist than either of those two names, and the fact that they recorded this album in the same studios (no e-mailing verses here) definitely helps, but I ultimately found this shit to be only slightly better than The Blueprint 3 and leagues behind Kanye's last effort. The buildup was nice, and the fact that they outsmarted the bootleggers (at least before the iTunes release date) is commendable, but I've heard better, less uneven albums this year, so I guess you two can stop staring at the throne. Hopefully, though, it will generate enough buzz that other artists elect to collaborate; hip hop needs more of this type of creative endeavor (see again: Random Axe and the non-awful songs on Bad Meets Evil's Hell: The Sequel).

-Max

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My Gut Reaction: Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (November 22, 2010)

For those of you two in the States, you can relax: Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has finally dropped. You can resume your normal Thanksgiving holiday as scheduled.  Everyone else in the world...um, enjoy your usual Thursday, I guess.

You're already familiar with the backstory for how Kanye West recorded his comeback album, so I'll only hit the high points for the sake of filling in some blank space. After interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye decided to take some time off to find himself, not unlike what young twenty-somethings do after they finish college but are unaware of the pressures the real world will impose. This wasn't surprising, as his mother had passed away recently, but Kanye never really got a chance to mourn, and on top of that, he apparently also broke up with a long-term girlfriend, which inspired his departure from hip hop, his Auto-Tuned 808's & Heartbreak, which I still say is much better than what most people give it credit for.

After bumming around the world for a while (being filthy rich affords you such luxuries), 'Ye quietly decided that what he really wanted to do was record another rap album. He found a studio in Hawaii that would be perfect for his needs: it provided space for productivity, but if he ever needed a break, he was already in one of the world's top vacation destinations, and also there's a lot of different type of weed that can be purchased there. However, upon his arrival, he was tricked by a local into completing three difficult tasks before he could access the studio's front door.

He completed the first, talking a suicidal bear down off of a window ledge, with ease, thanks to the assistance of a freshly-baked homemade pie that he carried around in his car for such an occasion. The second task proved a bit more challenging, as he was forced to judge a talent competition where the contestants were made up of space aliens from another galaxy: Kanye had to overcome both the obvious language barrier and his hatred of Spin Doctors standards, which seemed to dominate the proceedings. The third task coerced him into kidnapping an entire ballet company from Paris, which he accomplished by donning a fake wig and pretending to be Kurtis Blow, scouting performers for a bar mitzvah. Afterwards, he wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do with the ballerinas, so he decided to employ them himself as his newest backup dancers-slash-weed carriers.

After finally gaining the keys, 'Ye locked himself in the studio and decided to call up a slew of hip hop heavies to join him during the recording process of what was once supposed to be called Good Ass Job, but instead ended up being My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Names such as DJ Premier, The RZA, Pete Rock, and Madlib were thrown around with careless abandon, as they were all allegedly providing production for a guy who was already a producer-slash-rapper in his own right. Lord only knows what happened to those sessions: only Prince Rakeem made the final cut of the album, as Kanye suddenly realized that he embodies every characteristic of the egotistic and should probably handle the majority of the production for what was supposed to be his return to hip hop. He wasn't afraid of stacking the deck when it came to guests, however: in addition to the likes of Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Fergie, and Rihanna, all of whom would guarantee some extra scans for Def Jam Records (who allegedly spent over five million dollars on the recording of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy), Kanye also invited Raekwon, Elton John (no, seriously), La Roux's Elly Jackson, Chris Rock, Bon Iver, The-Dream, Drake, Ryan Leslie, and his own protégées John Legend, KiD CuDi, Big Sean (on a bonus track only), CyHi Da Prince, and his newest G.O.O.D. Music signee, Pusha T (from the coke-rap duo the Clipse).

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy leaked earlier this month, and overwhelmingly positive reviews came flooding in almost immediately, with many claiming this to be Kanye's masterpiece. (Side question: how many of you two actually enjoyed the thirty-five minute short film-slash-music video for "Runaway" (that's included in the deluxe release), and how many of you found it to be mildly interesting but mostly insufferable, like me?) The man is absolutely capable of putting out some compelling music: I will say that I did not see this career trajectory coming when he first spit his rhymed through a jaw that was wired shut after a near-fatal car accident (see: “Through The Wire”). But is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, a rap album sequenced as a bleak fairytale describing the rise of a successful artist and the not-entirely-irrational fears that drive his everyday actions, really worthy of all of the praise it's been getting?

Well?

1. DARK FANTASY (FEAT. NICKI MINAJ, BON IVER, AMBER ROSE, & TEYANA TAYLOR)

After some bullshit introduction from the phony English-accented Nicki Minaj (who sounds about as bad as Madonna did when she was married to Guy Ritchie) that was also used for the "Runaway" short film-slash-music video, and a brief-but-pleasant chorus, Kanye West presents listeners with the best RZA beat that was never given to the Wu-Tang Clan. (The production is also credited to 'Ye and No I.D., but it's fairly obvious who did what.) Yeezy takes to the beat as if he never stopped rhyming in the first place, spitting two verses that are catchy as fuck (the “Too many Urkels on your team, that's why your wins-low” line, which also appeared during his BET freestyle cypher, still makes me laugh), so it's clear that he was relishing the opportunity to pretend that he was a legitimate part of the Clan. This is a fantastic way to kick things off, even with the bizarre spoken-word third verse added in midway through. I only wish that RZA's beat contained harder drums, so that it would have that much more of an impact when it finally kicks in. Oh well. I still loved this shit.

2. GORGEOUS (FEAT. KID CUDI, RAEKWON, & TONY WILLIAMS)

It seems more than a bit blasphemous to not include Raekwon on the song that The RZA co-produced, but whatever. The title of this song makes absolutely no sense, but aside from that minor complaint, this isn't bad, mainly because of the funky instrumental (handled by 'Ye, No I.D., and Mike Dean) and our host's three verses, in which he comes across as more lyrical than ever before. (He even uses up a bar to attack “a South Park writer with a fish stick”; based on this evidence and 'Ye's attack on Saturday Night Live during “Power”, it's obvious that he watches too much television.) CuDi, as always, is nowhere near essential for the song to be successful (yeah, I said it), but he only handles the chorus, which could have been worse. However, no matter how hard he tries, Kanye is outshined by the aforementioned guest star Chef Raekwon, who delivers a characteristically sleepy verse, but still manages to sound good because 'Ye had the brilliant idea of slightly distorting the vocals, so that you're hanging onto his every word instead of worrying about his overall health. “Ye does the same for his own vocals, too, so the consistency definitely adds to the overall experience.

3. POWER (FEAT. DWELE)

There isn't much I can say about “Power”, the first single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, that I haven't already written, but I do still like it today. I do wonder if 'Ye will ever release the version with the alternate second verse that he performed on SNL. But it's not important enough for me to care for more than three sentences.

4. ALL OF THE LIGHTS (INTERLUDE)

A thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable musical interlude. Although I appreciate the fact that 'Ye was considerate enough to isolate it from the actual song it shares a title with, I actually wouldn't mind if the two tracks were combined.

5. ALL OF THE LIGHTS (FEAT. RIHANNA, ALICIA KEYS, FERGIE, THE-DREAM, RYAN LESLIE, ELTON JOHN, CHARLIE WILSON, KID CUDI, JOHN LEGEND, TONY WILLIAMS, DRAKE, ALVIN FIELDS, KEN LEWIS, & ELLY JACKSON)

Kanye West throws a dinner party, and instead of asking his guests to bring different dishes, he insists that they all contribute to this one song, which gives “All Of The Lights” the distinction of having the most bizarre guest list I've seen this week. (This track rivals some of the G.O.O.D. Friday releases when it comes to random combinations of artists.) Early word on this song, which leaked in several different versions before now (the leak pissed 'Ye off so much that he threatened to shut down the G.O.O.D. Friday offerings for good, but he had a change of heart after hearing the overall response) was fucking amazing, and I will say that I walked away from this final version with this shit stick in my head. But while the (awesome) instrumental and the female vocals mostly connect (even though my wife mentioned that she's sick of hearing Rihanna pop up on every rap song ever, a sentiment I strongly agree with), the male vocalists are all lost in the shuffle, aside from two: KiD CuDi channels Krayzie Bone for some reason, and Elton John manages to fit in pretty well. Also, the rhymes on here are alarmingly weak. Fergie's short verse is pretty bad and entirely horrible (par for the course for her, I must say), but the true offender on here is Kanye himself, whose verses are borderline horseshit. (The only line of his I liked was, “Her mother, brother, grandmother hate me (in that order)” (parentheses mine).) But I'll probably still play this song over and over again, as it does sound celebratory as fuck, and since it's supposed to be the next single, I'm sure I'll get sick of this track eventually. For now, though, I like it a lot, although I flat-out don't understand why some critics believe 'Ye's line “I'm headed home / I'm almost there” is so deep when it really isn't. Sadly, this song was very clearly recorded in small components and assembled together in the studio, so you will never hear The-Dream talk about what it was like to work alongside Elton John.

6. MONSTER (FEAT. JAY-Z, NICKI MINAJ, BON IVER, & RICK ROSS)

“Monster” is the first disappointment on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but not because it's a bad song or anything. Aside from a few newer flourishes, this is the exact same song that 'Ye unleashed as part of the G.O.O.D. Friday series. There are no new verses, and Rick Ross isn't suddenly rendered more interesting or anything: his intro actually sounds more unnecessary, if that's even possible. Although I'm still not a fan of hers, I've grown to appreciate the fact that Nicki Minaj stays on topic with her verse (even though it sounds like it was performed by approximately six of her multiple personalities), something that Kanye doesn't even bother to do. (He will “put the pussy in a sarcophagus”, though. Which absolutely doesn't mean what he wants it to mean.) The beat is still pretty good (if not exactly monstrous), and the performances from all the players (except Officer Ricky) are still a delight. My favorite part of this song is how one could easily misinterpret Jay-Z's lyrics: after he runs down a list of classic movie monsters, it's almost as though he tacks on “Christians” before asking “What do these all have in common?”. (And yes, I'm aware that Hova actually says “Question”. It's a joke, people.) Oddly, Charlie Wilson shared billing on the G.O.O.D. Friday track, and I swear I can still hear his vocals on the album version, but he isn't listed in the credits anywhere. Weird.

7. SO APPALLED (FEAT. JAY-Z, PUSHA T, CYHI DA PRINCE, THE RZA, & SWIZZ BEATZ)

The best G.O.O.D. Friday song thus far (yes, in my mind, this just edges out “Chain Heavy”) doesn't necessarily fit on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but this song is so fucking awesome that I really don't care. I'd love to see a video for this, maybe done as a direct sequel to Hova's “Run This Town”, given the similar sample and dark tones shared between the tracks. Jay-Z turns in the best guest verse on the entire album, with Pusha T coming in a close second. (The more talkative half of the Clipse even gets a slightly more majestic ending to his verse that he did on the free version, but it leads into an bonus Swizz Beatz recitation, so there is a downside.) It turns out that I didn't get my wish: The RZA still only does a glorified hook. But everyone with an actual verse sounds great over this dramatic, poignant instrumental. One of the best songs of the fucking year.

8. DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS (FEAT. RICK ROSS)

I thought this was the weakest G.O.O.D. Friday song when I did my write-up, but that was a bit of an unfair judgment, since what 'Ye leaked was an incomplete song. So here is the full version, which now inexplicably features a verse from Rick Ross, albeit one that is isolated from the rest of the track, so it sounds more like an afterthought than a true collaborative effort. Bink!'s instrumental still sounds like a poor early-Kanye West imitation (although I liked the mid-song instrumental break), and Officer Ricky's verse isn't anything special (I don't see the appeal, and the fact that he now seems to ad-lib “uh” within his verses like The Notorious B.I.G. used to do makes me want to Hulk out), so maybe my original opinion is still valid: this is still pretty weak. It is what it is.

9. RUNAWAY (FEAT. PUSHA T, THE-DREAM, & TONY WILLIAMS)

Kanye takes his second single and goes all art-house on us, stretching it out to nine minutes in length by adding some annoying piano keys at the very beginning (so as to continue to concept of his live performances of the song, in which he appears to be crafting the a on the spot), throwing in some of the sampled vocals (huzzah!) from the live performances, changing the “girl” in his second bar to a “bitch” (that's a curious edit, by the way: it's not as though the song was clean before, so why alter that now? Maybe he was just trying to be more of an douchebag), and tacking on the same Auto-Tuned coda that you heard in the "Runaway" short film, in which it sounds like the machines have both become sentient and are dying from emphysema. So he kinda-sorta fucked up a great song. It's still okay, but there was really no reason that he should have allowed his artistic tendencies to get the best of him in this way. Besides, we'll always have the single edit. Pusha T still sounds fantastic on here, though.

10. HELL OF A LIFE (FEAT. TEYANA TAYLOR & THE-DREAM)

Our host's instrumental on here is fucking awesome, but the lyrics leave me feeling empty, since Kanye's hedonistic tendencies get the best of him, turning some of his bars into a poorly written Penthouse Forum letter. The beat on here is so sleazy-good that you may have to steam clean Yeezy's sperm out of your carpet after you're done listening to it. Also, the man should absolutely step the fuck away from the Auto-Tune (which he uses to sing his own chorus), and I say that even though I actually liked 808's & Heartbreak a great deal. The track is also a bit too long for its own good. But the music on here is so fucking good, it comes pretty close to overriding all of my criticism.

11. BLAME GAME (FEAT. JOHN LEGEND, CHRIS ROCK, & SALMA KENAS)

An early tracklisting of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy listed Pusha T as a collaborator for this track, so I was a bit disappointed to find that he isn't actually on here. This track is nearly eight minutes long because of an extended interlude at the end, but the music on here is so fucking great that I didn't mind. Kanye and John Legend (who sings the words “bitch” and “motherfucker” as if he was Motown's answer to Nate Dogg) use the melancholy piano keys and strings (liberally borrowed from Aphex Twin's “Avril 14th”)to stare objectively at a dying relationship, and this shit is actually pretty powerful stuff. Which is why it's almost derailed when Chris Rock appears at the end as the other man, but luckily that risk ultimately pays off, since he's funny, but not so funny that he distracts the listener from the overall point of the song. Thanks to the music, this is some gut-wrenching stuff. Kudos, 'Ye.

12. LOST IN THE WORLD (FEAT. BON IVER)

“Paranoid” was the song on 808's & Heartbreak that could qualify as a club banger: “Lost In The World” is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's bid. I understand that's an odd generalization to make, given that this song features samples from both Bon Iver (“The Woods” - although he also appears on the song itself, so that's interesting) and Gil Scott Heron's “Comment #1”, but it's true. This track certainly isn't bad, as it beautifully encompasses 'Ye's growing disconnect with the world around him, but it only really consists of one verse and a shitload of distractions.

13. WHO WILL SURVIVE IN AMERICA (FEAT. BON IVER, CHARLIE WILSON, KAY FOX, TONY WILLIAMS, ALICIA KEYS, & ELLY JACKSON)

The Gil Scott Heron sample that was used on the last track plays out a bit longer to act as an outro to both “Lost In The World” and the album in general. You two should already know how I feel about spoken word outros, but the fact that 'Ye set this one to music makes it interesting to hear at least the once.

The iTunes version of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy contains the following bonus track.

14. SEE ME NOW (FEAT. BEYONCE, CHARLIE WILSON, & BIG SEAN)

“See Me Now” was a terrible song that 'Ye leaked himself, and he was so encouraged by the response that he decided to create the G.O.O.D. Friday series, so I guess some good came of it. However, I never liked this song because it sounds boring as shit. The album version features a newly mastered sound and an additional verse from 'Ye's apprentice Big Sean, who spends the majority of his time defending his boss, like a good lackey should. But the song itself is still not very interesting, unless, once again, you really need to hear Bey sing the word “n---a”. By the way, has Charlie Wilson officially signed to G.O.O.D. Music? He sure does pop up on the free leaks an awful lot.

There was word on the Interweb of additional iTunes-exclusive bonus tracks for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: “Chain Heavy”, “Mama's Boyfriend”, “Power (Remix)”, and “Pure”. This news turned out to be false, although I wouldn't be surprised if “Mama's Boyfriend” (a song 'Ye talked up during the recording process) and “Pure” (a collaboration with Mr. Hudson that nobody had ever even considered before it popped up on the fake tracklisting) ended up leaking down the line. (The other two tracks are already freely available as a part of G.O.O.D. Friday, although the “album” version of “Chain Heavy” was allegedly going to feature M.I.A., so who knows what will happen.)

THE LAST WORD: So is Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy the masterpiece that other critics are making it out to be? Unsurprisingly, not so much. 'Ye's return to hip hop makes for a really good album, at times even great, but it isn't an instant classic, as it's missing the cohesion necessary for the project to flow properly, thanks in part to our host's insistence on including a handful of the already-released G.O.O.D. Friday songs. (I wonder what this might have sounded like if, say, “Monster” was a bonus track, instead of being a part of the centerpiece.) Musically, Kanye's soundscapes (with occasional assists from others) sound like nothing else in our chosen genre: they don't even sound like anything the man has even done in the past, they are that forward-thinking. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy plays out as a “fuck you” to everyone else in hip hop, almost as though 'Ye is daring the rest of the industry to follow in the footsteps of his ridiculous artistic tendencies, which, admittedly, work more often than not. He even shows restraint by limiting the main program to thirteen tracks (well, eleven songs, a musical interlude, and an outro), so this is clearly not the same guy who recorded The College Dropout and Late Registration, even though he does share a social security number with that person. My biggest problem with the album is with the lyrics: although there are a handful of performances that push the boundaries of what Kanye is capable of (“Dark Fantasy”, “So Appalled”, and “Power” come to mind), there are songs on here that would look like a fucking joke when transcribed (“All Of The Lights” specifically, although the lone verse on “Lost In The World” also qualifies). Most of 'Ye's lines are singularly focused on fucking, a subject that has always sounded a bit forced when coming from him. However, the music built around those two examples is strong enough to overcome all obstacles, so that's just a minor quibble regarding what will probably become the hip hop album of the year. There are missteps, sure, and I was left wishing that he didn't rely on so many guest artists at times (even though most of the outside contributions were pretty goddamn good), but I enjoyed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, even though it isn't perfect. But was there any way it ever could have been, realistically? Good work, Kanye.

-Max

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100 Calorie Gut Reactions: Keeping Up With Kanye Edition

One of the better things to come out of our chosen genre this year is the return of the egomaniacal, and yet talented as fuck, Kanye West.  After the public relations debacle that was his appearance at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards (where he famously interrupted a country-slash-pop music singer while she was accepting her award, in order to praise one of her competitors instead), West virtually vanished from the music scene, taking up residence in a recording studio in Hawaii and losing himself in his work in an effort to come to terms with himself.

Earlier this year, reports started coming in from artists who claimed to have worked with 'Ye in Hawaii on his as-yet-untitled fifth studio album.  While it wasn't surprising that he was still making music, what was shocking was the names of the artists themselves: Pete Rock, The RZA, Madlib, Q-Tip, and DJ Premier found themselves sharing blog space with the usual suspects Common, Drake, KiD CuDi, Mos Def, and, of course, Kanye's old label boss Jay-Z.

The generally positive reaction to his first single, "Power", spurred up an excitement that Kanye apparently hadn't felt in years, and his mood turned generous: he decided that he wanted to get his music out to the people as quickly as possible.  After leaking "See Me Now" on his own, he decided to start up an official series of weekly free music, called G.O.O.D. Fridays (named after his vanity label, G.O.O.D. Music), dropping a new track at the end of each week, typically of the "batshit crazy collaboration" variety.  You'll see what I mean in a minute.  Thus far, Kanye has succeeded in getting everyone excited for whenever the hell he decides to drop the album by releasing mostly, um, good music.

This post will discuss all of the tracks Kanye has dropped (both for free and his actual singles) as of this writing.  Earlier this week, 'Ye had threatened to cancel his G.O.O.D. Friday series because someone started leaking unfinished tracks from his actual album to the Interweb, but earlier this morning, he produced proof that the next free track in the series will be called "Christian Dior Denim Flow", featuring, among others, John Legend and Lloyd Banks.  That particular track hasn't dropped yet, so it isn't included here.

POWER (FEAT. DWELE)

Everyone's already familiar with this song, thanks to its placement in the television trailers for David Fincher's The Social Network and 'Ye's own ridiculous Marco Brambilla-directed “Portrait of Power” video clip that isn't really a music video (except that it totally is), but it's easy to forget that this song is actually pretty fucking powerful, commanding your attention with your very first listen. (At least, that's how it worked for me.) Kanye West is probably the only rap artist ever that could sample King Crimson's “21st Century Schizoid Man” without sounding corny, and his verses are as funny as he was prior to his self-imposed post-Taylor Swift exile. The trashing of Saturday Night Live should also make his appearance on tonight's installment (with Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as host) interesting. The coda never fails to disturb me (Dwele sings about jumping out of a window while Kanye ponders what could be a “beautiful death”), but the impact of this song isn't lessened because of it. 'Ye wanted us to know that he was back, and his diabolical scheme worked.

SEE ME NOW (FEAT. BEYONCE & CHARLIE WILSON)

For a little while, anyway. 'Ye released this six-minute track, which may or may not be included on his next album (there are conflicting reports) almost immediately after Beyonce finished recording her vocals. He was so excited to release new music that he just couldn't wait any longer. It's hard to tell why: “See Me Now” is pretty awful. The beat is pleasant but bland, and Kanye's verses are all inconsequential (and awkwardly paced to boot). This sounds like one of the weaker tracks from Late Registration, which is a terrible comparison to make, since that album was damn near perfect (it's his best effort to date). “See Me Now” should only be considered mandatory listening is you absolutely have to hear Beyonce uncomfortably sing the “n-word” (which at least isn't as awkward as when Jennifer Lopez did the same thing on one of her older songs). At least Charlie Wilson (of The Gap Band) escapes unscathed.

POWER (REMIX) (FEAT. JAY-Z & SWIZZ BEATZ)

Kanye allows Swizz Beatz, his favorite producer (thereby continuing the alarming trend of 'Ye having questionable taste in hip hop), to fuck with the original “Power” instrumental for this official remix. the first G.O.O.D. Fridays track, which features a boring Shawn Carter contribution (on which he defends his boy's honor by claiming that they are “in search of the truth, even if it goes through Taylor Swift”) and two decent Kanye verses (I still like how he announces that he had to take a nap to feel “fresh for the club”, but then again, I like naps). The newly fucked-up musical backing is too busy, at least until Swizz switches up beats and prompts our host to rhyme his heart out over Snap's “The Power”, which he does pretty magnificently. Somewhere, Chill Rob G is crying softly while mopping up aisle three.

MONSTER (FEAT. JAY-Z, RICK ROSS, NICKI MINAJ, BON IVER, & CHARLIE WILSON)

The first ridiculously goofy collaboration from the G.O.O.D. Friday series (and the second installment) eventually grew on me, even though the presence of both Rick Ross and Nicki Minaj still leave me nonplussed. The instrumental (rumored to have been co-produced by 'Ye and fucking DJ Premier, if one is to believe the Interweb) is fucking hype, and Hova and Kanye spit some of their most entertaining verses in a long while. Officer Ricky provides a completely unnecessary intro that I hope is removed if this song is actually included on the future Kanye/Jay-Z collaboration project Watch The Throne as has been promised, and Nicki...okay, I'll admit that her verse is much different that what almost any other female emcee would ever attempt, but that's the only thing she has going for her: her verse is so chock-full of style choices that she forgets to include anything of any depth (but she remembered to toss in a mention of her “thick ass” and “pink wig”). She is different, though, so at least she has that going for her, which is nice. The singing by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon and Charlie Wilson also fits in with the track's creepy dance club mood. I'm officially on the “Monster” bandwagon.

DEVIL IN A NEW DRESS

The worst of all of Kanye's most recent (and officially released) offerings, mainly because Bink!'s soulful beat sounds too much like Kanye going back to the well. By itself, the instrumental is alright, but when 'Ye starts practically begging his woman for some ass, the entire song becomes a turn-off. Then again, the track cuts off suddenly at the end, so Kanye might be using his time to address a couple of issues and lock in a final version for his album. This is also the only G.O.O.D. Friday song to not feature any guests. I've heard worse, but I've also heard much better.

GOOD FRIDAY (FEAT. COMMON, KID CUDI, PUSHA T, BIG SEAN, & CHARLIE WILSON)

Obviously titled after the weekly series itself, “Good Friday” features a simple and infectious drum-and-piano sample for each artist to use, but the end result is mixed. Common barely registers, and CuDi only provides the hook (which he sort-of shares with Charlie Wilson (again?), who provides some of the melody on here), so 'Ye, the newly-signed Pusha T (from the Clipse), and 'Ye's artist Big Sean (who is probably an unknown entity amongst my readers) are forced to carry the weight. Pusha excels with his typical coke raps (I hope he's sending some of his earnings Malice's way), and Kanye sounds alright, but Big Sean fucks everything up with a terrible verse that relies on gimmicks and flash instead of something as important as a decent flow. All in all, this was bleh.

LORD LORD LORD (FEAT. MOS DEF, RAEKWON, SWIZZ BEATZ, & CHARLIE WILSON)

The newest G.O.O.D. Music signee (although this song was released before anything became official, this track goes a long way toward explaining why Mos Def was mysteriously deleted from Ski Beatz's 24 Hour Karate School) spits a thoughtful verse alongside Kanye, Chef Raekwon (fresh from his Bieber tragedy – more on that in a bit), and, of all people, Swizz Beatz, whose number Kanye needs to lose immediately, since hs sounds fucking atrocious. The rest of this song is pretty peaceful, although it runs for far too long (over seven minutes) without switching things up. Swizzy calls himself a “bank hogger” during his verse: that tells you everything you need to know about his contribution. I'm left looking forward to Mos Def's first album on 'Ye's imprint, though.

RUNAWAY (FEAT. PUSHA T)

Although not part of the series, this was the song that Kanye first performed at the MTV Video Music Awards (a video short film is scheduled to drop soon), and it was interpreted as an apology of sorts to Taylor Swift (who forgave Kanye during her own set). I'm sure if you dig into the metaphor a bit, you'll find Kanye repenting, but when taken at face value, this just sounds like he's calling himself an asshole and sending pictures of his dick to potential fuck buddies, all in an attempt to sabotage his current relationship. Regardless, this track is good: the beat is haunting and will get stuck in your head immediately, and Kanye's verses (along with Pusha T's) fit it well. Also, the version released to blogs doesn't seem to include the Auto-Tune that capped off the otherwise-great live performance, although this may be an incomplete version (Kanye likes to tinker with things well beyond the deadline). It also doesn't include Pusha hilariously censoring the word “pussy” by calling it “Jenny” instead.) Nice! I kind of liked the vocal samples 'Ye worked into the live version: too bad none of those made it to what I just listened to.

SO APPALLED (FEAT. JAY-Z, PUSHA T, THE RZA, CYHI THE PRYNCE, & SWIZZ BEATZ)

The last G.O.O.D. Friday release thus far holds the distinction of being the only song ever officially released that features both Jay-Z and The RZA, although Bobby Digital hardly even appears on here. 'Ye's beat sounds like a darker, grander version of his work on Hova's “Run This Town” (down to the duck noises), which is to say that I dig it a whole fucking lot, and his opening verse (which leaked to blogs last year in an incomplete form) is even pretty funny, especially the potshot at MTV. Shawn Carter delivers his angriest verse ina long time, turning in the best performance on a track full of promise, while Pusha T and CyHi The Prynce round things out in the best way possible. Had Swizz Beatz not been included for absolutely no reason, I would have loved this shit. Instead, I merely just really really like it.

BONUS: RUNAWAY LOVE (REMIX) (JUSTIN BIEVER FEAT. KANYE WEST & RAEKWON)

I'm including this Twitter-fueled collaboration mainly because 'Ye is offering it for free alongside the rest of his G.O.O.D. Friday tracks, even though it was never officially part of the series. Kanye West redoes the beat from the Wu-Tang Clan's “Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthin' Ta Fuck Wit” for Raekwon (who didn't rhyme on the original song) and pop music's latest messiah, Justin Bieber. Even though this is allegedly a remix to his own song, Bieber is an afterthought, shoehorned in between verses from both the Chef and 'Ye that actually sound pretty good (and make Kanye sound like the biggest Wu-Tang fanboy ever). Hopefully, this absurd mishmash accomplished my imagined goal of getting millions of twelve-year-old girls to buy Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...Part II (or maybe even Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), if they want to hear the source material). This “song” isn't the godawful monstrosity that everyone would want you to believe, but it most certainly isn't any good: Kanye only created this just to prove that he could, and in that respect, I suppose he succeeded.

-Max

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