With only seven tracks on his newest album, Kanye West has done it again as he has brought a new kind of sound to the world of music. West released his eighth studio album on Friday, June 1, 2018. Within the first minute of the first track, “I thought about killing you,” West talks about the fact that he has not only had suicidal thoughts but homicidal thoughts as well. I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t sure if I would like this album upon hearing the first song, even though rap is a genre that I listen to quite often. However, I was wrong. I found the album very intriguing and felt that he opened up to his fans a lot on this album, which I appreciate.

On the cover of this album, it showcases a field with mountains above and written in green letters it states, “I hate being Bi-Polar it’s awesome.”  He also mentions this on the second track “Yikes,” which has the second most popularity rating next to “All Mine.” According to Genius.com, “Yikes” is a song about drugs, specifically about addiction and intoxication. I think that is important to talk about health issues such as these and not let them be ignored because it may help someone who is struggling.

West features the artist, PARTYNEXTDOOR, on the tracks “Wouldn’t Leave” and “Ghost Town.” In my opinion, “Ghost Town” is one of the best songs on the album. I think Kanye’s vocals sound exquisite and I really vibe with the beat presented. The song gives off very mixed emotions in my opinion, especially when it says, “I let it all go, of everything that I know, yeah, of everything that I know, yeah, and nothing hurts anymore, I feel kinda free.” I interpret this as him saying that he doesn’t really care about much anymore and is letting go of the things that don’t matter as much to him.

I learned that “Violent Crimes,” the very last song featured on the album, was the only song he produced completely on his own, which I respect very much as this is also one of the songs I listen to the most. I also noticed while listening to “Violent Crimes” that at the very end in the last 14 seconds of the song Nicki Minaj appears, which I thought gave out an interesting feel. West also features Ty Dolla $ign on this song and two others, “Wouldn’t Leave” and “All Mine,” both add a really interesting twist to the album because of their unique sound.I listened to this album in order and I really think he saved the best for last with this song. 

“Ye” is hands down an album that really speaks to me. I love when artists give us insight to what’s going on in their heads. West has always been someone who’s extremely real about how he feels and what is going on in his life, which he follows through with in “Ye.” I highly recommend giving this album a listen, you might have a completely different view on the album than what you initially thought. I promise, it’s definitely worth the time.