"I'm not even gonna bother listening and go straight to hating it. Dude is so over" - This comment I saw on last.fm sums it up. The SJW haters said what they said about 'Vultures' due to his controversial comments so they've had to continue to stick to their narrative.
I think this is a small step down from 'Vultures' but there is enough good content with the sound feeling kind of like 'Donda' mixed with 'Vultures'. I think Ty does more of his share of the lifting here than he did on 'Part 1' but Kanye is still the star. The autotune wack features don't bother me as much as they did on 'Vultures'. In an age where so many rappers just spit 16 over looped instrumentation that barely changes for four minutes, as with 'Vultures' there is enough variety, not only song to song, but also within songs. Again, like 'Vultures', it begins well with the first four songs all being banging. 'Husband' won't be for everyone, but the way it blends into 'Lifestyle' making it feel like one song that has been split into two adds to the feeling of wanting to listen to both. 'Bomb' is a straight skip and 'Sky City' is weak, but there is something to like in almost everything here. The production is stronger than people are giving this credit for and Kanye is still an engaging rapper.
Beats: ★★★★
Rapping/Bars: ★★★☆
Hooks: ★★★☆
Best Tracks: Slide, Fried, Time Moving Slow, River, Dead, My Soul
1 Slide
"Them SJW reviewers don't like me, tell them niggas like wise." Quotables, engaging, humorous lyrics. Dope beat and build up. A good way to start the album.
2 Time Moving Slow
Catchy keys with tribal drums.
3 Field Trip
Memorable hook and enjoyable final Kanye verse.
4 Fried
Hard as nails. If this was on Yeezus fans would've ate it up.
5 Isabella
An eight second interlude that I don't see the point of.
6 Promotion
Like we always do with this time! I hate the autotune shit but it doesn't ruin the song.
7 Husband
Kanye "singing" almost acapella that blends into the next song nicely. One of the least engaging moments.
8 Lifestyle
Lil Wayne is actually still spitting "life's a bitch" bars in 2024? This overstays its welcome with Kanye crooning for a tad too long but the production is strong beforehand.
9 Forever
This is the least interesting song that doesn't feature Kanye's kid. 90 seconds of nothing much.
10 Bomb
Terrible. Stop putting your kids on songs, Kanye.
11 River
One of the strongest songs. The instrumentation is dope. Does anyone find it odd that we go from Kanye's children to the opening bars of this which is "Sex. Big booty bitch I know who paid for it." This is worth getting through the first average minute with Lil Baby for what comes after it. Another contagious hook, progression and great production.
12 530
You're welcome - https://genius.com/Kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-530-lyrics. I get the point of what Kanye's mumbling ending is trying to do, but it doesn't make for great listening.
13 Dead
"Fuckin' on a IG model, when I get through, I'm kickin' her out, she dead" Dark trap beat with a catchy hook but more is needed in the verses to elevate it.
14 Forever Rolling
Good, and there's nothing wrong with this, but it's one of the more uninteresting songs.
15 Sky City
The start of this sounds like a bad pop-punk song but it improves. The way Kanye raps on V1 reminds me of Eminem's 'Stan'. This is an uplifting track but it's very generic until the final third.
16 My Soul
Blends nicely from 'Sky City' and then the end of this blends back into 'Slide' making the album loop well.
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