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Home , Blood on the Leaves, Bound 2, On Sight, Yeezus

PAGE 6 | FORUMTHURSDAY, JUNE 20, 2013 | THE BALL STATE DAILY NEWS | BSUDAILY.COM [email protected] .COM/BSUDAILYNEWS How good is Kanye’s ‘Yeezus’? West’s latest attempt is worst in his discography, West explodes with his most sonically ambitious KAYNE WEST - to date falling just short of his last effort lacking lyrical substance, too experimental at times

From the opening of ’s sixth studio album You will be nodding your head, and not because you’re tired either. Beat after “Yeezus” one thing is obvious; it’s the rawest, most beat will have you on the edge of your seat. experimental version of West that we’ve heard. Kanye West’s “Yeezus” opens with the bass-heavy track “.” And it’s exactly what he needed in the follow up to 2011’s near-perfect “My Beautiful Dark Twisted very well at all. Fantasy.” What helps make “Yeezus” so bold and TheSome hook have fits called in as wellthe album as any fresh, in the cutting entire album,edge, ge which- is not successful is that he’s not grasping for the same nius even. I think of said compliments to be covering sound and material, trying to replicate what up West’s blundering of an attempt to be all of made his last album so successful. The boast- those things. ful name, the sound and tracks like “I Am A Most every track has the essence of, at God” ensure that the album will be remem- some point, two within one. Several bered, for better or worse. hooks are extended to sound like short verses that just don’t jive. typical outstanding production. It uses some industrial Perhaps you’ll like it, but it wasn’t for me. Thesounds first andhalf synthsof the album rather bursts creatively open while with alsoWest’s tack- With the exception of two songs on the entire album, ling some more serious lyrical content. “,” “” and “” West’s personal style perhaps the best track on the album, tackles racism went out the window. in a multi-faceted way including corporate control, West’s auto-tuned voice works extremely well with the materialism and the prison system. sampling of ’s “.” “Blood on the West’s best songs lyrically and sonically come from Leaves,” which mirrors the title of Jeff Stetson’s 2004 novel the first half, but from there it gets a bit hit or miss about racial injustice in 1960s Mississippi, implies that or controversial. “I’m In It” compares to some of some deep message would lie within. the most vulgar songs I’ve heard. Its beat is solid, Instead, it merely addresses West’s past relationships. It but lines like “Put my fist in her like a civil rights does, however, speak to the fact that West has to deal with at sign” are a bit too much shock value for the track. least one of his exes in public. Such emotional stuff. One of the most controversial tracks, “Blood The feel that fans, myself included, had come to love On The Leaves,” samples Nina Simone’s “Strange throughout West’s career is gone. “College Dropout,” “Late Fruit,” a disturbing about . Carrying Registration,” “808’s” and “Heartbreak,” and his most the weight of such serious material is a difficult recent album “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” all task and West isn’t able to live up to the sample, delivered content with actual context. instead rapping about divorces and women looking Lyrical substance is almost completely absent from to have a baby with a wealthy rapper like himself. this album. Most every track runs out of steam and It’s a little disturbing to see material climaxes with some group of one-liners about West’s treated like this, but I don’t hate this song. I like it sex life. Which, although I was concerned about, was because the high-pitched sample of Simone is mixed not what I wanted the focus of this album to be. Especially perfectly into the song, and the beat that awakens in the once I knew that tracks like “” and “New second verse is one of the best moments in the album. Slaves” would be featured. And as much as I would have preferred some more serious That reminds me, “New Slaves” is great. I have to give credit material from West with this sample, there are still plenty of metaphors with West’s life and “Strange Fruit.” album, and with the fourth song, listeners get some actual lyrics. The album certainly has its flaws. It’s only 40 where it’s due. The bass line is probably the fiercest on the minutes long, which is a bit short for an album when clean water was only served to the fairer skin,” sets the that does so much sonically, where it lacks lyri- toneThe for first a trackline of packed the song, with “My controversial momma was lyrics. raised in the era cally. It’s also a little uneven for me, with the first West speaks to the racism he encountered before getting rich, half of the album raw and angry; it just loses a “Don’t touch anything in the store,” and then the racism he encounters little momentum as it turns to the second half. now, “come in, please buy more. What you want, a Bentley? A fur Coat? A Lyrically, it’s a subpar output for West and prob- diamond chain? All you blacks want all the same things.” ably has something to do with how hastily this I was glad to hear West attack some real issues, and on top of solid project was thrown together, but it beat, too. doesn’t distract me too much from what I like West closes the album with a series of slow beats, with softer bass about the album. lines that leave a hunger for more of the edgy music that was fea- But “Yeezus” is unquestionably a risky move tured in the first half. by West. One that is successful partly because of STEVEN WILLIAMS his stature as a hip-hop star to take such under- “New Slaves.” An acoustic sample dominates the song, and DAKOTA CRAWFORD ground, experimental sounds and bring them to a shallowThe album’s lyrics finalejust escalate is nearly the a confusions180 degree that turnaround surround from EDITOR-IN-CHIEF mainstream audience. West makes these sounds West’s relationship with . SPORTS EDITOR STEVEN WILLIAMS IS SENIOR his own as he’s always done and it’s an album I’ll He teases the potential for the two getting married with DAKOTA CRAWFORD IS A JUNIOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEWS MAJOR AND be enjoying for a long time, if only for the impec- the lines “Maybe we could still make it to the church steps. TELECOMMUNICATIONS NEWS MAJOR AND WRITES FOR THE DAILY NEWS. HIS VIEWS DO cable production. WRITES FOR THE DAILY NEWS. HIS VIEWS DO NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THOSE OF THE Rating: HHHHI To close the song, and the album West says “Jesus wept.” NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THOSE OF THE NEWSPAPER. ButSo first,did I, you Kanye. gon’ So remember did I. how to forget.” NEWSPAPER. TWEET AT @SBWILLIAMS15 Rating: HHHII TWEET AT @DAKOTACRAWFORD_ DNSWITCHBOARD MICROSOFT ANNOUNCED IT HAS GOTTEN RID OF ITS CONTROVERSIAL FEATURES FOR THE XBOX ONE, INCLUD- ING REQUIRING A INTERNET CONNECTION DAILY. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE DECISION? STEVEN WILLIAMS, JORDAN HUFFER, EMMA KATE FITTES, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF PHOTO EDITOR NEWS EDITOR « It was the only choice Microsoft had. Gamers were « Is there an ‘Avatar’ based bending « I don’t really think about that prepared to flock to Sony and the PS4. The decision game for the Kinect yet? ... No? ... decision because I don’t own won’t change my mind on my next console decision, Yeah, then I really don’t care. » an Xbox One nor do I plan to. but it certainly allows gamers who really weren’t sure a So, insert a clever or thoughtful better competitive decision. Hopefully this allows Sony response here. » to pull more exclusive titles after the changes. » DAKOTA CRAWFORD, MICHAEL BOEHNLEIN, DANIEL BROUNT , SPORTS EDITOR DESIGN EDITOR COPY CHIEF « I love the decision. I had whole-heartedly « Microsoft’s changes with the « I’ve always been a Playstation jumped the fence, and set my mind on purchasing Xbox One were pretty dumb and guy, so Xbox wasn’t going to a PS4 after hearing about Microsoft’s initial ultimately I think they would have change my mind anyway. I wasn’t features. Having to ‘check in’ once a day is suffered if they did not decide to paying much attention to the outrageous. Glad to see the change, and glad to be drop some of the controversial ones. Xbox One in the first place.» back on board, Bill. » I’m still getting a PS4. »

| THE DAILY NEWS COMIC Josh Shaffer is a sophomore pre-art major and draws “Strange Gods” for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Josh at [email protected].

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