Holistic Heartbreak
For this review, I went back to 2008 to rediscover Kanye's 808s & Heartbreak. Personally, I think this is Kanye's most human album to date. Kanye became iconic because of his ego and god-like tendencies, but this album as a whole reminds us that Kanye is still a human-- an egotistical human but still flesh and bones. Its a weird feeling, to say the least. One of today's biggest stars isn't bigger than us at all. He's actually just like us or worse and I love it and hate it all at the same goddamn time. This album was the baby of a ridiculously hard year in West's life. Cue, "Welcome to heartbreak."
In November of 2007, Donda West passed away. A parent passing away is hard on anyone but Ye's bond was much more evident than your average Hollywood star. I'm not going to spend hours analyzing their relationship but Kanye was very close with his mom and she undoubtedly heavily influenced his music and his career. To add to the heartbreak, Kanye once and for all ended his relationship with his fiancee. Alexis Phifer gets lost in the sea of Kim K's and bald Amber Rose's but she was around for about six years so there's no way that split didn't do some damage. I mean, he legitimately credits her with losing his soul to his ex fiancee (see Heartless). No one wishes hardship on anyone, but it isn't a new phenomenon for artists to use hardships and shitty life situations as a driving force behind their work. Life sucks and inevitably fucks someone over every once in awhile but at least it happens to all of us. Happens to the best of us (and the bestest of us @kanyewest).
This album is SO different. Borderline unrecognizable. First off, there is hardly any rapping. It is auto-tune and singing. Personally, I welcome a change of scenery every once in awhile but I can see why it would be a turn off for a lot of other fans. If crazy god Kanye is what you're here for, 808's & Heartbreak will pale in comparison. Having said that, if you're anything like me, some days you're just out for blood and want to be in your feels. No judgment; I'm 99% sure we all do it. Life sucks and people suck and sometimes you need your tunes to validate your dismal outlook on life (even if its just for a little bit). The entire work strictly follows the same theme of heartbreak. Bad News, Streetlights, RoboCop, and Coldest Winter are just a few of my go-to's when I want to bask in all of the ways life has screwed me over.
It would be sacrilegious for me to write an album review without commenting on the music itself, right? I have been avidly avoiding talking about since its just not that great. Don't get me wrong, its great and fine to listen to but its not groundbreaking. Auto tune, auto tune, and then some more auto tune. On paper, it sounds super cool. Let's take Kanye, a golden rapper and then have him sing. I know there's some theories out there that swear on everything that the auto tone is purposeful. Somehow, the auto tune was Kanye's way of appearing more vulnerable to the listener. Perhaps that was the message of it and I'm too small minded to see the vision but it went right over my head. I whole heartedly relate to the lyrics, the message behind the music, but the delivery is not on par with the West I know and love. The auto tune has never stopped me from listening to the songs. I still love the music but I can't deny that there was certainly room for improvement in that aspect. Its a shame that the music itself is such an important part of the album. Sorry Kanye, I really wish I could've avoided having to make this point.
I realize that hip-hop love (or lack thereof) songs are pretty hard to do so I commend the effort. I love a good change in scenery so I don't mind that this album is unrecognizable. Critics are harsh and judge the album for not being 'on brand' for Kanye, but people are not two-dimensional. Yeah sure, everyone has a personality they've developed but to summarize a person into a few words and expect them to remain consistent isn't human. I have a soft spot for Yeezy and his hardships and I have a thing for relatability. Don't knock it because its different. If you're salty, hurt, or just having one of those dark deep days 808s & Heartbreak bumps.
In November of 2007, Donda West passed away. A parent passing away is hard on anyone but Ye's bond was much more evident than your average Hollywood star. I'm not going to spend hours analyzing their relationship but Kanye was very close with his mom and she undoubtedly heavily influenced his music and his career. To add to the heartbreak, Kanye once and for all ended his relationship with his fiancee. Alexis Phifer gets lost in the sea of Kim K's and bald Amber Rose's but she was around for about six years so there's no way that split didn't do some damage. I mean, he legitimately credits her with losing his soul to his ex fiancee (see Heartless). No one wishes hardship on anyone, but it isn't a new phenomenon for artists to use hardships and shitty life situations as a driving force behind their work. Life sucks and inevitably fucks someone over every once in awhile but at least it happens to all of us. Happens to the best of us (and the bestest of us @kanyewest).
This album is SO different. Borderline unrecognizable. First off, there is hardly any rapping. It is auto-tune and singing. Personally, I welcome a change of scenery every once in awhile but I can see why it would be a turn off for a lot of other fans. If crazy god Kanye is what you're here for, 808's & Heartbreak will pale in comparison. Having said that, if you're anything like me, some days you're just out for blood and want to be in your feels. No judgment; I'm 99% sure we all do it. Life sucks and people suck and sometimes you need your tunes to validate your dismal outlook on life (even if its just for a little bit). The entire work strictly follows the same theme of heartbreak. Bad News, Streetlights, RoboCop, and Coldest Winter are just a few of my go-to's when I want to bask in all of the ways life has screwed me over.
It would be sacrilegious for me to write an album review without commenting on the music itself, right? I have been avidly avoiding talking about since its just not that great. Don't get me wrong, its great and fine to listen to but its not groundbreaking. Auto tune, auto tune, and then some more auto tune. On paper, it sounds super cool. Let's take Kanye, a golden rapper and then have him sing. I know there's some theories out there that swear on everything that the auto tone is purposeful. Somehow, the auto tune was Kanye's way of appearing more vulnerable to the listener. Perhaps that was the message of it and I'm too small minded to see the vision but it went right over my head. I whole heartedly relate to the lyrics, the message behind the music, but the delivery is not on par with the West I know and love. The auto tune has never stopped me from listening to the songs. I still love the music but I can't deny that there was certainly room for improvement in that aspect. Its a shame that the music itself is such an important part of the album. Sorry Kanye, I really wish I could've avoided having to make this point.
I realize that hip-hop love (or lack thereof) songs are pretty hard to do so I commend the effort. I love a good change in scenery so I don't mind that this album is unrecognizable. Critics are harsh and judge the album for not being 'on brand' for Kanye, but people are not two-dimensional. Yeah sure, everyone has a personality they've developed but to summarize a person into a few words and expect them to remain consistent isn't human. I have a soft spot for Yeezy and his hardships and I have a thing for relatability. Don't knock it because its different. If you're salty, hurt, or just having one of those dark deep days 808s & Heartbreak bumps.
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