Yeezus
by Kanye West
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Jun 18, 2013
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2196 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,717 out of 2196
  2. Mixed: 196 out of 2196
  3. Negative: 283 out of 2196
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  1. gsc
    Jun 19, 2013
    10
    This album with it's fearless egotistical lyrics, dark themes, and hard inventive beats is Kanye's best album yet. This is an album more complex and more complete than anything the artist has done before. All the songs flow into each other and all but one "bound 2" would feel out of place on any other Kanye album. This is an album that requires more than one listen to truly appreciate. TheThis album with it's fearless egotistical lyrics, dark themes, and hard inventive beats is Kanye's best album yet. This is an album more complex and more complete than anything the artist has done before. All the songs flow into each other and all but one "bound 2" would feel out of place on any other Kanye album. This is an album that requires more than one listen to truly appreciate. The first time you listen to it you're left dumbfounded and do not know what to make of the strangeness you have just heard. But upon a second listen you realize this is the birth of a new darker Kanye. The egotism of this album would be unforgivable if this album was not as good as it is, but it is. Yeezus is the dark twisted masterpiece of a mad genius.… Expand
  2. Chaitanya
    Jul 5, 2013
    10
    This is the first time, I am reviewing a brand new album. I usually take some time to get used to an album but some albums are such that they stick with you even when you listen to them just once. After listening to this album nearly seven times now, I think I am in a position to review it properly. Basically its great!!

    Yes, he is back with his 6th album. By this time as a fan I knew    This is the first time, I am reviewing a brand new album. I usually take some time to get used to an album but some albums are such that they stick with you even when you listen to them just once. After listening to this album nearly seven times now, I think I am in a position to review it properly. Basically its great!!

    Yes, he is back with his 6th album. By this time as a fan I knew that this album like all his other albums has to be different or break some trends and most likely set a few new trends. 3 years after creating arguably one of the greatest rap albums of all time. He is back again doing what he does best, defy the norms and he still refuses to make the rap albums that everybody else seems to make. Its only been 3 days since the album was released but I can say this with full conviction:

    I took notice of this genius when I heard his second album: Late Registration. Shortly, its my favourite rap album of all time.

    With this album, Kanye West de-constructs the rap/hip-hop conventions, chops them up and makes something that’s sonically akin to Massive Attack’s: “Mezzanine” than say, any of his other albums. He created his own genre twice before with “808s & Heartbreak” and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and this one is inventive and different in the same vein as these two albums.    … Expand
  3. Waffle
    Jun 18, 2013
    9
    The energy in this album is unbelieveable, the beats and the lyrics are fresh and relentless. Though not perfect, this album truly is great. 9.25/10
  4. sccoronel
    Jan 5, 2014
    0
    I don't recall listening to a worst album than this one. It is unbelievable how most critics can't tell a rubbish record from revolutionary one. So disappointing. There is no highlight in this album. The lyrics are terrible, so is the production and the music in general. I cannot believe RS ranked it on the second position of 2013's best albums. This magazine and these new audiences areI don't recall listening to a worst album than this one. It is unbelievable how most critics can't tell a rubbish record from revolutionary one. So disappointing. There is no highlight in this album. The lyrics are terrible, so is the production and the music in general. I cannot believe RS ranked it on the second position of 2013's best albums. This magazine and these new audiences are destroying what once we knew as great, enjoyable music.… Expand
  5. MarcAMcGrath
    Jun 18, 2013
    2
    I don't like it not even a little. Kanye placed the goal of innovation over the goal of making good music. The production has its moments, but slips too often into a rumbling synths, bassy buzzsaws, high-pitched metallic shrieks that overshadow what little lyrical element exists but that's preferable to the hamfisted lyrics.

    Kanye may have abandoned catchy production and mass appeal,    I don't like it not even a little. Kanye placed the goal of innovation over the goal of making good music. The production has its moments, but slips too often into a rumbling synths, bassy buzzsaws, high-pitched metallic shrieks that overshadow what little lyrical element exists but that's preferable to the hamfisted lyrics.

    Kanye may have abandoned catchy production and mass appeal, but his lyrics burned the bridge. Kanye has always been a juxtaposition, mixing the fragility and transparency of a glass champagne flute with the narcissism and braggadocio that is typical of hip hop. Kanye has fallen (or jumped) from this tight-wire balance, landing deep within the infinite void of his own ego. The lyrics are self-exalting, self-congratulatory and self-centered. On more than a few tracks, Kanye is battling old shadows with incendiary lyrics, responding to echos with a rebuttal to the choir no one is arguing the point anymore, but Kanye continues to tantrum on; not with the witty lyrics of his past albums, but with brutish blusters, caterwaul screams, and childish yowls laced with production cuts and reverb. And, when the time comes, Kanye delves into closet of hiphop's past and drags out the autotune to compliment his tired arguments.

    Kanye's flow ebbs due to a conscious decision to adopt the slow-paced percussive style of southern rappers that bounce over club bangers. Kanye's wavering confident self-aware delivery of the past that made his previous records so great is nowhere to be found, but is certainly missed.

    The media will, of course, gush over the emperor's new clothing, with words like 'brave' and 'genius', but it will only be lip service and mouthed praise. Deep down this isn't about His music, this is about Him as a concept, and idea, a brand. the media's love affair with Kanye was built on the foundation of quality music, but in the wake of countless spectacles of egotism, and displays of self-unawareness, supported by unearned comparisons have laid the brickwork to this taj mahall, Kanye mutters to a reporter, "I am the best ever" and those words migrate to the front of music magazines and the world begins to echo back kanye's own praise, first framed as a question, but like all echos, the end trails off and the statement, "Kanye is the best" becomes a statement. And he has been the best, he has been really really good, but not this time, and no one will have the guts to tell the self-crowned emperor that he is naked.

    I applaud Kanye's vision and ambition to continually grow and change as an artist, but new isn't always better, and sometimes it's terrible. Kanye's music is lacking the soulful sweetness and depth that counteracts his acerbic ostentatiousness. I won't be buying this album, and I will certainly be more skeptical of any subsequent releases.    … Expand
  6. Fabbinator
    Jun 20, 2013
    8
    Kanye has succeeded in creating a sonically engaging album that stands out from all his previous efforts. The lyrics could have been better in some spots, for sure, but I think in terms of production this is excellent. It's totally different from anything he's ever done, but still feels very much like Kanye. Got a slight Death Grips vibe from it, but that might just be me. Paranoia andKanye has succeeded in creating a sonically engaging album that stands out from all his previous efforts. The lyrics could have been better in some spots, for sure, but I think in terms of production this is excellent. It's totally different from anything he's ever done, but still feels very much like Kanye. Got a slight Death Grips vibe from it, but that might just be me. Paranoia and darkness are some of the more obvious themes. Not as good overall as MBDTF, for sure, but it's pretty damn good. Can't wait to see what comes next from the self-proclaimed god of hip-hop, Yeezus.

    FAVE TRACKS: Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood On the Leaves
    LEAST FAVE: Guilt Trip    … Expand
  7. Nerusan
    Jul 27, 2013
    10
    Yes, i'm a Kanye West fan but I had my doubts about this at first. I felt it was too derivative from Death Grips and Clipping.'s sound and that it was a bandwagoning attempt but I was half-wrong. Yes, he was attempting the sound but at the same time, he did something a bit difficult. He gave it a mainstream appeal! That's what I love about this album (or mixtape, since its short and isYes, i'm a Kanye West fan but I had my doubts about this at first. I felt it was too derivative from Death Grips and Clipping.'s sound and that it was a bandwagoning attempt but I was half-wrong. Yes, he was attempting the sound but at the same time, he did something a bit difficult. He gave it a mainstream appeal! That's what I love about this album (or mixtape, since its short and is structured like a mixtape). It's certainly no MBDTF or even Late Registration but this is up there with them… Expand
  8. flatterlr
    Jul 17, 2013
    9
    If you like electronic music and rap, look no further. I happen to have grown up on Daft Punk, and though this makes me an outlier, I didn't love Kanye until 808s. Some people find this album abrasive, but I'm used to these kinds of sounds from electronic music. I really enjoy the beats. The one thing holding it back for me is that some of the lyrics are superficial, but that's Kanye a lotIf you like electronic music and rap, look no further. I happen to have grown up on Daft Punk, and though this makes me an outlier, I didn't love Kanye until 808s. Some people find this album abrasive, but I'm used to these kinds of sounds from electronic music. I really enjoy the beats. The one thing holding it back for me is that some of the lyrics are superficial, but that's Kanye a lot of the time. I wouldn't say all of the lyrics are bad though, especially in New Slaves and Blood on the Leaves.… Expand
  9. Orakelkind
    Jun 18, 2013
    7
    Kanye's infamous transformation from a former genius and groundbreaking artist to an obscene, average-talented rapper and producer started with whatever "Cruel Summer" was supposed to be and eventually peaked in "Yeezus". He has somehow managed to be on a level with Kendrick Lamar and that's not a compliment at all.
  10. candleguy84
    Jun 18, 2013
    1
    This album is crap, how is this better than j cole's. You can't even understand the lyrics, it's just a bunch of loud screaming. I laugh at the people who say this is innovation, this cannot even be called music
  11. TVLORMVRLOWE
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Incredible. Daft Punk, Rick Rubin, Mike Dean, Travis Scott and Bon Iver. Its revolutionary.

    BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  12. Duderinoo
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Yet another fantastic album from Yeezy. As always, he keeps it new and exciting and you never quite now what to expect from him. Yeezus, like MBDTF, pushes the boundaries of what a hip hop album can be, sonically and thematically. There's no other musician who can put Justin Vernon and Chief Keef together on a track about heartbreak and emptiness (Hold My Liquor) and make it work so amazingly.
  13. Calmdownyeezy
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    took time to get used too for sure I was disgusted by the album first listen. But now I can't get enough. I love every song except on sight. Definitely has to grow on you. And you have to get past that this is not a "soul sample" album even though it does use some samples extremely beautifully.
  14. sballo
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    An incredible experimental rap album. Kanye West is the most innovative rapper around and never fails to deliver quality music while changing the genre for the better. Some people dislike West because of his so-called "arrogant" personality, but he really isn't. West speaks his mind and says what he feels is right. Furthermore, an artist's personality should not affect your opinion ofAn incredible experimental rap album. Kanye West is the most innovative rapper around and never fails to deliver quality music while changing the genre for the better. Some people dislike West because of his so-called "arrogant" personality, but he really isn't. West speaks his mind and says what he feels is right. Furthermore, an artist's personality should not affect your opinion of music, which has always been top notch.… Expand
  15. meloyo
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Like every Kanye album...Ye has taken a current trend and twisted it into his own perfection...and like every Kanye album, it's amazing. Kanye has done it again, providing a dark "alternative" album that leaves listeners questioning their first listen, and deeply falling in love every listen after. I highly suggest that everyone listen at least twice, and take in the beautiful music Ye hasLike every Kanye album...Ye has taken a current trend and twisted it into his own perfection...and like every Kanye album, it's amazing. Kanye has done it again, providing a dark "alternative" album that leaves listeners questioning their first listen, and deeply falling in love every listen after. I highly suggest that everyone listen at least twice, and take in the beautiful music Ye has blessed us with. Can't complain about this 10 track album when every song blows you away. Congrats Yeezy, you did it again. 10/10… Expand
  16. JPLBMF
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    This album is amazing! Kanye can't go wrong! Wow lost for words Amazing from start to finish & this is way better than all the June eighteen albums coming out.
  17. Nakaryar
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Kanye proves again why he's the best at pushing boundaries. This album is above and beyond plain hip-hop definitions. Its punk, its rock, its electro and house, and it all works together in great harmony.
  18. jaym0nstaa
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Hurry up with my damn croissants.
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    . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . :hah:
  19. yungniz
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    King Kanye, this album is GODLY. Although it can have a polarising affect on listeners this is no doubt a hip hold album way ahead of its time. This will be seen as one of the most defining albums of recent rap history.
  20. nicnamenic
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Another classic by Kanye West. Yeezus features examples of some of Kanye's greatest production to date with tracks like 'Bound 2' and 'I'm in It' alongside some of the greatest verses written by him such as 'New Slaves' and 'I Am a God'. Unbelievably good; every one of the 10 tracks is excellent. Kanye at his usual best: experimental, abrasive and stupidly enjoyable to listen to.
  21. Deezy4273
    Jun 18, 2013
    8
    i'm gonna break down each song and what i think. i have listened to all kanye west albums and i listen to many types of music to to get where i'm coming from.

    #1. on sight: i just wasn't feeling this track i actually think the beat is kinda boring i always skip this track 4/10 #2. Black Skinhead: another track i'm just not feeling but i don't think its a bad track i can listen to it    i'm gonna break down each song and what i think. i have listened to all kanye west albums and i listen to many types of music to to get where i'm coming from.

    #1. on sight: i just wasn't feeling this track i actually think the beat is kinda boring i always skip this track 4/10

    #2. Black Skinhead: another track i'm just not feeling but i don't think its a bad track i can listen to it without the urge to skip 7/10

    #3.I Am A God: This is where the album starts for me the track jump right into hard bass and has the most classic line and funny line on the album "hurry up with my damn Croissants" the screams are a bit disturbing 9/10

    #4. New Slaves: strong track sick beat with barely any drums and kanye delivers his lines perfectly my personal favorite 10/10

    #5. hold my liquor i like this song but there's nothing to make it really stand out from other tracks 8/10

    #6. im in it: ahh this song is okay to me few good lines and okay beat i cant really understand what the high pitch singer is saying overall the song feels kinda sloppy 7/10

    #7.blood on the leaves: i think this track is a banger, one of my favs i play over and over again 9/10

    #8.guilt trip: feeling the beat alot. the lyrics are okay, song samples pusha t blocka. kid cudi comes in at the end and pulls the song together 8/10

    #9. Send it up: i can see how people could not like this song, its nosiey as i actually think this track is a club banger( maybe not in any hood or real hip hop clubs) king Louie going off Last night my came in twos and they both suck like they came to lose". i listen to a lot of dub step so the synth is not that annoying to me :-P 9/10

    #10 bound 2: i think its a all round classic yeezy track not to much to say about 9/10

    Overall i give the album a 8 its not like his last album which i think was his best work but it's still a interesting listen. takes a few plays to start feeling this album you gotta listen to each song before you can get a feel of the album don't just scrim though it    … Expand
  22. PRINCECC
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    For Kanye, there's purpose in repulsion. And on Yeezus, he trades out smooth soul and anthemic choruses for jarring electro, acid house, and industrial grind while delivering some of his most lewd and heart-crushing tales yet. This is willful provocation that Ice Cube, Madonna, and Trent Reznor could all be proud of. Some of the record has him tackling the same issues he's been rappingFor Kanye, there's purpose in repulsion. And on Yeezus, he trades out smooth soul and anthemic choruses for jarring electro, acid house, and industrial grind while delivering some of his most lewd and heart-crushing tales yet. This is willful provocation that Ice Cube, Madonna, and Trent Reznor could all be proud of. Some of the record has him tackling the same issues he's been rapping about since The College Dropout, albeit with a fire-eyed stare. On his debut's "Family Business", he poignantly lamented a jailed cousin's absence at the Thanksgiving dinner table in a manner "so sweet, like a photo of your granny's picture." On Yeezus, he's still addressing the plight of incarcerated black men, but now he's incensed. With "New Slaves", he confronts us with vulgar stereotypes while exposing the prison-industrial complex for the deeply systemic racist sham that it is.… Expand
  23. cartesiandemon
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Another masterpiece by Ye. It will absolutely take a few listens for this to settle in for most listeners (myself included), but that just reflects the fact that Kanye has pushed the boundaries of hip hop-- and pop music-- yet again. Loud, abrasive, progressive, and entertaining as hell. Contradictions abound, but you already knew this was a Kanye album.
  24. jcole2
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Wow lost for words Amazing from start to finish & I wasn't even a fan of him but I have to give respect where is due & now he made me a fan Thank you Yeezus you just made me a believer Bound 2 was crazy from the Uh Uh honey & send it up with that grimey beat was crazy & the Jamaican dude killed it
  25. awa88
    Jun 18, 2013
    9
    Was it going to be hard living up to the hype left in "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's" trails? Yes. Does "Yeezus" do it? Yes. But will fans feel the same? Not sure. "Yeezus" is a polarizing album that ditches a lot of the soul of previous efforts like "College Dropout" and the sheer scale and bravura of "Twisted Fantasy" and replaces it with a haunting, dark electro-infused vision ofWas it going to be hard living up to the hype left in "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy's" trails? Yes. Does "Yeezus" do it? Yes. But will fans feel the same? Not sure. "Yeezus" is a polarizing album that ditches a lot of the soul of previous efforts like "College Dropout" and the sheer scale and bravura of "Twisted Fantasy" and replaces it with a haunting, dark electro-infused vision of Hell. While Kanye's lyricism does, at times, leave a bit to be desired, the production is awe-inducing; a sign of an album that's years, if not decades, ahead of its time.… Expand
  26. nizar
    Jun 18, 2013
    9
    As with all Kanye West's albums the production is on point. The beats range from hardcore electro such as the track "onsite" to hour soulful hip hop sounds found on "bound 2." The album is influenced by many different genres and thats a good thing. Kanye's lyricism isn't the what it used to be on his former albums. That being said i think his minimalist approach used for the lyrics reallyAs with all Kanye West's albums the production is on point. The beats range from hardcore electro such as the track "onsite" to hour soulful hip hop sounds found on "bound 2." The album is influenced by many different genres and thats a good thing. Kanye's lyricism isn't the what it used to be on his former albums. That being said i think his minimalist approach used for the lyrics really works and flows with the beats. All in all a great project.… Expand
  27. Mambaveli
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Yeezus is polarizing & innovative. From the rock infuences in "Black Skinhead" to the chilling combination of Billie Holiday's rendition of "Strage Fruit" & TNGHT's trap banger "R U Ready" Kanye West continues to push boundaries & pave his own path as one of Hip-Hop's most memorable artists.
  28. VietBrah
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    Yeezus captivates exactly what I wanted from a 9.5 album. It is best to avoid Starbucks on your commute to work tomorrow morning due to an excess of basic ordering croissants. I will use sweet and sour sauce as lube going forward. Drake could never aspire to make such an influential album. smh.
  29. That
    Jun 18, 2013
    0
    WOAT Lyrics! Unbelievable how bad this Album is content wise. And it isn't groundbreaking at all, there are many other Artists who made a LP with a similar sound
  30. 929
    Jun 18, 2013
    10
    West is unquestionably doing whatever he wants here. And whether or not we actually need these 10 mongrel pop songs, it’s thrilling to watch the man discover new ways to stick out his neck. “Soon as they like you, make ’em unlike you,” he growls on “I Am a God,” describing the rope-a-dope methodology that’s made him today’s most complex pop star. (Fittingly, it’s the winning line from aWest is unquestionably doing whatever he wants here. And whether or not we actually need these 10 mongrel pop songs, it’s thrilling to watch the man discover new ways to stick out his neck. “Soon as they like you, make ’em unlike you,” he growls on “I Am a God,” describing the rope-a-dope methodology that’s made him today’s most complex pop star. (Fittingly, it’s the winning line from a song about a perennial self-loather being on a first-name basis with Jesus Christ.)

    “Yeezus” has already been branded as West’s ugliest album, but he’ll always be a populist at heart, incapable of releasing anything truly repulsive. For all of the charred melodies and serrated rhythms on “Yeezus,” this is still luscious electronic music sculpted into elegant shapes that only signal threat. French dance music duo Daft Punk and studio sage Rick Rubin were called on to collaborate, helping West evoke hip-hop’s icy, electro roots while echoing the sly, synthetic snarls of Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails.

    There’s still plenty of ugliness scribbled on West’s lyric sheet. He plumbs the depths of his id like a knife scraping the bottom of the peanut butter jar. He turns civil-rights-era mantras into gross pillow talk that no human should ever utter in real life. He promises to get the club “shaking like Parkinson’s.”

    “Black Skinhead” crams all of this attitude into one dystopian, Gary Glitter-ish jock jam that would be perfect for the stadium scene finale of “Akira,” the legendary Japanese anime film that West adores. “I keep it 300 like the Romans,” he spits during the refrain, a boast that blurs fantasy and reality, Hollywood retina candy and Chicago gang violence. (“300” is slang for Chicago’s Black Disciples street gang, as well as the title of a 2007 action flick in which ancient soldiers bathe one another in CGI blood.)

    Despite a handful of arresting quirks and kinks, the lyrics on “Yeezus” are West’s least refined and probably his least compelling. But they don’t feel lazy so much as drunk on bitterness. After engineering something as magisterial as his 2010 opus “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” this is West at his most wasted, stumbling through rubble.

    It’s all over in about 40 minutes, instantly provoking questions about legacy. The last time West took a risk this great, with “808s & Heartbreak,” he taught hip-hop about the potency of vulnerability and ended up paving a four-lane highway for Drake, Kid Cudi, the Weeknd and Future. Will “Yeezus” teach a rising generation of rap stars to melt poison from their frozen hearts?

    And how will the auteur himself reconcile the unholy mess he’s been making? “Yeezus” might blow our collective hair back for the summer, but West has to live with these tunes for the rest of his life. His girlfriend, Kim Kardashian, delivered a daughter Saturday. How do cynicism and self-obsession jibe with being a dad?

    In addition to keeping us thinking about him, West’s music always keeps us thinking about the future. He’s a visionary who’s managed to tweak the serial rhythms that dictate so much of our pop culture diet. He doesn’t do cliffhangers. He jumps off.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Album of 2013
3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2013
3
#3 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 1 out of 46
  1. The Wire
    Dec 10, 2013
    50
    His concerns are serious--consumerism, race, fame, relationships--but he rarely addresses them with the craft or focus they deserve. [Sep 2013, p.66]
  2. Q Magazine
    Aug 20, 2013
    80
    Contradiction incarnate, Yeezus is Kanye's most Kanyeish LP yet. [Sep 2013, p.103]
  3. Mojo
    Aug 13, 2013
    80
    Nasty, brutish, short, and wholly compelling, Yeezus begs only one question: where next? [Sep 2013, p.89]
See all critic reviews »