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. ThePizzaman100
    Jun 24, 2013
    4
    Pretty bad...like not at all what I was hoping for. I like the experimental direction he took and maybe if he incorporated the right lyrics this could have been a great album, but with songs like "I'm a god" there is really no words to describe how egomaniac that is. I know it's part of his persona and it makes him who he is but that is just retarded. Also why does every other word have toPretty bad...like not at all what I was hoping for. I like the experimental direction he took and maybe if he incorporated the right lyrics this could have been a great album, but with songs like "I'm a god" there is really no words to describe how egomaniac that is. I know it's part of his persona and it makes him who he is but that is just retarded. Also why does every other word have to be ni@@a? I mean really can't some one release a rap album where that word is actually used in context and not just filler? I want another rap album like Madvillany to come out. Guess I'll just have to keep waiting.… Expand
  2. Butsku
    Jun 18, 2013
    7
    The first side of YEEZUS is bold and to the point. The production is great and Kanye delivers his lines with passion. "On Sight", "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves" rank among the best tracks Kanye has delivered. On the second side of the album the pace slows down and some of the songs (notably "I'm In It") are forgettable with their stale synthesizer beats and autotune'd vocals. Had theThe first side of YEEZUS is bold and to the point. The production is great and Kanye delivers his lines with passion. "On Sight", "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves" rank among the best tracks Kanye has delivered. On the second side of the album the pace slows down and some of the songs (notably "I'm In It") are forgettable with their stale synthesizer beats and autotune'd vocals. Had the album been a passionate percussion-heavy punk rap barrage all the way through, we'd be listening to a classic. Now it seems half-assed and hurried.… Expand
  3. 90sRockWillLive
    Jun 20, 2013
    3
    Critics you can't be serious, this album is trash and this isn't music. All of Kanye's previous albums outdo this one by a long shot. Kanye is getting confused with believing in a God and thinking he is God.
  4. JordReimer
    Jun 23, 2013
    3
    This review was pretty simple. There were 3 good songs out of 10.

    Pros:

    + Black Skinhead
    + New Slaves
    + Blood On The Leaves

    Negatives:

    - Everything Else
  5. jdazzle
    Jun 28, 2013
    8
    Yeezus is a very complex album. It is definitely innovative. The album combines hip-hop, house, dancehall and R&B themes that combine to make something that I can't really describe. I absolutely love the production on the album but Kanye lets me down lyrically especially on Black Skinhead which with some strong rapping could have been a great track. Best tracks in my opinion are Bound 2,Yeezus is a very complex album. It is definitely innovative. The album combines hip-hop, house, dancehall and R&B themes that combine to make something that I can't really describe. I absolutely love the production on the album but Kanye lets me down lyrically especially on Black Skinhead which with some strong rapping could have been a great track. Best tracks in my opinion are Bound 2, New Slaves, I'm In It and Blood On the Leaves. Bound 2 is the only track that really sounds like Kanye of the College Dropout and Late Registration era. New Slave is another song with great production that lets me down a little bit in terms of lyrics. I'm In It is a slap and I love Assassin's verse. Overall the album feels a little bit too thin lasting only 41 minutes. There also isn't a real radio hit track that Kanye seems to be able to produce at will. I know Kanye is very much into being innovative and original but if he had just put 2 potential hit radio songs on Yeezus it would have been a great album. As it stands Yeezus is confusing, vulgar, narcissistic, deep, confusing, a few steps below great, inconsistent, and confusing. Yeezy's rapping feels a little bit too lazy like he wasn't really trying to go all out lyrically. Half of Yeezus is great and the other half is seriously WTF did I just listen too.… Expand
  6. Steve1234
    Jun 29, 2013
    8
    I give this a 9 only because it is not his very best album, but we are talking about Kanye. There are incredibly high expectations that come with him. He is a jack-of-all-trades. He has mastered everything from Soul in College Dropout, to Strings in Late Registration, to Pop in Graduation, to Autotune in 808s & Heartbreak, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and heI give this a 9 only because it is not his very best album, but we are talking about Kanye. There are incredibly high expectations that come with him. He is a jack-of-all-trades. He has mastered everything from Soul in College Dropout, to Strings in Late Registration, to Pop in Graduation, to Autotune in 808s & Heartbreak, ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, and he has now moved to the new "trap" genre on Yeezus. Kanye is a truly transcendent artist and will go down as one of the greatest hip hop artists, if not one of the greatest musical minds to ever live. Yeezus is a just a microcosm of what Kanye can do.… Expand
  7. Junghova
    Jun 18, 2013
    4
    Wow As much as I love Kanye since the Roc a fella days, and reading some of these critic reviews, I cannot help but get the feeling that this album is the audio equivalent of watching a model at a fashion show with a steaming turd on her head and having the critics tell me its "high brow" and "innovative" fashion.

    Mr West has officially "jumped the shark"
  8. martydelaney3
    Jun 23, 2013
    5
    The experimental production makes this a positive in all for his career, but as an album it is extremely lacking. Unfortunately, it has an enjoyable feel to it, that combined with Kanye's excellent musicianship, makes it easy to overlook the massive flaws. I can still listen to this album in the background of anything and enjoy the experience, but any kind of critical look leads to anThe experimental production makes this a positive in all for his career, but as an album it is extremely lacking. Unfortunately, it has an enjoyable feel to it, that combined with Kanye's excellent musicianship, makes it easy to overlook the massive flaws. I can still listen to this album in the background of anything and enjoy the experience, but any kind of critical look leads to an extremely painful feeling.

    The lyricism in this album is by far the worst Ye has ever put out. I find it extremely annoying when people praise his lyricism in this album, citing his focus on the racism of others or the racism of blacks towards blacks or any other such thing. Sure, he has a few conscious lines, but not a single one of them brings any new message from anything he's said before, and every time he's said it before, it was done better. Not a single line in this album strikes me as even somewhat stellar, and it's coupled with the extremely painful lines such as "I'd rather be a dick than a swallower". That line specifically also shows a weakness in Ye's lyricism in this album, where he is too lazy to think up lines that follow one another and just decides to repeat the same ones multiple times.

    His egoism is something I will never look at negatively, as I think it is an incredible asset to his persona, and I normally love how he always proves himself right in so many ways. But for an album that contains a song titled 'I Am a God' (featuring God), he does not provide the backing.

    I will however say that the production on this album is quite interesting, impressive at parts, surprising at others, and for that reason is why I say that this album is a good step for his career. As long as he decides to actually put some effort into his writing, and possibly take more time putting some of his storytelling talent into his next album, I think his next album could be legendary if he takes some of the experimental sounds on Yeezus and puts them to a better use.

    Lyricism: 1/10
    Production 7.5/10
    Content: 2/10
    General Cohesion: 3.5/10    … Expand
  9. RustyBoots
    Jun 29, 2013
    0
    This is total rubbish... it's not music, it's just some moron rapping stupidity over boring repetitive drum beats. it's not even music, it just sounds like when you accidentally play a few youtube videos at once.
  10. Derezzination
    Jul 10, 2013
    5
    It starts off with a raw electronic sound, that sonically is different to Kanye’s Work, and this sound has been created with the help of Daft Punk. I have never been a fan of rap, or Kanye West other than “Runaways” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. So the fact that I can listen to this from beginning to end is a feat in itself, but it is still poor. I like the raw electronic soundIt starts off with a raw electronic sound, that sonically is different to Kanye’s Work, and this sound has been created with the help of Daft Punk. I have never been a fan of rap, or Kanye West other than “Runaways” from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. So the fact that I can listen to this from beginning to end is a feat in itself, but it is still poor. I like the raw electronic sound on the beginning of the album, the industrial feel, and the good use of samples to break up and add to the songs, but the lyrics are poor. They are boring and predictable, Saying that the first two songs are better than the rest of the album until the end. “On Site” and “Blackhead” are good, I can listen to them and they don’t have any of the incessant auto-tune that features later on in the album.

    “New Slaves” maybe could be the most dance floor friendly seeing as it is bass heavy, and it’s one of the few songs where the lyrics mean something, even if Kanye goes about it in a brash way, not exactly using the most sophisticated language.

    From there on, the album becomes a mess, until “Bound 2″ with the seductive sample of Brenda Lee going “Uh huh Honey”, along with a bridge featuring Charlie Wilson that really breaks the song up, and I like that it came as a surprise, it was refreshing. Sure the lyrics may again be poor, “I want to you hard in the sink”, but it’s enjoyable, and for one song, I can look past the flaws.

    Overall, musically the album is decent, I like it here and there, Kanye has some good ideas that he ruins with his rap and the autotune, I really have no strong likes or dislikes to this album, just disappointment with what could have been, and the score is maybe just out of kindness.    … Expand
  11. DStaver
    Jun 20, 2013
    6
    After originally only getting to the forth track before I had to quit, I gave it a second chance which ultimately lead to a third listen through. After being annoyed by it at first, and realizing that it isn't the instant classic as his previous albums, it grew on me. I found myself vibing to a lot of it. This is definitely not Kanye's best work, but it's worthy of looking past the loudAfter originally only getting to the forth track before I had to quit, I gave it a second chance which ultimately lead to a third listen through. After being annoyed by it at first, and realizing that it isn't the instant classic as his previous albums, it grew on me. I found myself vibing to a lot of it. This is definitely not Kanye's best work, but it's worthy of looking past the loud frantic beats and trying to see what he was going for. I think Cole got the best of him on June 18th, but Yeezus will, of course, outsell Born Sinner.… Expand
  12. devinmusic
    Jun 22, 2013
    3
    This album has little to offer and I am very disappointed in Kanye. With only 10 tracks on the album, it is a rip-off to even purchase. Not only are there just 10 tracks, it sounds like he recorded the entire album in an echoing gymnasium 3 hours before the album was due to his label. Kanye said he didn't want it to be radio-style music, but you can still make good songs without soundingThis album has little to offer and I am very disappointed in Kanye. With only 10 tracks on the album, it is a rip-off to even purchase. Not only are there just 10 tracks, it sounds like he recorded the entire album in an echoing gymnasium 3 hours before the album was due to his label. Kanye said he didn't want it to be radio-style music, but you can still make good songs without sounding radio-friendly. In "Blood On the Leaves", he sounds like a bad version of T-Pain, sounding even more generic than T-Pain himself. Overall the album leaves much to be desired from the rapper who previously never failed to impress me. In my opinion the worst thing he ever could have done for his career was get married and have a child.… Expand
  13. musicaddict22
    Jul 24, 2013
    5
    Following his highly successful collaboration album with Jay-Z ('Watch the Throne'), rapper Kanye West is back with what will most likely be the most polarizing album of 2013. The original reception for this album ranged wildly from hailing it as the greatest rap album of all time, to dismissing it as the worst record Kanye has ever put out. Unfortunately, I find it hard to stray away fromFollowing his highly successful collaboration album with Jay-Z ('Watch the Throne'), rapper Kanye West is back with what will most likely be the most polarizing album of 2013. The original reception for this album ranged wildly from hailing it as the greatest rap album of all time, to dismissing it as the worst record Kanye has ever put out. Unfortunately, I find it hard to stray away from the latter.

    The overly noisy and cacophonous production is just one of the things that hurts 'Yeezus'. On the majority of these tracks, it sounds like Kanye is just being different and loud for the sake of being different and loud, and not to reach a deeper musical meaning or theme. Sporadic outbursts of crazy randomness are all over the production of this LP, which in the end to me seem pretty damn uninspired. With the exception of a few tracks (see "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves"), a no point is Kanye able to generate any of kind of groove rhythm, melody, or really any real musical substance whatsoever. Perhaps the highlight of the album production-wise is the closer "Bound 2", which really sounds like a bonus track from Kanye's previous solo album, 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'.

    Although I've never been a huge fan of Kanye's lyrics and flow, this album even perhaps reaches a new low. With again the exception of a few tracks, almost practically every song on 'Yeezus' is composed of cheap, egotistical, and overall pretty stupid lyricism. If after 'Watch the Throne' you thought it was impossible for Kanye to be even more eccentric, you thought wrong (see 'I Am a God' lol). 'New Slaves' is one of the few songs on this album that contains a relevant lyrics and themes.

    Overall, the only reason why this album is rated as a 5/10 is thanks to the presence of a few golden tracks, that don't feature annoyingly noisy production or stupid lyrics. And don't get me started on the auto tune.

    STANDOUT TRACKS:
    'New Slaves'
    'Black Skinhead'
    'Bound 2'    … Expand
  14. Jawn
    Jun 18, 2013
    1
    Overly produced. Lyrics were outright pathetic. Couple decent songs. No replay value for me. I understand he wants to go outside the boundaries of hip-hop, but I can't even give this a pass.
  15. gattuso8
    Jun 18, 2013
    1
    Maybe the best album form kanye, i mean his wordplay is amazing, his screaming is on another level, genius cause he has a penius, see that wordplay, masterpiece
  16. Damion
    Oct 15, 2013
    0
    Yet another example as to how West is the absolute epitome of talentless douchebag...but thankfully, the world smartened up and also made this album a commercial failure. The man needs to give up...he has yet to record anything worthwhile...how critics continue to misdirect praise to this joke of an "artist" is beyond me. The man is all ego, ZERO substance. This album is, like all hisYet another example as to how West is the absolute epitome of talentless douchebag...but thankfully, the world smartened up and also made this album a commercial failure. The man needs to give up...he has yet to record anything worthwhile...how critics continue to misdirect praise to this joke of an "artist" is beyond me. The man is all ego, ZERO substance. This album is, like all his albums, horrifyingly terrible.… Expand
  17. venimdenim
    Jun 19, 2013
    0
    This is a weed plate...Something I'd use to break buds on...The only people who would find this album "revolutionary" are people who aren't familiar with anything outside of top 40...He's biting styles left and right, but his take on other genres is sub-par to put it nicely...and the lyrics...bwahaha!...Kanye is the type of guy that would have a baby with Kim Kardashian...enough said
  18. Ghostdog1515
    Jul 11, 2013
    0
    How in the universe of music does this album have a more positive score than that of J. cole's Born Sinner? This album is trash and it should not be bought by anyone who listens to Hip-Hop music. I don't have a problem if a person wants to do something different with their music just make sure it's good. This is a lyrical failure he is capable of sooooo much better but he did not put isHow in the universe of music does this album have a more positive score than that of J. cole's Born Sinner? This album is trash and it should not be bought by anyone who listens to Hip-Hop music. I don't have a problem if a person wants to do something different with their music just make sure it's good. This is a lyrical failure he is capable of sooooo much better but he did not put is all in this album at all. I am not a Kayne hater I loved every album that he has done before this one even 808's and heartbrakes that was actually a good album but this....This is trash do not buy and Rate J Cole's Born Sinner higher because it is a much better album than this one.… Expand
  19. 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
  20. CPB
    Jun 18, 2013
    6
    This album is nothing special. I don't why people are praising this album, the only two good songs are 'New Slaves' and 'Black skinhead'. Those are actually the only two songs with something to say, also. Everything else is just Kanye riding his own dick thinking he's a "genius" (even though Death Grips did a more grittier version of this album before with the 'Money Store'). Now thisThis album is nothing special. I don't why people are praising this album, the only two good songs are 'New Slaves' and 'Black skinhead'. Those are actually the only two songs with something to say, also. Everything else is just Kanye riding his own dick thinking he's a "genius" (even though Death Grips did a more grittier version of this album before with the 'Money Store'). Now this isn't a horrible album, but no where near great (like College Dropout, Graduation and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy; all of which were great albums).… Expand
  21. Tonyo
    Feb 14, 2016
    0
    Très ambitieux et "novateur", cet album est à l'image de son chanteur: un mégalo prétentieux.
    Beaucoup de bruit pour pas grand chose, Yeezus est loin de révolutionner la musique, bien au contraire.
  22. kdm4life
    Sep 5, 2013
    0
    This album is Grade-A trash. The lyrics are absolutely terrible and the production is so so. This is coming from a Kanye fan btw. I love all of his other albums but this is a disgrace and the only reason people think this is good is because Kanye made it. If B.o.B or Kid Cudi had made this these same people would be trashing it.
  23. frostystorm
    Mar 3, 2015
    0
    Just trash period. Listen to the actual album its really trash, it only has two hit songs which include bound 2 and blood on the leaves. It has a really annoying buzzing sound and just terrible.
  24. Jiano74
    Jan 29, 2016
    0
    Dull, boring and pathetic and that's just Kanye. This is quite possibly one of the worst excuses for an album though to be fair none of his albums are awful so this is no surprise.
  25. SchroederRock
    Jan 5, 2014
    5
    If I had it my way, Kanye West would not be allowed to talk in public. Ever. When it comes to his albums I would say the reverse. Kanye typically has a good ear and great taste in big production rap albums that churn out anthems and original content alike. On Yeezus, Kanye is starting to push the good and bad elements of his music more radically. The results end up being much more rawIf I had it my way, Kanye West would not be allowed to talk in public. Ever. When it comes to his albums I would say the reverse. Kanye typically has a good ear and great taste in big production rap albums that churn out anthems and original content alike. On Yeezus, Kanye is starting to push the good and bad elements of his music more radically. The results end up being much more raw and chaotic. On tracks like "Black Skinhead", "I Am A God", and "Send It Up", there's enough hook and form to keep the music and rhymes on track amidst some wobbly production and pitchy sound effects. But with cuts like "On Sight" and "Bound 2" the chaos and switheroos are too much and make it tough to endure a listen for more than a moment. "Bound 2" is especially annoying perhaps one of Kanye's worst to date, which is unfortunate given that the chorus is actually fine. It's the transitions marked with the "uh huh honey" that make my ears bleed a bit. By the time I got through the record I realized that Kanye's massive and annoying ego is beginning to affect his work. That is a travesty, because Kanye has some killer tracks and albums leading up to Yeezus an album that I'd rather only occasionally pick from on Spotify rather than spend even .99 on a track to contribute toward.… Expand
  26. Ricko
    Jul 15, 2014
    8
    Yeezus sees Kanye West push himself like never before and he once again brings something new to the hip-hop party. The man is hard to like as a person but there is no doubt that he is an exceptional talent. He could have easily recycled what he's been doing for the last decade, released it and sold shedloads but instead he's launched a sonic attack on the music world. Musically, Yeezus isYeezus sees Kanye West push himself like never before and he once again brings something new to the hip-hop party. The man is hard to like as a person but there is no doubt that he is an exceptional talent. He could have easily recycled what he's been doing for the last decade, released it and sold shedloads but instead he's launched a sonic attack on the music world. Musically, Yeezus is astonishing with West bringing all of his producer skills and musical talent to produce something truly creative. Unfortunately and perhaps surprisingly, the album is let down by West's lyrics, an area in which he often excels. Yeezus doesn't seem to have anything new to say and outside of "New Slaves", West could be freestyling about anything and too often the material tries to shock but ends up just being plain distasteful.… Expand
  27. Mab_987
    Oct 1, 2013
    6
    I'll admit that I've only recently gotten into this guy's work around the time this album came out & I was pretty much blown away. However there seems to be an inverse pattern of Kanye's production getting better & more experimental while the lyrical content gets increasingly worse. And with Yeezus that pattern continues.

    Admittedly about 90% of the good thing I have to say are in the    I'll admit that I've only recently gotten into this guy's work around the time this album came out & I was pretty much blown away. However there seems to be an inverse pattern of Kanye's production getting better & more experimental while the lyrical content gets increasingly worse. And with Yeezus that pattern continues.

    Admittedly about 90% of the good thing I have to say are in the production & instrumentation. If you're reading this, chances are you've already heard about the bizarre change in direction here to something less accessible & more raw, and that'd be a great way of describing it in a nutshell. It's dark, minimalist, straightforward & aggressive in the best ways possible. The lush, drawn-out & practically orchestrated sound of MBDTF was great to hear but this is an extremely rewarding change of pace. That's not to say this album is without its subtle catchiness, since even in his earliest albums Kanye's had a talent for creating great hooks, not just in some pop chorus but in the instrumentals too. The synths might be buzzing & droning but there's still a keen sense of melody in how they're arranged that makes them stick out in a unique way. Same can be said for the samples, which are generally well-incorporated. The 2 tracks that stand out musically for me the most though are lead single “Black Skinhead” & closing track “Bound 2”. The former is just awesome, combining pulsating tribal drum beats, primal screams in the background & quiet synths in the chorus that builds expertly with the drums back into the verse. The latter is my, and what I imagine a lot of people's, favorite song on this album. This is mainly due to the soul sample-looping back-to-basics approach that was all over Kanye's first few albums, aka the “college trilogy”, helped by the comparatively more genuine lyrics. There's also “New Slaves”, probably the strongest track lyrically, which gives some insightful jabs at the materialism that brainwashes the upper class, as well as overly intrusive “journalists” that constantly hassle him & other celebrities for no good reason.

    However, no matter how great this album may be musically & occasionally lyrically, those lyrical moments are few & far between. For the most part in this department, Yeezus is obnoxious, egomaniacal, hypocritical & at times outright cringeworthy. I think the main problem isn't so much that he's not self-aware about the public's perception about him, but for that he's not self-aware about how poorly he expresses his self-awareness about the public's perception about him. He's so hot-headed & over-the-top about the topic that it can only add to his already bad media persona. Say what you want about the braggadocios tracks on MBDTF or the 2011 Jay-Z collab album Watch the Throne, but at least there he sounded like he was having some level of fun with it in a way that was at times pretty enjoyable in its ridiculousness. But here the way he brushes off detractors & brags about how much sex he has is just forced & uncomfortable. And sometimes this can ruin an otherwise good track, particularly “I'm in It”, which pairs a nice slow groove & a soulful chorus from Bon Iver's Justin Vernon with poetry like “Eatin' Asian all I need is sweet & sour sauce”. And even one of my favorites “Black Skinhead” has its bad lyrical traits, but in a different way. The main thing is that in a song where he's talking about racially inequality & stereotypes, he acts angry and irrational, brags about his possessions & says lines like “300 where the Trojans”. There's a clever line here & there but I find it hard to get past that. Surprisingly one of the more positively notable tracks is “I Am A God”, which despite its obvious pretentious delusions is more of an exaggerated declaration of confidence than anything else, and brings back the enjoyable ego-projecting of the last couple albums.

    With even that big ol rant out of the way, I still can't recommend checking this album out enough. Yes, it's as a whole Kanye's weakest effort to date lyrically & very front-loaded, but it's just so interesting & engaging musically that it's worth a listen even despite its big flaws. I still like his older stuff more though.

    Top 5 tracks: Bound 2, New Slaves, Black Skinhead, I Am a God, Hold My Liquor
    Score: 66/100    … Expand
  28. AUtiger314
    Jun 21, 2013
    5
    2nd worst album from Kanye IMO. Not sure wat else to say about this polarizing album that only Kanye could pull off. I hope he rebounds with a much better effort next time bc this ain't the one.
  29. kglbltz
    Jun 19, 2013
    5
    To me this record has split personality disorder, possibly like Ye himself.

    The first 6 songs seem pseudo-angry and pretentious. He talks about how rich he is, "stacking millions", being able to buy someones life he is so wealthy, comparing picking his own shirt to "picking cotton" in the fields. The anger and frustration seems so put on and acted especially coming from someone who is    To me this record has split personality disorder, possibly like Ye himself.

    The first 6 songs seem pseudo-angry and pretentious. He talks about how rich he is, "stacking millions", being able to buy someones life he is so wealthy, comparing picking his own shirt to "picking cotton" in the fields.
    The anger and frustration seems so put on and acted especially coming from someone who is with a Kardashian and buys Ferraris as birthday presents.

    The last 4 songs seem more real and are actually really good songs. But on those Ye complains about the downsides of being a celebrity and showing some true emotions.

    I've been a Kanye fan since the beginning but his underdog complex just doesn't hold true anymore and he needs to keep about it. Especially lyrically this is one of his worst efforts. His rhymes are not only weak but full of pretentious pseudo-anger.

    808s was so raw and real and full of powerful emotions and to me this record is the exact opposite. It seems Kanye has no real inspiration anymore other than feeding on all the rumors and from the tabloids so he just goes with that. If that's your gig ...ENJOY!!    … Expand
  30. guiffre
    Jun 21, 2013
    5
    When compared with the dedication and vision of 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', 'Yeezus' feels rushed and underdeveloped. Kanye West is not a subtle producer, nor is he a brilliant lyricist. He is a fantastic surveyor of pop culture and virtuosically distills it into bombastically produced and arranged albums that combine much of what is current and relevant into something that feelsWhen compared with the dedication and vision of 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy', 'Yeezus' feels rushed and underdeveloped. Kanye West is not a subtle producer, nor is he a brilliant lyricist. He is a fantastic surveyor of pop culture and virtuosically distills it into bombastically produced and arranged albums that combine much of what is current and relevant into something that feels new. In similar ways that Quentin Tarantino approaches film making, Kayne is able to capture the evolution of producing and challenge others in the field to pay more attention to their own efforts. For these reasons I hold him to a higher standard and 'Yeezus' in its entirety feels lacklustre. Perhaps with more time it could have developed into something spectacular but unfortunately as it stands one is left with the feeling that they are hearing a rough draft. I have no doubt we'll hear more from Kanye and look forward to him taking the time as he did with MBDTF, however, this is a mediocre stepping stone by his own standards.… 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

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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]
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