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. sodovich
    Dec 25, 2021
    6
    An O.K album, nothing more, nothing less. I think it could be fairly better if more effort was put into it.
  2. narolo
    Mar 30, 2022
    6
    okokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokokok
  3. garfield7081
    Mar 26, 2022
    6
    what the ****
    very hit or miss album

    best song: new slaves

    worst song: send it up
  4. demarderozan
    May 9, 2022
    6
    Not going to lie, this is a very different album than MBDTF and his past albums. If I were to rank his albums, this one might be toward the bottom. Other than the fact that these songs are weird, they are still pretty good in all. "Bound 2", "Black Skinhead"? They are all really good, but overall, there is no reason for me to rank this any higher than it is
  5. 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
  6. 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.
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. FladeIsCool
    Jun 19, 2013
    5
    MBDTF is one of my favorite albums of all time, so when I heard that this was coming out I was really excited. This album turned out to be not bad, but a huge disappointment. Kanye threw all meaning and lyrical genius out the window for this album. Most of his rhymes are incredibly simple. The production was great on tracks like "New Slaves", "I Am A God", and "Black Skinhead" but I feelMBDTF is one of my favorite albums of all time, so when I heard that this was coming out I was really excited. This album turned out to be not bad, but a huge disappointment. Kanye threw all meaning and lyrical genius out the window for this album. Most of his rhymes are incredibly simple. The production was great on tracks like "New Slaves", "I Am A God", and "Black Skinhead" but I feel like the production got worse and worse as it went on. I didn't really like this album, but I can understand the appeal.… Expand
  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. thecurse
    Jun 20, 2013
    5
    It's really bad.

    The techno, daft punk continuation and at this point....he really has nothing to say. Like most rap artists, lyrically they don't have much to say once they reach the top and have the money. West is unable to transition as very few have and goes off into the realm of bragging. Is he a still great as a producer and making beats? Absolutely but his prowess on the    It's really bad.

    The techno, daft punk continuation and at this point....he really has nothing to say. Like most rap artists, lyrically they don't have much to say once they reach the top and have the money. West is unable to transition as very few have and goes off into the realm of bragging.

    Is he a still great as a producer and making beats? Absolutely but his prowess on the mic is dwindling fast.    … Expand
  12. BIG-Dong
    Jun 21, 2013
    5
    With all the hype surrounding "Yeezus," the album is only a production achievement. Reminiscent to "808s & Heartbreak," Kanye provides his auto-tune with very heavy, industrial hip-hop beats. The result is an album that most casual listeners will dislike, save a few songs ("Blood on the Leaves," "Bound 2"). Otherwise, heavy clipping is apparent and the synth uncomfortable-sounding.With all the hype surrounding "Yeezus," the album is only a production achievement. Reminiscent to "808s & Heartbreak," Kanye provides his auto-tune with very heavy, industrial hip-hop beats. The result is an album that most casual listeners will dislike, save a few songs ("Blood on the Leaves," "Bound 2"). Otherwise, heavy clipping is apparent and the synth uncomfortable-sounding. Lyricism is sub-par at best, only touching on some issues of race while other times, Kanye delivers punchlines similar to Lil Wayne. If this album were produced by anyone else, it would be considered not worthwhile at all. Because it is Kanye, though, he is given credit for his foray into industrial hip-hop, albeit not much.… Expand
  13. 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
  14. 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
  15. Barneyfresh
    Aug 18, 2013
    5
    An incredibly mediocre review after releasing one of the best hip hop albums of all time. Yeezus is a poor attempt at making a noise hop, industrial hip hop, or experimental rap album, and comes up incredibly short.
  16. NazirRahimi
    Sep 12, 2013
    5
    Listening to this album kind of seems like he is demonic. Great beats but some of the lyrics is concerning. Some examples are like 'I'm A God' and 'Blood on the Leaves'.
  17. Daniel_B
    Jul 3, 2014
    5
    I love industrial noise rap, but Kanye didn't get it right here. Easily his worst album. From lazy wordplay to lackluster production to an overall lack of inspiration in the album, it's weak. There are a few great tracks, namely Black Skinhead, New Slaves, and Blood on the Leaves, but even those aren't up to par for Kanye.
    It also does seem to be a borderline shameless ripoff of what    I love industrial noise rap, but Kanye didn't get it right here. Easily his worst album. From lazy wordplay to lackluster production to an overall lack of inspiration in the album, it's weak. There are a few great tracks, namely Black Skinhead, New Slaves, and Blood on the Leaves, but even those aren't up to par for Kanye.
    It also does seem to be a borderline shameless ripoff of what Death Grips is doing, so there's that too.    … Expand
  18. mikesurbroski89
    Sep 18, 2014
    5
    I'm a huge fan of Kanye West's music but for me this album just was blah compared to his other albums. Black Skinhead and Blood on the Leaves are the only songs that are compelling and different but other then that the album suffers. Bound 2 is still one of the worst hip hop songs I've listened to.
  19. OyvindOH
    Apr 26, 2015
    5
    Yeezus sounds like Kanye heard Death Grips, and said, "These guys are getting a lot of critical acclaim, I should probably try to do something like this”. However, he failed to do all the things Death Grips does right.
  20. Atum_
    Jun 8, 2020
    5
    I don't like this album, I don't get the appeal of this album, and I don't get the people saying this is the best Kanye West album. It's not, it's one of his worst. Yes, it is experimental and industrial, which typically are things I like about an album, however, this is the first time Kanye wasn't innovative or coming up with anything new, this industrial, experimental hip hop movementI don't like this album, I don't get the appeal of this album, and I don't get the people saying this is the best Kanye West album. It's not, it's one of his worst. Yes, it is experimental and industrial, which typically are things I like about an album, however, this is the first time Kanye wasn't innovative or coming up with anything new, this industrial, experimental hip hop movement started a couple of years earlier by people like Death Grips. A lot of songs on this albums seem filler and not too well put together. If the beat is good, the lyrics aren't. Bound 2 for instance, amazing beat, loved what he was going for with the love song for Kim, however the lyrics aren't romantic at all, it's just kinda embarassing. His flow is also pretty bad. My favorite track on Yeezus is Black Skinhead, but even that has its flaws, I'm sure everyone who has heard it knows what I'm talking about: "Keep it 300, like the romans. 300 **** where the trojans?" 300 was a movie about Greece. Troy is in Greece which is correct I guess, but by mentioning Rome he ruined the wordplay. All in all a pretty dissapointing album not worthy of its praise.… Expand
  21. 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
  22. 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"
  23. greygoose
    Jun 27, 2013
    4
    Initially this album sounds amazing. The minimal production, the intensity it's a giant middle finger.
    I loved Black Skinheads and New Slaves. However, aside from those tunes you're mostly going to find lyrics about Kanye's dick and how he likes to put it places.
    The lyrical content is severely lacking. This is a nasty record that could use some more soul, or at least something to say.
  24. Adam1571
    Jun 18, 2013
    4
    An average attempt at best, Yeezus fails to reach the heights of which Mr West is capable. Strengthening his reputation as Hip-Hops biggest shock jock seems more of a priority, the album descending into angry offensive and shallow lyrics, self-congratulatory lyrical hubris and some token synthesized whining we've become all too familiar with. Many critics seem unwilling to criticise Kanye,An average attempt at best, Yeezus fails to reach the heights of which Mr West is capable. Strengthening his reputation as Hip-Hops biggest shock jock seems more of a priority, the album descending into angry offensive and shallow lyrics, self-congratulatory lyrical hubris and some token synthesized whining we've become all too familiar with. Many critics seem unwilling to criticise Kanye, for fear of being labelled as 'out of touch' and 'not getting his genius' but honestly there is very little god-like about this album. The album isn't terrible, 'New Slaves' and 'Black Skinhead' prove he still has it, and the production is solid throughout. Kanye has the potential to be hailed as a legend, however this album will only serve to weaken his catalogue and as a result his claim to that throne… Expand
  25. ELJUARU22
    Jul 1, 2013
    4
    This album is very weak, kanye knows a lot about music so i guess that he had heard a lot of Nine Inch Nails, but the thing is that he knows that now Experimental/Noise hip hop is the with artist like Death Grips or Clipping so he tried to do his version of the genre....

    AND HE FAILED!!!!!!!!. Oh god! i loved his old stuff but this sucks...
  26. TounVic
    Mar 29, 2015
    4
    I don't blame the man for trying to put a breath of fresh air to the table, but, I wonder how he could think this was a good idea, the production is great on some tracks (Bound 2, Blood On The Leaves) and some other tracks just sound like R2D2's ballsack, the subject matter, is LAZY. Maybe aside from New Slaves, but the way it is executed is poor.
  27. TheLowFatJelly
    Jan 1, 2014
    4
    The long awaited album was for the most part to me a disaster. Besides the two big hits (Black Skinheads & New Slaves) & the songs that reminded me of old Kanye (Blood On The Leaves, Bound 2) This album was just awful. Save yourself the money and do not pick this one up, even if you are a die hard Kanye fan.
  28. BetterOffDead_
    May 14, 2014
    4
    wow where do i start.. i felt like kanye rushed this album the lyrics are meaning less on most tracks he's going over the same **** song after song the only song that is decent on this thing is bound 2, and new slaves which has some good verses in it while all the other songs felt dry and the production has a (death grips) feel to it. all up this album isn't that bad some songs are catchywow where do i start.. i felt like kanye rushed this album the lyrics are meaning less on most tracks he's going over the same **** song after song the only song that is decent on this thing is bound 2, and new slaves which has some good verses in it while all the other songs felt dry and the production has a (death grips) feel to it. all up this album isn't that bad some songs are catchy but with a second listen you can't take him seriously dont waste your money on this thing if anything pirate it.. I'm giving it a 4/10 thanks if you read this :)… Expand
  29. tonyman97
    Apr 28, 2015
    4
    It starts out with some good ideas, but suffers from very poor execution. This is especially true with "Bound 2", which can be used as a metaphor for the entire album, starting of with a good beat and melody, but then drowning in unnecessary sound effects and "noise", in an attempt to sound artistic and fresh. Kanye can do much better...
  30. Tuneison
    May 26, 2018
    4
    Kanye proves that he can put out anything and, people will still eat it up. This album is the equivalent of Kanye West just saying "man mah life sucks" for 45 minutes and then expecting you to care. I honestly don't understand the appeal. The music just sounds like everything else released in the 2010s.
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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]
See all critic reviews »