The Life Of Pablo
by Kanye West
User Score
7.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2238 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,797 out of 2238
  2. Mixed: 179 out of 2238
  3. Negative: 262 out of 2238
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  1. MikeyD1esel
    Feb 16, 2016
    0
    This album is complete and utter, unforgiving trash. There's absolutely no content on this whatsoever. I'm real sick and tired of all these Knaye cultist hypebeasts losing their minds over absolute trash. I don't care if the sound is great, although it's basically autotuned nonsense that sounds like an angry child banging on a trash can, he should go and PRODUCE then. Calling this a RAPThis album is complete and utter, unforgiving trash. There's absolutely no content on this whatsoever. I'm real sick and tired of all these Knaye cultist hypebeasts losing their minds over absolute trash. I don't care if the sound is great, although it's basically autotuned nonsense that sounds like an angry child banging on a trash can, he should go and PRODUCE then. Calling this a RAP album is insulting to real MCs like Kendrick… Expand
  2. Gunjack
    Feb 14, 2016
    0
    A disc full of autotune jingles juxtaposed on edm trap music layered up with pseudo gospel chorus' and auto tune whining. Not even listenable. The emperor has no clothes.
  3. niino2595
    Feb 19, 2016
    3
    Seriously? This is decent at best. The first 4-5 tracks to introduce the album is great the rest is meh.. Travis Scott did a much better job with the same theme and received much lower ratings smh. The bias opinions need to stop.

    We'll see how many of you still listening to this in a month that's the true rating.
  4. yrcrazy
    Feb 17, 2016
    1
    All these ten reviews are completely absurd. Either people have been paid to promote this drivel or the kanye bandwagon has officially made people lose their minds and act like a religious cult. This is Kanye worst work yet as he drifts closer and closer to ending up in a psych ward.
  5. MatRevo
    Feb 16, 2016
    1
    Unfinished. Get back to the studio, Kanye. This isn't what you need to release after saying you are the greatest artist of all time. This is full of fillers and had a lazy production.
  6. Apolsc
    Feb 19, 2016
    1
    Kanye is real gangsta. In this album he disses the toughest gangsters of the bussiness like Taylor Swift. He is still god s gift to the music, dont wait, buy his new album and shoes and stuff.
  7. gsgsgaurav2
    Aug 10, 2019
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Album was good but disrespecting women bwas not I expected from him he could have been better but he choose this path to disrespect and lay there was figures is bad… Expand
  8. trblmkr1
    Feb 14, 2016
    3
    What a mess. It's 11 songs in before he even gets warmed up. Kendrick Lamar's verse is the best thing on this album. 4 good songs. Stop focusing on shoes and fashion. Too much distraction.
  9. Rallandollo
    Feb 24, 2016
    3
    A genuine mess with no substance. Really disappointed on this one compared to other tracks by the notorious arrogant, megalomanian "god". I think Taylor Swift made Kanye famous.
  10. victorator
    Feb 18, 2016
    0
    This album does not contain even one track worth listening to twice.
    The so-called 'freestyle' sounds like an insult to everyone. Not only is the production on this record mediocre, there is absolutely no value to any of the words spit out by West. All in all I treat this as a final nail to the coffin to his productions and I hope to never hear about another album of his again for our    This album does not contain even one track worth listening to twice.
    The so-called 'freestyle' sounds like an insult to everyone. Not only is the production on this record mediocre, there is absolutely no value to any of the words spit out by West. All in all I treat this as a final nail to the coffin to his productions and I hope to never hear about another album of his again for our sake. Do not believe the reviews. This album deserves a 2/10 at best. It's an insult to society and real music lovers around the world. There are obviously too many paid trolls around here that write fake reviews to try and save this lousy and failed attempt at music making. Avoid at all costs.    … Expand
  11. Cbrannon77
    Feb 15, 2016
    1
    Tired of all the Kanye CULT stans think this is good. It's awfull. Complete garbage a with three decent songs the rest is trash. I made account just to say this. STOP MAKING MUSIC KANYE
  12. badgerfan21
    Feb 26, 2016
    2
    I'm sorry, this sucks. Listened to it on Tidal and three observations:

    1. anyone who uses autotune so liberally is immediately disqualified from being labelled a 'genius.'
    2. half the songs sound like something you could throw together on ProTools in a matter of hours.
    3. this is tuneless, derivative ****

    Other than that, TOPNOTCH!!
  13. BIGMAN22
    Feb 25, 2016
    1
    the album is very bad. the track produced by madlib is good. but some of the lyrical content on here is a mixed bag. some talking bout gospel stuff others full of derogation towards woman, making fun of Taylor Swift for some reason again and how big kanye's ego is. the lack of balance of subject matter really throws the album off. not sure y an album wit the score it has supports thethe album is very bad. the track produced by madlib is good. but some of the lyrical content on here is a mixed bag. some talking bout gospel stuff others full of derogation towards woman, making fun of Taylor Swift for some reason again and how big kanye's ego is. the lack of balance of subject matter really throws the album off. not sure y an album wit the score it has supports the horrible content is displays. the fact that kayne is disrespecting women and Taylor again shows how low hes sinking the bar with his music nowadays. kanyes past work is better than this garbage.… Expand
  14. Teemobeemo
    Feb 17, 2016
    0
    I have a feeling that Kanye is paying people to post reviews of his album because this album is horrible. It's like if you took two pieces of crap, slapped a piece of crap between them and made a crap sandwich.
  15. rolli
    Feb 18, 2016
    1
    A bunch of unfinished drafts shuffled together don't make a good album. I listened to this album twice - the second time around it got even worse so I deleted it to where it deserves to be.
  16. amrit
    Mar 3, 2016
    0
    **** garbage lyrics fell off hard my god, yeezus was much better than this garbage. I can't believe people think kanye is still hot this **** fell of years ago...
  17. enwhysee64
    Feb 18, 2016
    0
    I remember people loving "Metal Machine Music" Too. I also know way more people disliking it. You know when a performer isn't that good when he has to do one media tantrum after another to get attention and not just let His Albums do the talking
  18. gvarg
    Feb 16, 2016
    0
    I have to fill in the requirements but honestly this is a big no. Its a good 6 but you guys are seriously giving this "man" (cause he is no god) too much credit. He is an okay rapper who just loops and takes things from other songs.
  19. Hypocritics1
    Feb 14, 2016
    3
    Kanye brings back horribly weird car crash Death Grips rip-off moments, like Feedback. He brings back lazy Freestyles like "Freestyle 4," the beat of which is white noise, probably made in 15 minutes. He has some insanely stupid lyrics that try any listeners patience. The Taylor Swift line was stupid, and I don't even like Taylor Swift's music but that line sucked, and the line aboutKanye brings back horribly weird car crash Death Grips rip-off moments, like Feedback. He brings back lazy Freestyles like "Freestyle 4," the beat of which is white noise, probably made in 15 minutes. He has some insanely stupid lyrics that try any listeners patience. The Taylor Swift line was stupid, and I don't even like Taylor Swift's music but that line sucked, and the line about bleached **** ouch. He should really consider QUITTING. This album had 4 good songs. That's it. 4.… Expand
  20. Introduce
    Apr 7, 2016
    0
    ...this is for ten years from now....
    ...as in....
    .....this record is trash.....
    .....for a trash can.....
    .........ain't hatin....just sayin.......
  21. VonSeux
    Feb 14, 2016
    3
    whatta hell is this auto-tune overkill? Kanye doesn't have a voice anymore? The samples sound obnoxious. everything sound put together with no clue. There are so many better artists on this genre today, Kanye can retire.
  22. giu344
    Feb 15, 2016
    0
    Très clairement l'un des disques les plus faibles de kanye, absence de cohérence artistiques, paroles lamentables, production largement en dessous que ce qu'il nous offre d'habitude, beaucoup de chansons très mauvaises, aucune excellente chanson, passez votre chemin...
  23. bocaaust
    Feb 18, 2016
    0
    Kanye's worst album to date. Its hard to take this musical garbage seriously. Kanye's legacy will be his outrageous antics and not his crappy music. All aspects of this album lack both finesse and concrete delivery. Both the songs and cover seem rushed and have mediocre at best production value. I would not recommend this album to anyone. It is just a crazy man's desperate attempt to getKanye's worst album to date. Its hard to take this musical garbage seriously. Kanye's legacy will be his outrageous antics and not his crappy music. All aspects of this album lack both finesse and concrete delivery. Both the songs and cover seem rushed and have mediocre at best production value. I would not recommend this album to anyone. It is just a crazy man's desperate attempt to get people to use Tidal. Maybe once kanye gets the mental help and medication he needs he can actually make good music.… Expand
  24. KapitaNemo
    Feb 14, 2016
    3
    The only song i really enjoyed was "Fade". Most of the album sounds like a bunch of inadequate minimalist beats and lyrics pieced together trying to pass for some kind of higher artistry.
    It's by far the worst work of Kanye West.
  25. Tonyo
    Feb 14, 2016
    3
    A l'écoute de la piste d'ouverture - Ultralight Beam - on pouvait penser que Kanye West était de retour à ses débuts et qu'il allait nous proposer un album solide après cette première piste et surtout l'excellent No More Parties In L.A. . Au final, on se retrouve avec un album qui oscille entre le médiocre et le catastrophique sur un fond d'autotune. Remercions le nombre excessif deA l'écoute de la piste d'ouverture - Ultralight Beam - on pouvait penser que Kanye West était de retour à ses débuts et qu'il allait nous proposer un album solide après cette première piste et surtout l'excellent No More Parties In L.A. . Au final, on se retrouve avec un album qui oscille entre le médiocre et le catastrophique sur un fond d'autotune. Remercions le nombre excessif de collaborations sur son album qui essaient de sauver l'album du naufrage (et qui chantent bien plus que West au passage).

    Avec The Life Of Pablo, West prouve définitivement qu'on parle plus de lui pour sa mégalomanie et sa femme que pour sa musique.

    Les seules pistes à conserver: Ultralight Beam, FML, Real Friends, No More Parties In L.A.    … Expand
  26. fajnydamian
    Mar 29, 2016
    0
    I can't believe Kanye recorded an album like this and wanted to tell everyone in the world that this is good. Well, that's just awful and I can't listen to this because this "music" gives me headache.
  27. giu3
    Feb 19, 2016
    0
    This album is overrated, probably the worst one I heard this year. The production is terrible, the flow even worse and the lyrics are the lamest I've ever heard. Kanye was once a great artist but is now just one of the worst trap rappers of the time.
  28. GHOSTMAKER1991
    Mar 8, 2016
    3
    2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was an incredible album that should have gotten at least an Album of the Year nomination and most likely, the award itself. 2013's Yeezus, while decisive, was a brilliant fusion of electornic/house/industrial and rap. I personally listen to these two albums in their entirety very few weeks. Unfortunately, 2016's TLOP is a dissonant mess with at2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was an incredible album that should have gotten at least an Album of the Year nomination and most likely, the award itself. 2013's Yeezus, while decisive, was a brilliant fusion of electornic/house/industrial and rap. I personally listen to these two albums in their entirety very few weeks. Unfortunately, 2016's TLOP is a dissonant mess with at least 7/18 tracks being entirely worthless and almost no redeeming factors.
    These 7 tracks are around 2 minutes or less including a phone call from imprisoned rapper Max B(Silver Surfer Intermission) and a woman talking slowly about her love for Jesus(Low Lights). Freestyle 4 is a boring adlib with a boring beat. I love kanye is funny the first time you hear it but you will groan every time you hear it after.
    While I could dance or rock out to most of the tracks of his two previous albums, the only song that makes me feel like moving at all is Waves, a beautiful song featuring Chris Brown. I once put Waves on Repeat for an hour I loved it so much. Waves is the only highlight for me.
    After 20 listen throughs(what a waste), Waves is the only song I want to hear again from this album. How anyone with two functioning ears enjoys this album is a mystery to me.
    Do yourself a favor and get the trail version of Tidal. Don't subscribe as you can find most albums, including brand new albums on Youtube.
    Cheers, this is my first time using metacritic.    … Expand
  29. twaddle
    Apr 9, 2016
    0
    'TLOP' is everything that is wrong with the current 'fast food' style of pop music of the present. It's a heartless, soulless effort designed to trick the masses into thinking it's much better than it actually is. Kanye is a product and nothing more; Not an artist, not a genius, and not even worth my time to finish this senten
  30. mateofalconvale
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    La mayor porquería que he escuchado en toda mi vida, asco la burla del rap
  31. amandalf
    Apr 15, 2016
    3
    Wow, what a mess. How would I describe this album in one word? ANNOYING. And I'm a fan of most Kanye's albums but this one is just sloppy. There's nothing special about any of these songs, there isn't much soul, there's nothing here really. I only liked "Real Friends" but it's mostly good because of the sample anyway. If it wasn't for this song I would have given Pablo a 1/10.
    I can at    Wow, what a mess. How would I describe this album in one word? ANNOYING. And I'm a fan of most Kanye's albums but this one is just sloppy. There's nothing special about any of these songs, there isn't much soul, there's nothing here really. I only liked "Real Friends" but it's mostly good because of the sample anyway. If it wasn't for this song I would have given Pablo a 1/10.
    I can at least understand being a cocky **** if you have the goods to back it up. It's now apparent that he is a shadow of his former artistic value. Funny how his ego has grown and his music has devolved. What a waste.    … Expand
  32. LoveeLand
    May 7, 2016
    3
    Most of it in my opinion is trash. It literally sounds like something I would make using my microphone app on my iPhone. I absolutely hated it, however according to some, you have to listen to it in a certain order and if you do apparently it's incredible. That is the only reason it is not a 0. Plus it came out late, was only on tidal for the longest time, and he changed the album nameMost of it in my opinion is trash. It literally sounds like something I would make using my microphone app on my iPhone. I absolutely hated it, however according to some, you have to listen to it in a certain order and if you do apparently it's incredible. That is the only reason it is not a 0. Plus it came out late, was only on tidal for the longest time, and he changed the album name multiple times which I think rubbed everyone wrong, especially because he settled for the name "The Life of Pablo." Album cover looks awful too. It in my opinion is the most overhyped album to ever be released, and many like it simply just because it is Kanye. I am a big fan of his older music, but this was just terrible.… Expand
  33. kingkun
    May 3, 2016
    2
    a dead album... .................pffft...........tf?........... kanye west really sold us dreamzz, and gave us a nightmare of an album.... look like kim produced dat shii
  34. SimplyTrifec
    Jan 22, 2020
    0
    So bad. Please god make it stop. My ears are bleeding. please help please wow.
  35. musicreviews7
    Jul 25, 2018
    3
    No, just no. I was just about to get interested in Kanyes's music, and then this popped out. He often quotes himself as a genius beyond our world, but, for example, the track "I love Kanye" suggest everything but that.
  36. Sermanson2002
    Jan 23, 2020
    0
    Parece ser que ahora se vota con poca puntuacion los albumes que creemos que nos lo merercen.
    Gracias fans de Kanye
  37. andyn823
    Jun 6, 2020
    0
    This album is the worst album of Kanye West's discography. I am not saying this just because I am a fan of Kanye's enemy "you-know-who". But even if I like Kanye West, this album is trash. I have listened to 30 seconds of every songs on the album, and they are irritating my ears. Boring production, messy melodies and messy lyrics. And a lot of autotune too. This album lacks consistency andThis album is the worst album of Kanye West's discography. I am not saying this just because I am a fan of Kanye's enemy "you-know-who". But even if I like Kanye West, this album is trash. I have listened to 30 seconds of every songs on the album, and they are irritating my ears. Boring production, messy melodies and messy lyrics. And a lot of autotune too. This album lacks consistency and creativity. And it is meaningless. It doesn't have any messages to the people. It only shows how egotistical is Kanye and how he wants to be the greatest artist of all time. But the truth is he could never. Kanye flops. And his fans also prove that they are the worst fandom of hip hop music when they overhype this album and bash other artists. Kanye, just stop making music and focus on your fashion and shoe designing career.… Expand
  38. jayaraya
    Jul 26, 2020
    0
    U are not making Taylor Swift famous. I SAID WHAT I SAID. DoNot listen to this trash. I HATE U.
  39. Fra101
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    It's such a boring album! That's all, just boring, nothing special. Sorry...
  40. jgvinhaes
    Sep 14, 2020
    0
    I felt a little bit confused throughout the album, hearing Ye on Ultralight Beam does not make you think that is the same guy on Famous. That being said, this is probably the one Kanye's album that has most of my favourite songs by him. Amazing work!!!!
  41. Christen13
    Aug 29, 2020
    0
    This album is AWFUL. One word many meanings.
    He is the worst singer of all time.
  42. DaveWarren
    Sep 17, 2020
    0
    He need to call a woman **** to be relevant, the life of pablo is the album who need the hate and polemic to be relevant, why this man can call other womens snakes and ****es, he need attention. This is not what a legend need to shine, you are not a legend Kanye.
  43. anapopescu
    Sep 13, 2020
    0
    Is this the beginning of the end for Kanye West? This seems to be evident on this album that fails all expectations.
  44. JohnSnow41188
    Oct 2, 2020
    0
    Unoriginal work, it feels like Kanye was trying to hard but the results did not pay out.
  45. bushyforest
    Oct 23, 2020
    0
    The album brings nothing special, just another attempt to say something original without the power to follow through with it.
  46. MikeMulaney
    Nov 19, 2020
    1
    Generic music, nothing special, typical Kanye egomania top to bottom, not worth the time.
  47. DequanJdfh
    Oct 31, 2021
    0
    He really fell off. Basic production. Mid raps. Corny from top to bottom. Do not play this in my car

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Most Discussed Album of 2016
4
#4 Most Shared Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Under The Radar
    Apr 6, 2016
    55
    There is plenty here to suggest that West's magic has not entirely left him, but as a statement of art or true intent, this is a significant misstep from an artist with so much to praise.
    Read full review
  2. The Telegraph (UK)
    Apr 1, 2016
    60
    There is much to be admired here, rather less to be enjoyed.
    Read full review
  3. Uncut
    Mar 22, 2016
    70
    For better or worse, no-one else is making records quite like this. [May 2016, p.82]
See all critic reviews »