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. caleb466
    Feb 26, 2016
    7
    Extremely inconsistent. The album opens with Ultralight beam which is extraordinary, followed by some very average or even bad tracks. However, the song famous is pretty good. the most consciously narcissistic song in history occurs with I love kanye. Waves which feature chris brown is a great track. FML is one of the most honest, beautiful, and personal pieces of art I've everExtremely inconsistent. The album opens with Ultralight beam which is extraordinary, followed by some very average or even bad tracks. However, the song famous is pretty good. the most consciously narcissistic song in history occurs with I love kanye. Waves which feature chris brown is a great track. FML is one of the most honest, beautiful, and personal pieces of art I've ever experienced. real friends and no more parties in LA are each pretty great. Kendrick Lamar, Chance the rapper, and chris brown each have exceptional features.
    If you are expecting a consistent or cohesive album you may find your self disappointed. However if you appreciate the bright spots the album will be well worth your time    … Expand
  2. jmoneycashmoney
    Feb 26, 2016
    10
    Instant Classic Ye is Hip Hop and with each new album he changes the genre and moves pop culture to the next echelon. The Life of Pablo is no exception nearly all tracks shine in their own way and move along the story of the album (Top 5:Real Friends, Pt. 1, Pt. 2, No more parties in LA, and Facts).
  3. themovieguy123
    Apr 10, 2016
    7
    there are a couple of good songs but not enough of them it make it his best album. It tells a lot that i don't think its a great Kanye album but an amazing general album.
  4. AlexHeyns
    Mar 8, 2016
    6
    One can definitely admire West's marketing skills, but did the album ultimately live up to the hype?

    Stylistically and emotionally this album is all over the place, but I think that was the intention - to give each listener an opportunity to interpret the album differently. Even though most of the tracks stand well on their own, I feel as if this album was meant to be listened from    One can definitely admire West's marketing skills, but did the album ultimately live up to the hype?

    Stylistically and emotionally this album is all over the place, but I think that was the intention - to give each listener an opportunity to interpret the album differently. Even though most of the tracks stand well on their own, I feel as if this album was meant to be listened from start to finish in one sitting.

    Production-wise the album is varied. There's lots of experimentation going on here, but unfortunately some of the tracks feel very incomplete. That doesn't stop the album from shining at certain points though. It makes up for it with good vocal work from featured guest artists and a few standout tracks, but tracks that feel like pointless filler still plague the entire LP.

    Even though the tracks are all over the show in terms of style and rhythm, I feel as if the album manages to achieve a solid flow throughout, keeping the listener gripped from start to finish. Tracks like 'Real Friends' and 'No More Parties in LA' (featuring some great bars by Kendrick Lamar, a real highlight) are some great standouts.

    'The Life of Pablo' was meant to confuse and challenge the listener, but some of the attempts to try and make this album sound more (for lack of a better word) deep or innovative, just end up feeling tacked on and cheap. In terms of lyrical content some of Kanye's bars are downright cringe-worthy and just sound awful.

    Overall, the good outshines the bad, but only by a slight margin. Poor production and lyrics on some of the tracks prevent the album from being truly great. Not a bad LP at all, but nothing truly spectacular either.

    Personal favourites from the LP: 'Famous', 'Real Friends' and 'No More Parties in LA'.

    - Alex Heyns. Cape Town, South Africa    … Expand
  5. mrgarcia
    Mar 9, 2016
    9
    Yeezy just doesn't stop. Keep dropping great albums and revolutionizing hip-pop. The album bumps hard! Both new and old kanye are geniuses!!! If you don't like kanye as a person ...cool but, give him props for his artistry
  6. TheBison24
    Apr 6, 2016
    6
    This album showcases the fact that Kanye is one of the best producers in the business because almost all the songs in this album have great beats. Unfortunately Kanye hasn't produced good enough rapping to match the beats: many of the songs are just speaking not rapping. And of course then there's always loads of autotune when you're talking about Kanye and it's no difference in thisThis album showcases the fact that Kanye is one of the best producers in the business because almost all the songs in this album have great beats. Unfortunately Kanye hasn't produced good enough rapping to match the beats: many of the songs are just speaking not rapping. And of course then there's always loads of autotune when you're talking about Kanye and it's no difference in this album. Overall the album is a bit of a disapointment for me at least but few of the songs are really good, for example FML which is for me the highlight of the album.… Expand
  7. DadEsquire
    Mar 18, 2016
    6
    I’d like to get one thing out of the way; everything about this album is a train wreck. I mean that in the best possible way

    The Life of Pablo is Kanye West’s seventh studio album, and the hotly anticipated follow-up to his mercurial 2013 release Yeezus. The amount of build-up and hype leading up to the release of this album is unlike any other album I’ve seen, and it’s apparently gone    I’d like to get one thing out of the way; everything about this album is a train wreck. I mean that in the best possible way

    The Life of Pablo is Kanye West’s seventh studio album, and the hotly anticipated follow-up to his mercurial 2013 release Yeezus. The amount of build-up and hype leading up to the release of this album is unlike any other album I’ve seen, and it’s apparently gone through several different variations (in 2014, actor Seth Rogen claimed Kanye rapped the entire album to him in the back of a limo). Ultimately, what we got was a collection of 18 messy, eclectic tracks.

    There is little to no coherence in the flow of the album, save for the two-part tracks like “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1/Pt. 2,” “Low Lights/Highlights,” and “Real Friends” and “Wolves.” This disorganization plays a huge role in making this album look and feel like a train wreck. As with most train wrecks, you know it’s terrible, but there’s something about it that captures your attention. For me, it’s that this album sounds like a man that is losing his mind. Kanye’s played the part of the paranoid before (much of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was this version of Kanye), but on TLOP, he actually sounds like he’s going insane.

    Consider the track “Freestyle 4;” it opens with sample of the incredibly eerie strings in Goldfrapp’s “Human,” and Kanye rapping in short, choppy sentences. The drums and record scratch give off the feeling of unintentional nervous twitches and ticks. As the track goes on, Kanye descends deeper and deeper into madness.

    There’s a huge disparity in the quality of the tracks, too. Around half of the tracks feel half-baked, and with only a few feeling like a finished product. “Real Friends” and “No More Parties in LA” both shine brighter on the album than they did as singles simply because the quality of most tracks pale in comparison. Opener “Ultra Light Beam” sets the bar in terms of polish very high for the rest of the tracks, and the album suffers because of it. Many of the unfinished feeling tracks have good ideas in the beats and production, but don’t seem fully realized or suffer from very poor lyrics from Kanye.

    Lyrically and thematically, TLOP mostly addresses relationships and family. On “Real Friends,” Kanye talks about how a cousin of his stole his laptop and held it for a bribe. We hear Kanye get choked up as he’s rapping about this betrayal, showing emotion that we haven’t seen much of since 808’s & Heartbreak. However, the one-liners are among his worst, with just about every track having something to groan about. On Yeezus, most of these lewd quips were amusing and even laughable, but here they feel gross, crass, and unnecessary.

    The Life of Pablo is an unbelievably frustrating album for me to listen to. When it’s good, it’s really good; when it’s bad, it’s bad (but it’s a Kanye West album, so even the bad is still engaging). The beats and production on a lot of the tracks is very enjoyable, but the album is derailed by a half-finished feel, unfunny and unnecessary one-liners, and general malaise. It’s erratic and scatterbrained, a perfect portrait of Kanye as an artist. It’s just unfortunate that it’s not a better portrait.    … Expand
  8. jamez121
    Mar 24, 2016
    10
    Epic. Brilliant album. Ground breaking but beautiful to listen to. Very enjoyable.
    I think the reason people dont like this album is because they dont like kanye. If anyone else put this out it would be loved by all.
  9. SomeoneYouKnow
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    Can't understand how Kanye can release such an incredible album with all this sh#t around his name, best Kanye's album since MBDTF. Consistent from the start to the end.
  10. crgm
    Apr 2, 2016
    10
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
    This is a God dream
  11. djemast
    Apr 2, 2016
    8
    Definitley not Kanye's best, but that doesn't mean much when he's put out some of the greatest music of our generation.
    I like this better than 808's, other than that every Kanye album is better.
    But that is a VERY good thing, because Kanye has yet to make bad music. Not big on 30 hours or Wolves. But i still like them. If you hate this album, you don't hate the music, you hate Kanye.    Definitley not Kanye's best, but that doesn't mean much when he's put out some of the greatest music of our generation.
    I like this better than 808's, other than that every Kanye album is better.
    But that is a VERY good thing, because Kanye has yet to make bad music.
    Not big on 30 hours or Wolves. But i still like them.
    If you hate this album, you don't hate the music, you hate Kanye. Look, I know he's a mess. But he is incredibly talented.
    This is his least lyrical album, though. The beats and producing are the highlight of the album.    … Expand
  12. Mesmerize
    Aug 9, 2016
    8
    8.5
    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  13. MCDom
    Apr 3, 2016
    10
    Yeezus has done it again. For people who understand his music, it's like medicine to the ears. The production across the entire project is so smooth and the layering is flawless. Just listen and appreciate this masterpiece... Forget about Ye's somewhat arrogant attitude and just focus on what you can hear. Superb. 10/10.
  14. melissac
    Apr 4, 2016
    10
    The life of Pablo. It's not his best album, with a few songs that are more of a miss, but it is beautifully chaotic. It's purposely messy. Despite some of the odder tracks on it (the misses *ahem* Feedback, FML) I would still give it a 10, the good outweighs the bad by far.

    Famous, with the use of Bam Bam as the backing track towards the end of the song, was nothing short of godly. It    The life of Pablo. It's not his best album, with a few songs that are more of a miss, but it is beautifully chaotic. It's purposely messy. Despite some of the odder tracks on it (the misses *ahem* Feedback, FML) I would still give it a 10, the good outweighs the bad by far.

    Famous, with the use of Bam Bam as the backing track towards the end of the song, was nothing short of godly. It is really disappointing that the whole world is focusing on the one line about Taylor Swift in Famous. Because of that one line, everyone disregards the song. In my humble opinion, Famous IS one of the BEST SONGS (if not the best) in the entire album. The fusion of his raps, Nina Simone's Do what you gotta do and Sister Nancy's Bam Bam makes the track so **** amazing, it really is a shame it is so underrated. I find that it beats any of Taylor Swifts pop tracks by a landslide.
    And this is only one song in this amazing album.

    I wouldn't think of it as his best album (Personally, Late Registration and Watch the Throne are better), but it is so fantastic. While I am at it, I'd like to thank Chance for pushing Kanye to put Waves in the album. It was transcendent, incredible and easy to listen to. Kid Cudi in the backing vocals and Chris Brown in the outro, it really deserves to be one of his best songs on the album (Thank you Chance).

    The Life of Pablo being exclusively (until recently) available only of Tidal, it is a shame not as many people are able to listen to this ingenious piece of work. TLOP really makes you understand why people think that he is an musical genius. Its provocative, making those who hate him hate him even more and those who love him, admire his amazing work. If you don't like Kanye, listen to his music first. Appreciate him for the artist he is, not for the person he portrays on the media.    … Expand
  15. poeer123
    Apr 10, 2016
    8
    The album was well made even though it contained 3 fillers. But even those fillers had meaning to them. This album is definitely not as good as MBDTF but it has a few bangers and it displays West's emotion well. His choice for featuring artists was good, too.
  16. InglouriousAndy
    May 18, 2016
    10
    one of the best albums ever recorded. Kanye is a genius.
    I invented Kanye
    There wasn't any Kanyes
    And now I look and look around
    And there's so many Kanyes
  17. thethoughthere
    Apr 23, 2016
    7
    A perfectly acceptable album from Hip-Hop's most controversial figure, The Life of Pablo comes forward with a few fantastic songs, a handful of good, a handful of bad and a couple terrible tracks. Not much more to say that hasn't been said already.

    It's good, not great, and that's OK. Much better than Yeezus, but still nowhere close to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or any other    A perfectly acceptable album from Hip-Hop's most controversial figure, The Life of Pablo comes forward with a few fantastic songs, a handful of good, a handful of bad and a couple terrible tracks. Not much more to say that hasn't been said already.

    It's good, not great, and that's OK. Much better than Yeezus, but still nowhere close to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or any other classic Kanye record.    … Expand
  18. dex332
    May 8, 2016
    10
    yes yes yes yes yes yes yes ye ye ye ye ye ye ye ye ye ye yes yes yes yes yes. GOAT album I do not care what y'all say. goat goat goat goat goat G.O.A.T GOAT
  19. Eduardo_Santos
    May 1, 2016
    8
    I like Kanye West, and the album is pretty good, but It's far from a "808s & Heartbreak", his best project. It's a excelent album but I think he rushed the release and not complete as it should.
  20. cfc38
    Jul 28, 2016
    9
    In what state must a person be to make an album like this. Messy, disjointed, provocative, sometimes cheap, rarely disappointing, always mad. Always genius..
  21. michaelpbourke
    Sep 7, 2016
    10
    Easily my favourite album of his! Took a while to get used to it & the way it was released was annoying as I don't subscribe to TIDAL/Spotify so I had to find each up date on PB but 100% worth it once I got it. Every track is good with the excpetion of Pt. 2 (Panda is annoying asf).
  22. billytrev24
    May 20, 2016
    8
    The Life of Pablo is 19 tracks of pure off-the-wall entertainment. Whether I was getting into the songs like Ultralight Beam and Real Friends, or your laughing at some of the funniest lines in rap history, this album will stick. I found myself constantly disgusted with what I was hearing, but also totally loving it at the same time. There are the cringe-worthy songs, such as, Feedback,The Life of Pablo is 19 tracks of pure off-the-wall entertainment. Whether I was getting into the songs like Ultralight Beam and Real Friends, or your laughing at some of the funniest lines in rap history, this album will stick. I found myself constantly disgusted with what I was hearing, but also totally loving it at the same time. There are the cringe-worthy songs, such as, Feedback, Facts, etc. There are bangers like, Pt. 2, Fade, Waves. And then, somehow, Kanye finds room on this album for real, emotional songs, like Real Friends, Wolves and No More Parties in LA. This is the most confusing album I've ever heard. There is never a complete thought, and I can't tell if that is this album's bright-spot or its downfall.

    Fave songs: Ultralight Beam, Father Stretch my Hands Pt. 1, Highlights, Wolves and Fade.

    Least: Feedback, Pt. 2 and 30 hours.

    76/100    … Expand
  23. WANGWEST
    May 31, 2016
    10
    This is one of the best albums ever by Kanye, an extremely divergent and weird masterpiece that has a lot of gospel in it and a controversial reference to Taylor Swift but is a really magnificent album! Promise! This album will go down in history as one of the best rap albums ever!
  24. raywithajay
    Jun 3, 2016
    5
    While this record does have a few bright moments, it is overall rough and incoherent. The production is mostly mediocre, although some songs such as Ultra Light Beam and No More Parties in LA (produced by Madlib) are produced masterfully. Kanye doesn't really have anything interesting to say anymore. This is his worst lyrical work as he resorts to rapping about getting skin bleach on hisWhile this record does have a few bright moments, it is overall rough and incoherent. The production is mostly mediocre, although some songs such as Ultra Light Beam and No More Parties in LA (produced by Madlib) are produced masterfully. Kanye doesn't really have anything interesting to say anymore. This is his worst lyrical work as he resorts to rapping about getting skin bleach on his t-shirt from having sex with a model, putting a GoPro on his penis, and several other strange sexual topics. TLOP is not nearly as cohesive as any of his other projects; it sounds like a random assortment of songs thrown together. The production style varies greatly from song to song and there is no common theme found in the subpar lyrics. In my opinion, the most enjoyable aspect of this album is the production, which isn't totally consistent. However, I did think that Real Friends, No More Parties in LA, and Ultra Light Beam were all stellar tracks. I enjoyed TLOP more than Yeezus, but maybe I hard a hard time enjoying TLOP because Kanye's earlier works set a high standard for me… Expand
  25. dlmmusic
    Jul 25, 2016
    5
    Majority of the songs on this album consist of other artists work/ songs and add on's, with Kanye West commentating with his verses. Now, some of the songs sounds pretty good ( for example Famous, Pt 2) and obviously there are strong connotations and underlining meanings within the songs that are incredibly powerful. Overall my thoughts are that this album is one of his worst.
  26. Willugh
    Oct 2, 2017
    7
    68/100. I really like the first half of the album, but the second half got me kinda bored. The production is amazing, almost as good as the 2010 My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But the lyrics are weak and lazy for me. A good album, but not really a fire one.
  27. joekeary
    Aug 24, 2016
    10
    In all honestly, TLOP is (so far) my favourite album of 2016. Musically, the range of sounds is extremely compelling, the lyrics of songs such as Real Friends (the best song on the album, in my opinion) are extremely real and deep yet other songs such as I Love Kanye are extremely entertaining and humorous. This balance makes for a great listening experience. However, songs such asIn all honestly, TLOP is (so far) my favourite album of 2016. Musically, the range of sounds is extremely compelling, the lyrics of songs such as Real Friends (the best song on the album, in my opinion) are extremely real and deep yet other songs such as I Love Kanye are extremely entertaining and humorous. This balance makes for a great listening experience. However, songs such as Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeeer Intermission seem unnecessary and are skippable however this does not make the album any less entertaining and pleasing to the ears.… Expand
  28. patricioparodi
    Oct 22, 2016
    10
    amazing album he really did a great job with lyrics and production.wow
    i cantw wait for the next album because i know it will be even better yassssssss
  29. victorcarter
    Nov 29, 2016
    8
    Kanye puts together a chopped soul & gospel mixtape of sorts with help from lots of rappers he **** with, even Max B. He keeps the sound very patchwork sounding and minimalistic. Favorite songs Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1, Feedback, Waves, and Fade
  30. sratomasfer
    Apr 6, 2017
    7
    Kanye has once again proven himself to be a dominant force in the hip hop scene. Pristine flow and production that will take back to the early days of hip hop. Not his best as I will say it is a little lengthy but still a fun listen.
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Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

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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]
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