What more can be said about Kanye West that hasn't already been said? You either love the man or you hate him. He's a jerk and a genius. Both adjectives have been used time and time again, but whether or not you're a fan, you can't deny the man has made a impact on not only hip hop, but music in general. He's taught this generation that it's okay to dress how you want and express yourself honestly in a world of flashiness and braggadocio. His ego has been rivaled only by historical figures such as Julius Caesar. He is truly one of a kind.
However, one discussion that is heavily talked about is, what is his best album? So today, I am going to rank his albums from worst to best, in terms of what I like best, and what best represent his artistry.
He IS a god. And these are his scriptures.
9. Cruel Summer (with G.O.O.D. Music)
Usually, label compilations turn out to be a mish-mash of artists with no singular direction, and with no real standout songs, other than maybe one or two. Cruel Summer stands out on at least one of these accounts, since about half of these songs were bonafide classics before the album even came out. Songs like "Mercy," "New God Flow," "Clique," "I Don't Like (Remix)" and "Cold" got everyone hyped for what was supposed to be something special. Instead, what we got was something seemingly half-assed with a few GREAT songs. Not bad for an average compilation album, but far below the standards of what Mr. West was capable of.
BEST SONGS: "Mercy (ft. Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)," "Clique (ft. Big Sean & Jay-Z)," "Cold (ft. DJ Khaled)"
8. 808s & Heartbreak
Arguably the most game-changing album in Yeezy's catalog, this album was birthed from the ending of his pre-Kim Kardashian engagement and the loss of his mother. Kanye took a huge risk with this album, both jumping onto the autotune bandwagon and pushing it into uncharted territories. However, while, as a whole, this somber Kanye, filled with autotune and melodies previously untapped in hip hop does make this an album worth listening to, many of the songs individually don't stand out one by one as the album does, which kind of lessens the greatness of the album. I can put on some of these songs and recapture the vibe, but others are best left heard a couple times and then never again.
BEST SONGS: "Love Lockdown," "Robocop," "See You in My Nightmares (ft. Lil Wayne)"
7. Late Registration
This album may be the worst of Kanye's regular rap albums. Not to diminish how great it is, but sonically, it seems more of a building block between what he had done and what he was going to do next. Plus, Kanye was riding high off of his debut album so he went back in and seemed to finish this one as soon as he could. It is great, but he has done better than this album as a whole, despite there being great songs on here.
Also, "Gold Digger" is kind of overrated. #SorryNotSorry
BEST SONGS: "Gone (feat. Consequence & Cam'Ron)," "Hey Mama," "Late"
6. Yeezus
This is an album that doesn't get as much credit as it deserves. Yes, it's more gritty, raw, in-your-face and overall mean than the rest of his discography. But that's the point. Kanye wanted to be abrasive, and to make a darker album than he had ever made before. Its roots were more punk rock than hip hop. And it was his most divisive project yet! Some people didn't like it at all, others (like the late Lou Reed) thought it was his best work yet! The man did what he set out to do, which was to make the people talk.
Also, the Yeezus Tour was the best concert I have ever been to, so this album is dear to my heart so I can't slander it at all.
BEST SONGS: "Black Skinhead," "New Slaves (ft. Frank Ocean)," "Blood on the Leaves"
5. Watch the Throne (with Jay-Z)
This is the ultimate student/mentor album. Jay-Z set Kanye into the world, and Kanye came back to give Jay some inspiration, and some collaboration.
This might be the most fun album either of these guys have released. There was no pressure, no politics, no overblown pop hits, it was just a fun album about two MCs coming together, doing what they love, and rapping about what they love: ballin' so hard motherfuckers wanna find them.
This album is luxury rap at its finest, and, while often imitated, unfortunately may never be duplicated (although I hope I'm wrong... #WeWantWTT2)
BEST SONGS: "Otis," "No Church in the Wild (ft. Frank Ocean)," "New Day"
4. The Life of Pablo
Given Kanye's antics right before this new album came out, the album COULD have been his first true dud. He was hyping it up SO much as this fantastic album, that there was NO WAY he could defy EVERY expectation.
Well, he did. It may not be the best album of all time, but it may be the best album in a long time.
While this may be his most schizophrenic album sonically, it does prove to be ambitious in its own right by bringing in songs that show him channeling his early days to songs that show him reflecting the trends of nowadays, albeit in his own way. He also delivers on the gospel elements he promised in interviews, as he examines himself as a god and as a man of the Christian god he worships, in many forms and fashions. This is especially shown in the intro, "Ultra Light Beam," which is one of the best, most emotional songs he's ever released. Also, lyrically, this may be his smartest in a while, showing his range from humble ("Real Friends," "30 Hours") to humorous ("Feedback," "Famous") and everything in between. This album proves that Kanye finally knows the Kanye he wants to be, and isn't letting this revelation escape anytime soon.
BEST SONGS: "Ultra Light Beam (ft. Chance the Rapper, The-Dream, Kelly Price & Kirk Franklin)," "30 Hours (ft. Andre 3000)," "Highlights (ft. Young Thug & The-Dream)"
3. Graduation
Now here's where things get tricky. Kanye has released so many classics that even a top 3 is hard. Alas, I must put his 3rd album, the album that essentially killed gangsta rap as we knew it, in the #3 spot.
It's not easy to put this here. This album is a certified classic hip hop album, and showed a respectable increase in maximalism in his production, which paved the way for his future sound. I can't really say anything bad about this album. I can just say that I find the remaining two to be better.
BEST SONGS: "Stronger," "Can't Tell Me Nothing," "Barry Bonds (ft. Lil Wayne)"
2. The College Dropout
Ahh, here we go. The album that made Mr. West a proven capable rapper. This album isn't his best in terms of technical rap skills, but it does possibly have his most heartfelt moments, as well as his most lighthearted, both of which he would come to be known for. This is perhaps Mr. West's most human work, and with the help of the consistent soul beats, and the skits that tied it together, one of his most cohesive sonically. It's a great album that launched the career of a great artist.
BEST SONGS: "Never Let Me Down (ft. J-Ivy & Jay-Z)," "Get 'em High (ft. Talib Kweli & Common)," "We Don't Care"
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
And so we come to the #1 spot, which, in my opinion, is the best produced, best rapped, most cohesive, and overall BEST album in Kanye West's catalog.
This album was made when Kanye was at his most under pressure time frame ever, after interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech (which, in retrospect, seems ridiculous that he got so much scrutiny for it). He knew he had to show and prove with his next album. And show and prove he did. He upped the lyricism, the emotion, the subject matter, and even the promotional tactics to keep the audience on the edge of their feet to see what Kanye would do leading up to this album.
It didn't disappoint at all. And, with this album, Kanye West showed the world that he'll be damned if he's going anywhere anytime soon.
So, sorry Taylor Swift, I'm really happy for you, and I'ma let you finish, but Kanye West made one of the best albums (and best discographies) of ALL TIME with this.
BEST SONGS: "Lost in the World (ft. Bon Iver)," "Runaway (ft. Pusha T)," "Devil in a New Dress (ft. Rick Ross)"
So, there's my list. What order would yours be in? Let me know, and why.
And remember to praise Yeezus every day, for he is our lord and savior.
LOL, JK (or am I?????)
