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SBManiac Rising Star

SBManiac

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Yes, this is my own reviewing topic, this time centered on music from various artists, time periods, and genres. Sometimes I'll ask for requests and sometimes I'll choose to review things on my own. So far I have 12 recordings (songs/albums) on my plate, so the request lines are full at this moment. Remember, first come is first served, so try to reach me as soon as possible for future requests! The reviews themselves will come on a weekly/bi-weekly basis based on how much stuff I have to do involving school and anything else to do with my personal life. 

 

Here's the list of things that are on my review list right now:

 

1. The College Dropout – Kanye West (requested by Jibbix/Nuggets)

2. ARTPOP – Lady Gaga (requested by Lori/Dylan)

3. FutureSex/LoveSounds – Justin Timberlake (requested by Jibbix/Nuggets)

4. because the internet – Childish Gambino (requested by Jibbix/Nuggets)

5. Am Goin To Jail (song) – Hawd Gangstuh Rappuh Emsees Wid Ghatz (requested by Cha)

6. Eleanor Rigby (song) – Vince Guaraldi (requested by Nards)

7. The Black Album – Jay-Z (requested by Jibbix/Nuggets)

8. Self-Titled (The White Album) – The Beatles (requested by Nards and Squidbox)

9. The Grey Album – Danger Mouse (requested by Nards)

10. Random Access Memories – Daft Punk (my choice)

11. This Is Happening – LCD Soundsystem (my choice)

12. Nanobots – They Might Be Giants (my choice because I had to include these guys)

 

First review will most likely be up tomorrow. :)

 

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Elastic Dawg Collaborator

Elastic Dawg

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I am down for this. Here's a few of my favorites:

 

"Songs About Fucking" - Big Black

 

"Sleep in Safety" - 45 Grave

 

"Mystic Stylez" - Three-6 Mafia

 

"Doubelievengod" - Natas

 

"November-Coming-Fire" - Samhain

 

"Answer The Call" - Kilslug

 

"Psycho Head Blowout" - White Zombie

 

Those are some underappreciated gems i'd like to see get more love, anyway. Lovin' this idea, d00d. :D

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SBManiac Rising Star

SBManiac

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Kanye West - The College Dropout REVIEW (PART 1)

 

Yes, I'm dividing this into parts, sue me. Also, PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY MORE REQUESTS. Thank you.

 

------

 

Ah, Kanye West. A name that I've heard so much but know very little about. Based on my research, I know that Kanye West is a hip-hop artist and producer from Chicago, Illinois who is one of the most critically-acclaimed artists of the past decade and has won twenty-one Grammy Awards as well as been named one of the world's most influential people by TIME Magazine.

 

And to be honest...I never understood the hype, mainly because the few times I've heard him, I've considered his lyrics to be inane, insipid, and idiotic.

 

For example:

They callin' me an alien

A big-headed astronaut

Maybe it's because

Your boy Yeezy get ass a lot

 

- from Katy Perry's “E.T.”

 

Then of course, there's the infamous lyrics of Kanye's own “Runaway”:

Let's have a toast for the douchebags

Let's have a toast for the assholes

Let's have a toast for the jerk-offs

That'll never take work off

I sent this bitch a picture of my dick

I don't know what it is with females

But I'm not too good at that shit

 

Now for hip-hop, a genre where the lyrics are often just as, if not more important than the music, wouldn't these count as strikes against him?

 

Then again, maybe I just didn't get Kanye and just because an artist has a few bad songs or guest spots doesn't mean they're a bad artist which is why I am going to give Kanye a second chance.

 

Having spent six years producing other peoples' music, Kanye West released his debut album The College Dropout to, of course, critical acclaim and commercial success in 2004.

 

Is this album really deserving of its praise? Well, let's find out and see.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGdRs6sfNQ4

 

1. “Intro”

 

So the album starts with the principal of a school asking Kanye if he can create a song for the kids to sing a graduation, one that they'll “gon love when they hear it.”

 

The voice of the principal himself is dopey, but also kind funny and the hyperbole of Kanye's song being good enough to make the kids want to share candy with each other gave me a chuckle as well. The intro is short, sweet, and a nice way to start the theme of the album relating to college and school and whatnot. So far, so good.

 

RATING: N/A (as it's not actually a song)

2. “We Don't Care”

 

Now, for the first real song of this album and boy, is it fucking good! Or at the least, much better than I was expecting. This song has such an enjoyably upbeat melody with a lush jazzy production filled with bright horns and strings that make you feel downright ecstatic. Kanye's rapping isn't bad and neither is his singing, which is backed by a group of kids in the chorus who also do a capable job. Man, is that chorus catchy!

 

So, the beat's good. What about the lyrics? Turns out, they're not bad either as they discuss the theme of constantly getting screwed over by the educational system and how most people have to work their tails off to even afford a college education:

 

And everybody selling make-up, Jacobs
And bootleg tapes just to get they cake up
We put shit on layaway then come back
We claim other people kids on our income tax

 

Cause ain't no to tuition for havin' no ambition
And ain't no loans for sittin' your ass at home
So we forced to sell crack rap and get a job
You gotta do something man your ass is grown

 

Of course, Kanye's method of doing this is drug dealing, which is very believable considering most kids in the ghetto would consider selling drugs to be easy money and would most likely be desperate to do anything just so they can afford to go to college to get that degree and become successful in life.

 

And all my people that's drug dealin' jus to get by stack ya money till it gets sky high

 

(Nice wordplay here, by the way:)

 

The drug game bulimic its hard to get weight
So niggas' money is homo it's hard to get straight
So we gon keep baking to the day we get cake.

 

Despite this, Kanye seems to be happy for what he has and is proud for having earned his success:

We never had nothing handed took nothing for granted
Took nothing from no man, man i'm my own man

 

We wasn't supposed to make it past 25 but the joke's on you we still alive
Throw your hands up in the sky and say we don't care what people say

 

I do some minor nitpicks, though, mainly the lyrics rhyming five with five (9 to 5/$6.55), the adding of “chromey” which is not a real word, and that “12 Questions” reference which I personally didn't understand.

 

All in all, a good song with an upbeat, jazzy tone and some good social commentary about the expense of our nation's schools.

 

RATING: 9/10

 

3. “Graduation Day”

 

We go back to another skit and we see the principal is pissed at Kanye for creating a song that wasn't “uplifting” enough (Hey, it sounded pretty uplifting to me, and at least the lyrics showed an assurance of pride despite the hardships these students would have to go through) and denies Kanye his diploma and kicks him off the stage all with “Pomp and Circumstances” playing in the background, no less.

Then, Kanye sings (with AutoTune...yay) about “no longer being confused” and “having something better than school” so he quits school which brings us to the name of the album, The College Dropout.

This, however, raises a question. Is it really better to just quit school and not follow “the system” to find or your own way to the top or to take the more conventional route and get a diploma?

 

As for the skit, it was also good in moving the story along although I'm not a fan of AutoTuned vocals, even if the lyrics do a decent job of progressing the story as well as revealing the character's motives. The music isn't bad, though. The strings are dramatic without being too over-the-top. Also, I thought it was weird the principal's f-bombs could be heard loud and clear at the beginning of his rant yet were censored near the end. Maybe it's so he wouldn't look worse in front of the “white people”? Racial commentary? Perhaps.

 

RATING: N/A

 

4. “All Falls Down” (feat. Syleena Johnson)

 

Okay, so we have some nice acoustic guitar, thick bass guitar, and an overall funky drum beat. There's the soulful chorus vocals from Ms. Johnson here and Kanye is here MC'ing:

 

South Side South Side We Gun Set This Party Off Right ..

 

All right! This sounds it'll be a good party track, let's have some fun!

 

...and then we get to the lyrics.

 

Man I promise she so self consciouss 
She has no idea what she doing in college 
That major that she majored in don't make no money 
But she won't drop out her parents look at her funny

 

Okay. So this isn't a party song, but rather one about how you don't always get a high-paying job from a college degree and how you should still make a career through hard physical labor instead of studying to survive. Well, nice to see there's still a focus on the album's concept, but isn't it kind of misleading to say you're going to start a party right and then talk about something completely different? I don't know.

 

Now tell me that ain't insecurr 
The concept of school seems so securr 
Sophmore three yurr ain't picked a carurr 
 

 

Uh...you all right there, Kanye? I think you might be suffering from stupid rhyming disease. Okay, one: “insecurr”? “Yurr”? “Carrur”? Are you serious? Not only does it make you sound like someone who's suffered brain damage and can't pronounce words correctly, it also sounds like you're too lazy to come up with more rhymes with the word “insecure” so you messed with the pronunciations to make the rhymes fit. Yeah, that's not lazy at all!

 

The rest is verse is actually quite good, though, and there's even a nice pun:

 

Couldn't afford a car so she named her daughter Alexis 

 

(Alexis? A Lexus? Geddit?)

 

So the next verse is about how people will do anything for money and how once they have that money, they end up being terrible people anyway. Understandable, for the most part:

 

It seems we living the American Dream
But the people highest up got the lowest self esteem
The prettiest people do the ugliest things

 

We shine because they hate us floss because they degrade us 
We trying to buy back our 40 acres 
And for that paper look how low we'll stoop 
Even if you in a benz you still a nigga in a coup 

 

I suppose it's more “RICH PEOPLE R EVUL” propaganda, but it's not impossible for money to corrupt a person and it's simply a part of human nature to be obsessed with success.

 

So...another well-sung chorus, another verse, this one about how people aren't really free and buy things to fill the emptiness inside them. Once again, understandable and something I can agree with. Then, there's this:

 

But I ain't even gonna act holier than thou 
Cause fuck it I went to Jacob with 25 thou 

 

Yep, he's still doing that “rhyming a word with the same word” thing again (yes, I know one means “you” and the other is short for “thousand,” but still).

 

So, a nice song with a funky beat, a great vocalist on the chorus, and lyrics with a point, which I can respect. Unfortunately, some of those lyrics are questionable and the intro is kind of misleading as to what the song's actually about, which brings the song down in my opinion.

 

RATING: 7.5/10

 

5. “I'll Fly Away”

 

This track is actually a cover of a 1932 gospel song written by Albert E. Brumley and for a cover, it's not bad. The piano is cheerful and lively, the vocalists are great (although I'm not sure which one's Kanye), and the lyrics, which are about hoping for a good afterlife in heaven, are appropriate for the genre. My only complaint is that I wish it was longer.

 

RATING: 8.5/10

 

6. “Spaceship” (feat. GLC and Consequence)

 

Bass guitar = funky, celeste and backing vocals sampled from Marvin Gaye's “Distant Lover” = nice and relaxing, singing on the chorus from Kanye and company = good and soulful.

 

Lyrics?

 

If my manager insults me again I will be assaulting him 
After I fuck the manager up then I'm gonna shorten the register up 

 

Okay, so Kanye's job sucks. (Maybe it's just me, but I'd rather work at a crappy job than going to prison for assault and battery and theft.)

 

So if I stole, wasn't my fault 
Yeah I stole, never get caught 
They take me to the back and pat me 
Askin' me about some khakis 
But let some black people walk in 
I bet you they show off their token blackie 

 

Not getting enough money in your paycheck does not justify stealing other people's money, no matter how shitty your job is or if your bosses happen to be racist. And if they are being racist, you do realize you can protest this to whoever's the boss of your boss or the city council, get a lawyer, go on strike, you know, something that a responsible and level-headed person would do?

 

Takin' my hits, writin' my hits 
Writin' my rhymes, playin' my mind 
This fuckin' job can't help him 
So I quit, y'all welcome 

 

So now Kanye's going on about how people are taking the credit for all his lyrics (not sure who would want to steal these lyrics, though), and he actually has the common sense to quit his job instead of acting like a criminal.

 

Y'all don't know my struggle 
Y'all can't match my hustle 
(every night) 
You can't catch my hustle 
(every night) 
You can't fathom my love dude 

 

Yes, because beating up your boss over money and not being tolerant of their stupidity despite them being intolerant towards you is the definition of “love”. Maybe I don't understand his struggle because people have always thought I was white my entire life, but don't you think he's overreacting a tiny bit?

 

So the rest of the verse is Kanye talking about how he's working so hard to make his “beats”. Fine, but can you work on your rhymes, too, so you don't sound like an arrogant douchebag?

 

Let's see if the guest rappers can save this track. First up is GLC:

 

Yes (heavens knows) I'm the same ol' G, same goatee 
Hope to see Freddy G., Yusef G 
Love my G, Rolly G 
Police watch me smoke my weed, and count my G's 

 

Well, he certainly likes his G's.

 

All joking aside, GLC seems to rap a decent verse about being overworked and overall confused and unsatisfied with his life, and I'll admit, I can honestly relate to some of his lyrics:

 

Got a lot of people countin' on me
And I'm just tryin' to find my peace 
Should of finished school like my niece 

 

(Kind of funny how that last line completely defeats the purpose Kanye is trying to make with this entire album, but I digress.)

 

Okay, so we have a good verse. How does Consequence fare?

 

I remember havin' to take the dollar cab 
Comin' home real late at night 
Standin' on my feet all damn day 
Tryin' to make this thing right 

 

Good, good, so he's continuing the theme of the song – being overworked and dissatisfied with life. The rest of the verse seems to mirror Kanye's where Consequence attempts to make it big in music but gets shut off by the industry, however:

 

So I won't be takin' no days off 'til my spaceship takes off 

 

If he means that he'll keep on working his stupid job until he makes it big in music, then good for him! Sometimes you have to deal with the dumb shit people give you in order to be a success in life. I'm not approving racism in the workplace or low wages, but I'm saying there are more responsible and mature ways to deal with these things than being a thug.

 

So, Kanye was upstaged by his guests on this song which is definitely not a good sign. The beat is good, though, like always and the chorus isn't bad, either, sometimes I'd like to take a spaceship and fly away from the pressures of life, too.

 

RATING: 6/10.

 

7. “Jesus Walks”

 

Come on, Kanye, I'm putting in a lot of faith in you. Please don't make the album tank before it's even halfway finished.

 

Yo, we at war
We at war with terrorism, racism,
And most of all, we at war with ourselves

 

I have to admit, that is true. Go on.

 

Getting choked by detectives yeah yeah now check the method. 
They be asking us questions, harass and arrest us 
Saying We eat pieces of shit like you for breakfast 
Huh? Y'all eat pieces of shit what's the basis?

 

Nice burn, Yeezy. If only you didn't steal it from Adam Sandler (Happy Gilmore, anyone?). All joking aside, I get that Kanye is talking about being harassed by the police because of his race, which is definitely a real issue and he is understandably mad about this.

 

Next is the chorus, which shows Kanye's pain in a realistic manner and in a way that is very relatable to religious people as myself (the vocal samples are pretty good, too):

 

(Jesus walks) 
God show me the way because the devil trying to break me down 
(Jesus walks with me) 
The only thing that I pray is that my feet don't fail me now. 
(Jesus walks) 
And I don't think there's nothing I can do to right my wrong 
(Jesus walks with me) 
I wanna talk to God but I'm afraid because we ain't spoke in so long 
(I want Jesus) 

 

After that, we have the second verse, which in my opinion, is the most brilliant thing Kanye has ever written (that I've heard so far):

 

We rappers is role models we rap we don't think 
I ain't here to argue about his facial features 
Or here to convert atheists into believers 
I'm just trying to say the way school need teachers 
The way Kathy Lee needed Regis that's the way I need Jesus 
So here go my single dawg radio needs this 
They said you can rap about anything except for Jesus 
That means guns, sex, lies, videotape 
But if I talk bout God my record won't get played 
Huh? 

 

Yes, rappers, musicians, and celebrities do serve as role models to the young people that admire them, and unfortunately, they do a piss-poor job of it. Also, I do agree that the sleaziest garbage can be on the radio and that hardly anything on the radio is positive. Meanwhile, anything that is positive won't get played because people will think it's boring or some other dumb shit like that.

 

So, with powerful lyrics, a great, militant beat, and good vocal samples, this, in my opinion, is a winning track.

RATING: 10/10

 

To be continued (after I take a freakin' shower)...

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SBManiac Rising Star

SBManiac

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I do like Jesus Walks but the lyrics aren't very inventive or anything he's stating the obvious like no shit Kanye the world sucks. But the production on it is great

 

You do have a point. I guess I just like the way he said it. 

 

Anyway...

 

 

Kanye West - The College Dropout (Part 2)

 

 

 

8. “Never Let Me Down” (feat. Jay-Z & J. Ivy)

 

We start up this review again with another track featuring two guest rappers and this time, it's hip-hop legend Jay-Z that starts up things! Take it, Jay!

 

Yo, yo first I snatched the streets, then I snatched the charts

First I had they ear, now I have they heart

Rappers came and went

I've been here from the start

I seen them put it together

Watch them take it apart

 

(sigh) Okay, so we have yet another verse where a rapper talks about how awesome he is. Great. Now, Jay-Z isn't terrible in this song and he never says anything too stupid or offensive and even some of his wordplay is good (Jeff Gordon of rap/I'm back to claim pole position, holla at ya boy; Every fourth quarter, I light the Mike Jord in them/Number one albums, what? I got like four of them), but I'm so disinterested in what he has to say that I would just tune out if not for that nice psychedelic guitar riff in the background. Since his appearance at the end of the song is more of the same, I'm just going to skip it altogether.

 

Funnily enough, it's Kanye who manages to shine through by rapping about something that actually matters:

 

Get up I get down for my grandfather who took my momma 

Made her sit in that seat where white folks ain't want us to eat

At the tender age of 6 she was arrested for the sit-ins

And with that in my blood I was born to be different

 

Because Kanye's mother was part of the civil rights movement when she grew up, Kanye decides to take a stand against racism and prejudice to uphold his family's ideals. That's actually a pretty good message to be sending out to people and gives an actual explanation for his opinions in “Jesus Walks”.

 

He also pulls out a great punchline:

 

But I know they don't want me in the damn club

They even make me show ID to get up inta Sam's Club

 

And the rest of the verse has good wordplay, calls out the black community to stand up for their equality as “racism's still alive” which, unfortunately, is still very much true. There's even a mention of dedication to a girlfriend in the lyrics:

 

Its gon take a lot more than coupons to get us saved

Like it take a lot more than do-rags to get your way

Nothin sad as that day my girl father passed away

So I promise to Mr. Raney, I'm gonna marry your daughter 

And you know I gotta thank you for they way that she was brought up

And I know that you were smiling when you seen the car I bought her

 

Now that's just sweet. Kanye may be a jerk, but at least he's a jerk with a heart. That being said, it does seem kind of random that he just switched gears like that.

 

The chorus is well sung, although I think it's a sample. At least it's a good sample.

 

Now, for J. Ivy's verse:

 

We're all here for a reason on a particular path

You don't need a curriculum to know that you are part of the math

Cats think I'm delirious, but I'm so damn serious

That's why I expose my soul to the globe, the world

 

WOW.

 

Not only is this verse great in wordplay and language, but it's also very uplifting, spiritual, and is much more representative of love than that other song.

 

So, what do we have here?

 

Music: psychedelic guitar, soulful vocal sample, gospel-like

Jay-Z: boring and irrelevant

Kanye: interesting and can hold his own

J. Ivy: amazing and cosmic

 

RATING: 8.5/10

 

9. “Get 'Em High” (feat. Talib Kweli & Common)

 

Yet another song with two guest rappers...well, let's start the song, I guess.

 

N-now, th-th-throw ya motherfuckin hands

GET EM HIGH

All the girls pass the weed to ya motherfuckin man

GET EM HIGH

Now I ain't never tell you to put down ya hands

KEEP EM HIGH

And if ya losin yo high than smoke again

KEEP EM HIGH

 

Keep em hands in the air and them people on weed. Good enough double-entendre, I guess, but it's not that clever. Let's see how the first couple of verses are under Kanye:

 

N-n-n-now, my flow

Is in the pocket like Wallace, I got the bounce like hydrolics

I can't call it, I got the swerve like alchoooool-ics

My freshman year I was goin through hell, a problem

Still I, built up the nerve to drop my ass up outta collllllll-ege

My teacher said I'se a loser, I told her why don't you kill me

I give a fuck if you fail me, I'm gonna folllllllllll-ow

My heart, and if you follow the charts, to the plaques or the stacks

 

Admittedly, his flow is good and so far, Kanye has shown to be capable of rapping. It's just sometimes he does some weird shit like stretching out the vowels. Why? I also see that Kanye is still trying to stay to the concept mentioning dropping out of college, but I have to wonder if he honestly cares anymore because the last two songs (three if you count Spaceships) were diatribes against racism. Nothing wrong with that, but if you have a story in mind, stick with it instead of going off on these tangents. Points to the Beck reference, though. I love that song.

 

I'm so shy that you thought it was bashful but this

bastard's flow will bash a skull

That's why we hear your music in fast fo'

Cuz we don't wanna here that weak shit no mo'

 

(sigh) More bragging. Good wordplay, but still more bragging. As you can tell, I'm really bored with this song (either that or it's because I've so far spent the entire day trying to review this album) and the simplistic keyboard beat isn't helping much. Notably, this is one of the few songs on the album that doesn't have any sampling and it definitely works to the song's disadvantage as it sounds so dull.

 

The second verse really only serves as an introduction for the next MC, Talib Kweli and talks about about a college girl that Kanye's talking to:

 

E-mailin me at 11:26, tellin me that she 36-26

 

Why am I not surprised?

 

So he wants to hang out with this girl and asks her if she can bring a friend for his friend, Kweli. She doesn't believe him (and I'll admit, it is clever that they got a female rapper-at least, I think they're female-to do a few lines for this part), so Kanye brings Kweli to prove his claim and spit out our first guest verse.

 

Yeah

I can't believe this nigga use my name for pickin' up dimes but

GET EM HIGH, I need some tracks you tryin to pull tracks out

And my rhymes as fittin' to blow you tryin' to blow back south

Well ok, you twisted my arm, I'll assist with the charm, aiyyo

I though you meet that chick at that conference with yo moms

And she's the bomb, boy she got the bougie behavior

Always got somethin' to say like a okay playa hater

Anyway, I don't usually fuck with a interneter (get her high)

Birth control stuck to they arm like Nicorette

You really fuckin' that much, you tryin' to get off cigarettes

And she think it's fly, she ain't met a real nigga yet

I apologize if I come off a little inconsiderate

I got the bubba kush and a sister could get a hit of it

 

Okay, I am completely lost as to what this verse is supposed to mean. To Rap Genius!

 

* five minutes later *

 

Oh, so Kweli is basically shit-talking Kanye, embarrassed that he would use someone else to get girls and saying he couldn't even be bothered to especially since she's a rich grad student who's always shit-talking everyone else. He's also calling her a slut with that birth control/Nicorette line (“'get off' cigarettes”). However, he apologizes for acting like a jerk and decides to help Kanye anyway and offers him some weed...of course.

So, maybe Kweli isn't bad at rapping but his lyrics are just too incomprehensible for me to like.

What does this Common guy have for us?

 

Get em high like noon, or the moon or a room filled with smoke

A high filled with dope

Y'all assumed I was doomed, out of tune, but I still fill the notes

With real nigga quotes

Real rappers is hard to find, like a remonte, control rap is out of

 

“Get those hands high because even though you think I wouldn't make it, I'm still on top” is the theme here, I guess, as well as how “real rappers” are hard to find and most of the rap on the radio is garbage. Fine, I don't mind someone celebrating their success, but then Common comes out with this:

 

Too many featured emcees, and pro-ducers is popular

Twelve thousand spins, nobody got to coppin your

Album, how come, you the hot garbage of

 

Says a guest emcee in a song on an album full of guest emcees.

 

This line is apparently dissing on Lil Jon, who I guess was a stupid rapper who was popular on the charts backs then and talks about murdering him:

 

Chimped up, with a pimp cup, illiterate nigga

Read the infa-red across your head, I'm bred king like Simba

 

There's also a Lion King reference, because who doesn't think of Disney when killing pop stars?

 

(picture of Miley Cyrus appears)

 

Well, you know what I mean.

 

I don't know, maybe if I actually knew something about rap music, I would like this song better, but for now, it's just a jumbled mess of lyrics that don't really connect with each other and are too “street” for me to understand.

 

RATING: 4/10

 

10. “The Workout Plan”

 

Another skit, this time about two girls...watching exercise videos? My God, I am so confused.

 

…

 

Oh, wait. That's exactly what they're talking about. So this one girl gets a six-pack from this “workout plan” and ends up being in music videos and banging rich guys. Well, good for her, at least. She offers it to her girlfriends and because she's “the bootleg queen” offers this plan for FREE.99! Is that a pun, because I have no idea! And if it is, then she's a bitch for not really giving it to her friends for free.

Also, I seem to notice that we're moving further and further from the album's concept, about how the educational system only seems to bring people into debt and out of work. I commend him for tackling other issues as well and in his defense, this isn't meant to be a concept album, but could you blame me for thinking otherwise?

 

Rating: N/A

 

11. “The New Workout Plan”

 

So we segue into the next song, which is about a supposed exercise tape that Kanye has made for the ladies:

 

You just popped in the Kanye West

Get right for the summer workout tape

And ladies if you follow these instructions exactly

You might bear to pull you a rapper, a NBA player

Man, at least a dude wit' a car

 

So instead of working out to better their health, these seem to want to buy Kanye's tape (lol, 2004, back when people still had VCRs) to get with a rich(er) guy. Wonderful.

 

1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and get them sit ups right and

Tuck your tummy tight and do your crunches like this

Give head, stop breathe, get up, check your weave

Don't drop the blunt and disrespect the weed

Pick up your son and don't disrespect your seed

It's a party tonight and ooh she's so excited

Tell me who's invited: you, your friends and my dick

What's scary to me is Henny makes girls look like Halle Berry to me

So excuse me miss, I forgot your name

Thank you, God bless you, good night I came..

I came...

I came..

 

Like all true health experts, Kanye knows that the best way for women to exercises is to suck dick, smoke weed, and have massive orgies...with Kanye. Also, the only way Kanye will ever find you attractive is if he's too drunk to notice how you really look. If that isn't the best workout plan ever, I don't know what is! Tell us more, and please sing it with that nasally off-key voice of yours, which isn't annoying in the slightest!

 

It's been a week without me

And she feels weak without me

She wanna talk it out but

Ain't nothin to talk about less

She talks about freakin out so

Maybe we can work it out

Work it out [4x]

Maybe we could work it out

 

Instead of actually talking about your problems with your girlfriend, you just want to bang her instead. Um, remember that verse about three songs ago about that Mr. Raney guy? What about his daughter? At least the singing's bet—I mean, exactly as good as it was before. Yup.

Maybe one day girl we can bone

So you can brag to all your homies now

 

“Having sex with me is not only incredibly satisfying, but will also make you incredibly popular!”

 

Sigh, okay, I think you've figured out by now that I really do not like Kanye's attitude towards women in this song. Usually, lyrics like these would be par for the course in practically any song you would hear on the radio (heck, even “We Are Young” is guilty of this) but putting it into the context of the album where Kanye goes off on racism just makes it even worse. Also, the string-section in the instrumental, which is a bit too in-your-face for my taste, isn't helping at all.

 

Hustlers, gangstas, all us, ballas

 

It should be relevant to point out here that for the longest time, Kanye could not get a record deal because he did not fit the “gangsta” image prevalent in most popular hip-hop acts at the time. If that's true, then what the heck is this? If I didn't know any better, I'd say this and the last real song were pathetic attempts to produce “mainstream” hip-hop.

 

Hi, may name is Jill, I just want to say thanks to

Kanye's workout plan. I was able to pull a NBA player

And like now I shop every day on Rodeo drive

I just want to say, thank you Kanye!

My name is Lasandra, and I just want to say

that ever since listenin' to Kanye's workout tape

I was able to get my phone bill paid

And what's most importantly is that I ain't gotta fuck Ray Ray's

broke ass no mo'

 

Of course, what's worse than a pathetic attempt to produce something mainstream (by the way, I don't hate all mainstream stuff; I just hate poorly-produced mainstream stuff) is a pathetic attempt to try to get a meaningful message out, which is...since women can't get good enough jobs, they should just marry into a richer family? Not only is that a terribly outdated mode of thinking (Seriously, what is this, the 1800's?), it's also incredibly sexist. Why can't the woman strive to get a better job on her own or try to make the best of the one she has now? It's just ridiculous.

 

My name is Alamae from Mobille, Alabama

and I just want to say since listenin' to Kanye's workout tape

I been able to date outside the family, I got a double wide

 

Wait, wait, wait. Was that an incest reference? Okay, so stereotyping and harassing black people at their jobs is terrible, but reinforcing redneck stereotypes is a good thing? Yep. Totally not being a hypocrite here.

 

My favorite work out plan (oh! oh! oh!)

I wanna see you work out (yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)

 

Oh my God, is that Daft Punk? It's a robotic, vocoder-affected voice, it has to be Daft Punk! Also, I'm glad they got rid of those over-the-top strings and replaced them with this funky guitar and bass.

 

hat's right put in work, move your ass, go wizzerk

Eat your salad, no dessert

Get that man you deserve

It's Kanye's workout plan

I said it's Kanye's workout plan (Ladies and gentlemen)

It's Kanye's workout plan (Allow myself to introduce myself)

His woooorrrrkkoouut plan (This time around I want y'all to clap like this)

 

Yep, lyrics still as stupid as ever, but damn if that DP voice and funky groove doesn't keep me listening. Also:

Allow myself to introduce myself

 

Redundant statement is redundant.

 

So yeah, a faux-Daft Punk takeover is what saved this obnoxious and offensive song from being practically unlistenable. Also, I'm noticing a further deviation from the album's theme. Oh well.

 

RATING: 2/10

 

12. “Slow Jamz” (feat. Twista & Jamie Foxx)

 

It turns out that this is really a Twista track (as he raps for most of the song while Kanye only has one verse-that seems to be a recurring theme on this album) that was produced by Kanye while still having Jamie Foxx sing the chorus. I'm not joking, this song was released on Twista's Kamikaze album as track four. So what is it doing on a Kanye West album? Whatever, let's just play the song.

 

So we have some nice, understated strings, relaxed synths and guitar, and crisp handclaps and congas; basically a slow jam like the title says and one done quite well in my opinion.

 

How about the lyrics?

 

She said she wants some Marvin Gaye, some Luther Vandross, a little Anita, will definitely set this party off right

She said she want some Ready for the World, some New Edition, some Minnie Ripperton, and definitely set this party off right

 

Okay, so it's about a guy who wants to get it on with his girl while playing some classic R&B. All right, I'm totally fine with this. Jamie Foxx does a decent job on vocals here, all smooth as butter, and so far, this song is much more pleasant to listen to than the last one we heard. Will Kanye's lone verse manage to be any good?

 

I told her to drive over in your new whip

Bring some friends you cool with

I'm gonna bring the cool whip

Then I want you to strip

See you is my new chick

So we get our grind on

 

Cool Whip? Oh my God, do not say you want to lick the icing off her back! Oh wait, that song was made eight years after this one. Weird metaphors aside, this verse isn't sounding too bad so far.

She be grabbing, calling me Biggie like Shine home

Man, I swear she fine homes

Why she always lying though

Telling me them diamonds when she know they rhinestones

She got a light skinned friend look like Michael Jackson

Got a dark skinned friend look like Michael Jackson

 

(sigh) I'm just going to have to accept that rhyming words with the same words is a trademark with this guy, don't I? Well, at least I can excuse the Michael Jackson one because it's actually a decent joke.

 

Kanye manages to bring out a decent verse here that fits the theme of the song and has some not-too-bad humor. Good. Nice to see some improvement going on here.

 

The proof, however, that this is really Twista's track is when it's his turn to rock the mic, and boy, does he rock it. His flow is incredibly fast, yet he still manages to remain legible and keep in time to the sped-up Luther Vandross sample, which I bet is not easy to do. Also, he has some good wordplay as well:

 

With my earth and the wind smoke a fire

Let me when get your sheets wet listening to Keith Sweat

 

The female vocalist that joins Jamie after Twista's verse is also pretty good, too and we have a nice acoustic guitar to finish things off before the fade out.

 

A nice slow jam that lives up to its title with smooth singing and a rapper with a maniacal flow with good wordplay. My only problem here is that while Kanye's verse isn't that bad, I don't really have any idea why it's on the album in the first place especially since it was released as a Twista song first and it's Twista who's clearly the star of the song.

 

RATING: 9/10

 

13. “Breathe In Breathe Out” (feat. Ludacris)

 

So many guest spots, so little time, so let's listen to this!

 

Guitar is funky, we got some catchy horn samples, and Ludacris raps in his deep, scratchy voice:

 

Yeah, breathe in, breathe out

If ya iced up, pull ya sleeves out

Push a big truck, pull ya keys out

Girls go wild and pull ya deez out

Breathe in, breathe out

Let them hoes fight, pull her weave out

If a nigga act up, pull a Desert E's out

When I pull the piece out niggas like "Peace out!"

 

Girls, trucks, guns, what's not to like? But seriously, Ludacris performs this part with enough conviction to get into it and the beat is still simple, but good. Now for Kanye to do his thing...

 

Golly, more of that bullshit ice rap

I got to 'pologize to Mos and Kweli (probably)

But is it cool to rap about gold

If I told the world I copped it from Ghana and Mali? (Mali!)

Always said if I rapped I'd say somethin' significant

But now I'm rappin' 'bout money, hoes, and rims again

And it's still about the Benjamins

Big faced hundreds and whatever other synonyms

Strippers named Cinnamon

More chips than Pentium

What'cha gon' buy next? Whatever new trend it is

I'm tryin' to spend my stacks

And I'm so broke I look back like "Damn, was I on crack?"

I mean twelve platinum chains, was I on that?

What the hell was wrong with me dog?

 

Finally! Another verse from Kanye that isn't completely stupid and is actually pretty funny! Trust me, it may not be the most thorough deconstruction of the “bling, hos, and money” formula of most modern popular hip-hop, but at least it's a good attempt.

 

Now even though I went to college and dropped out of school quick

I always had a Ph.D.: a Pretty Huge Dick

Well, I'm in the club for a limited time

Act now and get some action for $free.99

While we drive she tellin' me 'bout problems with her man

Baby I fully understand

Let me help you with a plan

While he trickin' off, don't get no rich nigga

Give ME some head, that'll really piss him off

 

Wow! Actual continuity to what this album should be about and to some of the other songs, too! To be honest, I'm not sure if Kanye got better or I've just lowered my expectations. Probably both.

 

While I can figure that this is yet another boast song, at least it's one that tries to be clever. The third and final verse actually does have some good wordplay (especially “free hand mammogram”).

 

Whatever comes first I'm prepared for the worst

Whatever comes second I'll be there with my weapon

Pullin' up in the Lexuses/'lexeses, one on both hand

So I guess them GSes was ambidextrous

Coulda sworn her breasteses was sendin' me messages

"K I need a free hand mammogram

I got weed, drink, and a Handicam

All of which is legal in Amsterdam"

 

A moment of silence for the Sony Handicam. (God, I loved those...)

 

So, a somewhat clever and entertaining boast song that manages to be relevant with the album with a nice hook by Ludacris and simple, but catchy beat. While not as ambitious as some of the other songs on this album, it's still pretty good.

 

RATING: 8/10

 

 

 

14. “School Spirit (Skit 1)”

 

Okay, since this skit is part of a three-song suite, I'm putting all of them in this review. (That should be worth the wait...)

 

This one is pretty simple compared to the others, as it's just one guy (supposed to represent Kanye's college professor mother, Donda West) played by Chicagoan comedian DeRay Davis telling his son about the wonders of college and how it can help you pay for your own drugs and rob you of real-life experiences like sex. Nice to see that the themes of the album are gaining some relevance back here and I like a good dose of sarcasm as much as anybody, so this skit's a winner with me. Too bad it isn't a song, but then again, it'd probably just be a rehash of “We Don't Care,” which is already great.

 

Rating: N/A

 

15. “School Spirit”

 

Instead, we get a fairly good intro with a peppy piano loop and Kanye's chorus:

 

Alpha, step. Omega, step

Kappa, step. Sigma, step

Gangstas walk, pimps gon' talk

Oooh hecky naw that boy is raw

AKA, step. Delta, step

S G Rho, step. Zeta, step

Gangstas walk, pimps gon' talk

Oooh hecky naw that boy is raw

 

Decent enough. I guess it's appropriate to mention fraternities as the song's about school spirit and all.

Told 'em I finished school, and I started my own business

They say, 'Oh you graduated?'

No, I decided I was finished

Chasin' y'all dreams and what you've got planned

Now I spit it so hot you got tanned

Back to school and I hate it there, I hate it there

Everything I want I gotta wait a year, I wait a year

This nigga graduated at the top of my class..

I went to Cheesecake, he was a motherfucking waiter there

 

So this verse is about how Kanye has become successful without a college degree and how people with degrees end up getting crappy jobs, reinforcing the points made in the last skit and in the song “All Falls Down.” Once again, I like how Kanye is trying to tie the themes of his album together and the lyrics are good enough at expressing his feelings of anger towards college. Something that's strange is that all the cussing on this track is reversed for some reason (maybe I wound up listening to the clean version, I don't know).

 

I got a Jones like Norah for your sorror'

Bring more of them girls I've seen in the Aurora

Tammy, Becky, and Laura, or'a Shirley

I'm tryin' to hit it early, like I'm in a hurry

See, that's how dude became the young pootie tang tippy tow

Rocafella chain, yeah that's my rapper style

Rosary piece, yeah that's my Catholic style

Red and white One's, yeah that's my Kappa style

And I ain't even pledge

Crack my head on the steering wheel and I ain't even dead

If I could go through all that and still be breathing

Bitch bend over, I'm here for a reason

 

Now the focus has been switched to how many sorority girls Kanye can screw. Hey, why not? He's back in college so the least he can do is have some fun. Also, I like how once again he's taking pride in his decisions despite his hardships, even if it's kind of in a douchey way.

 

So, a song with decent lyrics and nice piano, which is good, but sadly, it's not great.

 

Rating: 7/10

 

16. “School Spirit (Skit 2)”

 

We return to the guy talking to his son with the college choir (I'm guessing) humming in the background. He's telling his son to keep reading his books even though he'll forget them and to earn as many degrees as possible even though they won't find you a job, make you money, or give you a home. Once again, nice to see some sarcasm and it makes sense within the theme of the album. However, I would have preferred it if some of these ideas were in the actual “School Spirit” song itself as it would've made it a much more interesting track.

 

Rating: N/A

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PART THREE, DAMN IT!!!

 

17. “Lil Jimmy (Skit)”

 

Now to start the last part of this absurdly long review (honestly, Nards, if there's anything I admire about you, it's your ability to get to the point) with the last skit on the album, this one from the perspective of the homeless college graduate guy's son, Jimmy. Hearing this, it seems that the graduate (and no, I'm not talking about Dustin Hoffman) is kind of an idiot for not working at all while getting his degrees in college and is kind of a jerk for stealing his son's degree. Oh, well, at least Jimmy can be the “smartest dead guy” with fancy diplomas to wrap himself with instead of newspaper (Fancy living, here we come! La-la-la-la-LA!). So yeah, sarcasm, themes, funny. Good skit.

 

18. “Two Words (feat. Mos Def, Freeway, & The Harlem Boys Choir)

 

I noticed in the comments that Jibbix mentioned that sometimes artists have to do “mainstream” songs to make money. First of all, I can totally understand that because many good artists probably wouldn't have stuck around otherwise. However, it helps to make a “mainstream” song that isn't boring or completely stupid like Kanye did earlier on his album with “Get 'Em High” and “New Workout Plan”.

 

Dramatic acoustic guitar (or synth that sounds like an acoustic guitar) and strings. Okay, this sounds promising.

 

We in the streets player, get your mail
It's only two places you'll end up, either dead or in jail
Still nowhere to go, still nowhere to go
Now throw ya hands up bustless, busters, boosters, hoes
Everybody, fuck that
Still nowhere to go, sill nowhere to go

 

Kanye starts things off with a verse about how being in the streets is tough and you'll either end up “dead or in jail”. Common enough theme, especially in this genre, but delivered with enough conviction to make it good (and the dramatic beat actually makes it better).

 

Now for Mos Def's verse:

 

Two words, United States, no love, no brakes
Low brow, high stakes, crack smoke, black folks
Big Macs, fat folks, ecstasy capsules
Presidential scandals, everybody move!
Two words, Mos Def, K West, hot shit
Calm down, get back, ghetto people, got this
Game ball, lock shit, dump off, cock shit
We won't stop shit, everybody move!
Two words, BK , NY, Bed-Stuy
Two hawks, too hungry, too many, that's why
These streets know game, can't ball, don't play
Every traffic, one lane, everybody move!
Two words, Mos Def, black jack, hot shit
Calm down, get back, ghetto people, got this
Game point lock, long pump cocked
We won't stop, everybody move!

 

Mos Def goes from the United States being a messed up place, to him and Kanye being awesome, to New York ghettos being a messed up place, and back to him and (black jack? What?) being awesome.

The rhymes are short, not so sweet, with maybe just a hint of venom in them and delivered with enough feeling (anger most likely) to be believable. Once again, the dramatic beat really makes things epic.

 

Does this track get even more epic? It can with the help of a choir!

 

Now throw ya hands up bustless, busters (Throw your hands up high)
Boostas, hoes, everybody, fuck that (oh)
Still nowhere to go, still nowhere to go (oh)

 

Kanye's next and the first part of his half is “I'M AWESOME” as well, but at least it's unique and relates to his producer past (“should've been signed twice,” “Most imitated/Grammy nominated”). The second half is how Chicago raised him, “crazy” and how he can't let fame change who he is. (I was going to write something similar, but I think I might have misinterpreted that part if I didn't do some research.)

 

Also:
I basically know now we get racially profiled
Cuffed up and hosed down, pimped up and ho'd down
Plus I got a whole city to hold down
From the bottom so the top's
The only place to go now

 

Thank you for writing a better “started from the bottom” verse than Drake.

 

 

Hook is still awesome, beat is still awesome. How about Freeway?

 

Two words, Freeway, two letters, A-R
Turn y'all rap niggas into two words, fast runners
Like Jackie Joyner, you better sleep with your burner
The heat skeet, blow a reef through ya car
My God, two words, no guns, break arms
Break necks, break backs, Steven Seagal

 

He's got a gun and he's ready to shoot, and he can break backs like Steven Seagal. Cool.

 

By the time, Mos Def raps his outro, the music and the choir increase in intensity and creates an amazing climax.

 

The wonderful violin at the end with the high-pitched soul samples is a nice touch.

 

All in all, a great track.

 

RATING: 10/10

 

19. “Through the Wire”

 

Now for the song that got Kanye a record deal in the first place. Let's hear it.

 

Yo G they can't stop me from rapping can they?
Can they huh?

 

It's clear from the start that Kanye's voice sounds quite slurred on this song. However, since he made it when he was recovering from a car accident that fractured his jaw, this can be excused.

 

I spit it through the wire man
Too much stuff on my heart right now man
I'll probably risk it all right now
It's a life or death situation man
Y'all don't really understand how I feel right now man

 

You see, Kanye had a wire put through his jaw to help him speak while it healed, so that's how he's rapping. He's also talking about how he could have died from the car crash and how none of us can really relate to that. (I sure can't. I don't even have a car!)

 

I drink a Boost for breakfast, and Ensure for dessert
Somebody ordered pancakes I just sip the sizzurp
That right there could drive a sane man berserk
Not to worry, Mr. H-to-the-Izzo's back to wizzerk

 

Eh, not as stupid or awkward as “insecurr.” At least there are two actual words there as rhymes. Also, I'm a bit more familiar with the “izzle” thing. By the way, the sped-up Chaka Khan sample is quite good and provides a good and soulful backdrop for Kanye's story.

 

She was with me before the deal she been trying to be mine
She a delta so she been throwing that Dynasty sign

 

Oh, yeah, fraternity reference. To be honest, I don't really mind that Kanye's sort of abandoned the school concept here because 1) this song was made before the rest of the album and 2) at least these last few songs have been interesting enough to make up for it. This verse has some good punchlines, too:

 

Trying to be a millionaire

How I used two lifelines
In the same hospital where Biggie Smalls died
The doctor said I had blood clots
But I ain't Jamaican man

 

“Bloodclot” is apparently a slur towards Jamaicans. Go figure.

 

It's also nice that Kanye had the time to explain to the listeners exactly what happened to him during the interlude. Maybe it's a bit cheesy, but I honestly think it sounds kind of heartfelt.

 

What if somebody from the Chi was ill got a deal on the hottest rap label around
But he wasn't talking bout coke and birds it was more like spoken word
Except he's really putting it down

 

So the second verse is talking about if someone like Kanye got a deal at Roc A Fella Records, and how instead of girls or drugs, he'd be reciting true poetry. I think for some songs that can be debated, but otherwise, I can buy it.

 

I got lawyer for the case to keep what's in my safe safe
My dogs couldn't tell if I
I look Tom Cruise on Vanilla Sky, it was televised
It's been an accident like GEICO
They thought I was burnt up like Pepsi did Michael
I must gotta angel
Cause look how death missed his ass

Unbreakable, would you thought they called me Mr. Glass

 

Once again, good punchlines here (Kanye seems to like his MJ references) except for the Geico one. Don't they give you insurance in case of accidents instead of causing them themselves? It's just a silly metaphor.

 

Toys are Us where I used to spend that Christmas cash
And I still won't grow up, I'm a grown ass kid
Swear I should be locked up for stupid shit that I did

 

Well, at least you're being honest. This verse wasn't too bad, either, and the songs ends on a funny note with Kanye complaining about how he can't get on planes anymore with this plate the doctors stuck in his chin.

 

A good song, with a smooth, soulful beat and clever, if a bit silly, lyrics.

 

RATING: 9.5/10

 

20. “Family Business”

 

Dang! Twenty tracks already?

 

Oh well, here we go!

 

Hmm...piano that sounds soft, yet kind of cheerful. Seems just right for what this song seems to be about.

 

Do the lyrics really match the tune, though?

 

This is family business
And this is for the family that can't be with us
And this is for my cousin locked down, know the answer's in us

 

Huh. So this verse's about a cousin who's in jail. That's kind of sad, actually. Still, I guess it doesn't clash too much with the music.

 

Like a photo of your granny's picture

 

Once again, redundant statement is redundant.

 

I even made you a plate, soul food, know how Granny do it
Monkey bread on the side, know how the family do it
When I brought it why had guard have to look all through it?
As kids we used to laugh
Who knew that life would move this fast?

 

This is what I'm talking about—family food, sharing memories as kids. The music actually does seem nostalgic, now that I think about it. Where does the time go?

 

And I don't care 'bout (all the, all the diamond rings, diamond rings)
They don't mean a thing (all, all, all the things)
All these fancy things
I tell you that all (all the glitter) I'm waiting for
Now all I know I know all these things

 

Family's more important than money. Okay, that's a message I can agree with.

 

This is family business
And this is for everybody standin' with us
Come on, let's take a family Grammy picture
Abby, remember when they ain't believe in me?
Now she like "See, that's my cousin on TV"
Now, we gettin' it and we gon' make it

 

I can't, all right? I can't. It's just...these lyrics are...actually kind of touching. I can't really analyze them (they're pretty much literal anyway), all I can do is think “man, this is so sweet.” I don't care if it's corny, cheesy, whatever, I melt whenever I hear stuff like this. (And I wonder why people say I have no balls...kidding, kidding!)

 

The rest is pretty much like this, until the end when we hear a little boy say:

 

Mommy and daddy, will you please stop fighting?

Let's get Stevie out of jail

 

Bringing us back to the unfortunate reality of the kid's parents arguing and his cousin still being in jail.

 

Cheerful, nostalgic, yet also kind of sad. Good piano and good, heartfelt lyrics.

 

RATING: 10/10

 

21. “Last Call”

 

Okay, so Kanye has made a considerable comeback from the last few tracks. Is it possible for him to make a good closer? Well, let's see.

 

…

 

Uh....well, let's start at the beginning.

 

Jay-Z's laughing and he joking tells Kanye, “F YOU” and all that stuff. Kanye proposes a toast and we start the song proper:

 

And I am

(Here's to the Roc)

And they ask me, they ask me

(Here's to the Roc-A-Fella)

Raise your glasses, your glasses, your glasses to the sky and

(Here's to the Roc)

This is the last call for alcohol, for the

(Mr. Rockefeller)

So get your ass up off the wall

 

All right, so the hook for this song is about, well, making a toast for Kanye and how it's the last call in the bar. Fitting, as this is the last song on the album. Kanye does a passable song singing, and the sped-up singing (which isn't a sample here) not only reminds me of the other samples, but also of Prince for some reason. The smooth, spacey instrumental (somewhat like Spaceships, but recognizable as its own) also gives a sense of chilling out and wrapping things out. As for the first verse:

 

The all around the world Digital Underground, Pac

The Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer of the Roc

I take my chain, my 15 seconds of fame

And come back next year with the whole fucking game

Ain't nobody expect Kanye to end up on top

They expected that College Dropout to drop and then flop

Then maybe he stop savin' all the good beats for himself

Rocafella's only niggas that helped

 

Well, it's about how Kanye's been a black sheep of hip-hop (using one of the most famous black sheep, Rudolph, to illustrate his point) and how he had been treated as more of a producer than rapper up until this point (and I can see why. The production on this album, done almost completely by Kanye himself, is consistently pretty good for the most part.). Now that he has this album, everyone who doubted his rapping ability are now expecting the album to fail and that its recording was really just a plot to keep Kanye's beats to themselves. So far, he seems to be using decent metaphors and storytelling, and his rapping ability so far has been all right.

 

Flow infectious, give me 10 seconds

I'll have a buzz bigger than insects in Texas

It's funny how wasn't nobody interested

'Til the night I almost killed myself in Lexus

 

(Should be in a Lexus, but whatever.)

 

Kanye continues the underdog story by talking about his catchy flow, and how it'll make him really famous. Ironically enough, he almost had to die in a car crash for this to happen. So far, this is a good verse of how Kanye rose to the top, somewhat expanding on this theme from “Through the Wire”.

 

Good hook, now the next verse:

 

Now was Kanye the most overlooked? Yes sir

Now is Kanye the most overbooked? Yes sir

Though the fans want the feeling of A Tribe Called Quest

But all they got left is this guy called West

That'll take Freeway, throw him on tracks with Mos Def

Call him Kwa-li or Kwe-lo, I put him on songs with Jay-Z

 

Last year shoppin' my demo, I was tryin' to shine

Every motherfucker told me that I couldn't rhyme

Now I could let these dream killers kill my self-esteem

Or use my arrogance as the steam to power my dreams

 

Okay, so the general gist is that Kanye is now on top and doing different things in hip-hop, like mixing up all these different rappers and their styles. Also, considering this is Kanye West we're talking about here, I'm sure he has enough arrogance to keep him running for a long time. The theme of this song is celebrating success, and it seems appropriate enough for the last track...

 

...However, Kanye then goes on a nine-minute monologue of how he got there in the first place. Okay, one, this part obviously goes on for way too long. Two, why doesn't he rap his part instead of just talking and wasting everyone's time? Three, if you look at the lyrics closely enough, you'll realize most of this information is in the song already, so what was the point of all this? I'll admit the story was interesting to hear the first time, but I wouldn't go out of my way to hear it again. Seriously, why not put it in the liner notes or something?

 

A good finale song ruined by an unnecessary monologue. Way to go, Kanye.

 

RATING: 8/10.

 

What have we learned today, kids?

Well, I know that Kanye is by no means an idiotic rapper...most of the time. He seems like he's capable of writing great lyrics, but has a tendency to slip up every now and then. Another problem with this album is that it seems to stray quite often from the theme of colleges and how they screw people over (although I could have misjudged here and not realized the album's concept was Kanye himself, considering it talks about his school experience, the tough times he faced in Chicago, and the battles he faced to get an album made in a linear enough order), which kind brings things down a bit. His talents as a producer, however, are much more consistent, and usually turn out good beats for most of these songs. Let's look at the averages to score, shall we? (Some scores have been changed because I've listened to the album some more while finishing this thing.)

 

1. We Don't Care: 10/10

2. All Falls Down: 7.5/10

3. I'll Fly Away: 8.5/10

4. Spaceship: 8/10

5. Jesus Walks: 10/10

6. Never Let Me Down: 8.5/10

7. Get 'Em High: 4/10

8. The New Workout Plan: 5/10 (I did some research and realized this song was supposed to be a satire. Poe's Law strikes again! Still, that doesn't mean I found it that funny.)

9. Slow Jamz: 9/10

10. Breathe In Breathe Out: 8/10

11. School Spirit: 7/10

12. Two Words: 10/10

13. Through the Wire: 9.5/10

14. Family Business 10/10

15. Last Call: 8/10

 

ALBUM RATING: 8.2/10.

 

Hmm...that seems fair. Overall, an album that I like but not love.

 

Please tune in the next time (whenever that is) for my review of Lady Gaga's “ARTPOP”!

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SBManiac Rising Star

SBManiac

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Don't wanna be a dick but since you're reviewing full albums could you make the track reviews shorter :)

 

I've seriously been considering doing this, as it really is a pain to go into so much detail. (I've only held off on it so far because some SBM users, mainly DiabolicalGenius and Nards, actually like the amount of detail I put in.)

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