The Life Of Pablo by Kanye West : an in-depth thread

Likes & RT's appreciated

The seventh album by one of rap's greatest talents. While MBDTF seems to be generally accepted as his best album,I don't think anything captures his best and worst tendencies as much as TLOP. It's his entire being laid bare.

The theme of family runs really deep throughout the album,and you can really feel his conflict between wanting to be there for his wife & kids and continuing with his previously self-destructive lifestyle.

Generally,the rampant inconsideration & assholery that defines half of his persona is concentrated in the first half ; the bleached asshole line,as well as the shot at Taylor Swift which reignited a feud that didn't need reigniting.

But I think the album gets deeper and deeper as it goes on,starting with FML ; on this track he seems genuinely afraid for his family's happiness not only because of their presence in the public eye but also because of his own continuing mental illness.

I do think this fear was very much justified because 8 months after the album Kim would be robbed at gunpoint ; it's really hard to imagine how much of a toll that must have taken,to see essentially your worst fears materialise like that.

The track Real Friends is a very pivotal piece of the project ; apart from being the best track it also encapsulates Kanye's questions about how many friends he really has in this time of financial trouble,while also regretting being a lousy friend himself at times.

Over the course of the album the moods keep on shifting ; on No More Parties In LA,he does let himself bask in the glory of his long-running success and newfound domestic bliss,it makes the song a glorious experience from beginning to end.

Odd sequencing choices such as placing the gospel tour-de-force Ultralight Beam further highlight his constantly shifting psyche ; there's no fully consistent changes in tone but instead it's an inconsistency that somehow feels fully natural.

Production wise,this is definitely his best work post-MBDTF ; it's well refined (the final version anyway) and really diverse. Also,more Kanye + Madlib please

Saint Pablo is easily Kanye's most excellent closer to date ; I really can't imagine that there existed a version without this cut on it. It's a perfect encapsulation of the album's themes with some of his strongest lyricism and a brilliant contribution Sampha.

Of course Kanye doesn't have the debt to worry about anymore,but a lot of the issues he had back in 2016 still remain,and only time will tell how he chooses to address them.

End thread. Like I said,retweets appreciated