I’m a white teen girl from the suburbs and I love Kanye West. Unlike many, I think that his confusing and egotistical ramblings are amusing. I can’t relate to most of his struggles expressed in his music, but I have a deep admiration for him. I quoted him several times in the free-response questions of my AP tests. My senior quote was from “Good Morning.” I still have a Tidal account. When it comes down to it, I hold Kanye West in high esteem.
I first heard The Life of Pablo a few days after it was released. Although I had known and loved Kanye’s music for a while, it didn’t mean much to me. He tweeted that it was a gospel album, and I was never the religious type. After listening to Kanye’s new album for the first time, then countless times after that, I do believe that it has influenced my way of thinking about religion. Having such an authoritative figure in music make an album like this was really refreshing.
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“Ultralight Beam,” the intro track about faith, features Chance the Rapper in what might be the most beautiful verse to ever be. The song notes Kanye’s religious conviction, but also questions the workings of God, especially in Kelly Price’s verse. Similarly, “Wolves,” featuring incredible verses from Vic Mensa and Sia, compares Kanye and Kim to Mary and Joseph. The ending of the song seems to reflect a warning about false prophets, as in Matthew 7:15, in reference to their children, North and Saint, who will undoubtedly have people working against them.
Kanye also included a number of sad, yet thoughtful songs about friends and family. “FML,” for example, might stand for the obvious, but may also stand for “For My Lady.” In this track, Kanye swears that he’ll stop chasing other women, and will instead be faithful to Kim. The song, which features The Weeknd, also admits that while many are waiting for Kanye to fail, he’s the only one that can. Overall, the track is a statement on his determination to succeed in his marriage. On the other hand, “Real Friends,” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, is a statement on Kanye’s struggle with friends and family. He notes his lack of time and effort, calling himself a “deadbeat cousin” and stating that he gets what he deserves. Kanye West shows his vulnerability and struggles as a highly-criticised and busy artist.
As a whole, the album was thought-provoking and influential on the music industry. The openness and insecurity of Kanye West, a very rarely seen side of him, was revealed, and I think that everyone should listen to TLOP at least once. I can’t imagine that it's easy to do this, especially when the media is so critical. Coming from someone with a lot of respect for Kanye, it was brave and admirable for him to release these tracks, and I hope to see more of this “chop up the soul Kanye.”source: www.genius.com, https://www.discogs.com/artist/137880-Kanye-West
