Grammy Award winning Hip Hop Artist, Kanye West has taken a break from music for a while to be with his new family and enjoy his newborn son. However during this break, his creativity was still flowing. In March 2016, Kanye West released "The Life of Pablo" on the music platform "Tidal." In April 2016, It was available on Spotify and other sources. Most of the events that transpired in his life since his last album are communicated through some of the tracks on this album. This allows the album to convey a positive message that can speak to all kinds of audiences.
"Ultralight Beam" Featuring The Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper and Kirk Franklin
This is the opening track to the album, and gives a twist to the way we listen to Gospel music. The song is about being on a higher pedestal in life and how that is a blessing from God.
The song opens with the audio from a video that went viral on Social media of Samoria Green saying a prayer where she chanted "We don't want no devils in the house God, We want the Lord!...Hallelujah! Jesus Christ the Lord."
Later Kanye West begins to sing "We on a Ultralight Beam, This is a God Dream. This is everything."
Kanye West and The Dream continue to sing the Chorus, to transition between each verse.
Throughout the song, the artist talk about looking up to God and how they "look to the light." Grammy Nominated artist Kelly Price gives an amazing solo where she sings her testimony through her solo. Her solo introduced Chance The Rapper's verse, where he raps:
"When they come for you, I will shield your name. I will field their questions, I will feel your name. No one can judge, They don't, They don't know. They don't know."
A gospel choir sings the backup vocals to the artists giving it more of a church feel. Kirk Franklin closes saying a prayer for "those who feel they aren't good enough."
This song was an excellent way of tying Hip Hop and Gospel together. It symbolized Kanye West's religious life perfectly, where he can use hip hop to minister his testimony.
"Father Stretch My Hands" Part 1 featuring (Kid Cudi) and Part 2
Kanye West's "Father Stretch My Hands" is a spinoff of the Pastor T.L. Barrett's gospel piece "Father Stretch My Hands." The beat is produced by the one and only, Metroboomin, better known as "Young Metro."
This song is mainly speaking about the relationship that he has with a woman, and how sometimes they may fight but he still wants to wake up with her in the "beautiful morning."
But the golden question is, why does he use the title "Father Stretch My Hands?"
He describes his love interest as the sun in his morning and being the “apple of his eye.” This was used as a biblical term in Psalm 17:8, where David prays to God: "Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings"
"Thy wings" symbolizes Kanye "stretching his hands."
In Part 2, Kanye is technically doing a remix of the song "Panda" by Designer. He still keeps the same beat, but, of course, adds his own twist to it. In the beginning, he opens the song by talking about how his mother passed away "driving fast in Hollywood and lost control." This was referring to his mother passing away from plastic surgery not going as planned. This is where the famous Instagram bio phrase "I got broads in Atlanta" came from.
Part 2 is an amazing club banger, and definitely a great song to hit a dab to.
FML featuring (The Weeknd)
This song is mainly speaking on the negativity in the music industry and in the atmosphere in general. With the title of the song literally meaning "F*ck My Life," this shows how some people may look at his life and how they wish for negativity to only transpire in his life events.
Kanye opens the song talking about the sacrifices he would make for himself, God and his family. In the chorus, The Weeknd sings "They wish I would go ahead and f*ck my life up, Can't let them get to me. And even though I always f*ck my life up, Only I can mention me." This part is saying how people wish that he would fall and not prevail, but he can not allow their comments to bring him down. Even if he makes mistakes, only he can comment on his mistakes and do something about it.
This song is definitely not a club banger, but a song that will make you think about who your real friends are in life.
Overall, The Life of Pablo is definitely an album worth purchasing. It has songs you can jam to at a party or even just play in the background as your studying late at night. Download Tidal today and support the Kanye West movement. Without a doubt, it is something you want to be a part of.