Kanye did some decent to excellent production work before he was a solo artist. Unfortunately his ego got the better of him and after making a couple palatable solo albums (with 50% horrible lyrics) he dove into the garbage pile. To this day I do not understand why people lionize him. Mainstream hip hop has been at a low point for over 20 years now, guess that's why.
The Greatest Artist Resting Or Alive? Kanye’s JESUS IS KING Revisited
No matter your (likely misguided) opinion of him personally, Kanye West is indisputably one of the greatest artists of all time. While in certain occupations others come close, only Kanye has the wide scope and collaborative energy to succeed in everything. Whether it’s music, fashion, or film, he enlists world-class multimedia artists’ assistance, precisely executing most media (except opera). As the man himself said in “Kids See Ghosts,” “[I] don't like being less than any a competition in any of my professions/So I gotta guess then, I gotta stay the best man/What else you expect from, uhhh, Mr. West man?” He lives up to his word; despite the often delayed and cancelled album releases (through online groupbuys the material eventually leaks), within a matter of time he accomplishes everything he talks about. Currently, he’s working on a budget clothing line with Gap (fulfilling his 2015 promise to make YEEZY garments affordable), IKEA-type affordable housing developments, and creating American jobs through prison reform systems. His wide range of artistic disciplines and personal achievements make him without question “the greatest artist resting or alive.”
When Kanye commenced releasing gospel music, though, most critics (including myself) resented it. The genius who made My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Yeezus, The Life Of Pablo, and ye – all masterpieces which, while with some religious elements, mostly focus on how celebrity excess, ego, and mental health difficulties can ruin one’s life – dropped JESUS IS KING, a Christian rap album which at first sounded half-finished, phoned-in, and forced. “Kanye lists bible verses as if they’re groceries,” I originally wrote of “Selah.” At the time, I feared that the visionary who made a decade’s worth of boundary-pushing albums had devolved into yet another born-again Christianity peddler (anyone remember Richard Ashcroft’s born-again record?).
Yet, after actively hating on JESUS IS KING (“Kanye’s worst record”), I ignored its existence. Suddenly, parts of the record reentered my mind, even ones I previously hated most. “Closed On Sunday,” which I called “without a doubt Kanye’s worst song,” begged a revisit. When I returned to JIK, I noticed stunningly singular production and passionate (albeit still poorly recorded) performances. The dynamic choirs of “Selah,” “Closed On Sunday”’s autotune singing, and “God Is”’ heartfelt vocal performance revealed themselves stunning. The album’s lyrical narrative remains by Kanye’s standards one-dimensional; there aren’t many inter-album connections, and his dark, ego-obsessed moments are limited. Still, JESUS IS KING is a near-perfect record that in time will be better understood. Kanye West is a futurist who stays ahead of the curve, patiently waiting for audiences to catch up.
Since I now love JIK and “Closed On Sunday,” what material do I consider Kanye’s worst? My least favorite released LP is Graduation, which while very good (8/10), in some places bores. Ye’s worst song? If you count his entire recording library, “Bye Bye Baby” from the legendarily cancelled Yandhi massively disappoints; leak communities immediately regretted wasting $2000 on it. Otherwise, due to its poor communication in the midst of controversy, I consider “Ye Vs. The People” his worst released track.
As “Follow God” continues its 35-week Hot Gospel Songs chart reign, Kanye is now teasing his tentatively titled new album, God’s Country. He premiered a Travis Scott-featuring new single, “Wash Us In The Blood,” mixed by Dr. Dre and accompanied by an Arthur Jafa-directed music video. It features simple, repeated lyrics, with the clearest communication yet of his thoughts on slavery’s lasting impact. Regarding his often misinterpreted interview quotes, Kanye says, “They wanna edit the interviews/They wanna take it to interludes/Cut a whole sentence to interlude/You know that it’s fake if it’s in the news.” The production is reminiscent of the 2015 So Help Me God era (some speculate that it’s an overhaul of that unreleased album’s “God Level;” there are only indirect similarities), with siren-like synths and trap drums. The intro has a demo-like quality in its mumbled opening lyrics; many of Kanye’s best unreleased tracks have similar mumbling, and with that element this is his first officially released song. “Wash Us In The Blood” is still very religious, but suggests that Ye is slowly moving back towards secular music. Reasonably priced picture disc and red vinyl 7” singles are available at Kanye’s webstore, and I of course ordered both. If God’s Country (if that’s even an actual upcoming album) follows “Wash Us In The Blood”’s path, it could be a perfect 10/10 LP. There’s also supposedly a full JIK Dr. Dre remix imminent, but it probably won’t beat the original.
While a few mixing issues remain, the $20-25 JESUS IS KING US blue vinyl pressing sounds satisfactory. Cut by Mark Santangelo (who at Sony Music Studios cut the original Late Registration vinyl) at The Mastering Palace and pressed at RTI, the LP makes the common vocal distortion (a result of Kanye recording on his iPhone) sound more musical. Despite the messy bass, the overall EQ balance is non-fatiguing. JESUS IS KING remains spatially deficient, but Santangelo’s cleanup of the file means that the vinyl is by far the best available (and likely possible). The pressing isn’t perfectly quiet but does the job well enough; if you prioritize low surface noise over mastering quality, you might be better off with the EU pressing done at GZ. The record (the album “artwork” itself) comes in a PVC sleeve with a 10.5” square tracklist insert in the back; before the PVC degasses the disc, put it in an archival inner sleeve. I do feel like the packaging is lazy (not that a JIK LP required much), although Kanye no longer has a full DONDA-type trusted creative team to tackle all the album release aspects he can’t be bothered with. Interestingly enough, to view credits the back insert says to visit “kanyewest .com/jikcredits,” even though the web address never existed. For those with a turntable who are at least casually interested in JESUS IS KING, the vinyl edition is the only suitable way to listen.
 | ||
|
||
- Log in or register to post comments
COMMENTS
"50% horrible lyrics???"
Submitted by MalachiLui on Mon, 2020-07-06 16:37
ok, i can see why some might not like the [more humor- than quality-oriented] lyrics in parts of 'the college dropout,' but what kind of "horrible lyrics" are on 'late registration?' "celebration" isn't for everyone, and common's line about r kelly on "my way home" (which doesn't even have a kanye verse) hasn't aged well, but otherwise i don't see any objectionable lyrics on 'late registration.' and kanye lyrically peaked on 'yeezus' and 'the life of pablo' as far as overarching context and narratives.
Spirituality.
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Mon, 2020-07-06 16:55
The Beatles experimented with "religion" just as Kanye is doing right now. I wonder if he'll still be born again when his fame and income start to wane.
FWIW: According to what I see and hear in the inner city (where I live) only white suburbanites by his clothing. You know who they are. They are the same ones who instigated many of the recent riots and played a large part in the destruction of inner city businesses.
As much as I love my people, I have to admit that the destruction in the inner city was coordinated and done by highly organized gangs. My rioting friends and neighbors were simply not organized well enough To tear down steel shutters on store fronts or coordinate attacks across the city.
MAC machines were pulled from walls. The bank branch I normally use is closed and will probably not be re-opened.
Most of the footage showing white perpetrated arson and destruction has been ignored by the media. Our "orange" president will also ignore any evidence that shows that Black people were not responsible for most of the damage. And White's wonder why so many Black people are angry.
Sorry for the rant. It needed saying.
No it didn't. At least not
Submitted by garyalex on Mon, 2020-07-06 19:17
No it didn't. At least not here, although I agree with much of what you said. This site is about music and vinyl.
Music
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Tue, 2020-07-07 08:21
I felt the need to make the comments I did because Malachi has posted comments before the indicate his world begins and ends in the "burbs". Because of this he has no idea what life and people are like outside of his cozy suburban home provided by his parents.
It's OK to be precocious in some things. However Malachi needs to temper his sweeping generalizations.
Hilarious... Sweeping Generalizations..
Submitted by Glotz on Tue, 2020-07-07 09:28
You didn't do that by claiming Bowie is 'monotone'? WHAAAAAT?
His range was unbelievably wide.
You are being very presumptuous about a lot of things here, including Malachi.
I find your comments worthless.
Malachi and Bowie
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Tue, 2020-07-07 09:48
If you mean Bowie's range in writing then he was OK. As for singing, his voice has never impressed me. But then, IMO Mick Jagger can't sing either.
As for presumptuous, Malachi holds that honor with his Kanye comments.
FWIW: I've bought at least one CD based on Malachi's reviews. I'll probably buy more that he recommends. However, as for Kanye being the greatest ever. That's simply nonsense.
As with any other comment you can ignore mine if you want. However, I will post whenever I want.
bowie's vocal range
Submitted by MalachiLui on Tue, 2020-07-07 15:48
i can't see how anyone can listen to "golden years," "stay," "it's no game, pt 1," or even "warszawa" and think that bowie's voice is "monotone."
Bowie
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Tue, 2020-07-07 16:14
I call them as I hear them. There are a lot of groups I don't think much of. Here's another one for you. Pink Floyd. They've always sounded to me like a very mediocre jazz band on a Tuesday night.
That guy that sings for Judas Priest IMO can sing. However, I don't really like the music they play. And then there's Bob Dylan who couldn't sing his way out of a wet paper bag. OTOH I like his singing on Thunder On The Mountain from Modern Times.
...and ya gotta say
Submitted by robert r dawson on Tue, 2020-07-14 11:25
that "Right" "Win" "Fascination" and "Somebody Up There Likes Me" are just as impressive...IMO
Enough of self proclaimed geniuses
Submitted by MRubey on Tue, 2020-07-07 11:27
I recall Kenye being in dire straits and asking Zuckerberg for a few hundred million. The rational being that he is a musical genius and deserves it.
When told he's a genius Hendrix would reply that it's embarrassing to be told that because all he does is make mistakes.
Kids paint
Submitted by MRubey on Tue, 2020-07-07 11:40
with a wide brush.
It's how they see it and what they do.
Opinions are like axxxxxxx, everyone has one.
Submitted by elmore244 on Tue, 2020-07-07 12:19
Leave the kid alone. When I was 14 (a long, long time ago) I had very definite opinions and I would defend them vehemently. I've mellowed out a lot since and my opinions have definitely changed. While I think Kanye is mediocre and I personally wouldn't pay for any of his albums, Malachi has a right to his opinion and to write his review the way he wants to. It's a REVIEW and someone's opinion. If you don't like it, don't read it. Personally, I like reading his posts whether I agree with him or not. It's a different perspective and I actually have tried a few albums he has recommended and enjoyed a few of them. Keep it up Malachi!
Enough
Submitted by kelossus on Tue, 2020-07-07 20:38
Please can we have a break? For all those defending this provocative style of writing and Malachi, shut up.
The fact every time one of these articles is posted it spirals into a comment section like this is proof enough something needs to change. It's tiring man......Keep Malachi's content here to benefit those looking for new music or a younger generations perspective but leave out the subtle and not more often than not, not so subtle jabs.
before anyone comments on the new interview
Submitted by MalachiLui on Wed, 2020-07-08 00:44
know that i read the forbes interview with kanye that just dropped. i extensively tweeted about it (twitter: @MalachiLui), and i ethically cannot defend much of what kanye said in there. i'm still a huge fan of his work and respect him as a human being, but the pro-life, antivaxxer shit was inexcusable. i went into more detail about it on twitter but that's the summary of how i feel atm.
re: before anyone comments on the new interview
Submitted by rip38-65 on Mon, 2020-07-13 03:27
Bravo. Keeping your mind clear is important. I'm happy to hear you can differentiate his music and what he talks about (though I can't respect him, myself). I don't do social media so I can't comment on your details but it's nice to know we have more common ground. Keep up the reviews.
Deja Vu
Submitted by Anton D on Wed, 2020-07-08 08:22
This thread is starting to remind me of Thanksgiving at my cousin's house when the divorced grandparents parents decided they would both bless everyone with their sour presence and ruin the holiday.
How long until Godwin's law comes into play?
Helpful hints for the haters:
1) If you see Malachi's name as the author of a thread, don't open it. Save yourself the snowflake blizzard and avoid the expressions of apoplectic aggrievement.
2) We know, you don't like hip hop music. Your parents/grandparents didn't like your music, either. Your parents/grandparents were probably fond of reminding you of that fact every time they heard you play music. You are now them.
3) Sinatra beat women, yet y'all play his records. Kanye says some wild-assed narcissistic things. Which would you prefer dated your son/daughter?
;-P
Malachi: Did Kanye convert you yet? ;-D
LOL~!
Submitted by Anton D on Wed, 2020-07-08 17:32
Retrospective virtue signaling, ha!
That's a new one.
Now, you simply sit on your virtual front porch and say "Tut, tut" as people you don't approve of walk by!!
You win the internet for the day.
I bet you rock the cardigan forums.
Virtue
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Thu, 2020-07-09 09:32
Please note: I have made no personal attacks on Malachi. I've merely disagreed with his classing Kanye as the next best thing since sliced bread. I believe that as he ages and actually sees and experiences more of the world he will stop making generalized statements about anyone being the best "whatever".
When you move to a new country and school every two years you learn very quickly not to inadvertently offend and/or piss people off. OTOH: Learning some martial arts keeps the bullies away. You only need one occasion to demonstrate that you don't take s**t. So, if I've pissed you off it was most likely intended.
As for my opinions: David Bowie could not sing. Mick Jagger can't sing. To me Pink Floyd has always sounded like a bunch of very mediocre jazz musicians on a Tuesday. IOW their music is boring and filled with lots of senseless noodling. All of those mentioned are artists that I've never been able to understand why so many seem to idolize them.
Contrary to what you might think I have recordings by everyone I've named including Kanye. Most of what they've done musically simply doesn't work for me. Those are my opinions and they're not going to change.
OTOH: I enjoy Malachi's columns. I've bought more than one of his recommendations and liked them. Charli XCX was the last one I bought. I rather like it. However, I admit I bought it on CD.
Curious...who do you think can sing?
Submitted by Anton D on Thu, 2020-07-09 14:51
Trying to get a handle on it.
Bowie and Jagger can't sing, fine. Who can?
Singers
Submitted by JoeESP9 on Thu, 2020-07-09 15:40
Frank Sinatra
Tony Bennett
Sade
Diana Krall
Luciano Pavarotti
Rob Halford (don't much like the music but the man has pipes)
Johnny Hartman
Freddie Mercury
Hell, even Phil Collins can sing. he sounds especially good singing Do Nothing Til' You Hear From Me on Quincy Jones' Q's Jook Joint.
I can name more upon request.
A wide variety of music gets played in my home. I listen to classical, opera, rock, pop, jazz, Hindi (Bollywood), Brazilian (Portuguese), Spanish, African (various languages), Romany (Gipsy Language) and Arabic (to name a few types). There are some Stones recordings in my collection. No Bowie!
The only music I don't listen to is any type of religiously oriented music (I'm agnostic) and Bluegrass.
However, I must admit I'm rather fond of Jesu, The Joy Of Man's Desiring, J.S. Bach. I even like the pop version performed by Apollo 100.
Singers? That´s easy...
Submitted by latinaudio on Thu, 2020-07-09 20:10
In the female department: Aretha, Karen Carpenter, Gladys Knight, Barbra, Whitney... and off the radar for americans: Mina, Ornella Vannoni, Patricia Kaas, even Tina Arena. They use the vocal chords to sing. No autotune to mask...
Too bad middle aged loser white guys do!
Submitted by Anton D on Wed, 2020-07-08 17:33
Looking forward to January 21, 2021.
You guys are a kick.
A review of an hip hop album is a trigger these days.
And you vote. :-(
Is Club Gitmo still open?i
Submitted by WaltonGoggins on Wed, 2020-07-08 22:18
The playing of Wash Us in the Blood seems like a fine torture device. Somehow, it doesn't seem divinely inspired.
Title Cane Does Hold
Submitted by xtcfan80 on Thu, 2020-07-09 10:21
"Greatest Dipstick of All-Time"......Pure pap for 10-35 year old folks from the suburbs...
Experience
Submitted by mtglass on Thu, 2020-07-09 11:05
While we are all entitled to our opinions I think most reviewers have extensive experience in the area they choose to review. How could one at such a young age have listened to and digested the extensive catalog of an artist such as Dylan and state KW is better? Sure Malachi is intitled to his opinion no matter what his experience but I don't appreciate the arrogance in his reviews or towards people that don't like his opinion. Oh, I also didn't realize that audiophiles get there music info from TMZ ( I certainly don't ). If Malachi is bringing in younger vinyl fans that is great, I have chosen to skip his reviews.
embarrassed by my contemporaries
Submitted by tcinoz on Wed, 2020-07-15 06:38
Did none of you old bores piling into ML ever read the NME during its heyday of the late 70s? Nick Kent, Tony Parsons, Julie Birchall, Charles Shaar Murray, Lester Bangs and the rest - all brilliantly exciting writers pulling out every hyperbole in the book to describe their own particular favourites. Cut the kid some slack, ffs, and if you manage to loosen up for even just a few minutes, enjoy the youthful exuberance and maybe even discover something new.
Hmm ... 14?
Submitted by my new username on Fri, 2020-07-17 18:41
OK now you actually have my attention. I didn't realize. That makes things more interesting and helps with the perspective. I was "worried" he was some punk 20-something (heh). Now I find the enthusiasm and passion far more genuine. Well done!
As for the Kanye release, I have little to add since I've always felt West takes himself far more seriously than he does his art, which is pretty much exactly backwards from this music collector's perspective. But hey, this is all just a hobby, and we're all here to enjoy it in our own ways.
Don't take your own opinions as gospel
Submitted by Greg S on Wed, 2020-07-22 14:52
Mr. Liu certainly has opinions as most writers do, but he makes the mistake of assuming that his opinion of KW is more valid than everyone else's AND manages to insult a large portion of the readership in the process. That's just not smart. I've been writing record and equipment reviews for a dozen years now. I would never - as a point of courtesy to my readers, if nothing else - assume that my taste in music is more valid than anyone else's. I enjoy Haydn, Louis Armstrong, and Thelonious Monk more than almost any other artists. Suggesting that readers who favor Beethoven, The Beatles, and Ray Charles are misguided is simply arrogant and foolish.
Sadly, a lost opportunity
Submitted by billreyn on Fri, 2020-07-24 07:49
Any music (or any form of art for that matter) critic that opens a piece with a statement like, “No matter your (likely misguided) opinion of him personally, Kanye West is indisputably one of the greatest artists of all time,” loses any respect I may have been willing to grant them. It is an utterly preposterous, childish declaration, that, in fact, has no meaning what-so-ever. Frankly, it is an ignorant statement, demonstrating an astounding degree of of contempt for readers and an entire history of other artists. I don’t care if the critic is 14, 41, or 100; the arrogance is stunning. I would hope that Mr. Fremer will re-evaluate his editorial stance with regard to his contributors and consider his obligations to his readers, who visit Analogplanet for thoughtful, informed, and respectful music criticism. For the time being, I will forgo reading any piece by Mr. Lui. I do not come here to have my intelligence and musical tastes disregarded and demeaned. I come here to have them challenged and broadened. I had hoped Mr. Lui’s fresh voice might have contributed to this, but sadly, his arrogance toward his readership has forfeited any further attention or regard for his future article by this reader. An opportunity missed.
His own subtopic?
Submitted by audiotom on Wed, 2020-08-12 19:28
I would suggest giving Malachi his own music review corner
I don’t like reading halfway through a Duke Ellington masterpiece review how lacking it is - then realizing it is our young exciting writer’s review.
Pages
- « first
- ‹ previous
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
|
Equipment Reviews | |
The Gruvy Awards | |
Blogs Analog Tips | Columns Music | |
Show Reports | |
News Resources |
© 2024 AnalogPlanetAVTech Media Americas Inc.
All rights reserved