The sorrows of young egomaniac Kayne W. go on and on, now that his sixth record has been released. Any promotion for the album? None. In this case, Kayne West is actually being quite frank – no singles, no videos, »Yeezus« is supposed to be all about the music. And that’s exactly what’s going to cause some disappointment, because in contrast to the previous record »My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy« the winner of 21 Grammy Awards has turned down the pomp. »Yeezus« has a running time of 40 minutes and includes ten tracks, all of which have little to do with pop and lots with experimenting. When in »I am a God« West fantasizes about talking to Jesus, he comes to the conclusion: »I know he the most high, but I am close high.« It’s this disruption, this lunacy, this ego that make »Yeezus« unique. Let’s be honest: If the Western world didn’t know that Kayne West was behind this record, the reactions would be considerably more restrained. »Blood On The Leaves« pumps a pretty big beat, but that doesn’t make auto-tune be any more bearable. On the other hand, like in »Send it up«, the record has some sledgehammer-sounds to offer. They actually compensate for the annoying ones, they’re challenging and drill their way into our brains with drum machine and synthesizer. Just like in »I am a God«, you can definitely make out the direct influence of industrial and noise, even though Kayne West channels those sounds into listenable and simple structures. It’s not a new trick, but it’s done without compromise. Never before has anyone transferred that sound into popular US-HipHop as much as in those tracks. »But I’d rather be a dick than a swallower«, is what »New Slaves« adds to that approach. From that corner, »Yeezus« will probably remain unreached for quite some time. In contrast, »Bound 2« concludes the record in an almost conventional way. »Yeezus« is torn between catchiness and restraint, between pop and arts – just like its creator who has developed his very own myth even further with this album. To be continued. Only one question remains after »Yeezus«: What is this all a prequel for?
Yeezus
