'Hell of a Life' was partially muted by UA-cam for copyright reasons. Those 3 minutes were blocking the entire video from being posted. No, it doesn't make sense. Nothing UA-cam does makes sense anymore. Sorry for the delay. It took their software several hours to mute 3 minutes of sound 🙄
@P world My real concern is if they somehow decide to nuke this video even after the edits. It's happened before. Hopefully not with this one. I'll be raging if it does 😂
just a fun fact: Kanye West made Nicki Minaj redo her verse a couple of times because he believed she wasn’t pushing herself enough. He believed she could do better. And, for me, her verse is definitely one of the best features in a rap song of all time
@@fastro8828 Rick Ross on devil in a new dress was done the night before he had to finish the album. He called him and said he needed one more part to finish it and he came and layed it in less than a days notice. Makes it more special imo
Devil in a new dress is legit one of my favourite songs ever. Everything about it just hits me in a different way, loneliness at the top captured in such a beautiful way.
I feel like Kanye is one of the funniest rappers alive. The skits in the College Dropout, that best tv watcher line he had in Jeen-Yuhs, songs like the Workout Plan. He's hilarious 😂
It’s absolutely insane how many major references you got on first listen. The mountain you speak of throughout, he performed “Power” for the first time on top of a mountain at the BET awards, and throughout his whole Yeezus tour. Also the phoenix that rises from the ashes is referenced on the cover and in his Runaway short film. Just a fun fact about this album: he intended for it to be a “backhanded apology” as he says. He referenced it as being a “bouquet of flowers” to pop culture ( the album packaging, grandiose instrumentals and music videos), but throughout, he’s a self aware “asshole,douchebag” that knows theres deeper racial reasons why his fall from grace in the public even happened. The suit dress code in the studio was reference to Harlem Culture in the early and mid 20th century, and on “Gorgeous” he almost sounds like a hip hop Malcolm X (even referring to himself as “Malcolm West”) calling out americas hypocrisies towards black ppl. The line “no one man should have all that power” is reference to a quote in the Spike Lee directed Malcolm X biopic.
It’s funny how you missed what the message was entirely. It was a message to the people who might not like him for him speaking out but he doesn’t care because that’s how he is. And it was also a message to the higher ups as well that he isn’t changing. Those higher ups being Jews. who he then referenced and declared his opposition against them in New Slaves. Kanye understands blacks have had it rough but he’s not delusional to think it’s all someone else’s fault. They’re part of the problem too. And Kanye knows that and wants them to do better.
This was Kanye’s first response to that infamous South Park episode " 'South Park' murdered me last night, and it's pretty funny. It hurts my feelings, but what can you expect from 'South Park?'" he wrote. "I actually have been working on my ego. ... Having the crazy ego is played out at this point in my life and career. I used to use it to build up my esteem when nobody believed in me. Now that people do believe and support my music, the best response is 'Thank you' instead of 'I told you so!' "I just wanna be a doper person, which starts with me not always telling people how dope I think I am. I need to just get past myself. Drop the bravado and just make dope product," the post continued. "As long as I act like a b---h, this type of sh-- will happen to me. ... I'm not actually a huge douche. I'm sure the writers at 'South Park' are really nice people in real life. Thanks for taking the time to draw my crew. That was pretty funny also."
A few things worth mentioning about this album: it’s the best Kanye has ever rapped in my opinion, and obviously that rapping is surrounded by a grand / maximalist production. Those two things are the two most praised elements but the one that is more interesting to me is the narrative. Both straightforwardly and indirectly he remains honest as ever on this album. Speaking on everything ranging from the racial inequalities to his porn addiction. The album maintains a kinda sad undertone when put into context. It’s what Kanye describes as a “back-handed apology” to the world. He goes through the album and you get to see every different emotion and a level of honesty that is overbearing at times. It finally ends with “Lost in the world” a poem he wrote for his future wife (Kim Kardashian), which again when put into context is a bit sad not just because of where he is today but also where he was as the time. Even though he is in love he is lost, but it’s what he chose and he finds solace in it.
Really excited on how you'll take TLOP. The album is wild, messy, and all over the place, while somehow mindblowing, genius, and artistic at the same time. People either hate or love the album. For me, it's up there with MBDTF.
@@deem10 I actually see more and more love for it, I feel like it's the same case as with Yeezus, when it dropped it received hate but as time went on people realised how special the album truly is. Probably my favourite from Ye.
@@nah8780 yeah. I typed this right at the end of the video then I saw Bob say that TLOP is many people’s favorite album. I was shocked! I think it is the younger generation listening to it with “2022” ears while back in 2016 it may have been ahead of it’s time for a lot people.
This album is peak Kanye. After his mayor controversy, this is such a fuck you to all the people expecting him to apologise. Probably one of the most epic hip hop albums, not compromising in any way. The live performance where Kanye stops a third into Runaway telling the crowd this is going to be the best thing they ever hear, and then starting over again.. only Kanye would do that.
All of the Lights features 15 artist: Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and Rihanna, who also sang the song's hook and is labeled as a featured artist on the single version
@@Georges_IV everyone sang "all of the lights" and had their vocals layered into the chorus. Rhianna and John Legend are the only vocalist easy to pull out the mass of voices and Elton John gave a piano solo.
@@Georges_IV that recording sessions are the stuff of legends. Ye took over a floor at a 5 star hotel in Hawaii and used it like a open writers room that included Jay Z, Pusha T, Drake Cudi, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Rza, Raekown, QTip, Travis Scott, Elton John, John Legend on and on and on. They would record from 4pm to dawn. Ye and Mike Dean would prep for the next session all morning and start back at 4pm the next day.Ye was watching porn all night while they were recording, Rza was high under the soundboard waking up to slur his lyrics, Chris Rock doing a 3 hr session for a 2 minute interlude. Just craziness. I think Beyonce even stopped by a few of the sessions with Jay.
You got that Runaway Outro summarised perfectly. It’s distorted because the outsiders aren’t listening or not understanding what Kanye is talking about. But the outro is him singing the chorus of the song which fans of Kanye can recognise. It shows that only his fans really listen to what he is saying but from the outside it sounds like he is crazy.
Hey Bob, Before you do your final thoughts, I want you to consider also looking at this album from the perspective of a greek tragedy. He starts to show excessive pride (hubris) in the first few tracks (Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous), and his pride just grows and grows until it peaks. If you notice POWER, there's a sudden switch in tone towards the end, with the melancholic outro. This is when he starts to reach his peripeteia, his sudden reversal of fortune. This is the start of his downfall, and you can see that there is a downfall in his pride as well as his security within being himself and loving himself. He starts to realize he is the problem, this is when he starts to reach anagnorisis and realizes his tragic flaw (Monster: "Bitch I'm a monster, no good bloodsucker"). He continues this downfall, while embracing the life he lived prior to his reversal of fortune. He pursues women and material things, because he's seemingly living a "Hell Of A Life". If you focus on his chorus in Hell Of A Life, he never actually pronounces the F in life, so he's really living a hell of a life. At this point he's playing the Blame Game, but with god (ok this one could be a stretch) but he's having trouble accepting his curse, but once he accepts it, he exiles himself, and becomes Lost In The World. I feel like the outro, Who Will Survive In America, is like a public speech asking about what everyone will do when Kanye is gone, as he was such an important force in the area because of how his curse affected those around him. Sorry if it's all a bunch gibberish, I don't think anyone will see it anyway considering there are 800 comments. I find it really interesting though so I'll save my own comment. I wrote a whole essay on this subject in high school so excuse me if my Greek Tragedy knowledge is a bit rusty. Extra: The beginning of dark fantasy includes the portion with Nicki Minaj, that's the prologue before the chorus is introduced, as well as the protagonist (Kanye).
This is a very cool take. I appreciate you sharing it. I'm hearing it a little differently, but that's what makes this so much fun, the variety of interpretations. I think you've got something here though. And it's different from what other people have told me, how this album is more about him being in the public eye and so forth. I like you're breakdown a lot 👍
Also helped make Travis Scott the success he is, and mixes/contributes for several artists all over the industry. Truly one of the hip-hop greats, hope he is remembered
Your commentary on the storyline throughout the album, from song to song, is spot on. Kanye West will be remembered in 200 years from now as the artist he really is and was. He’s a martyr for anyone who ever believed in themselves and had to go through adversity to become who they were meant to be. He goes against the machine, and wins every time, because you cannot deny the art. Period. Hate it or love it. That’s why I love Kanye, he taught me how to get what I’m worth. Coming from an underprivileged white kid who was raised by a single mother of 3 in the projects, who did her best, but didn’t get the opportunity herself to grow in ways that most people do, and in turn, couldn’t teach us things she didn’t know. Kanye was instrumental in my upbringing. Graduation came out when I was a sophomore in high school. This album came out when my longterm girlfriend and I were having problems that eventually proved to be unreconcilable. The relationship lasted about 9 years in total. The problems, of course, we mine. This album kind of helped teach me a lot about myself and my selfish tendencies. Blame Game hit me where it hurts. This was where we were at the time, and for all the same reasons Kanye and John Legend were singing about. Each album had hit me at the right time in my life. Call it coincidence. I call it genius. His evolution, musically, and personally, has followed me throughout my life. I’m turning 31 this year, and I can tell you that Kanye West has changed my life. Never met the man, but feel like I know him personally and can relate to him. More-so than any other artist. I make hip hop music in my spare time, insurance agent by day. It’s quite the contrast in culture. I will always remember where I came from, and it’ll always be a part of me, and so will Kanye West’s music. I will defend Kanye West and his music until my dying breath.
We’re about the same age and I went thru the same shit around the same time. I feel you my brotha. I stg I do. I love Ye as well. I’d probably cry if I met him. He definitely saved me in so many times. All of his music is timeless. He taught me to stand on your square and go for your dreams without having to be tough and look good while you’re doing it. He’s only been himself all these years. I can only imagine what he goes thru with his level of stardom.
13:26 Kanye did in fact write in his blog at the time that he found the fishsticks joke funny. And he further mentioned that he did have to work on his ego a bit. He seemed to have understood it back then. I think its more of a running joke since he does mention it in later songs as well but thats just how I view it.
The distorted vocals on Runaway, the art by George Condo and the short film all just made this album so special. Such a vivid experience that’s proving to be timeless
The woman that Kanye is in a failing relationship with for the entirety of the album is also a representation of fame and media and his incompatibility with it. Runaway is pretty much the recognition that Kanye can never get a long with the media and that fame will always haunt him, but he accepts it and stays true to himself.
MBDTF is mostly about production and about sound with dark stories told through some pretty good lyrics and flow. But it slaps in your face, it's cold. It's about musical richness and being a concept album. It's a whole as an artwork, the album cover, songs, visuals, stories and all. It's really dark. I mean it's dark. So it's a milestone in the hip hop culture. Hip hop artists started to make more musical albums after that. Because before this album there were nothing like it. It just influenced the whole culture. It's big. Really big. And this is one of those albums that you will love more the more you listen to it and will become more valuable as time goes on.
What does that even mean… Thriller is just about production… with words and stuff. That’s how stupid you sound. You think that anything that isn’t lyricism focused is just an album with instrumentals in it. What a joke man. This is a rap album whether you like it or not. The greatest rap album of all time.
Before you hear "The Life Of Pablo" I recommend checking out the singles that haven't been released on the album ("Only One" with Paul McCartney is so fuckin' emotional).
For each album, you can tell that he gravitates to certain instruments. This album has a consistent strings and piano vibe (808s had the Japanese taiko drums, Yeezus was heavy synth). I love to see how he uses it in such different ways throughout the album just as you pointed out.
I LOVE the use of strings and piano in this album. When people talk about the production on this album, I now understand why. Everything sounds so great.
0:03:35 - Dark Fantasy 0:10:20 - Gorgeous 0:17:55 - Power 0:26:45 - All of the Lights (Interlude) 0:27:30 - All of the Lights 0:33:05 - Monster 0:42:05 - So Appalled 0:52:25 - Devil In a New Dress 1:00:10 - Runaway 1:10:30 - Hell of a Life 1:19:25 - Blame Game 1:27:10 - Lost in the World 1:31:30 - Who Will Survive in America 1:32:20 - Closing Thoughts
It seems like everyone who hears that fishstick line says "oh he didnt get it" but I think thats the ENTIRE POINT of the line being there. Hes poking fun at the audience because they always misinterpret him anyway. This dudes favorite movies are There Will Be Blood and Akira, i think he got a B level joke from a animated comedy show. He definitely has a sense of humor. Most of his songs have at least one ridiculous line thats intended to break up all the dark shit and purposely throw people off. Wait until you hear the "bleached" verse (you'll KNOW when you hear it). Its part of his way with talking about overly serious topics. Some people I guess feel too uncomfortable to stay serious the entire time, makes sense. When he says "The soul music of the slaves that the youth is missing" hes referring to the music slaves used to sing to keep their morale up back in the 1800s. And hes calling this album (and the entire genre) this era's version of that music for black youth. The dude "replacing" Kanye in All of the Lights is Drake. He exploded onto the scene in between the Taylor incident and this album, although he actually has VOCALS on this song 🤣 he even recorded a verse but then dropped it for free as a remix. "Going through real shit they outta work" - Remember when this was made (2009-2010)
There’s a video by vox called “kanye deconstructed: the human voice as the ultimate instrument” that goes into more detail how he uses vocals to create a unique layer of sound like in Runaway, I heavily recommend
I'm really glad you appreciated Devil In a New Dress, my first memory of hearing that song was seeing the Teton Mountain Range at sunset for the first time and the beauty of that moment lives with me in this song. That's the best way I can describe it. Unreal.
For real!!! I remembered my first time I felt very uncomfortable and then the samples started playing from one ear to another and then I instantly fell in love with the song
As someone who followed a similar journey, rock into hiphop way later in life, the thing that drew me in was the production and samples. Absolutely loving your lyrical breakdowns, giving me new perspectives of some of my fav rap albums. Keep the amazing content coming, quickly becoming the best part of my week!! P.S. if you get a chance maybe check some Mos Def, seems up your alley.
Mos Def is a big yes. Black on Both Sides is a certified classic and The New Danger is heavily rock influenced. Mos Def gotta be one of the most musically-minded rappers of all time. Dude can make a melody.
in my opinion TPAB is one of the greatest albums lyrically ever, and for MBDTF one of the greatest albums production wise ever. both are just complete masterpieces. personally MBDTF if my favorite out of the 2
This album and TPAB are my top 2 so this is a fair comparison. Both albums are artistic masterpieces that does certain things better than the other one
It's interesting seeing how people to react to the runaway outro and disregard it. There's been times that outro makes me ball my eyes out in the car on the way to work
Also something to note a lot of people relate the "this will be a beautiful death jumping out the window" part of Power to the song Never See Me Again because on that song kanye sampled a Japanese woman who committed suicide by jumping to her death
The Life of Pablo is one of musics true cubist albums. It’s a very wild, dis-jointed album that all connects to a narrative based off the interpretation. Even the rollout of the album was wild because he evolved the album musically over time, rather then releasing it all at once. It’s weird but I think it’s one of his best albums he’s made. Saint Pablo (the final track) is one of his best tracks ever. The cover of the album is basically what it’s about, it’s the best cover he has that relates to the album it’s a part of. It fits it perfectly.
Don’t really get that logic, mbdtf’s cover relates to it perfectly so does 808’s the college dropout, yeezus and graduation, so what makes Tlop he’s best?
You're the reason why I jumped into kanye's music it was hard to get into but am grateful now kanye changed my perspective of life forever I always find it hard to figure out which album is best is ye's discography but late registration was dope but this one is way better production wise....yeeesssiiiir
Life of Pablo is gonna be dare I say "interesting". I love that album now, but it took me YEARS to fully appreciate it. There's immediate highlights, but a lot of people get thrown off by how all over the place the production is and how ignorant a lot of Kanye's lyrics are, but eventually you'll realize that's kind of the point.
@@bobthepoppop bob I’m excited for u to listen to this album, u get to see Kendrick and ye go head to head on no more parties in la, and imo ye solidifies himself as also having top notch lyrics
@@bobthepoppop same at the time it came out i thought it was kinda weird but for some reason it really grew on me and it’s now hands down my favorite Kanye album
@@raikaru0 808s definitely made him influential but when 808s came out ppl were still doubting him. With MBDTF everyone not just hip hop, knew this was greatness.
U can argue any album before this did, but like this album is prolly the most universally agreed upon that put him on a legendary status forever. 808s his most influential but this has a combination of being damn near perfect and that monumental that no other kanye album has
Kanye definitely has a sense of humor. There are many will Ferrell references in his music even sampling him in one of his most popular songs of all time “n***** in Paris” also he made a cameo in anchorman 2 as the anchor of MTV news which I found quite hilarious.
I figured he has to have some sense of humor with the lines he throws out there, but to then respond to a Southpark joke seemed so odd... maybe it was just sarcasm and I wasn't picking up on it
I would recommend watching the 34min Runaway short film Kanye made as well as the MTV Music Awards performance of Runaway. There's also music videos for Monster, Lost in the World, All of the Lights and a short one for Power.
I love that this is a thing. Love, love, love it. We only get that first chance, so to have the ability to recreate it at all is amazing to me. And I know it's something special for everyone, so I try to be as respectful as I can to that experience.
The ‘Runaway’ short film (30 minutes long) is a must-watch. It includes the depiction of the phoenix as you’ve mentioned. It’s high art. Probably the greatest music video in Hip-Hop history.
At this point you can’t call yourself a rocker in the title anymore… you’re officially a hip hop head 😂 You’ve listened and spent time on more classics than people I know who’ve listened to the genre their whole life
@@hakimfayyadi6132 1. GOOD KID MAAD CITY 2. PIÑATA 3. TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY 4. MADVILLAINY 5. BECAUSE THE INTERNET (Honourable mention: Enter the Wu Tang) All subjective tho :)
@@mdptg1990 dope list, and btw if u dont mind whats ur top 5 rap artist then? Just curious and want to discuss about it on the internet since nobody shared the same interest as mine in real life😂
@@hakimfayyadi6132 haha I feel you on that one! For me its real difficult to list them as I love diff rappers for different reasons so lemme give you a top 8 😂: 1. Kendrick 2. Freddie Gibbs 3. Kanye 4. Childish Gambino 5. Jay Z 6. Prodigy from Mobb Deep 7. DMX 8. Ghost & Raekwon (bit of a cheat) What’s your top 5 albums?
I was about to type out my interpretation of the outro of Runaway but you already picked up on it on your first listen. You're really talented on interpreting music and I think that's why people like you!
Been looking forward to this a lot! Going in I am predicting Lost in the World is going to be a potential favourite. In addition to that my personal favourites are Dark Fantasy and All of the Lights (with the interlude). Such an influential and enjoyable album!
Bro the layers in Lost in the World are on another level!!! So glad you had headphones while hearing that for the first time. I still get chills when it goes acapella towards the end. Great reaction video
All of the Lights is my favorite song of all time. The combination of all the people that worked on it, the production, the lyrics talking about how he feels replaced in the rap game, and transition of the interlude to the song make it my favorite song ever
Thats great that you picked up the Avril 14th sample, that is truly an amazing song, great that kanye sample that song. love all of aphex twin piano songs, nanou2 especially
Been looking forward to this reaction. I remember when this album came out, even older family members, who dont listen to hip-hop, brought it up in discussion because they heard it was “really good” I highly recommend watching the “movie” type thing that Kanye made to go along with the album, its really a great piece of art
My wife and I did a reaction to the Runaway movie last night for Patreon (shameless plug). It was fun to watch and dissect in real time. I didn't even bother trying to post it to YT because I know it will get blocked both visually and audio.
I swear you have the most contagious laugh ever Bob. During your whole reaction to the end of Blame Game I was laughing so hard to your reaction, and I’ve listened to that outro like hundreds of times.
@@lenbester that's...kinda the point it's mixed in a way that there's almost no time for the listener to breathe and it's so cluttered because it symbolises the fast life of a celebrity, that's why he got half of the industry on the track mate
@@Vibakari yea I'm a still a big fan of the album, and particular I love the processes evolved in recording and the stories regarding it it but all of the lights just doesn't sit right when I listen to it
@@bobthepoppop I agree that he brings it home at the end but the part where he lists off monsters at the beginning and says that he'll rape and pillage a village of women and children right before the love part really bring it down for a lot of folks
@@JoshBurcham104 the list of monsters part is funny imo. there's a video where a computer generated jay z voice continues that part naming a bunch of other monsters, it's also hilarious ua-cam.com/video/v52s9w9Q25Q/v-deo.html
FYI - The album had songs co-produced by RZA from Wu-Tang (Dark Fantasy, So Appalled) as well as a feature from Raekwon who is also from Wu-Tang. It is not a Wu-Tang-ish album but interesting to know since Enter the 36 Chambers is on your itinerary.
All samples in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: Dark Fantasy: Revolting Rhymes: Cinderella - Roald Dahl (narrated by Nicki Minaj) In High Places - Mike Oldfield Gorgeous: You Showed Me - Enoch Light (-1 semitone) POWER: Afromerica - Continent Number 6 (+1.5 semitones) It's Your Thing - Cold Grits (chopped) 21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson (+10 tempo) All of the Lights/Monster doesn't have any samples So Appalled: You Are I Am - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (re-orchestrated) Think (About It) - Lyn Collins Devil In a New Dress: Will You Love Me Tomorrow - Smokey Robinson (+0.5 semitones) (Chopped) Runaway: Expo '83 - Backyard Heavies (Chopped) Mary Jane (Live in Long Beach, CA) - Rick James Introduction to Star Time! - James Brown Funky President - James Brown Hell Of A Life: She's My Baby - The Mojo Men (-6 semitones) Blame Game: Avril 14th - Aphex Twin (+10 tempo) Lost In The World/Who Will Survive in America: Woods - Bon Iver Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango Comment #1 - Gil Scott Heron
27:53 it’s so interesting that u make that comparison because in the short film that goes with this album there’s a “phoenix from the ashes” type scene
Just have to say man, I love your reactions. I’ve listened to this album countless times but you find new meanings and interpretations that I’ve never thought of. Looking forward to seeing what you think of Ye, which to me is his album with the most meaning. Keep it up man!
Finished the entire thing, glad you warmed up to it after you didn‘t enjoy the first tracks quite as much as I would‘ve expected. I confident your second listen will be better when you can just let the album flow without having to express your thoughts for us :)
I’m really surprised you haven’t seen much sense of humor in Kanye with all the skits in his first few albums, and even a lot of his music videos have been pretty comedic. I’ve always thought he was one of the funnier hip hop artists. I think his sense of humor is very tongue in cheek, so he can sound serious when I don’t think he is, an example in the “jeen yuhs” doc would be him talking about “wanting to be the best dressed rapper” while sitting up after his accident. He delivers it just like you would a joke with a punchline, so I think there’s definitely some humor in there lol.
I've seen him crack jokes at others and throw out some funny lines, for sure, but this was the first time (that I recall) I've seen him attempt to strike back at a joke someone made about him, so it threw me off.
@@bobthepoppop it’s odd I actually remember a blog post Kanye made when the South Park first dropped, he seemed to handle it really well and thought it was funny, said he needed to work on his ego so people wouldn’t hate him, but ever since then he’s had a grudge against South Park so idk lol clearly those feelings didn’t stick
@@bobthepoppop you are still right South Park murdered him (Trey and Matt) but for you to think his line didn’t smack back at them is insane haha… coming from the biggest fan of both so I wouldn’t pick a side but of course South Park got him. But for him to only use one line and choke them with a fish stick is the best clap back in my opinion. He can’t make an entire song about it but he flips the main thing on them. Big fan man you got a subscriber!
Just stumbled across this channel and I am so happy for you that you get to discover all of this fantastic music for the first time. The Madvillainy video was great and this is too, these albums are the pinnacle of hip hop in my opinion and it’s awesome to see you enjoying these albums like I and so many others have. I’ll definitely be watching more. RIP to the Great MF DOOM.
I really can't wait for you to react to TLOP it's by far my favorite Kanye album, probably the most important too. It perfectly encapsulates all aspects of Kanye and lets you really understand what he's all about if you dig into it
Thank you poppop for reacting to this album and bringing back the emotions I felt when I was 15 hearing this album when it first released. This is a special album for me because it was the first Kanye album that I anticipated the release of because I was finally old enough to appreciate music on my own. I had known of Kanye and was a fan of his hit singles like Stronger, Good Life, Heartless but 2010 (my freshman year in high school, also when I got my first ipod) is when I really started paying attention to hip hop. Prior to the release of MBDTF, Kanye had a series called GOOD Fridays in which he was releasing a new track every Friday for 3 months (Looking for Trouble and Christian Dior Denim Flow are personal favourites) and when this album finally dropped I was prepared to digest it appropriately and I absolutely fell in love with it and with Kanye’s work.
this album is essentially about his relationship with the public eye and fame, tracks like runaway, gorgeous, and devil in a new dress: the women he's talking about is actually his relationship with the public eye and how it was failing after the taylor Swift's incident. and the whole outro of runaway portrays how the public eye can never interpret kanye correctly
Man I hate to admit it as I love so many rap albums more than this one, but I can’t deny, this is probably the best rap album of all time. Even 11 year old me knew it 😅. No skips, just classics. Gotta give credit where’s its due
As a massive fan of Kanye's music, I love how you approach his albums in a review sense. You really provide interesting ideas and interpretations on the music, mad props.
Wow, that's so wild to hear because those first three are often considered to be up there with the best of Kanye, ironically Fantano's favourite tracks were essentially Power and Dark Fantasy, then he said that the second half fell off hard 😂 Your analysis on the outro of Runaway was pretty spot on - Kanye was also crying into the mic at points - and I love that DIAND and Lost in the World got such flowers from you. Crazy, crazy masterpiece of an album. Can't wait for TLOP, my personal favourite, but it took a while for a lot of people to come round to that idea...
The first 3 did not jive with me, for sure, and I'm still having a hard time warming up to them. Power is clicking a lot more though. That is funny that I'm having an almost inverse experience of what Fantano had.
@@bobthepoppop @Bob the Poppop Ahh that's fair enough, you love what you love. On a broader scope anyway, this was his maximalist return to form as a sort of critical darling with the mainstream of the early 2010s, which is why the sequencing of Yeezus makes sense coming right afterwards as this aggressively minimalist epic; it was just anti-everything - "soon as they like you, make em unlike you". And it was super impressive how many narrative points you grasped off the bat; that whole era was a movie
BTW this might help when you were talking about the end of runaway. Whilst he was freestyling those melodies with the distorted vocals he was actually crying in the booth as he was delivering them. I heard it on the dissect episode that covered MBDTF
This album has such a grand sound that feels like royalty in a sense while also so having many moments feel so cinematic. My favorite of these would be on Devil in a new dress such an incredible song personally one of my favorites by Kanye. The guitar solo before it gives Ross the perfect entrance into giving an incredible verse. Loved ❤️ the review you’re becoming a true hip hop head 👍
This is really one of the greatest albums I have ever heard in my life, not just rap, music it’s so personable but expressive and reflective yet Braggadocious the duality is beautiful, he is human.
Kanye throws me off sometimes. He's so good at tearing into his own self and analyzing it that I sometimes feel like it isn't real. Like it's a fictional story about a fictional character... but it's clearly not. It's just odd sometimes, seeing someone who can suffer from these issues turn around and then study/reveal the struggle so well.
The way how you took this album the way you did the first time is wild. It took me a long time to kind of understand this album, but with how you broke it piece by piece.. Man. Now having a better grasp up on the theme, I feel like I can really appreciate how great this album truly is.
This is such a masterpiece… every time I hear it which is in the 100s of times, I take something new from it. I’ve been listening to this album since I was a freshman in high school and every chapter of my life helps me understand it differently. This will forever be my favorite album of all time. I’m so glad you stayed focused and present to pick up on all the hidden messages this album has riddled through it
Bro I've listened to this album MANY times and you helped me find new things in this album I never thought of before. REAL MUSIC LISTENER stand up! STAND UP!!
Some stray observations: -On Power, when he’s echoing “so exciting, so exciting, so exciting” it sounds like he’s saying “suicide, suicide, suicide”, then it transitions into “jumping out the window” -Kanye’s voice being obscured through the vocoder at the end of Runaway seems to call back to the line from All Of The Lights - “I tried to tell you but all I could say was, oh-oh-oh-oh”. I think it’s about how words get in the way of what we’re really trying to say. -The outro of Hell Of A Life sounds like someone trying to catch their breath after ejaculating to a porn video, which the preceding female vocal sounds like -The awkward sound of a few people clapping at the end of the album, as opposed to thunderous applause, seems to support the idea that he doesn’t get the reaction he’s hoping for when he focuses on political messaging in his art, rather than flash and glamour which always sells.
@@bobthepoppop the power one in particular is really important to the themes of the track imo. what initially seems like a regular, triumphant hip hop song is given a dark twist with undertone of fantasizing about killing oneself at the peak of their popularity.
First time watching your channel, this video is incredible. You pick up so many small references and meaning to so many lines, can't wait to watch your other album reactions!
Haven't seen the reaction yet but congratulations on listening to this album Bob. Your life has officially peaked now. Nothing will surpass this. It's all down hill from here. Lol kidding
Very good video man, glad you enjoyed, I was freaking amazed when I first heard to the whole album. Fantastic work, just a masterpiece. I really like the song so Appalled, ye’s opening verse and pusha t verses are spectacular. The production is peak there as well as the performance, incredible artwork by Kanye
'Hell of a Life' was partially muted by UA-cam for copyright reasons. Those 3 minutes were blocking the entire video from being posted. No, it doesn't make sense. Nothing UA-cam does makes sense anymore. Sorry for the delay. It took their software several hours to mute 3 minutes of sound 🙄
its fine
@P world My real concern is if they somehow decide to nuke this video even after the edits. It's happened before. Hopefully not with this one. I'll be raging if it does 😂
@@bobthepoppop u watched hollywood bowl 808 performance👀 ？where is it！！！ that was one of his best performance
ua-cam.com/video/XEBGqhDfg2Y/v-deo.html
its good to see an upload in the middle of the night lol
You cannot listen to MBDTF without wearing a suit, classy.
i didnt wear a suit, and now i have aids
I’m in my boxers
You cannot listen to MBDTF without listening to MBDTF
@@shaquilleoatmeal6307 LOL
@@hamzealameddine8268 same lol
just a fun fact: Kanye West made Nicki Minaj redo her verse a couple of times because he believed she wasn’t pushing herself enough. He believed she could do better. And, for me, her verse is definitely one of the best features in a rap song of all time
same with Rick Ross
Close to what happened w Fivio on Donda, Kanye told him to keep going and going w his verse
her verse is irritating
@@fastro8828 Rick Ross on devil in a new dress was done the night before he had to finish the album. He called him and said he needed one more part to finish it and he came and layed it in less than a days notice. Makes it more special imo
@@bradleyl0488 but you gotta admit she spits bars even if her voice is like nails on a chalkboard
Devil in a new dress is legit one of my favourite songs ever. Everything about it just hits me in a different way, loneliness at the top captured in such a beautiful way.
Facts
Probably my favorite song of all time
@@diegoreyes2649 same here
My favorite song oat
loneliness at the top… for real man. nailed it
Love your appreciation and immediate liking of "Devil in a New Dress", it is IMO the greatest Kanye song.
agreed
Best Kanye song yes
💯
If you haven’t heard White Dress before hope you give it a listen. I look at it as a spiritual sequel to this song.
@@amokdax1125 never thought of it like that but it is a great song and so underrated
The Nicki Minaj verse off Monster will forever be my favorite of hers, she matched the energy of the track perfectly
That verse is legendary. I have (girl) friends who hate ye but know that song super well and know the Nicki verse verbatim
nickis verse in monster goes too hard
She crushed it. Absolutely crushed it
i gotta thank ye for telling her to re-write her verse
@@jay9245 ong
Now you HAVE to listen to Kanye’s short film “Runaway” that goes along side with this album! It’s absolutely stunning
Was gonna say this if no one else did first! 💯
Best music/music vid/short film combo ever
100 💯
@@IPH-1212 we were once a fairytale
I feel like Kanye is one of the funniest rappers alive. The skits in the College Dropout, that best tv watcher line he had in Jeen-Yuhs, songs like the Workout Plan. He's hilarious 😂
Those skits are very funny. I enjoyed all of them. Broke Fi Broke!
Him and doom are so funny
“I wanna see you workout out for me”
my black balls
"everyone has something of value to bring to the table, especially.."
It’s absolutely insane how many major references you got on first listen. The mountain you speak of throughout, he performed “Power” for the first time on top of a mountain at the BET awards, and throughout his whole Yeezus tour. Also the phoenix that rises from the ashes is referenced on the cover and in his Runaway short film.
Just a fun fact about this album: he intended for it to be a “backhanded apology” as he says. He referenced it as being a “bouquet of flowers” to pop culture ( the album packaging, grandiose instrumentals and music videos), but throughout, he’s a self aware “asshole,douchebag” that knows theres deeper racial reasons why his fall from grace in the public even happened. The suit dress code in the studio was reference to Harlem Culture in the early and mid 20th century, and on “Gorgeous” he almost sounds like a hip hop Malcolm X (even referring to himself as “Malcolm West”) calling out americas hypocrisies towards black ppl. The line “no one man should have all that power” is reference to a quote in the Spike Lee directed Malcolm X biopic.
Great comment
He was Malcolm West in 2010. But in 09 he was Martin Louie the King Jr. I think after the Taylor Situation he looked at race relations differently.
Thanks for all of these bits of context. These little tidbits make the album even more layered.
Izz
It’s funny how you missed what the message was entirely. It was a message to the people who might not like him for him speaking out but he doesn’t care because that’s how he is.
And it was also a message to the higher ups as well that he isn’t changing. Those higher ups being Jews. who he then referenced and declared his opposition against them in New Slaves.
Kanye understands blacks have had it rough but he’s not delusional to think it’s all someone else’s fault. They’re part of the problem too. And Kanye knows that and wants them to do better.
This was Kanye’s first response to that infamous South Park episode
" 'South Park' murdered me last night, and it's pretty funny. It hurts my feelings, but what can you expect from 'South Park?'" he wrote. "I actually have been working on my ego. ... Having the crazy ego is played out at this point in my life and career. I used to use it to build up my esteem when nobody believed in me. Now that people do believe and support my music, the best response is 'Thank you' instead of 'I told you so!'
"I just wanna be a doper person, which starts with me not always telling people how dope I think I am. I need to just get past myself. Drop the bravado and just make dope product," the post continued. "As long as I act like a b---h, this type of sh-- will happen to me. ... I'm not actually a huge douche. I'm sure the writers at 'South Park' are really nice people in real life. Thanks for taking the time to draw my crew. That was pretty funny also."
Thank you for this. Good to see. I'm happy I was wrong about Kanye on that
*Drops Yeezus shortly after*
@@CodenameOcelotAka best album of all time
A few things worth mentioning about this album: it’s the best Kanye has ever rapped in my opinion, and obviously that rapping is surrounded by a grand / maximalist production. Those two things are the two most praised elements but the one that is more interesting to me is the narrative. Both straightforwardly and indirectly he remains honest as ever on this album. Speaking on everything ranging from the racial inequalities to his porn addiction. The album maintains a kinda sad undertone when put into context. It’s what Kanye describes as a “back-handed apology” to the world. He goes through the album and you get to see every different emotion and a level of honesty that is overbearing at times. It finally ends with “Lost in the world” a poem he wrote for his future wife (Kim Kardashian), which again when put into context is a bit sad not just because of where he is today but also where he was as the time. Even though he is in love he is lost, but it’s what he chose and he finds solace in it.
> he finds solace in it
earl sweatshirt reference?
Graduation has to be his best rapping imo
@@griffinluimeme graduation is pop rap🤦🏿♂️
@@54ayberk no
I think Late Registration has his best consistent rapping and then MBDTF
All of the lights took two years to make!
Really excited on how you'll take TLOP. The album is wild, messy, and all over the place, while somehow mindblowing, genius, and artistic at the same time. People either hate or love the album. For me, it's up there with MBDTF.
I agree even though it is not a popular opinion. It’s all over the place because he has conflicting sides of his personality pulling on him.
Same, I absolutely love it
@@deem10 I actually see more and more love for it, I feel like it's the same case as with Yeezus, when it dropped it received hate but as time went on people realised how special the album truly is. Probably my favourite from Ye.
@@nah8780 yeah. I typed this right at the end of the video then I saw Bob say that TLOP is many people’s favorite album. I was shocked! I think it is the younger generation listening to it with “2022” ears while back in 2016 it may have been ahead of it’s time for a lot people.
@@deem10 You nailed it, I think younger fans generally regard TLOP in a greater light than older fans
Devil in a new dress one of the best songs of all time. Complete classic that can be revisited forever.
I really love how it comes before Runaway & they both need to be listened to together for me, LOVE 💗💗☮☮
This album is peak Kanye. After his mayor controversy, this is such a fuck you to all the people expecting him to apologise. Probably one of the most epic hip hop albums, not compromising in any way. The live performance where Kanye stops a third into Runaway telling the crowd this is going to be the best thing they ever hear, and then starting over again.. only Kanye would do that.
he is so happy on that clip tho hes really enjoying that song⛷
This is not peak Kanye. Kanye himself says his other most of his other albums are better
Not peak kanye
Graduation ye is peak ye
@@bruis1527 graduation is definitely overhated but I’d say it’s 3-4 in his discography
All of the Lights features 15 artist:
Alicia Keys, John Legend, The-Dream, Drake, Fergie, Kid Cudi, Elton John, Ryan Leslie, Charlie Wilson, Tony Williams, La Roux, Alvin Fields, Ken Lewis, and Rihanna, who also sang the song's hook and is labeled as a featured artist on the single version
What did drake do on the song?
@@Georges_IV everyone sang "all of the lights" and had their vocals layered into the chorus. Rhianna and John Legend are the only vocalist easy to pull out the mass of voices and Elton John gave a piano solo.
@@gtjohns220 ah alrigjt
@@Georges_IV that recording sessions are the stuff of legends. Ye took over a floor at a 5 star hotel in Hawaii and used it like a open writers room that included Jay Z, Pusha T, Drake Cudi, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Rza, Raekown, QTip, Travis Scott, Elton John, John Legend on and on and on. They would record from 4pm to dawn. Ye and Mike Dean would prep for the next session all morning and start back at 4pm the next day.Ye was watching porn all night while they were recording, Rza was high under the soundboard waking up to slur his lyrics, Chris Rock doing a 3 hr session for a 2 minute interlude. Just craziness. I think Beyonce even stopped by a few of the sessions with Jay.
You got that Runaway Outro summarised perfectly. It’s distorted because the outsiders aren’t listening or not understanding what Kanye is talking about. But the outro is him singing the chorus of the song which fans of Kanye can recognise. It shows that only his fans really listen to what he is saying but from the outside it sounds like he is crazy.
Or it’s cause it sounded cool
@@henrylang699 lmao sometimes it aint super deep 😂😂
@@sonagahru6965 facts
@@ralfesp4678yeah u might be right. I just thought henrylang’s response was funny lol
Mallory bros got the best explanation of this it’s beautiful
Hey Bob,
Before you do your final thoughts, I want you to consider also looking at this album from the perspective of a greek tragedy. He starts to show excessive pride (hubris) in the first few tracks (Dark Fantasy, Gorgeous), and his pride just grows and grows until it peaks. If you notice POWER, there's a sudden switch in tone towards the end, with the melancholic outro. This is when he starts to reach his peripeteia, his sudden reversal of fortune. This is the start of his downfall, and you can see that there is a downfall in his pride as well as his security within being himself and loving himself. He starts to realize he is the problem, this is when he starts to reach anagnorisis and realizes his tragic flaw (Monster: "Bitch I'm a monster, no good bloodsucker"). He continues this downfall, while embracing the life he lived prior to his reversal of fortune. He pursues women and material things, because he's seemingly living a "Hell Of A Life". If you focus on his chorus in Hell Of A Life, he never actually pronounces the F in life, so he's really living a hell of a life. At this point he's playing the Blame Game, but with god (ok this one could be a stretch) but he's having trouble accepting his curse, but once he accepts it, he exiles himself, and becomes Lost In The World. I feel like the outro, Who Will Survive In America, is like a public speech asking about what everyone will do when Kanye is gone, as he was such an important force in the area because of how his curse affected those around him.
Sorry if it's all a bunch gibberish, I don't think anyone will see it anyway considering there are 800 comments. I find it really interesting though so I'll save my own comment. I wrote a whole essay on this subject in high school so excuse me if my Greek Tragedy knowledge is a bit rusty.
Extra: The beginning of dark fantasy includes the portion with Nicki Minaj, that's the prologue before the chorus is introduced, as well as the protagonist (Kanye).
wow, this was amazing my man
This is fantastic man
This is a very cool take. I appreciate you sharing it. I'm hearing it a little differently, but that's what makes this so much fun, the variety of interpretations. I think you've got something here though. And it's different from what other people have told me, how this album is more about him being in the public eye and so forth. I like you're breakdown a lot 👍
Never noticed that detail with Hell of a Life despite it being one of my favorite Ye songs
Yo man, is your essay online or not, bcs I would love to read it!
mike dean is kanyes right hand man for production and has delivered 2 of the most earth shattering guitar solos in hiphop
Also helped make Travis Scott the success he is, and mixes/contributes for several artists all over the industry. Truly one of the hip-hop greats, hope he is remembered
Your commentary on the storyline throughout the album, from song to song, is spot on. Kanye West will be remembered in 200 years from now as the artist he really is and was. He’s a martyr for anyone who ever believed in themselves and had to go through adversity to become who they were meant to be. He goes against the machine, and wins every time, because you cannot deny the art. Period. Hate it or love it. That’s why I love Kanye, he taught me how to get what I’m worth. Coming from an underprivileged white kid who was raised by a single mother of 3 in the projects, who did her best, but didn’t get the opportunity herself to grow in ways that most people do, and in turn, couldn’t teach us things she didn’t know. Kanye was instrumental in my upbringing. Graduation came out when I was a sophomore in high school. This album came out when my longterm girlfriend and I were having problems that eventually proved to be unreconcilable. The relationship lasted about 9 years in total. The problems, of course, we mine. This album kind of helped teach me a lot about myself and my selfish tendencies. Blame Game hit me where it hurts. This was where we were at the time, and for all the same reasons Kanye and John Legend were singing about. Each album had hit me at the right time in my life. Call it coincidence. I call it genius. His evolution, musically, and personally, has followed me throughout my life. I’m turning 31 this year, and I can tell you that Kanye West has changed my life. Never met the man, but feel like I know him personally and can relate to him. More-so than any other artist. I make hip hop music in my spare time, insurance agent by day. It’s quite the contrast in culture. I will always remember where I came from, and it’ll always be a part of me, and so will Kanye West’s music. I will defend Kanye West and his music until my dying breath.
Cool write up, Mick. Very interesting to read, and I appreciate your sharing it.
jesus bro 💀
@@titanbaits9693 find god
We’re about the same age and I went thru the same shit around the same time. I feel you my brotha. I stg I do. I love Ye as well. I’d probably cry if I met him. He definitely saved me in so many times. All of his music is timeless. He taught me to stand on your square and go for your dreams without having to be tough and look good while you’re doing it. He’s only been himself all these years. I can only imagine what he goes thru with his level of stardom.
13:26 Kanye did in fact write in his blog at the time that he found the fishsticks joke funny. And he further mentioned that he did have to work on his ego a bit. He seemed to have understood it back then. I think its more of a running joke since he does mention it in later songs as well but thats just how I view it.
Didn't he also mention the fish sticks thing on a song on donda?
@@swimsvg1855 Yes he mentioned it on life of the party
Good! I'm glad I was wrong about him!
The distorted vocals on Runaway, the art by George Condo and the short film all just made this album so special. Such a vivid experience that’s proving to be timeless
The woman that Kanye is in a failing relationship with for the entirety of the album is also a representation of fame and media and his incompatibility with it. Runaway is pretty much the recognition that Kanye can never get a long with the media and that fame will always haunt him, but he accepts it and stays true to himself.
I think this is a fair interpretation. Lots of people have been mentioning that.
MBDTF is mostly about production and about sound with dark stories told through some pretty good lyrics and flow. But it slaps in your face, it's cold. It's about musical richness and being a concept album. It's a whole as an artwork, the album cover, songs, visuals, stories and all. It's really dark. I mean it's dark. So it's a milestone in the hip hop culture. Hip hop artists started to make more musical albums after that. Because before this album there were nothing like it. It just influenced the whole culture. It's big. Really big. And this is one of those albums that you will love more the more you listen to it and will become more valuable as time goes on.
What does that even mean…
Thriller is just about production… with words and stuff.
That’s how stupid you sound. You think that anything that isn’t lyricism focused is just an album with instrumentals in it. What a joke man.
This is a rap album whether you like it or not. The greatest rap album of all time.
Before you hear "The Life Of Pablo" I recommend checking out the singles that haven't been released on the album ("Only One" with Paul McCartney is so fuckin' emotional).
YES
Only one is a top 5 ye song in my books. So fucking great.
Also "all day"
YES
Just go straight to Pablo bro
The Nicki Minaj verse in Monster is among the greatest verses of all time.
For each album, you can tell that he gravitates to certain instruments. This album has a consistent strings and piano vibe (808s had the Japanese taiko drums, Yeezus was heavy synth). I love to see how he uses it in such different ways throughout the album just as you pointed out.
808s also has 808s
@@ABBASdotMP3 oh really? 😂
@@laim866 shocking fr
I LOVE the use of strings and piano in this album. When people talk about the production on this album, I now understand why. Everything sounds so great.
@@ABBASdotMP3 and heartbreak
0:03:35 - Dark Fantasy
0:10:20 - Gorgeous
0:17:55 - Power
0:26:45 - All of the Lights (Interlude)
0:27:30 - All of the Lights
0:33:05 - Monster
0:42:05 - So Appalled
0:52:25 - Devil In a New Dress
1:00:10 - Runaway
1:10:30 - Hell of a Life
1:19:25 - Blame Game
1:27:10 - Lost in the World
1:31:30 - Who Will Survive in America
1:32:20 - Closing Thoughts
Turning the tables is goin to be a legendary collab. Can’t wait for that episode
It seems like everyone who hears that fishstick line says "oh he didnt get it" but I think thats the ENTIRE POINT of the line being there. Hes poking fun at the audience because they always misinterpret him anyway. This dudes favorite movies are There Will Be Blood and Akira, i think he got a B level joke from a animated comedy show. He definitely has a sense of humor. Most of his songs have at least one ridiculous line thats intended to break up all the dark shit and purposely throw people off. Wait until you hear the "bleached" verse (you'll KNOW when you hear it). Its part of his way with talking about overly serious topics. Some people I guess feel too uncomfortable to stay serious the entire time, makes sense.
When he says "The soul music of the slaves that the youth is missing" hes referring to the music slaves used to sing to keep their morale up back in the 1800s. And hes calling this album (and the entire genre) this era's version of that music for black youth.
The dude "replacing" Kanye in All of the Lights is Drake. He exploded onto the scene in between the Taylor incident and this album, although he actually has VOCALS on this song 🤣 he even recorded a verse but then dropped it for free as a remix.
"Going through real shit they outta work" - Remember when this was made (2009-2010)
Fair point on the Southpark line. And the soul music line finally clicked for me on the 2nd or 3rd listen. I was overthinking it on my first listen.
There’s a video by vox called “kanye deconstructed: the human voice as the ultimate instrument” that goes into more detail how he uses vocals to create a unique layer of sound like in Runaway, I heavily recommend
Yes
that video is great
I'm really glad you appreciated Devil In a New Dress, my first memory of hearing that song was seeing the Teton Mountain Range at sunset for the first time and the beauty of that moment lives with me in this song. That's the best way I can describe it. Unreal.
Beautiful spot. Never been, but have seen amazing photos. Good song for that setting :)
So lucky getting to hear the first notes of Runaway for the first time😭
For real!!! I remembered my first time I felt very uncomfortable and then the samples started playing from one ear to another and then I instantly fell in love with the song
As someone who followed a similar journey, rock into hiphop way later in life, the thing that drew me in was the production and samples. Absolutely loving your lyrical breakdowns, giving me new perspectives of some of my fav rap albums. Keep the amazing content coming, quickly becoming the best part of my week!! P.S. if you get a chance maybe check some Mos Def, seems up your alley.
Mos Def is a big yes. Black on Both Sides is a certified classic and The New Danger is heavily rock influenced. Mos Def gotta be one of the most musically-minded rappers of all time. Dude can make a melody.
black on both sides would be awesome to watch
Mos Def is on my list... most definitely
>.>
@@bobthepoppop if anyone wanna know what bob's like on the discord ^^^
that nicki verse is LEGENDARY like it’s what made her mainstream, it’s a fantastic verse
in my opinion TPAB is one of the greatest albums lyrically ever, and for MBDTF one of the greatest albums production wise ever. both are just complete masterpieces. personally MBDTF if my favorite out of the 2
Definitely easier to relisten, TPAB is just one of the greatest albums written ever
This album and TPAB are my top 2 so this is a fair comparison. Both albums are artistic masterpieces that does certain things better than the other one
TPAB has perfect production too. Just a different-jazz style
I personally prefer TCD to MBDTF
tpab mbdtf blonde are epitomes of music, i don't think we can compare them they're water fire earth
It's interesting seeing how people to react to the runaway outro and disregard it. There's been times that outro makes me ball my eyes out in the car on the way to work
seriously Runaway is a masterpiece the outro brings it over the bar
Also something to note
a lot of people relate the "this will be a beautiful death jumping out the window" part of Power to the song Never See Me Again because on that song kanye sampled a Japanese woman who committed suicide by jumping to her death
The Life of Pablo is one of musics true cubist albums. It’s a very wild, dis-jointed album that all connects to a narrative based off the interpretation. Even the rollout of the album was wild because he evolved the album musically over time, rather then releasing it all at once. It’s weird but I think it’s one of his best albums he’s made. Saint Pablo (the final track) is one of his best tracks ever.
The cover of the album is basically what it’s about, it’s the best cover he has that relates to the album it’s a part of. It fits it perfectly.
The more I hear about it, the more I look forward to it
@@bobthepoppop Dont get too overhyped tho
Don’t really get that logic, mbdtf’s cover relates to it perfectly so does 808’s the college dropout, yeezus and graduation, so what makes Tlop he’s best?
You're the reason why I jumped into kanye's music it was hard to get into but am grateful now kanye changed my perspective of life forever I always find it hard to figure out which album is best is ye's discography but late registration was dope but this one is way better production wise....yeeesssiiiir
You only got into him recently? Didnt u hear of him before
damn really? i got into ye back in 8th grade for me when ye came out… so i guess where both really late
@@ButterzPapi ye is underrated
@@MaxPower-cm6ie only cuz arguably his worst album came right after with years after to relisten toYE
@@ca20mn nope. Underrated regardless
Bro found a way to pause at every critical beat drop on the entire album, without ever hearing it beforehand. That takes skill 😂
He does it in almost all of his videos. The shit’s annoying af
Life of Pablo is gonna be dare I say "interesting". I love that album now, but it took me YEARS to fully appreciate it. There's immediate highlights, but a lot of people get thrown off by how all over the place the production is and how ignorant a lot of Kanye's lyrics are, but eventually you'll realize that's kind of the point.
I hear a lot of mixed opinions on that one. It will be "interesting" indeed :)
TLOP and this go back and forth for my fav kanye album
@@bobthepoppop bob I’m excited for u to listen to this album, u get to see Kendrick and ye go head to head on no more parties in la, and imo ye solidifies himself as also having top notch lyrics
@@bobthepoppop same at the time it came out i thought it was kinda weird but for some reason it really grew on me and it’s now hands down my favorite Kanye album
Devil in a new dress is a song that gets better every single time you listen to it. One of the best beats ever created
The album that solidified kanye as a goat not only in rap, but in music history
808s already did that?
@@raikaru0 808s definitely made him influential but when 808s came out ppl were still doubting him. With MBDTF everyone not just hip hop, knew this was greatness.
U can argue any album before this did, but like this album is prolly the most universally agreed upon that put him on a legendary status forever. 808s his most influential but this has a combination of being damn near perfect and that monumental that no other kanye album has
Graduation did that for me
TCD and LR already did that
Kanye definitely has a sense of humor. There are many will Ferrell references in his music even sampling him in one of his most popular songs of all time “n***** in Paris” also he made a cameo in anchorman 2 as the anchor of MTV news which I found quite hilarious.
I don't understand how he can even ask that when he cracks up laughing at least one time for every Kanye album
I think what he means is that he can’t take a joke, which is kind of true. Kanye himself is hilarious though
@@regulatorsmountup4931 he plays it up for comedy. He said he thought the south park episode was funny when it first came out
The first two albums had jamie foxx. This one had chris rock.
I figured he has to have some sense of humor with the lines he throws out there, but to then respond to a Southpark joke seemed so odd... maybe it was just sarcasm and I wasn't picking up on it
I would recommend watching the 34min Runaway short film Kanye made as well as the MTV Music Awards performance of Runaway.
There's also music videos for Monster, Lost in the World, All of the Lights and a short one for Power.
Watched it, good stuff 👍
@@bobthepoppop Yea, I just saw the video on Patreon. Good stuff as well.
Nicki’s Monster verse is legendary. Everyone talks about it being the best on the album
Its not even close to best on da album lol😭
best thing about these reactions is that it feels like im listening for the first time again
Exactly!
Facts
I love that this is a thing. Love, love, love it. We only get that first chance, so to have the ability to recreate it at all is amazing to me. And I know it's something special for everyone, so I try to be as respectful as I can to that experience.
@@bobthepoppop thats great man keep up the channel 👌
The ‘Runaway’ short film (30 minutes long) is a must-watch. It includes the depiction of the phoenix as you’ve mentioned. It’s high art. Probably the greatest music video in Hip-Hop history.
At this point you can’t call yourself a rocker in the title anymore… you’re officially a hip hop head 😂 You’ve listened and spent time on more classics than people I know who’ve listened to the genre their whole life
Whats your top 5 classic album in hiphop?
@@hakimfayyadi6132
1. GOOD KID MAAD CITY
2. PIÑATA
3. TO PIMP A BUTTERFLY
4. MADVILLAINY
5. BECAUSE THE INTERNET
(Honourable mention: Enter the Wu Tang)
All subjective tho :)
@@mdptg1990 dope list, and btw if u dont mind whats ur top 5 rap artist then? Just curious and want to discuss about it on the internet since nobody shared the same interest as mine in real life😂
@@hakimfayyadi6132 haha I feel you on that one! For me its real difficult to list them as I love diff rappers for different reasons so lemme give you a top 8 😂:
1. Kendrick
2. Freddie Gibbs
3. Kanye
4. Childish Gambino
5. Jay Z
6. Prodigy from Mobb Deep
7. DMX
8. Ghost & Raekwon (bit of a cheat)
What’s your top 5 albums?
@@mdptg1990 pretty solid list, I also love freddie gibbs. I'm excited to hear his next album soon!
you'll never find a better outdo to an album, so fkn good
Ye has a great sense of humor i find humor in all his albums he is very meta and sarcastic if you look into it.
he does kinda have a hard time with taking a joke tho.
@@loverboyclement6767 yeah for sure
@@loverboyclement6767 Kinda but mostly he is just leaning into the character that he himself and the media has put on him
I was about to type out my interpretation of the outro of Runaway but you already picked up on it on your first listen. You're really talented on interpreting music and I think that's why people like you!
Been looking forward to this a lot! Going in I am predicting Lost in the World is going to be a potential favourite. In addition to that my personal favourites are Dark Fantasy and All of the Lights (with the interlude). Such an influential and enjoyable album!
Called it haha
your taste is incredible based
Bro the layers in Lost in the World are on another level!!! So glad you had headphones while hearing that for the first time. I still get chills when it goes acapella towards the end. Great reaction video
Lost in the world is one of kanyes best songs im so glad to see it get its flowers
shoutout to all the patrons that have already seen this
All of the Lights is my favorite song of all time. The combination of all the people that worked on it, the production, the lyrics talking about how he feels replaced in the rap game, and transition of the interlude to the song make it my favorite song ever
Theres a live version of "power" where kanye freestyles and people call it pinnochio story part 2, its geinus, you gotta check it out!!
YES!!! Teyana’s album produced by Kanye is Fuckin amazing!! One of my favorites honestly, I can’t wait for you to react to that one!
Thats great that you picked up the Avril 14th sample, that is truly an amazing song, great that kanye sample that song. love all of aphex twin piano songs, nanou2 especially
Nanou2 is pure magic to my ears
The transition from Lost In The World into Who Will Survive In America is so good and clean
Been looking forward to this reaction. I remember when this album came out, even older family members, who dont listen to hip-hop, brought it up in discussion because they heard it was “really good”
I highly recommend watching the “movie” type thing that Kanye made to go along with the album, its really a great piece of art
My wife and I did a reaction to the Runaway movie last night for Patreon (shameless plug). It was fun to watch and dissect in real time. I didn't even bother trying to post it to YT because I know it will get blocked both visually and audio.
I swear you have the most contagious laugh ever Bob. During your whole reaction to the end of Blame Game I was laughing so hard to your reaction, and I’ve listened to that outro like hundreds of times.
All of the lights is probably the most well-produced Kanye song of all time. It's incredible.
??? the mix / master on that track is notoriously awful
@@lenbester that's...kinda the point it's mixed in a way that there's almost no time for the listener to breathe and it's so cluttered because it symbolises the fast life of a celebrity, that's why he got half of the industry on the track mate
@@lenbester but I get what you mean tho, some people may not like it 🤷 I personally love it
@@lenbester still ye got everyone in the studio signing the chorus so gotta give some points
@@Vibakari yea I'm a still a big fan of the album, and particular I love the processes evolved in recording and the stories regarding it it but all of the lights just doesn't sit right when I listen to it
Diablo is also a Lambhorghini.
So funny that you loved that Jay Z verse, it's often considered one of his worst, but that Nicki verse is undeniable
I think Jay's verse really hits at the end and brings in the theme of the album. Nicki just flat-out crushed it
@@bobthepoppop I agree that he brings it home at the end but the part where he lists off monsters at the beginning and says that he'll rape and pillage a village of women and children right before the love part really bring it down for a lot of folks
@@JoshBurcham104 the list of monsters part is funny imo. there's a video where a computer generated jay z voice continues that part naming a bunch of other monsters, it's also hilarious ua-cam.com/video/v52s9w9Q25Q/v-deo.html
FYI - The album had songs co-produced by RZA from Wu-Tang (Dark Fantasy, So Appalled) as well as a feature from Raekwon who is also from Wu-Tang. It is not a Wu-Tang-ish album but interesting to know since Enter the 36 Chambers is on your itinerary.
All samples in My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy:
Dark Fantasy:
Revolting Rhymes: Cinderella - Roald Dahl (narrated by Nicki Minaj)
In High Places - Mike Oldfield
Gorgeous:
You Showed Me - Enoch Light (-1 semitone)
POWER:
Afromerica - Continent Number 6 (+1.5 semitones)
It's Your Thing - Cold Grits (chopped)
21st Century Schizoid Man - King Crimson (+10 tempo)
All of the Lights/Monster doesn't have any samples
So Appalled:
You Are I Am - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (re-orchestrated)
Think (About It) - Lyn Collins
Devil In a New Dress:
Will You Love Me Tomorrow - Smokey Robinson (+0.5 semitones) (Chopped)
Runaway:
Expo '83 - Backyard Heavies (Chopped)
Mary Jane (Live in Long Beach, CA) - Rick James
Introduction to Star Time! - James Brown
Funky President - James Brown
Hell Of A Life:
She's My Baby - The Mojo Men (-6 semitones)
Blame Game:
Avril 14th - Aphex Twin (+10 tempo)
Lost In The World/Who Will Survive in America:
Woods - Bon Iver
Soul Makossa - Manu Dibango
Comment #1 - Gil Scott Heron
27:53 it’s so interesting that u make that comparison because in the short film that goes with this album there’s a “phoenix from the ashes” type scene
To me, the sound is there. I watched the movie last night and was happy to see the phoenix visuals :)
i like how is hears power and for some reason pretends it isnt the most fucking awe inspiring brain exploding song of all time
Just have to say man, I love your reactions. I’ve listened to this album countless times but you find new meanings and interpretations that I’ve never thought of. Looking forward to seeing what you think of Ye, which to me is his album with the most meaning. Keep it up man!
Finished the entire thing, glad you warmed up to it after you didn‘t enjoy the first tracks quite as much as I would‘ve expected. I confident your second listen will be better when you can just let the album flow without having to express your thoughts for us :)
It's growing :)
I’m really surprised you haven’t seen much sense of humor in Kanye with all the skits in his first few albums, and even a lot of his music videos have been pretty comedic. I’ve always thought he was one of the funnier hip hop artists.
I think his sense of humor is very tongue in cheek, so he can sound serious when I don’t think he is, an example in the “jeen yuhs” doc would be him talking about “wanting to be the best dressed rapper” while sitting up after his accident. He delivers it just like you would a joke with a punchline, so I think there’s definitely some humor in there lol.
I've seen him crack jokes at others and throw out some funny lines, for sure, but this was the first time (that I recall) I've seen him attempt to strike back at a joke someone made about him, so it threw me off.
@@bobthepoppop it’s odd I actually remember a blog post Kanye made when the South Park first dropped, he seemed to handle it really well and thought it was funny, said he needed to work on his ego so people wouldn’t hate him, but ever since then he’s had a grudge against South Park so idk lol clearly those feelings didn’t stick
All he has to do is watch the Kyle Kanye skit on SNL
@@bobthepoppop you are still right South Park murdered him (Trey and Matt) but for you to think his line didn’t smack back at them is insane haha… coming from the biggest fan of both so I wouldn’t pick a side but of course South Park got him. But for him to only use one line and choke them with a fish stick is the best clap back in my opinion. He can’t make an entire song about it but he flips the main thing on them. Big fan man you got a subscriber!
Dark fantasy is one of the best intros of all time
Just stumbled across this channel and I am so happy for you that you get to discover all of this fantastic music for the first time. The Madvillainy video was great and this is too, these albums are the pinnacle of hip hop in my opinion and it’s awesome to see you enjoying these albums like I and so many others have. I’ll definitely be watching more. RIP to the Great MF DOOM.
I really can't wait for you to react to TLOP it's by far my favorite Kanye album, probably the most important too. It perfectly encapsulates all aspects of Kanye and lets you really understand what he's all about if you dig into it
Thank you poppop for reacting to this album and bringing back the emotions I felt when I was 15 hearing this album when it first released.
This is a special album for me because it was the first Kanye album that I anticipated the release of because I was finally old enough to appreciate music on my own.
I had known of Kanye and was a fan of his hit singles like Stronger, Good Life, Heartless but 2010 (my freshman year in high school, also when I got my first ipod) is when I really started paying attention to hip hop.
Prior to the release of MBDTF, Kanye had a series called GOOD Fridays in which he was releasing a new track every Friday for 3 months (Looking for Trouble and Christian Dior Denim Flow are personal favourites) and when this album finally dropped I was prepared to digest it appropriately and I absolutely fell in love with it and with Kanye’s work.
this album is essentially about his relationship with the public eye and fame, tracks like runaway, gorgeous, and devil in a new dress: the women he's talking about is actually his relationship with the public eye and how it was failing after the taylor Swift's incident. and the whole outro of runaway portrays how the public eye can never interpret kanye correctly
Man I hate to admit it as I love so many rap albums more than this one, but I can’t deny, this is probably the best rap album of all time. Even 11 year old me knew it 😅. No skips, just classics. Gotta give credit where’s its due
Facts, songs can’t be you’re favorite but they bang 😂
As a massive fan of Kanye's music, I love how you approach his albums in a review sense. You really provide interesting ideas and interpretations on the music, mad props.
I feel like I've learned so much about the song Runaway from you, and I've been listening to it my whole damn life. You are the man, Bob.
Wow, that's so wild to hear because those first three are often considered to be up there with the best of Kanye, ironically Fantano's favourite tracks were essentially Power and Dark Fantasy, then he said that the second half fell off hard 😂 Your analysis on the outro of Runaway was pretty spot on - Kanye was also crying into the mic at points - and I love that DIAND and Lost in the World got such flowers from you. Crazy, crazy masterpiece of an album. Can't wait for TLOP, my personal favourite, but it took a while for a lot of people to come round to that idea...
The first 3 did not jive with me, for sure, and I'm still having a hard time warming up to them. Power is clicking a lot more though. That is funny that I'm having an almost inverse experience of what Fantano had.
@@bobthepoppop @Bob the Poppop Ahh that's fair enough, you love what you love. On a broader scope anyway, this was his maximalist return to form as a sort of critical darling with the mainstream of the early 2010s, which is why the sequencing of Yeezus makes sense coming right afterwards as this aggressively minimalist epic; it was just anti-everything - "soon as they like you, make em unlike you". And it was super impressive how many narrative points you grasped off the bat; that whole era was a movie
BTW this might help when you were talking about the end of runaway. Whilst he was freestyling those melodies with the distorted vocals he was actually crying in the booth as he was delivering them. I heard it on the dissect episode that covered MBDTF
I recommend watching the short film to this album, it really makes the album so much better imo.
This album has such a grand sound that feels like royalty in a sense while also so having many moments feel so cinematic. My favorite of these would be on Devil in a new dress such an incredible song personally one of my favorites by Kanye. The guitar solo before it gives Ross the perfect entrance into giving an incredible verse. Loved ❤️ the review you’re becoming a true hip hop head 👍
This is really one of the greatest albums I have ever heard in my life, not just rap, music it’s so personable but expressive and reflective yet Braggadocious the duality is beautiful, he is human.
Kanye throws me off sometimes. He's so good at tearing into his own self and analyzing it that I sometimes feel like it isn't real. Like it's a fictional story about a fictional character... but it's clearly not. It's just odd sometimes, seeing someone who can suffer from these issues turn around and then study/reveal the struggle so well.
The way how you took this album the way you did the first time is wild. It took me a long time to kind of understand this album, but with how you broke it piece by piece.. Man.
Now having a better grasp up on the theme, I feel like I can really appreciate how great this album truly is.
This is such a masterpiece… every time I hear it which is in the 100s of times, I take something new from it. I’ve been listening to this album since I was a freshman in high school and every chapter of my life helps me understand it differently. This will forever be my favorite album of all time. I’m so glad you stayed focused and present to pick up on all the hidden messages this album has riddled through it
7/10 album
its overrated
@@thepoopmonster1041 all opinions are respected
@@thepoopmonster1041 learn to shut up
Bro I've listened to this album MANY times and you helped me find new things in this album I never thought of before. REAL MUSIC LISTENER stand up! STAND UP!!
Some stray observations:
-On Power, when he’s echoing “so exciting, so exciting, so exciting” it sounds like he’s saying “suicide, suicide, suicide”, then it transitions into “jumping out the window”
-Kanye’s voice being obscured through the vocoder at the end of Runaway seems to call back to the line from All Of The Lights - “I tried to tell you but all I could say was, oh-oh-oh-oh”. I think it’s about how words get in the way of what we’re really trying to say.
-The outro of Hell Of A Life sounds like someone trying to catch their breath after ejaculating to a porn video, which the preceding female vocal sounds like
-The awkward sound of a few people clapping at the end of the album, as opposed to thunderous applause, seems to support the idea that he doesn’t get the reaction he’s hoping for when he focuses on political messaging in his art, rather than flash and glamour which always sells.
Cool observations. Thanks for these. I didn't pickup on any of them, honestly, so I'll pay attention on following listens.
The transition from so exciting, to suicide, to jumping out the window is a thing of beauty that’s usually missed.
@@bobthepoppop the power one in particular is really important to the themes of the track imo. what initially seems like a regular, triumphant hip hop song is given a dark twist with undertone of fantasizing about killing oneself at the peak of their popularity.
I love how you deep dive into the lyrics and pick them apart. Also, love your analogies. Amazing reaction.
Bob Imperial is a must do. It is amazing and is just as good as taboo. Amazing lyricism on that record
It's on my list, but I don't know when I'll get to it
Love ur vids man. Always a pleasure to watch someone open minded to music🙏
First time watching your channel, this video is incredible. You pick up so many small references and meaning to so many lines, can't wait to watch your other album reactions!
23:25 The Life of Pablo is exactly that, his first album after Yeezus where he finds himself forced to pick between the family or industry life
Nicki Minaj : Influenced a whole new generation of female rappers most influencal most selling most everything: Queen of Rap 👑
Cardi B: WAP.
Kanye has said that he thought the fish stick joke was funny, and the reason he used that line was to poke fun at himself as well as the writers.
CyHi tha Prynce’s verse is genuinely so under appreciated
Haven't seen the reaction yet but congratulations on listening to this album Bob. Your life has officially peaked now. Nothing will surpass this. It's all down hill from here.
Lol kidding
Haha, thank you!
Very good video man, glad you enjoyed, I was freaking amazed when I first heard to the whole album. Fantastic work, just a masterpiece. I really like the song so Appalled, ye’s opening verse and pusha t verses are spectacular. The production is peak there as well as the performance, incredible artwork by Kanye