Tag: Kanye West

audio review : Poppin Tags ( song ) … Jay-Z + Twista + Killer Mike + Big Boi ( featuring Sleepy Brown )

This song would be better without Twista. That’s not a knock on his rap skills. All four verses are up to par. It’s just that, with Sleepy Brown, Killer Mike and Big Boi already being associated with each other, he seems out of place, especially considering the fact that Big Boi fails to mention him when name-dropping each rapper as if Jay-Z included him as an afterthought.

It’s a good song though, despite Brown emulating the beat on the chorus, which I normally detest. What saves it is the slight alteration in melody, though the song would be less repetitive if there were a new layer; not just Jay-Z ad-libs; added to each break. The title is a reference to buying expensive clothes, which makes this not only baller music but maller music.

my rating : 4 of 5

2002

audio review : Poppin Tags ( song ) ... Jay-Z + Twista + Killer Mike + Big Boi ( featuring Sleepy Brown )

audio review : First Time In A Long Time ( song ) … Kanye West ( featuring Soulja Boy )

The only thing I dislike about this song is the way Kanye West leaves the word Time out of the title phrase every other time he says it. I understand he does it for melodic purposes and it’s a catchy hook in that regard, but it doesn’t make grammatical sense. Perhaps he should’ve said something about the “song” instead of repeating it.

It’s a flagrant flaw but not significant enough to ruin what sounds like a damn good song demo. The music is charming; I can’t tell what the girl or kid is saying on the loop; and the Soulja Boy verse is a welcomed addition. It’s his vocal flow/delivery that makes it work and I like the way it ends, despite him rhyming Long Time with Long Time.

my rating : 4 of 5

2022

audio review : Pure Souls ( song ) … Roddy Ricch + Kanye West ( featuring Shenseea )

Shenseea almost ruins this song. Her coda should’ve been cut entirely. The organ sounds nice, but that whole end section threatens to drag the overall aesthetic quality down a notch.

It would be better as a Roddy Ricch song featuring Kanye West, who actually provides the best part. “Father, I’m yours exclusively,” it goes, “Devil, get behind me; I’m loose, I’m free.”

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

audio review : Donda ( album ) ... Kanye West

audio review : Moon ( song ) … Kid Cudi ( featuring Don Toliver + Kanye West )

This, a sky-gazer’s hymn, is the best cut from Kanye West’s Donda album, but it would’ve been even better than it is if it had a more appropriate song structure. It barely qualifies as a song. There should be not one but two Kid Cudi verses with a Kanye West chorus break in-between.

That chorus, which has West conjuring the melodic chops he showcased on the demo/SNL version of Teyana Taylor’s We Got Love, doesn’t come till near the end. It’s a five-star bit though as he outsings both Cudi, who should also be praised for his wailing ad-libs, and Don Toliver.

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

audio review : Donda ( album ) ... Kanye West