King Of Controversy: Stream Kanye West’s ‘Ye’ LP In Full

Mike Nied | June 1, 2018 11:23 am

A lot has changed for Kanye West since he rolled out The Life Of Pablo in 2016. The eternally controversial hitmaker has found himself in hot water recently for a series of incendiary comments he made. However, today (June 1) the focus is back on his music as he rolls out a new album called Ye. The 40-year-old debuted his mysterious project via live stream from a listening party in Wyoming last night. Hosting a star-studded event, he allowed fans to follow along remotely as he introduced industry executives, friends and family to the seven-song collection. And the end result is one of the rapper’s most honest releases to date.

“Today I thought about killing you. Premeditated murder. I think about killing myself, and I, I love myself way more than I love you,” he announces on the album opener, “I Thought About Killing You.” Featuring a lengthy spoken-word portion over a dreamy production, the track descends into a harder-edged direction for the last minute and a half. It is a slightly jarring listen, but the end result is a strong introduction to the LP.

Kanye calls in a slew of features for the album. Although they are not directly credited online, fans have a strong idea about who contributed what. PARTYNEXTDOOR, Jeremih and Ty Dolla $ign appear on “Wouldn’t Leave,” where Ye reflects on how his comments affect those close to him. “My wife calling, screaming, say ‘We ’bout to lose it all!’ Had to calm her down ’cause she couldn’t breathe. Told her she could leave me now, but she wouldn’t leave.” Frequent collaborators Kid Cudi and Charlie Wilson tackle the chorus on “No Mistakes,” and Cudi returns alongside John Legend, Trade Martin and 070 Shake on “Ghost Town.”

Dej Loaf and Nicki Minaj appear on album closer “Violent Crimes,” which is one of the most evocative contributions to the project. On it the “Stronger” rapper reflects on how his perspective of women has changed since having daughters. “Now I see women as something to nurture not something to conquer,” he announces before sharing his hopes for his children. “I hope she like Nicki, I’ll make her a monster.” Dej delivers a sweet message on the chorus. “Don’t you grow up in a hurry. Your mom’ll be worried,” she wistfully sings.

The Queen rapper appears via voicemail at the end, and her inclusion appears to sign off on Yeezy’s references to her. It may also be a subtle diss to Taylor Swift who was similarly “exposed” by Kim Kardashian back in 2016. In the hours after his exclusive listening party, Ye has arrived online in full. Give the collection a listen below and let us know your thoughts.

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