Photo:
At the end of last week, Kanye West's latest album Yeezus leaked online. Kanye himself claimed he gives 'no fucks' about the unfortunate leak, but plenty of other people did, with critics sharing their opinion on the rapper's hugely controversial album based on the widespread leak.
Despite the hype, response to the album hasn't been entirely positive. Indeed, our Gigwise reviewer wrote that Yeezus was 'an error of epic proportions', while others have been quick to praise Kanye for pushing the boundaries for a mainstream artist with his wildly experimental sounds.
Having also become a father over the weekend (congratulations etc), we doubt Kanye West will be paying too much attention to the early reviews, but we've rounded up the critics responses online to Yeezus. Find out who's saying what below...
Death & Taxes: "His album will change the rap game even if it takes us 5, 10, 20 years to notice"
Chicago Tribune: "At first listen, it is hostile, abrasive (both sonically and lyrically) and intentionally off-putting, as if to test the loyalty of even his most ardent fans. But, as usual, that’s only the beginning of West’s new detour."
Yahoo Music: "It presents Kanye as nothing less than the Johnny Rotten of his generation."
Rolling Stone: "Every mad genius has to make a record like this at least once in his career – at its nastiest, his makes (Radiohead's) Kid A or (Nirvana's) In Utero or (Neil Young's) Trans all look like Bruno Mars."
Pretty Much Amazing: "West isn’t the Second Coming of Steve Jobs or Walt Disney. But he may be the most exciting and unpredictable music maker working in America today."
Spin: "This is a vicious, petulant, abrasive, colossally vain, frequently hilarious record, most of the time intentionally."
The Independent: "Musically, Yeezus is a powerhouse of brutal noise and abrasiveness that often makes you recoil on first listen."
Billboard: "It’s an album with numerous emotional layers as well. There are a few lighthearted moments, and cuts about love along with lust. But mostly, West is just plain mad -- angry at naysayers, “The Man” censoring his art, and even at his own celeb status."
Pop Matters: "West still remains a fierce storyteller"
Line Of Best Fit: "Yeezus is one of the most brilliant and vulgar albums of recent times, as its ten tracks perfectly sum up the baffling dualities of the man."
New York Times: "The tracks on “Yeezus” are raw and bumpy, with the arbitrary whims of a studio despot."
Newsday.com: "He doesn't use this civil rights anthem for something political, he uses it to complain about alimony payments and how they impact the purchases of Mercedes Benzes and more cocaine."
