Yet it’s also among the best songs on a difficult and uneven record. “Love Lockdown,” with its heavy Auto-Tuned melody and spasmodic polyrhythmic percussion, is practically an avatar of everything people didn’t like about the record.
Remember how baffled listeners were by 808s & Heartbreak when it came out? So.
Those strings and that synth riff are instantly recognizable and danceable, and ‘Ye “hating more than the Nazis” is his first step down the path of a nearly self-destructive simultaneous obsession and repulsion with fame’s trappings.įrom 808s and Heartbreak (2008 Roc-a-fella/Def Jam) Some point to “Stronger” as the maximalist/EDM-influenced peak of Graduation, but “Flashing Lights” has had greater longevity. “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” is an early signal of the anger that’d be much more pronounced on West’s later albums, but more importantly it’s an unquestionable hit/live staple with a chorus that fans lose their voice shouting along to. Who can’t relate to West rapping, “ Momma I’ma love you till you ain’t hurt no more/And when I’m older you ain’t gotta work no more?” Single or not, “Hey Mama” has to be here.įrom Graduation (2007 Roc-a-fella/Def Jam)Īnother swagger anthem co-produced by Atlanta trap great DJ Toomp. Later it would become a source of deep sadness-one of the losses fueling 808s & Heartbreak-but here, before her death, it’s bright and strong and beautiful and brings all but the most stone-hearted listeners to happy tears. Kanye West’s love for his late mother Donda casts a shadow over his entire catalog. The beat knocks (despite sounding a tad dated), and Kanye makes sure to mock both sides of the gender conflict at play. There’s no doubt it’s one of his biggest hits, still finding its way into his tour setlists. The second you reference “Gold Digger” around many people, they’re liable to quote parts of it back to you. When Kanye semi-lampoons his own career on the TLOP track “I Love Kanye,” the line about “the sweet Kanye/chop-up-the-beats Kanye” refers to this Kanye, so swagger-filled but so goddamned happy. This made him the biggest and by far the most critically praised hip-hop star of that time.
Just Blaze laces “Touch The Sky” with his signature cracking drums and a slowed-down sample of “Move On Up” as the ideal backing for West’s celebration of the Late Registration victory lap. ‘Ye’s first prominent rap over a beat he didn’t make is also among his best boast sessions. The way he depicts his extended family’s triumphs and foibles by being so personal-“ Y’all ain’t gotta tell my girl I used to pee in the bed”-makes it all the more universal.įrom Late Registration (2005 Roc-a-fella) As music, it’s gospel-tinged and gorgeous-a precursor to “Ultralight Beam” on The Life of Pablo. While including this song defies the “hits” stipulation of a greatest-hits compilation, “Family Business” is too wonderful a showcase of West’s emotional depth to ignore. Glass?” ranks high among early ‘Ye goofy lines. And “ Unbreakable-what, you thought they called me Mr. Over a signature chopped-soul beat, West addresses the car accident that almost killed him and how it didn’t impede his drive. You can say, “Kanye literally rapped this song with his jaw wired shut and still sounds great on it” a dozen times and it remains mind-boggling. The way “Jesus Walks” is as much a street banger as a dead-serious genuine song of praise exemplifies ‘Ye’s contradictory nature in the best way. For many-myself included-it’s the first thing of his they heard, and none of its potency has diminished in the 12 years since its release. It’s impossible to tell Kanye West’s story without this song.
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But if I must summarize ‘Ye, one of my favorite artists full stop and objectively one of the most influential and forward-thinking hip-hop artists in the genre’s history, I’d call this a decent summary.įrom The College Dropout (2004 Roc-a-fella) West’s insistence on adoring a certain unpopular streaming music service with a mediocre UI above all others required me to avoid The Life of Pablo almost entirely, and I didn’t bother with either his Cruel Summer cuts or even his oft-excellent work on Watch The Throne with Jay-Z. Making this list meant eschewing legit hits (no “Good Life,” “Stronger” or “All Falls Down”) as well as the countless deep cuts that are so often Kanye’s best work. So it’s no easy thing reducing his critically acclaimed, commercially successful and endlessly controversial career to a song list that fits on a traditional CD. As one of our most contradiction-riddled artists, it makes sense that Kanye West has plenty of massive hits but is much more an album artist.
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