Every Kanye West Album Ranked

I usually talk about film and TV on this channel and it's gonna stay that way but I felt like doing a video on music this one time and unfortunately I've decided to do probably the most challenging ranking out there which is ranking Kanye West's albums however you order these sets a lot about you and there's no real way of winning but let's just jump into it by the way we're doing official releases only no donda 2 does not count check below I really like when Kanye goes gospel but ironically his exclusively gospel album is probably his weakest attempt at that sound in my opinion I frequently revisit most of Kanye's albums but I haven't listened to this one front to back since it came out and honestly it was kind of jarring just how weak a couple of these songs are for example on God goes for an interesting sound but ultimately the beat is too repetitive and Kanye's lyricism is quite weak God is has an amazing instrumental but is absolutely ruined by Kanye's horrible singing that being said this album also features some of Kanye's most underrated tracks like Salah which is extremely powerful [Music] hallelujah hallelujah I think the root of this album's faults is the fact they're just not very personal it lacks all the self-reflections self-deprecation grit and humor that I would expect from Kanye the majority of the album is just Kanye saying how much God means to him which can be done well but I think it's quite uninspired for most of these tracks a lot of these songs were definitely intended to be seen live with the Sunday service choir and I do think they'd be a lot better in that environment but taking the album as it is it's definitely Kanye's worst Watch the Throne starts really strong with some of Kanye and Jay-Z's most fun songs that I always have on repeat but the longer it goes on the more it starts dipping into mediocrity with its cheap dated beats and unremarkable verses however Jay-Z and Kanye at their worst is better than 90 of rappers out there and I kind of love how this album is just so 2011. it's aching for a black eyed peers feature I think the reason why a lot of it is kind of weak is just because it lacks the Precision and vision you take for granted with these two artists almost all the tracks except for like murder to Excellence are just songs where they go back and forth flexing that they're at the top of the music industry without saying much else wash the throne reminds me a lot of modern Drake albums with the way that it has a couple hits that everyone loves by actually listening to the album all the way through is the slog says there's not much to it which is unfortunate since I think a yay and Jay collab album could be so much more but also it very obviously doesn't want to be anything more than just a fun Victory lap for these two so I guess you gotta respect her so I had to use the bathroom really really bad and they didn't give me enough time people can be mad about this one look I will see that the jump from Watch the Throne to this is pretty big and I will also say this is quite interchangeable with the following albums it goes without saying that 808s is insanely influential and distinct and a necessary part of Kanye's discography I love songs like heartless street lights and coldest winter because they're able to capture such a unique Moody brooding miserable tone but I haven't seen any other artists quite replicate every modern rap artist under the sun takes influence from 808s but you can't copy a to its because only 808s is allowed to be 808 that being said there are a couple of songs that I'm not too hot on paranoid and RoboCop don't do much for me I don't know why and Jeezy's verse on Amazing feels unnecessary there's some underrated bangers on this though welcome to heartbreak is top tier Kanye I love how the verses are able to convey how lost Kanye feels with such simplistic ironic phrases they're almost comedic with the way they have a setup punchline structure [Music] but I couldn't hear him all the way in first class just generally a strength of this album is how well Kanye is able to express his emotions lyrically through wit and simplicity 808 is there when you need it but due to its melancholic nature there aren't many tracks on here that I'd constantly have in rotation and I love myself way more than I love you I normally would put this below 808 but I think it's quite underrated so I want to show my respect for it by not putting it in the bomb 3. if 808s is dark in a sad way yay is dark in a disturbing way and I think the album being uncomfortably personal and unfiltered and honest is what really makes it stand out especially because they're so effective at conveying those feelings I mean that opening track I thought about killing you is without a doubt one of the best opening Kanye songs purely because of how well it sets a mood with its Eerie instrumental and unsettling subject matter this album is very straight back compared to Kanye's other ones it's only seven tracks there's not too many features and most of the songs choose to be personal over having Grandeur except for ghost town which is without a doubt one of Kanye's most beautiful and Grand songs ever for this otherworldly instrument tool and hook that makes you start flowing off into the air but other than that I think this album goes for something very different and I think it's quite successful at it even if it doesn't have anywhere near the same amount of classic Banger songs Kanye's other albums have also I think listening to this works best when you keep in mind the context seals made it 2018 was Kanye at his most erratic until 2022 and this simple 23 minute album works great as a look into where his headspace was during that period I like some of the Gaga songs what the [ __ ] does she know about cameras this album Now is a decade old and in that time it's gone from Kanye's most over hated album to being his most overrated but I still like it this album sound needs no introduction it's experimental it's abrasive it's visceral it's industrial and I think about 75 of the time it really works and ends up creating some of Kanye's most uniquely powerful songs like New Slaves Blood on the leaves and bound too but 25 of the time it leads to some unexciting misfires like I'm in a guilt trip and send it up I'm not quite sure what those three tracks are just mentioned are missing they're just lack a certain Edge and creativity Jesus is quite a lot like 808s for me where it really goes in a particular direction that maybe isn't what you expect from Kanye and it's really impressive when it works and it's kind of a letdown buzz kill when it doesn't but overall I gotta respect the vision I mean it does have some of Kanye's best ever songs it's not anywhere near top five for me though sorry user stance she got pulled over by a police and they shot her husband yeah it was crazy this is where we go from albums I like to albums I love kids see ghosts works as a great B-side to Gay and just like yay I think it's a little unfairly forgotten I mean this is the only Kanye album where I can confidently say that I love every song and they've all consistently been in the main playlist I listened to since the album's release it does only have seven songs but still the production on this to me at least became instantly iconic it's not as out there as some of the other sounds Kanye has tried but it feels new and it goes back and forth with curry seamlessly on this they suit each other very well kissy girls is probably the hardest album to place for me because I think it's kind of flawless like I have absolutely no issues with it but also at the end of the day it is seven track collab album and I would feel weird putting it any higher so I just kind of put it right at the bottom of the love section of this ranking if you're not happy with that decision just pretend it's a little higher because it could quite easily be thunder doesn't get anywhere near the amount of love I think it deserves maybe it just came out right place right time for me maybe it was that crazy rollout but I just adore the aura this thing has just like my beautiful duck Twisted Fantasy felt like an encapsulation of everything great about Kanye's first four albums Thunder feels like an encapsulation of every Kanye album since it combines industrial and gospel to create songs that both hit hard and make you levitate and the way it's all put together is much like life of Pablo since the album is very diverse and deliberately all over the place with its tones and subject matter ultimately though I do think trying to copy that life of Pablo approach is this album's biggest downfall it's just too bloated if this album was like 17 tracks instead of 27 I honestly think it would make the top three of this list because there's just so many Heavenly tunes on this I mean hurricane Moon come to life and No Child Left Behind are all beautiful and Off the Grid Heaven and Hell pure souls and believe what I say are just absolute bangers but of course this album does feature television so you can't put it too high by the way I would rate this the exact same as kids he goes in terms of personal enjoyment I was just in a slightly more mood when I wrote this script George Bush doesn't care about black people now that we're in the top five we're entering absolute Masterpiece classic territory with Kanye's second studio album why do I think this is Kanye's weakest top tier album I'm not really sure I kind of just see this album as Banger after Banger without there being any personal connection or amazing context you can latch onto which is fine bangers are good I could never get tired of listening to songs like touch the sky gold digger hey Mama and we major there's some of Kanye's most infinitely replayable songs by the way this album has two massive tracks that I really think deserve to be considered Kanye's best but they're always forgotten those being roses powerful and diamonds from Sierra Leone original version I mean both versions are pretty much the same but for some reason I've always gravitated towards the one without Jay-Z sorry however talk to you for a minute when I was first outlining this ranking I put this below late registration just because looking at the tracklist College Dropout isn't water well with hits the way it's sequel is late registration really feels like Colin Dropout done bigger and better but then I actually started listening to the album front to back and I was like Wow never mind this is something different this is the only Kanye album that I would consider relatable in like a grounded down to earth way rather than him having to cleverly phrase his rich people problems to make us understand you know that's not a diss to his other albums it's just that College Dropout is very special in that way and obviously musically this was a game changer with this chipmunk soul and unique subject matter and it really holds up oftentimes with some of these Classic Albums they need to be put into context for you to fully enjoy them but I think College Dropout is pretty Timeless and perfect and things like the genius documentary just enhances that Bob nominations last year man a moment ago I described late registration as water wall bangers which it definitely is but graduation is that on a completely different level like pretty much every song on this I would say is a nine bordering attack except of course Barry Bonds and drunken hot girls I mean those two are such a cataclysmic speed bump in the middle of what otherwise would be potentially Kanye's best album I don't despise them I think there are some tracks on Jesus's King Watch the Throne Deluxe donda and maybe Jesus that are about on their level but when you're next to flashing light stronger homecoming Champion can't tell me nothing good life good morning I wonder it's just kind of embarrassing and I don't really know what went wrong with those tracks and why they are even there I mean it is a mystery that deserves a video of its own but yeah graduation is unbelievably good I always come back to it when I need to cheer myself up or get in a summary mood and my wife really didn't like this one maybe I'm putting this a little too high for most people but I just love The Vibes here TBH I don't care that it's messy because I love every moment of it I think it's messy Done Right you've got gospel you've got some of his best Moody songs you've got some of his hardest songs you've got a Kendrick feature you've got late night drive material you get some of Kanye's funniest stupidest lines and you get a panda remix I love that song yes please also it has probably my favorite ever Kanye song Saint Pablo I mean that is a song where somebody's speaking from their soul with unrestrained passion and it has a beautiful chorus as well just just can't get more vibey than life of Pablo I'm gonna let you finish but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time yeah no real surprise this is probably the best album of the 2010s it's arguably the best rap album ever and it's potentially the best album ever it is for me and I don't even know how to talk about it just look at the track list and pretty much every single song is like a landmark achievement it's just Kanye at his most grand and epic every song has unbelievable production every feature is perfect the progression of it is beautiful and the story behind the creation of it is Iconic it's everything you love about Kanye's music done at the highest level my favorite track is probably Devil in a New Dress that guitar solo and the way Rick Ross comes in is insane I think power is perfect as well you just can't be the classics but if I had to pick out some more underappreciated hits I would say lost in the world that is unbelievably beautiful and hell of a life no one ever talks about hell of a life but I just love how fiery and different it is it feels like something that could go and use us anyways that's the end of this video feel free to tell me your ranking in the comments I'm curious I want to know how wrong you guys think I am thanks for watching goodbye [Music]

Channel: Triple Neon

Views: 13,642

Keywords: Kanye West, Ye, Video Essay, Ranking, Tierlist, Review, MBDTF, College Dropout, Yeezus, Donda, The Genius Of: Kanye West, The ULTIMATE Kanye West Iceberg Explained: PART 3, Kanye deconstructed: The human voice as the ultimate instrument, Ranking Kanye's ALBUMS, Degenorocity, I Ranked EVERY Kanye Song, Andy Rants, Anthony Fantano, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Jay Z, Beyonce, Controversy, Drama, Breakdown, I hate, I love, Sucks, Underrated, Overrated, Deep dive, GOAT, stronger, power, vultures

Id: -bGwqBxLu0Q

Length: 11min 47sec (707 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 31 2023