Yeezus
by Kanye West
  • Record Label: Def Jam
  • Release Date: Jun 18, 2013
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 2196 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,717 out of 2196
  2. Mixed: 196 out of 2196
  3. Negative: 283 out of 2196
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  1. greekmatthew
    May 16, 2017
    9
    Loud, brash, abrasive, and in-your-face, Yeezus does not hesitate to make its presence known. This could be highly regarded as Kanye's best work, West uses techniques and sounds that he had not previously done in his other works, but he implements it with such eloquence, ingeniousness, and confidence that it is difficult to not be a complete fan of.
  2. aharrywilson
    Apr 17, 2017
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. On Yeezus, Kanye takes his experimental side to a whole new level with this sonically intense, multi genred album. For many listeners, this album can be quite a hard pill to swallow due to in audacious and aggressive sound present on all ten tracks; however for me Yeezus is Kanye's most exciting and boundary pushing project in his entire discography.

    Right off the bat your hit with a very hard hitting track titled 'On sight', a song that musically sets the tone for the rest of the project what with its loud, sonic, in your face instrumental. This is then followed up by the stellar single 'Black Skinhead' where Kanye faces down on stereotypes towards black people and himself. The album keeps up its high quality production for the next four tracks: 'I am a god', 'New slaves', 'Hold my liquor', and 'Im in it'. Although these tracks have similar themes of egotism present in them, the instrumentals and the way Kanye delivers his lyrics helps to display a strong sense of passion. The seventh track on the album 'Blood on the leaves' has trap styled beat along with a Nina Simone sample which is then followed up by the track 'Guilt trip', a song that samples a vocal snippet from a lead single from the compilation album 'Cruel Summer'. The penultimate track 'Send it up' uses very loud horns in its instrumental including a dreary feature from Chicago rapper King Louie and a Beenie Man sample in the songs intro and outro. Single 'Bound 2' acts as a closer for the album, a track that stylistically is more reminiscent to Kanyes earlier work.

    From front to back Yeezus has amazing production with Kanye delivering witty, braggadocio lyrics over electronic, loud, heavy hitting beats. Most definitely Yeezus is the most difficult album to enjoy, especially at first listen, compared to Kanyes earlier work; however the decision make an album like this shows that Mr West is still a creative artist who wants to try out different sounds. This album isn't going to have some sort of influence on your outlook on life or leave you with a deep message, however it is clear that Kanye isn't attempting to do this anyway. Those who are into alternative hip-hop and Kanye spitting witty, braggadocio lyrics are going to love this album just as much as I do!

    Singles: black skinhead, bound 2
    Favourite track: on sight
    Release date: 18 June 2013
    Length: 40:01 ( 10 tracks )
    Genres: hip hop, experimental, alternative hip hop    … Expand
  3. csj
    Apr 16, 2017
    10
    Lean, mean, and brash, Kanye's stripped minimalism and shockingly crass lyricism makes for a brilliant album that explores the fractured psyche of a genius.
  4. djdenzel777
    Mar 24, 2017
    2
    This project is very weird and un-settling. It offers poor lyricism and can only be described as what sounds like Kanye rapping and yelling over sounds that many producers would instantly skip if they were to come across them. The only thing saving this project are songs such as "Bound 2" and "Blood On the Leaves".
  5. Nardeen
    Mar 11, 2017
    7
    This is the first Kanye album I consider the new Kanye it's a good album however not his best. There is not much variation in this album with most the songs being songs I can jam to in the car. This is also by far his most egocentric project with the songs like I Am A God.
  6. beam123
    Feb 19, 2017
    10
    It's amazing. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍It's amazing. ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍ ‍
  7. djterrible
    Dec 23, 2016
    10
    Kanye West is, without a doubt, the biggest musical genius of the last 10 years, no make that the last 100 years. Given the complexity of this album, the only competition Kanye really has in music is made up of history's greatest classical composers. People who say otherwise are in denial.
  8. zoooweemama
    Dec 5, 2016
    10
    One of the best albums of the decade, this Kanye West classic still holds up to what it was meant to do, innovate. After 3 and a half years of the original drop, this albums still has the amount of freshness and hard hitting sounds that Kanye aspired to bring. Accompanied with the Yeezus Tour, one of the best tours in recent times, this album really brought something many hated; an artistOne of the best albums of the decade, this Kanye West classic still holds up to what it was meant to do, innovate. After 3 and a half years of the original drop, this albums still has the amount of freshness and hard hitting sounds that Kanye aspired to bring. Accompanied with the Yeezus Tour, one of the best tours in recent times, this album really brought something many hated; an artist that truly didn't care for what people thought about the sound of this album. This was an album for Kanye, by Kanye. A self proclaimed "protest of music", there isn't one second of this album that is predictable. One of the greatest albums by one of the greatest artists around.… Expand
  9. victorcarter
    Nov 29, 2016
    9
    The production is completely out of this world. It is not because it is overly experimental, but rather incredibly ambitious. It succeeds in everything it tries to do and then some. My only complaint would be the lyrics that aren't up to par with some of Kanye's previous work.
  10. Targayrean
    Aug 23, 2016
    10
    Irreverent as it is pointlessly incredible. Yeezus is my personal favorite of Kanye West- and after three years I can not tell you why. There is something so honest about every cringe lyric that just rolls off the tongue. "Eating Asian **** all I need is sweet and sour sauce." "Get this **** shaking like Parkinsons" "I'm a Rap-olic priest getting head from the nuns." Poetically idiotic itIrreverent as it is pointlessly incredible. Yeezus is my personal favorite of Kanye West- and after three years I can not tell you why. There is something so honest about every cringe lyric that just rolls off the tongue. "Eating Asian **** all I need is sweet and sour sauce." "Get this **** shaking like Parkinsons" "I'm a Rap-olic priest getting head from the nuns." Poetically idiotic it just makes you as furious as the beats are. And these beats, THESE BEATS. My least favorite track is "Black Skinhead" due to it's pop form that on this record. But all together it is a well constructed album playing with dark lyrics mindlessly head-numbing overly sexual lyrics and confusing lyrics. If Yeezus doesn't give you a black eye you're doing it wrong.… Expand
  11. Mesmerize
    Aug 9, 2016
    9
    9.0
    zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  12. WANGWEST
    May 31, 2016
    10
    This album may sometimes sound demonic but this one of the best albums I have ever listened to. This albums is very aggressive and talks a lot about race. Kanye West is brilliant and has a lot of creative, original references to many things I will not reveal. Just listen to the album on Spotify and find out why this album is amazing!
  13. SumitSumbria
    May 31, 2016
    10
    This album leaves me speechless everytime I listen it. It is a "masterpiece" from start to end. This is the most unique album I've ever listened. The attitude of the song "I'm A God" and "New Slaves" nails it. Kanye West has himself said that "New Slaves" is the best rap song of all time, and even it is. No doubt! In the song "I'm A God" he slays and conveys that he's "the only rapperThis album leaves me speechless everytime I listen it. It is a "masterpiece" from start to end. This is the most unique album I've ever listened. The attitude of the song "I'm A God" and "New Slaves" nails it. Kanye West has himself said that "New Slaves" is the best rap song of all time, and even it is. No doubt! In the song "I'm A God" he slays and conveys that he's "the only rapper compared to Michael". Indeed, it's all true. "Ain't no way (he's) giving up. (he's) a god"
    Favourite tracks - "New Slaves" and "I'm A God"
    Jewel of the album - "New Slaves"    … Expand
  14. tomverberne
    May 11, 2016
    10
    Kanye west is a genius and he knows it. Yeezus is an album that was way ahead of its time. Kanye is not afraid to try new sounds and has done this on Yeezus. He pulls it of amazingly as well with the electric beats which he is also spitting bars over
  15. sentend
    May 1, 2016
    10
    Simultaneously the best and most hated album of 2013. This polarizing, meticulous and grand follow up to his masterpiece, "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", is relentlessly challenging to listeners and will instantly turn you off from the first track. However it is something you need to stick with and embrace its view and it pays off hugely.
  16. redjackb123
    Apr 26, 2016
    10
    Probably my favorite album of all time. Kanye will never fail to impress me with this album. everytime i listen to it, it gets better and better and when Daft Punk and Kanye get together it is something amazing my favorite part of the whole album is that its something different and more darker than the previous album before Yeezus (MBDTF). And i like darker type of albums like Yeezus. iProbably my favorite album of all time. Kanye will never fail to impress me with this album. everytime i listen to it, it gets better and better and when Daft Punk and Kanye get together it is something amazing my favorite part of the whole album is that its something different and more darker than the previous album before Yeezus (MBDTF). And i like darker type of albums like Yeezus. i can not get enough of it, i listen to it atleast everyday and it never gets old it is truly a classic masterpiece of all album. My favorite songs from this album is On Sight, Send it up, Black Skinhead and Guilt Trip.… Expand
  17. chidime
    Apr 1, 2016
    9
    Yes this album is a big curveball from Kanye West. It was probably the last thing his fans were expecting, but seeing his progression from Graduation to 808's and then to MBDTF, it really shouldn't be too surprising that he will produce such a leftist record. While not his best album, it certainly ranks among the best. The sounds he used, though grungy, serve as a musical means for him toYes this album is a big curveball from Kanye West. It was probably the last thing his fans were expecting, but seeing his progression from Graduation to 808's and then to MBDTF, it really shouldn't be too surprising that he will produce such a leftist record. While not his best album, it certainly ranks among the best. The sounds he used, though grungy, serve as a musical means for him to convey the overall message of the album. This album truly took me for a ride, and while I didn't instantly like some tracks, the ones I liked, I really liked. And, as always, it's such a refreshing pleasure to have Bon Iver on borad. Hope they work together some more.
    BEST- On Sight, Black Skinhead, I Am a God, Hold My Liquor
    WORST- Guilt Trip, Blood on the Leaves    … Expand
  18. SergioV
    Mar 22, 2016
    8
    76/100. Kanye put out a really interesting album here, and it is carried by a few songs, but held down by others. "On Sight" and "I Am a God" are two of the worst songs Kanye has ever put out, while "Hold My Liquor", "I'm In It", "Blood on the Leaves" and "Bound 2" are among the best. You get a mixed bag with this album, but overall it has enough great songs to make it a good album.
  19. MikeyD1esel
    Feb 16, 2016
    0
    Complete and utter autonued garbage that sounds like an angry child throwing a tantrum. Stop making music Kanye, produce and leave rapping up to real MCs
  20. hunterdav
    Feb 15, 2016
    10
    This is West's winner. It encapsulates the Kanye West of today and of, seemingly, the future. Sonically, it breaches every wall. But more importantly, many of those walls Kanye himself helped build.
  21. georgecos
    Feb 15, 2016
    10
    Yeezus is like a fine wine. After the first listen, someone may wonder what the heck Kanye was thinking pushing out a minimalist, ten song album. Upon further listenings, however, one can see the genius behind the album and the intricacies behind each song. This album follows with Kanye's trend to stray away from the crowd and create unique masterpieces.
  22. Tonyo
    Feb 14, 2016
    0
    Très ambitieux et "novateur", cet album est à l'image de son chanteur: un mégalo prétentieux.
    Beaucoup de bruit pour pas grand chose, Yeezus est loin de révolutionner la musique, bien au contraire.
  23. PerilousPanda
    Jan 30, 2016
    9
    "Look at the song title "I Am a God" and it seems like easy blasphemy-- Kanye West's update of John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" shocker from 1966. But just as the Beatle's proclamation was fuller and wiser in context-- "I believe that what people call God is something in all of us," Lennon would later explain-- "I Am a God" is not simply the latest self-important blast from one of"Look at the song title "I Am a God" and it seems like easy blasphemy-- Kanye West's update of John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" shocker from 1966. But just as the Beatle's proclamation was fuller and wiser in context-- "I believe that what people call God is something in all of us," Lennon would later explain-- "I Am a God" is not simply the latest self-important blast from one of pop culture's pre-eminent egoists. For starters, the track sounds less triumphant than breathtakingly vexed, crashing in with a gnarled dancehall vocal sample and paranoid sawtooth synths that aim to destroy. Here, Kanye raps about loyalty, respect, threesomes, and, yes, croissants with the urgency of someone being chased by a 30-ton steamroller. The song is pierced by a series of primal screams, pixelated outbursts that are only briefly able to halt the beat's heaving evil. In Kanye's hands, being a god sounds stressful as hell, something we can all relate to, and the song's apparent inspiration is a passage from the book of Psalms: "I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High."
    These are the immeasurably lofty stakes Kanye deals in on Yeezus, his sixth solo album. His intensity here has a heightened desperation as he howls into the void, but the Chicago native has always been beguiled by the view from above. Take "Jesus Walks", where he references another Psalm while gasping from on high: "I walk through the valley of the Chi where death is/ Top floor, the view alone will leave you breathless." Then, on "POWER", he contemplates leaping out of the penthouse, "letting everything go." In a way, Yeezus is the panicked sound of that ensuing free-fall, a rush of angst and despair with absolutely nothing left to lose.
    The album is something of a razor-sharpened take on 2008's distressed 808s & Heartbreak and marks a blunt break with the filigreed maximalism Kanye so thoroughly nailed on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. In hindsight, the latter record-- with its ingratiating GOOD Fridays buildup, endless guest list, and uncharacteristically apologetic interview sessions-- was his attempt at recapturing a superstar-sized American audience after a slew of entertaining-yet-questionable PR incidents. Except it didn't exactly work: While Twisted Fantasy was universally lauded and went platinum, it still stands as Kanye's worst-selling album to date, failing to produce a top 10 single. But even if it wasn't a chart smash, the intricacy and durability of Twisted Fantasy incubated the Cult of Kanye to an extreme level. "I’d rather piss a bunch of people off and make myself happy than make everyone else happy and be pissed off inside," he told VIBE around the release of 808s. Yeezus doubles-down on this exclusionary philosophy: "Soon as they like you, make 'em unlike you/ 'Cause kissing people ass is so unlike you."
    For Kanye, there's purpose in repulsion. And on Yeezus, he trades out smooth soul and anthemic choruses for jarring electro, acid house, and industrial grind while delivering some of his most lewd and heart-crushing tales yet. This is willful provocation that Ice Cube, Madonna, and Trent Reznor could all be proud of. Some of the record has him tackling the same issues he's been rapping about since The College Dropout, albeit with a fire-eyed stare. On his debut's "Family Business", he poignantly lamented a jailed cousin's absence at the Thanksgiving dinner table in a manner "so sweet, like a photo of your granny's picture." On Yeezus, he's still addressing the plight of incarcerated black men, but now he's incensed. With "New Slaves", he confronts us with vulgar stereotypes while exposing the prison-industrial complex for the deeply systemic racist sham that it is.
    Meanwhile, XXX creeper "I'm In It" sounds like a dancehall orgasm mired in quicksand and makes previous come-ons like "Slow Jamz" come off like Disney theme songs. "The kids and the wife life, but can't wake up from the nightlife," says the new father on that track's knowingly button-pushing final verse. "I'm so scared of my demons/ I go to sleep with a nightlight." Kanye told The New York Times he's recently reached a new level of Zen, but this is the opposite of beach-chair music. Perhaps the album's most explicit lines are the blurry fantasies of a confessed porn addict who's described his daughter's mother as a "superstar all from a home movie." Without much room for levity, Kanye's complicated and distrustful view of women is unrelenting on Yeezus. And while there's no real excuse for flat oafishness like "eatin' Asian **** all I need was sweet and sour sauce," many of the album's most powerful moments have him broken down, insecure, and bloody, railing against an ineptitude with the opposite sex.
    Album pinnacle "Blood on the Leaves" tells a nightmarish story of divorce and betrayal, all while samples of Nina Simone's pitched-up "Strange Fruit" and TNGHT's demonic "R U Ready" horns play yin and yang" -Pitchfork    … Expand
  24. Jiano74
    Jan 29, 2016
    0
    Dull, boring and pathetic and that's just Kanye. This is quite possibly one of the worst excuses for an album though to be fair none of his albums are awful so this is no surprise.
  25. nirvanafreak
    Jan 15, 2016
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Favourite Songs: On Sight, Black Skinhead, New Slaves, Blood on the Leaves
    Least Favourite Songs: Bound 2, Guilt Trip, Hold My Liquor
    Yeezus is not an unenjoyable album but I have a fair few issues with the content on it, as well as the way it's been glorified as some envelope pushing masterpiece. It's just not that. Yeezus may have introduced a lot more people to noise hop as a genre but I don't think taking a sound over a decade old and giving it a more mainstream appeal is at all envelope pushing. It's like Death Grips who seem to get all the praise for this exciting new kind of music, which is why noise hop fans, like Moodie Black, get annoyed when people just assume Death Grips are the first noise hop band ever and everyone else is just copying them. It's exactly the same thing with Kanye's Yeezus and at times it makes want to hate the album. Its bad enough hundreds of thousands of people, possibly millions, think that this is groundbreaking; it's made worse by the fact that it's a half assed effort. I dare anyone to argue he put his all into this. I guess I'm happy that Kanye experimented with this sound but I would be a lot happier if he introduced it to people well because after hearing the Lil Wayne level lyrics to songs like 'I'm In It' it would just seem like the new horror core with lyrics that try too hard to be shocking. Kanye West could have actually created a very dark album with this but he completely ruins the mood created by the beats with dumb lyrics. On the final song the production takes a very unexpected turn towards a College Dropout era sound but sadly Kanye doesn't take that same trip back with his lyrics. Despite all of that there is, like I said, some very dark production on here and a great mixture of raw drums and dark synths on a few songs. Most of my favourite songs were produced with the help of Daft Punk- most notably the messy futuristic sounding opener 'On Sight'- which has for 3 years left me dreaming of some kind of full length collaboration between the two artists that'll almost definitely never happen. But still, I can dream can't I?
    Better Than Previous Project?: No
    Try This If You Like: The Money Store by Death Grips    … Expand
  26. Bringman
    Jan 5, 2016
    3
    The worst Kanye's album, i like the fact that he's tryna experiment with his music, but this time he failed. The best song on the album is "Black Skinhead", where he fuse the industrial music with the hip-hop, and it's sounds pretty good, but in the album there are HORRIBLE songs, like "Bound 2", sounds like a bowl full of **** and the other songs are bad, songs like "Blood on the Leaves"The worst Kanye's album, i like the fact that he's tryna experiment with his music, but this time he failed. The best song on the album is "Black Skinhead", where he fuse the industrial music with the hip-hop, and it's sounds pretty good, but in the album there are HORRIBLE songs, like "Bound 2", sounds like a bowl full of **** and the other songs are bad, songs like "Blood on the Leaves" doesn't need to exist. Hope that his next album will be much better… Expand
  27. IronGaming_
    Dec 22, 2015
    3
    I don't know where Kanye's head is at with this one. It seems like he tried to do industrial type production, which is cool and all, but this man's bars are some of the worst I've heard in a while. Then the ever so cringy sex themed lyrics make it hard for me to take this man seriously. Definitely not the worst thing I've ever heard, but I expect MUCH more from Kanye West.
  28. lisiak
    Dec 19, 2015
    10
    Absolutely perfect album. Innovative music for many other artists. I recommend for all hip hop's fans. It would be great if there is two tracks more on the album. But 10/10 :)
  29. cescopapa
    Nov 20, 2015
    9
    I'm an italian fan of Kanye west and I think that this album will be remembered as an album that broke many barriers and a classic in the next ten years. Sounds are incredible but the only flaw is that the verses are a bit without sense. Ye talks about racism but in the next verse he talks about his leather pants?! But this is Kanye. This is one of the few , perhaps the only , reasons whyI'm an italian fan of Kanye west and I think that this album will be remembered as an album that broke many barriers and a classic in the next ten years. Sounds are incredible but the only flaw is that the verses are a bit without sense. Ye talks about racism but in the next verse he talks about his leather pants?! But this is Kanye. This is one of the few , perhaps the only , reasons why my vote is 9 and not 10.… Expand
  30. mc_ryn
    Sep 22, 2015
    10
    will never be able to listen to this in public because the message is too serious to be taken lightly. i get hype listening to songs on this

    kanye continues to speak of his mind
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Awards & Rankings

42
#42 Best Album of 2013
3
#3 Most Discussed Album of 2013
3
#3 Most Shared Album of 2013

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
84

Universal acclaim - based on 46 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 46
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 46
  3. Negative: 1 out of 46
  1. The Wire
    Dec 10, 2013
    50
    His concerns are serious--consumerism, race, fame, relationships--but he rarely addresses them with the craft or focus they deserve. [Sep 2013, p.66]
  2. Q Magazine
    Aug 20, 2013
    80
    Contradiction incarnate, Yeezus is Kanye's most Kanyeish LP yet. [Sep 2013, p.103]
  3. Mojo
    Aug 13, 2013
    80
    Nasty, brutish, short, and wholly compelling, Yeezus begs only one question: where next? [Sep 2013, p.89]
See all critic reviews »