The original! and yet, lost to an old company slack account.
I still have the song titles, but none of the explanations. I'll add something short after the fact to try to give some color.
#15 – No More Parties in L.A.
this leaked with the kendrick verse right before The Life of Pablo came out. It gave some hope, eventually unfounded, that the record would be up to par.
#14 – Drive Slow
one thing i've been really into about kanye is the way he winds through genres – the syrup-ness of paul wall is a surprising complement here.
#13 – Mercy
maybe the most kanye-kanye moment to date is when, on this song, he crafts an INCREDIBLE beat for every other artist, and then for him, flips it and uses an every sicker one just for him. Truly astounding & selfish stuff.
#12 – Black Skinhead
I loved Yeezus a lot so it's heavily represented here. Part of it is just the combativeness of the album. he didn't care much for being liked at this time.
#11 – Christmas in Harlem
honestly... a killer christmas song. Maybe one of the best ever?
he's just such a goof on this song. playful stuff, dig it.
#10 – Through the Wire
I mean, he did it with his jaw shut. come on now.
#9 – Chain Heavy
beat fucking SLAPS. love a gritty & nasty beat outing.
#8 – Never Let Me Down
this is a good example of the level of gospel music that ye shoulda stopped at.
#7 – Christian Dior Denim Flow
the whole G.O.O.D. era was killer, but I think this is my favorite of the bunch. underappreciated gem.
#6 – New Slaves
this is just a mean song, just loud and angry with who he is & who he's been made to be. I think it was lou reed's album review that goes deep on this. and it's great. check it out.
#5 – So Appalled
A standout track on his best record, an incredible beat, relentless swagger. also the prescient "balding donald trump taking dollars from y'all" line. guess we shoulda known.
#4 – Two Words
I love any song in the spirit of Jay-Z's Twenty-Two Twos. The artificial constraint seems to produce some great songs, this being one of them. Also a good era for kanye actually giving a shit about other people. Miss that era.
#3 – All of the Lights
Come on, you knew this was coming. The best song on his best record. incredible hype song. It sounds like walking out of the tunnel into a stadium full of adoring fans.
#2 – Hold My Liquor
Kanye's at his best when he's self-reflective and introspective. this is that.
#1 – Spaceship
Kanye's best song by a pretty big margin in my perspective - including everything that brought him to fame: incredible production, lyrics that were more potent than they were lyrical, a cutting look at himself and society at the same time.
I remember when this came out. One of the moments that started me into rap.