issue 7 // volume 44

arts // no. 7

From heartbreaks to twisted fantasies

> Kanye West's albums ranked

Joshua Toevs
Contributor

 

808s & Heartbreak (2008)

808s is not a bad album per se but it
certainly falls short of the standards that
Kanye had set with previous records.
West is at his most experimental on
this record, incorporating hollow, cold
production with Auto-Tune vocals. His
emotional fragility at the time is very
evident, having recently lost his mother
and breaking up with his long-term
fiancée, and it shows on this record.
He constantly speaks on loss with this
record, from the loss of love on “Heartless”
and “Coldest Winter” to the loss of his
freedom in life on the Kid Cudi-assisted
“Welcome to Heartbreak.” The production
on “Amazing,” with the tribal drums and
the dark atmosphere that surrounds
them, provides a very anthematic song.

There are some big blunders on this

record, though. The over-reliance on
Auto-Tune is grating at points, especially
when he attempts to swoon on a record. In
addition, the writing is mediocre at best,
which only accentuates the annoyance of
Kanye’s vocals, while a lot of the album
sounds terribly mastered, providing
for some bad listening experiences.

6. Graduation (2007)

Having Graduation this low may ruffle
some feathers, but there are valid reasons
as to why this one of Kanye’s weaker
albums. First, the positives. The anthems
on this record are massive, boisterous,
and encapsulating, with songs like
“Good Life” audibly representing the
idea of good vibes only. That particular
song is highly quotable and a perfect
song to throw on ina club or at a house
party. “Can't Tell Me Nothing’ with its
shimmering, slowed-down soul beat
allows Kanye to address his detractors
while also announcing to the world

No shame or stigma, just laughs

> Stand-up comedy show brings humour to mental illness

Caroline Ho
Arts Editor

 

Si stand-up comedians took to
the stage of the Laura C. Muir
Performing Arts Theatre last Friday
evening to show the audience that
yes, you can laugh at depression.
The free comedy show was put
on by the organization Stand Up for
Mental Health, founded by comic,
counselor, and author David Granirer.
Through his organization, Granirer
trains people with mental health issues
to create and perform stand-up comedy
in order to combat the stigma and
prejudice surrounding mental illness.
Mental health is clearly a topic that
matters deeply to students at Douglas—
and to everyone in society—but is far too
often misunderstood or brushed aside.
“Tt’s not a subject you see very
often mixed in [with comedy], but

that he is one of the best in the game.

The reason why this album is so
low on the list is because it is his only
effort that sounds terribly dated. The
production, the flows, and the features
sound like 2007, which makes it a lot
harder to listen to 10 years later. As well,
songs like “Drunk and Hot Girls” and
“Everything I Am” are some of Kanye's
worst songs he has ever released.

5. The Life of Pablo (2016)
His most recent project is certainly an
interesting one. There is a sonic mishmash
with the mixture of trap, EDM, pop, and
soul all melded into one succinct record.
The album’s best points are definitely
strong, from the Nina Simone sample
on the Taylor Swift diss track, “Famous,”
to the dark and somber revelations on
“FML” featuring The Weeknd. Kanye
is very reflective about his love for his
family (“FML”), his struggles with fame
(“Father Stretch My Hands”), his footing
in the fashion world (“Facts”), and the
need for love (“Ultralight Beam”). The
latter song in particular is the standout
record. It starts with a young girl talking
about the Lord and then we get these
light and ethereal guitar riffs mixed with
that trap sound that Kanye has become
accustomed to using since Cruel Summer.
The biggest problem with the record
is that the features on the album outshine
Kanye himself. Overall the album is great
musically. The beats are varied and lush.
The features are all great and everything
feels layered. However, the biggest
problem with the album is sadly Kanye
himself. Kanye sounds lost most of the
time and jumps from thought to thought
without letting any ideas breathe. It also
feels very short and disjointed. Kanye
dropped arguably his worst album lyrically
since 808s but thankfully the music makes
it an enjoyable listen. Great attempt
at the music but a letdown lyrically.

it’s something that is important,”
said Carter Grenier, one student who
attended Friday’s show, and spoke with
the Other Press before the event.
Joanna Teng, also a student, said she
hopes events like this help to destigmatize
the subject of mental health, “so we
can create better awareness and have
it part of our everyday conversations
as something that’s not as taboo.”
At Friday’s show, Granirer
and five comics trained by him
through Stand Up for Mental Health
performed routines based on their
own experiences with mental illnesses
including depression, bipolar disorder,
anxiety, and schizophrenia. The
comics shared deeply personal and
hilarious stories and quips about the
side effects of medication, talking to
strangers about their mental illness,
the effects of mental illness on physical
abilities and libido, self-medicating
with drugs, and other anecdotes.

kanYeWest GRADUATION

 

4. Yeezus (2013)
An album created at Kanye’s most
broken. If you watched any interviews
during the leadup to the album or the
interviews that followed its release, you
would have seen the pain and anger
that Kanye was experiencing. He wasn’t
being taken seriously in the fashion
world and that angst was definitely
transposed into Yeezus. It is his shortest
and most experimental album ever: Ten
tracks featuring minimalist production,
braggadocios lyrics, and angry flows.
Kanye touches on a number issues
including racism at length. This is best
shown on the aptly titled “New Slaves:”
My momma was raised in
an era when / Clean water was
only served to the fairer skin
Doing clothes you would have
thought I had help / But they wasn’t

An attentive audience listened,
laughed, and sympathized as the
performers shared painfully honest
glimpses into what it’s like dealing
with mental health issues. The jokes
were self-aware and tastefully self-
deprecating, but also balanced humour
with a sobering cognizance about
the reality of these issues that plague
so many people on a daily basis.

“I think comedy can also just be a
great coping mechanism for any subject,”
said student Siobhan Bostock to the
Other Press before the show, a sentiment
the performers seemed to agree with.

Jari Wilkman, one of the comics,
told the Other Press that doing stand-up
comedy does help him deal with some of
the challenges. In addition to the reward
of hearing an audience’s laughter at his
original material, he’s also able to use the
experience of performing in front of a
crowd as motivation. “It helps me in my
day to day, just sort of, “Well, I’ve done

Graduation album art

satisfied unless I picked the Cotton myself.
Kanye talks about his love of Kim
Kardashian on “Bound 2,” a record that
features an angelic vocal performance
by Charlie Wilson in front of an ethereal
beat that is tied together by a perfectly
integrated sample of Brenda Lee’s “Sweet
Nothin’s.” There are funny moments
with the dirty and overtly sexual “I’m
In It,” as well as dark moments on the
grime-inspired “Hold My Liquor.” The
standout track on the album is “Blood
on the Leaves” featuring a sample of
Nina Simone’s “Strange Fruit.” The
horns are vibrant and punchy, the
strings raw, and Kanye is poignant and
emotional. Overall Yeezus is the first
of four great records in Kanye’s vault.

Tune in next week for
the rest of this list!

To find out more about the fantastic
and hilarious work of Stand Up for

Mental Health, and to watch videos of

some of their refreshingly candid comedy
acts, check out their website: http://
standupformentalhealth.com.

 

this, so obviously I can go to the store and
go get groceries,” he said. “Sometimes
that’s enough to get me out of the house.”
Granirer said to the Other Press
that he hopes the audience is inspired
by seeing ordinary people who are
not professional comics—especially
ordinary people who have struggled with
mental health issues—take the stage
and share their experiences so frankly.
However, as the main takeaway
from the evening, he said, “I hope
it personalizes all those labels, and
[audiences] have to see the people behind
those labels.” Through these shows,
he wants others to recognize that, for
example, people with schizophrenia
shouldn't be seen as crazy, potentially
dangerous criminals—that they can
be likeable, relatable, and hilarious.
“We don't have anything to be
ashamed of here,” said Juno Mac, another
comic who performed at Friday’s show.