As an extension of the personality of its creator, Yeezus couldn't be a more accurate reflection of Kanye West. Weighted in the sort of delightfully narcissistic self-delusion that you could only really find on a Kanye record, West's lofty opinion of himself is expressed throughout. Kanye unflinchingly compares himself to the likes of Jesus, Steve Jobs and Michael Jackson - the latter of which would be incredibly infuriating if he wasn't, y'know, probably right.
Yeezus isn't as tuneful as its big sister, 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, but it is an open door into the mind of Kanye, revealing all of his egotism and inadequacies in equal measure. If anything, it sounds like Kanye was listening to a lot of Death Grips since he learned he was going to be a father and the result he drew from that period introspection was basically: "yep, I'm awesome."
Is it possible for Yeezus to be as good as Kanye thinks it is? Remember: this is a guy who occupies the same 'bigger-than-Jesus' musical realm that has been largely extinct since the seventies, so there's no understatement on here whatsoever. Its flaws and blemishes, its triumphs and its successes all merge together and are magnified and presented front and centre.
Lyrically, West moves from topic to topic haphazardly, jumping from civil rights, to racism, to booty calls, to blowjobs at a moment's notice. The tone of Yeezus isn't a particularly pleasant one but it won't let hold of you for the full forty minute duration. The record's highlights seem disproportionately represented on the first half of the album, with 'On Sight' ("How much do I not give a fuck?/Let Me show you right now before you give it up"), 'New Slaves', 'I Am A God' ("I am a God/Hurry up with my damn massage") and the spellbinding 'Black Skinhead', which producer Rick Rubin has his fingerprints all over, all being particular highlights.
An unnecessary foray into auto-tuned vocals mires the second half of the album slightly and distracts from the tempo West establishes on Side A, but overall Yeezus is an absolute tour-de-force of a record from one of music's few true superstars. His unwillingness to adhere to any sort of convention is what makes Yeezus so appealing. It's not the best album released so far in 2013 but Kanye West doesn't give a shit what I, or you for that matter, think.
Listen: 'On Sight', 'Black Skinhead', 'Bound 2'
Review by John Balfe