For me, Kanye West has always been on a level above 95% of all other MC's/music producers, he's essentially the creme-de-la-creme of modern day hip-hop, and in my eyes, he's truly changed the scene for good. He made a statement recently, claiming that he releases 'perfect music', and instead of getting reactions from other rappers such as "what the flying f*** is this guy talking about?", most merely wondered why he hadn't made the statement earlier on in his career.
Cruel Summer is Kanye's first "crew album" due to the collaboration with his G.O.O.D. Music affiliates, and although the wait was long and there are only 12 tracks on the album, it is well worth the suffering. Artists that feature on the album include 'Kanye's G.O.O.D. inner circle' (Pusha T, 2 Chainz, Kid Cudi and Big Sean), and various other MC's from the record label, with some guest appearances from Jay-Z (surprise surprise), R Kelly and Jadakiss.
Personally, I was a little bummed out to find out that Bon Iver and Mos Def wouldn't be featuring on the album, and that they were to be replaced with unheard-of musical virgins such as Cyhi The Prince and Ma$e, who sounded truly amateur when put next to such huge names in the world of hip-hop, but I suppose that Kanye can't get everything right. Another disappointment was the fact that 4 out of the 12 tracks (Clique, Mercy, New God Flow and Cold) had already been released as singles previous to the public release of Cruel Summer, meaning that I felt a little bit ripped off by one of my all time favourite musicians. However, enough of the negatives, let's take a look at the ins and outs of this masterpiece.
“New God Flow” is an iconic track on the album as it contains various different musical genres, but blends them all together in a heavenly manner to create a sensual musical smoothie. It's a song that tries to establish itself as a showcase of lyricism, and with Kanye, Pusha T and the infamous Ghostface Killah on the track, you know that it can only end with an orgasm of the eardrums. Kanye's egocentric nature comes through in his minute-long rap soliloquy, and with lyrics such as "went from most hated to the champion God flow, I guess that's a feeling only me and Lebron know", you start to question whether anyone can top this unstoppable MC. There are other masterpieces that shine through on the album, but I think that in the latter half, every artist seems to be trying to mark their own mark on the song instead of playing off of one another’s strengths, and in tracks such as "Sin City", you notice that it just sounds like a desperate scramble for attention.
Taking everything into account, I think that there will be an awful lot to come from the G.O.O.D. Music record label in the near future, and Yeezy has done an unquestionably good job as a Jedi-master figure, teaching his padawans the way of the force (I watch too much Star Wars okay).
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