Artists in the 21st century are expected to create and produce successful work with little turnaround time. Once fame is achieved, there’s only so much time before you’re left behind for someone keener, bolder, and maybe even younger. Frank Ocean and Rihanna have been prey to online communities begging for new albums after years of complete solo-career radio silence; One Direction faltered under its collective mantra of an album every year for five years.
There is a unique backlash that artists face along their path through their careers: the nostalgic fandom. Scrolling through music videos on YouTube or Twitter, you might catch a glimpse of people lamenting in the comments section over the loss of an artist’s older stage persona. At the forefront of this mourning is Kanye West, a man who has pioneered rap since The College Dropout and has created a variety of personas over time through his work and collaborations.
An ever-changing enigma, West has been trying to hail himself as the best artist of the century only 16 years in. Whenever you think that he may have topped himself, West releases something newer and fresher, something completely different than before with the same Kanye taste to it. With his fashion background exploding as everyone clambers for a pair of Yeezy Boosts and his promised upcoming presidential run in 2020, fans were beginning to wonder: what about the music made by the “Old Kanye?”
Then came The Life of Pablo, Kanye West’s first album since the genesis of his electronic hip-hop creation, Yeezus, released three years ago. What could be considered one of the most confusing and messiest album rollouts, TLOP has managed to outdo itself in uniqueness of release, sound, and medium. Revised album titles, cut and added artist features, and shuffled track listings have cropped up on West’s Twitter since May 2015; he has displayed his artistic process for the world to see amongst free-form personal and political opinions that can be called questionable at best. The constantly shifting title moved from So Help Me God to Swish to Waves and finally settling on The Life of Pablo—referencing one of his verses in the Kendrick Lamar-featured “No More Parties In L.A”: “I feel like Pablo when I’m workin’ on my shoes/I feel like Pablo when I see me on the news/I feel like Pablo when I’m workin’ on my house.” West has always focused on muses in his work, drawing from life experiences, religion, and art that inspire him in order to re-envision himself as an artist.
The Life of Pablo has provided fodder for fans only on Kanye West’s terms; it is evident Kanye has never needed to appease the fans who are quick to criticize. On the a cappella, 45-second track titled “I Love Kanye,” West’s voice rings out, “I miss the old Kanye.” He assumes the position of all the anonymous commenters begging for him to return to the pink-polo, shuttershade-wearing Kanye West who reworked mainly soul music into his work. The track’s placement in the exact middle of the finalized album track list is purposeful; the break between his experimental track “Freestyle 4” and chopped-and-screwed ballad “Waves” is a callout to anyone questioning his artistic power. The track was supposed to be called “I Miss The Old Kanye,” but the switch to “I Love Kanye” is indicative of the rapper and artist that West has become.
An artist is meant to evolve over time, yet masses of fans pray for the return of the exact version of that artist they once idolized. Maybe you don’t think The Life of Pablo is the best Kanye West album, and even I’m not sure of my own opinions on it, but that is not the point of TLOP. It isn’t about redemption or garnering praise; West made this album for himself and for the sake of his artistic creation. The constant editing of the order of tracks and delays in release show that West prioritized creating the music he wanted, not what the masses wanted from him.
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