Oh Kanye...

Mr. West is seen above in a pullover from his new line Pastelle. So far I am not impressed, I feel the same way about the piece seen above as I do those revealed in Vman a couple of months ago, and as I do about his new album. Obvious design choices are deployed in obvious ways. The 80s style colorblocking has been done better. Conspicuous logos are another demonstration of tastes lacking of sophistication.



808's and Heartbreak, West's new album, breaks from his tradition of creating catchy hip hop singles by producing what is essentially a hip hop infused pop album owes more to Peter Gabriel than perhaps any hip hop album ever. For me the stand out track is Say What You Will where this moody new wave sound comes together best. Lyrically, the album delves into emotional depths that don't suit his limited vocabulary and at times the narratives become unintentionally hilarious. When comparing his life to that of a family man he juxtaposes photos of a man's children to the rapper's cribs and his many cars. Boo-hoo. This feeling of emptiness is quickly replaced by more expected reveling in riches on other tracks, don't worry. The biggest element to weigh down the album is the nonstop autotuner usage which reminds us of the less interesting Genesis member, Phil Collins.

Kanye calls himself "the voice of our generation". Frankly, I'm not even worried about that being true. It rings as hollow as any other self-promotional statement rappers throw out casually.