Jan 18, 2020

Details Pls

 

Jan 18, 2020

Tag em

 

Jan 18, 2020

Listening to this album makes me feel like Eminem has never heard music before...like I’m just baffled by so many of the choices on here in terms of production, subject matter, and pairings (juice wrld hook with a rap god flow? What the f---?) from someone who used to make compelling music, was solid at self-producing, and had a knack for melodic hooks (s/o starnizzy).

I’m not here to cape for JIK like it's an amazing album because I don't love it. But at the end of the day, Kanye will always be talented at piecing things together as a producer which is why his albums will always have a couple gems even if they're not that great as a whole. Like putting Clipse + Kenny G is something no one would have thought to do, but it worked. Em, at least in 2020, doesn't have that talent. He can't even make a song with juice wrld or don toliver on the hook work well. He just seems lost.

I wasn't a fan of JIK at all when it first dropped, in fact I almost felt that ye was a better album. As a big fan of Yeezus I think that's in part from being teased a spiritual sequel with Yandhi and hearing a lot leaked demos that gave me hope for the finished product. I tried it a few times and didn't go back to it all after the first week and left even more disappointed than I was with ye.

I gave it another chance a couple months removed, and while it's still his second worst album after ye, I think I was a little bit harsh on it. It has a clear theme/sonic direction and is cohesive as a body of work. I think Follow God and Use This Gospel are great songs (wouldn't put either of them on his all-time lists, but I like them well enough) and I enjoy On God, Hands On a decent amount too. As always, the production is on point. The closed on Sunday...you're my chik fil a line is corny but it's the type of corny kanyeism we've always laughed it.

Of course, my biggest gripe with it is the content—I'm not religious but I can appreciate an album about religion, however, you'd think Kanye would have spent more time on the lyrics for an album dedicated to something that's clearly so important to him (and that he started a cult for lol). At the same time, like Kamikaze, one of its saving graces is its length. It's bite sized enough that its flaws don't make me hate myself for listening it all the way through (s/o chance the rapper).

But man, Music to Be Murdered By is just flat out bad. I have my criticisms of Kamikaze, but it works as an album and is coherent body of work. This album is just a shitshow of bad sonic decisions, immature lyrics from an almost 50 year old man, and overall horrible songs. And holy f--- is it long for absolutely no reason. It feels like a stan just pasted together some unfinished songs over horrible production, added a few hooks, and randomized them on a tracklist (actually that's not giving stans enough credit, I feel like a true stan with audio editing skills could make some way better edits lol). And I could forgive some immature lyrics if the songs at least sounded good, but like I said, listening to this album feels like Eminem has never heard music before.

tldr: JIK and MTBMB are both mediocre, but Kanye knows how to craft a song in 2020 and eminem doesn't

 

Jan 18, 2020

His beat was dope on that tho