Kanye West Ye

Kanye doesn’t shy away from darkness or drama on his eighth solo album, created amid the snowcapped mountains encircling Jackson Hole, Wyoming. While the headline-grabbing controversies preceding the album are mentioned (including that notorious “slavery was a choice” comment), he also delivers some of the most candid lyrics of his career. Kanye confesses to suicidal and homicidal thoughts within the first minute, admits he’s bipolar on “Yikes”—proclaiming the condition is “my super-power…ain’t no disability”—and reveals how having daughters changed his views about women on “Violent Crimes". As always, his production is remarkable; Kanye’s political beliefs may have changed, but his ear for chopped samples, gospel-informed vocals and outstanding beats hasn’t.