Ranking Kanye West's Solo Albums By: DimVinci

Ranking Kanye West's Solo Albums

Introduction

Kanye West is one of the best artists of his time no doubt. I also think that his influence is comparable to a Andy Warhol or a Pablo Picasso. Ye truly is a pioneer in the rap game and in the world in general. For motivation I watch Ye documentaries and it never fails. 

1. Late Registration 

I remember the day my aunt bought me this CD. I was in 5th or 6th grade at the time. I remember playing this album before I went to bed for almost two years straight. This is the album that made me love music. I paid attention to everything Ye said. I paid attention to every beat. 

This album is one of the best albums of all time in my opinion. The beats contain some of the best sampling you'll hear. Chop up the soul Kanye is fully alive throughout the whole album. 

There is too many good songs on this album too. "Drive Slow", "We Major", "Roses", "Gone", and "Addiction" just to name a few. This album appreciated the more I got older. The topics that Ye covered on this album are timeless. This album will touch your soul.

2. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Wow. I don't know where to begin with this album. This album is honestly tied first with LR, but for the sake of making a list, I put this at number two. This album created a second wind for Kanye, something that many artists tried to do but failed miserably. The genius behind this album is never ending. The artist behind the cover art, George Condo, is my favorite artist of all time. He single handily created a new genre of art called "Artificial Realism". His style perfectly blends in with the sonics MBDTF brings. 

Ye's ego and braggadocios flow is all over this album. I truly love it, it makes the tracks feel more personable. The production is also on another level. "Runaway" resurrected Pusha's career and the posse tracks "So Appalled" and "Monster" brought light to Nicki Minaj's and Cy Hi Tha Prince's career.

The stories behind this album are great too. Like how everyone was on coke when they recorded "So Appalled" and how they all used to play pick up basketball in the mornings during the recording season. KANYE WAS ON HIS GOD SHIT.

3. Graduation

Graduation took Kanye to the next level. He aimed for area anthems and that is just what we got. Songs like "Stronger" and "Good Life" hit this theme on the dot. You can visualize how the crowd will react when they hear these songs. Ye also linked up with another great artist for this album, Takashi Murakami. Takashi's work is very impressive and fits the sonics of this album. Ye is very good at making sure all of his music matches the aesthetic of his cover art. 

This album contains some of my favorite joints ever. "Champion" is flawless, "Flashing Lights" is timeless, and "Barry Bonds" is slept on. The production on this album is so awesome. Its like you are at a underground Japanese concert. Everything is alive; the drums, the chords, and the hooks.

Lets not forget about "Everything I Am". DJ Premier killed this track. The beat fits Ye like a good pair of jeans. "Homecoming" is another gem. One of the best Ye tracks of all time.

  

4. Yeezus

"Yeezus" ages like fine wine. This album is soooo good yet so raw. The "Minimalist Perfectionist" approach as I call it, is executed perfectly. This album has a heavy industrial hip-hop vibe to it that scares away some Ye fans, but I love it. Ye is on some savagery throughout the whole album as well. The dude seriously is on some god shit 24/7.

"On Sight", "Bound 2", "Blood On The Leaves", and "Send It Up" are my personal favorites. The sounds Ye brings out on this album is insane. "Yeezus" is the biggest dark horse in his discography.

5. The College Dropout

Ye's debut album, "The College Dropout" stunned the game. Chop up the soul Kanye was now launched into the mainstream. Ye recorded a legendary song with his jaw wired shut. The song was later called "Through The Wire", which is one of the most powerful Ye songs ever. "Breathe In Breathe out" is one of my personal favorites on the albums. Ye and Luda was a dream team at the time of the release. This album will always have meaning to me because Ye was spitting so hard. You can feel that he wanted that top spot and the respect he deserved from his peers.

6. The Life Of Pablo

TLOP is one of Kanye's most left-field albums to date. From him rapping about bleached assholes to his best friends, this album is a roller coaster of emotion. Both parts of "Father Stretch My Hands" are incredible, "Fade" is hard af, "Real Friends" is classic Ye, and "No More Parties in LA" is a dream collab between Kanye, Kendrick, and Madlib. This album isn't going to stun you with lyrics, but more so Kanye showing us that he can out due his peers at their own style of rap.

7. 808s & Heartbreak

808s is my least favorite Ye album of all time. I fully understand the influence this album brought to the rap game, but it doesn't hit home to me. The pain Ye was going through while recording this album was immense. He did a great job show casing that. I feel like I might be the only person who thinks that 808s is his worst album, but imma keep it real no matter what.