I'm a killer
I know I'm wrong
I'm a problem
That'll never ever be solved"
Only Mr. Ego of the Decade of the Year could turn a barrage of self-pity around by using it as a way to boast about his own complexity. Kanye never ceases to amaze.
From virtually the start of the decade, Mr. West has owned our playlists, beginning with his production for Jay-Z, then really picking up steam in 2004 with the release of The College Dropout and never looking back. He got so good - not only in his own mind, but for real - that he felt he had conquered rap and released an album of Auto-Tuned electro-pop ballads. Amazing.
Believe it or not, 808s and Heartbreak was excellent, if a downer - in some ways it was the soundtrack to the winter of 2008/2009. Even relatively positive songs like "Amazing" are laced with self-doubt and defiance. The production itself defies standard rap fare, with perhaps its most distinct element being its tempo, a slow chug bolstered by minimal piano and the occasional grunt.
Grunts come courtesy of Young Jeezy and act as the instrumental trump card. We'll freely admit - we usually don't "get" Jeezy, but his appearance here really works, blowing through the track like a wheezing bullhorn of proud disaffection. When he bellows, "They like, 'Oh God, why you go so hard?'", you know he's only yelling because he's truly got something to prove.
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