The Life of Pablo Review

Top songs: Ultralight Beam, Father Stretch My Hands, Waves, 30 Hours, No More Parties in LA, Fade, & Saint Pablo

By Nishad Karulkar Opinions Editor

I have never cared for Valentine’s Day. A day for love? Gross. A day for couples? Even worse.

And although back in 2016, I definitely did not have a Valentine, Kanye’s February 14th release, The Life of Pablo, gave me a digital LP I would hold close to my heart for years to come.

Seven years ago, Kanye gave a 14-year-old me a Valentine’s Day gift. However, looking back, the album is more likely a Valentine’s present, if not an ode, to himself. I mean, the notorious megalomaniac literally and hilariously titles track nine, “I Love Kanye.”

I assume the mentally struggling, and most socially aware yet unaware artist saw the brilliance in the piece during the final stages of mixing the record. Hence the name of the slam poetry-infused track nine.

It was his last true classic and cohesive record. Ye was too short to be a full studio album and Donda was too long and scattered.

With the help of legendary collaborations, producers, and A-list artists, Kanye adds one more feather to his cap, arguably being the greatest hip-hop artist of all time.

Rihanna. The Weeknd. Frank Ocean. Kendrick Lamar. Chris Brown. Post Malone. Chance the Rapper. Just to name a few. Yet not a single one is credited with a feature on the visually tangible tracks themselves, though all do receive written credits. The man’s ego was clearly at work once again.

The first track “Ultralight Beam” showcases his Christian roots. With production infused with the soul of a church choir and bars by Chance the Rapper, it just might have the compelling power to convert your most ardent atheist friend.

“You can feel the lyrics and spirit coming in braille / Tubman of the underground, come and follow the trail / I made Sunday selves. While every character has multiple alternate versions of themselves in the multiverse, Joy only has one, and that alternate version of herself is none other than Jobu Tupaki. This was revealed early on in the film and explains that the reason Jobu is a dark and powerful force is because she’s the only individual in the multiverse who is able to effortlessly jump from various universes with the snap of her finger. As a consequence, Joy is able to feel every emotion all at once.

Everything Everywhere All At Once is known for its humor, chaos and absurdity via special effects, editing, and hilarious and ridiculous dialogue. The visuals of this movie is out of this world and truly illustrates the absurd multiverse that Everything Everywhere All At Once takes place in. While it may seem like nothing makes sense in this crazy film, these creative choices all tie in with the film’s main theme of the concept of absurdism: life and the world around it lacks actual meaning.

There are countless miniscule details that symbolize and represent the philosophy of different characters and contribute to the overall message of the film.

Circles play a huge role and can be seen scattered throughout the film.

Jobu condenses all her findings from every universe into an (everything) bagel, which collapsed on itself like a black hole. After experiencing and witnessing every emotion in every universe, Jobu/Joy concludes that nothing in life matters. Other than the bagel itself, aggressively drawn circles that look similar to the bagel represent Jobu/Joy’s philosophy that nothing matters.

Another significant detail are googly eyes. They represent the philosophy of Waymond Wang which is also that nothing matters; however, because nothing matters, it means that everything matters. The bagel and googly eyes are seen as the yin and yang.

Waymond acts as the middle ground between Evelyn and Joy. He is the grounding force and the source of kindness, patience and understanding in his loved-ones lives. Amidst the chaos and the loud noises of life, he reminds everyone that it is the small and meaningless things that hold the most significance.

Everything Everywhere All At Once tells us that nothing in life matters. However, it is how we interpret that message which can affect and change our outlook on life drastically. Reject the bagel, embrace the googly eyes.

Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu’s acting are absolutely phenomenal and moving. Their performances take you on this crazy and absurd journey through the multiverse and allows you to feel various emotions. Never has a film made me laugh so much, cry so much and question existence the way Everything Everywhere All At Once has.

Since EEAAO covers various topics, anyone can take something meaningful out of this unique and peculiar film.

As someone who has seen the movie on both a small computer screen and recently in theaters, I highly recommend that you take advantage of this re-release and watch Everything Everywhere All At Once on the big screen in order to fully immerse yourself in a universe filled with laundry, taxes and googly-eyes.

Candy, I’m never going to hell / I met Kanye West, I’m never going to fail,” Chance raps, crying in gratitude as he carries the tracks with his youthful wit.

The continued megalomania and deification of Ye continues in his subtlety, but the sonic sensuality of the track distracts the listener like the effect a lullaby has on a baby.

Ye’s soulful melody, a staple of his work, continues to string through the project in ways that elevate the listener from the realities of Earth, transporting you willingly to another planet that revolves around the sun that Ye thinks he is.

It is that elation that fools the listener and his predominantly young audience to forget his many and repeated shortcomings. It’s almost as if Kanye knows exactly what he is doing. Because he does… At least when it comes to sound, sin, and music.

He’s trying to mix musical ecstasy with lyrical provocation. And if you weren’t yet con - vinced of the artist’s brilliance while simultaneously being irked by the narcissism that infects the first half of the album, Kanye thrusts you into track ten, “Waves.”

The euphoric production of “Waves,” combined with its honest lyrical vulgarity is the culmination of The Life of Pablo’s, really the life of Ye’s, beauty, madness, and more madness.

Chris Brown sings the chorus as Kid Cudi balances the bliss of the song, deeply humming his way through the transitions.

However, even with two

A-List features, it’s the ensemble of producers in Anthony Kilhoffer, Hudson Mohawke, Metro Boomin, MIKE DEAN, Charlie Heat, and of course Kanye West that led the song with elegant synths that foment its rapture, making the track a classic hit. The melody of the song places his production center stage, reminding the audience of Ye’s roots as a producer, once again patting himself on the back. That’s why there are no tangibly visible features.

Because he is the star.