Honestly it's great but the run from FSMH to Real Friends is pretty euphoric. I wish he removed 30 Hours, Facts, And NMPILA. cool tracks imo but don't fit the album very well. Fade is good and would fit well with the hectic middle section of the album

If ULB, Wolves, ST Pablo ended the album, I'd be floating

Oh no argument about it being way better than those lol (except maybe TLOP, i wouldnt say "way" better for that one).

I was talking about his CD-Yeezus run. I cant confidently say that i would listen to LR in full before any of those other 5.
Now Late Orchestration on the other hand... Yeah i'd play that over most of those 6 in full but who wouldnt

Chakras (early Selah)
Last Name
Brothers
Alien (if he shortened it a bit but obviously the only version is his mumble reference).

Those are from what I remember , I'd have to listen again but Chakras as an opener is amazing

Damn, Grad over LR it's a fun album but clearly a step down from the first 2 imo... TLOP i can see to an extent but I'm still putting LR handily over it.

yeah agree on those last 3 as my top highlights

ive been really enjoying what Grad brought to the table both within his discography and overall pop+hip hop scenes lately. If it wasnt for the weakest 2-3 tracks on it (2 of which come unluckily right next to each other in the middle) I would put it above LR. I might anyway

I've looped back around to thinking Stronger is one of his best songs after it was one of the first ones i ever heard/liked from him and later didnt think it was that good

I also like the yandhi version of 80 degrees/Hurricane more than the released donda version + Lil baby isn't there to ruin it

Dropped the wave runners now we run the wave

Stronger used to be one of my least favorite from his classic era but watching it live on Saint Pablo tour restored my love for it. When Ye lets the instrumental ride out near the end of the tracks

I mean this might be unpopular but Big Brother and Homecoming do absolutely nothing for me and ofc Drunk and Hot Girls is mostly a skip (sans the amazing Mos Def bridge )

Crazy how much Aquemini has grown off me... but Mamacita is truly awful, Yall Scared doesn't hit very hard for me... slump and West Savannah not having Andre is a huge L , especially in the middle of their classic era.

When Aquemini is good, it's all time GREAT but it's just got too many weak spots.

And I'll get crucified for this but SpottieOttie and Liberation don't hit that hard for me anymore

yeah ending instrumental is amazing. whole song is just so well constructed for its purpose its almost perfect

those verses are basically ingrained into my head too i think was spitting some fire like its not crazy or anything just perfect pop rap bars doing exactly what it should

has only grown off me cuz it used to be my #1 album OAT and now its just a major masterpiece but yeah those are kinda fair criticisms although i still think the non-Andre songs are very good

the thing that let Stankonia pass it and never look back is the production. dont get me wrong its still great on Aquemini but theres a certain... brittleness to some of the sounds on there stick out against the most lush and epic moments. compared to Stankonia which is just totally immaculate future/retro electronic/organic maximum clarity production

Gun to my head, BOB is pretty easily on my mount Rushmore of hip hop songs

Next official reminder on Friday.... hoping to get another 4-5 lists before that so I don't have to tag as many people

That's the Holy Trinity

Grad sat at the bottom of my rankings for many years until recently.

It's still below CD, 808s, Yeezus, and MBDTF, but Grad is really all hits no misses and has some of his most beautiful moments to me. Playing that album full volume in the car is on the same level as Yeezus and MDBTF. I mean since almost all of Grad is specifically crafted "stadium anthems", it just hits incredibly hard when the music feels like it's all around you. I can play that album front to back while on a long drive multiple times back to back.

Even Drunk & Hot Girls, which so many people still inexplicably dislike, has that sound to me. I feel like he could have played that song during his recent SOFI shows and it would have fit perfectly.

But then you have Everything I Am which is still one of my all time Kanye songs. Same with The Glory, goddamn what a performance he gives on the verses.

You got that Liquid Swords update ready for your list

Homecoming the only song that is mid for me.

Big Brother has always been great to me. It took a while but i finally came around to D&HG being amazing.

It really is the album that put his confidence/swagger to another stratosphere and the stadium-ready anthems has truly made the album timeless. I was also pretty hard in the album before but it has way too many classic/feel-good tracks to diminish. And yeah I agree on "Everything I Am", one of his top 15-20 for me as well.

Chris Martin just sucks. D&HG is better imo. Also, Barry Bonds gets unjustly hated on but that song is great

There is quite literally nothing like driving 80mph at 2am on an empty highway with volume blaring and hearing Stronger > I Wonder > Good Life > CTMN

Only thing that come close to that in his discog for me is being in the same exact scenario but playing Yeezus front to back

Nah been a busy day

Speaking of Yeezus, "Guilt Trip" an all time underrated Ye joint. It's got that 808s on acid feel the production is otherworldly on that one