Cruel Summer Review

     Kanye West has been known throughout the years as being one of the most detail oriented perfectionists music has ever seen.  Each album he has released has shown off that perfection, with West blending crisp production with brilliant song structure and meticulous lyricism.  That is why West's new project, his label G.O.O.D Music's "Cruel Summer" is a true disappointment.  It is that perfection for which Mr. West has been known for, that ultimately kills this album.

     The album starts with "To The World," a shoot for the stars record with R. Kelly screaming the hook through unnecessary auto-tune.  The production value is positive, however, Kelly's hook ruins an otherwise solid verse from West.  The next two tracks, "Clique" and "Mercy" are as catchy as they come.  The former is the best cut off the album, with Jay-Z and 'Ye bringing the track home with outstanding flow and witty lyricism.  After "New God Flow" and "The Morning," both extremely solid records, the album begins to take a turn for the worst.

     "Cold" is just annoying, and having DJ Khaled on there shouting like he normally does, is not helping.  "Higher" and "Sin City" are just mediocre, and despite solid verses from Ma$e and Cyhi the Prynce, the two records just fall short.  "The One" is a classic Kanye record, with a beautiful piano synth and uplifting lyrics from Big Sean and Kanye himself.  Where the song falls short is when 2 Chainz appears, rapping about absolutely nothing and taking away the momentum the track had.  "Creepers," "Bliss," and "I Don't Like (Remix)" wrap up the album in a completely negative way.  It is as if West was rushing to get the album completed, and just stuck these three songs in there.

     Perhaps this album is a victim to its own expectations.  With a track record like West's, it is a disappointment when any album he puts out is not a classic.  This record however does not come close to West's previous work.  It is disorganized, exhibits disjointed lyricism, and overall does not have the same production value we as fans have come to expect from Kanye West.  G.O.O.D Music is still one of the most talented rosters in rap today, but this uneven album does not do a good enough job proving it.

2.5 / 5