Rocker Reacts to 'Ye' 

Ye reacts to rocker??

No Mistakes is lowkey my favorite on the album. Ghost Town is correctly considered one of his best songs. Violent Crimes is arguably one of his best songs too IMO.

2018 was the wildest year to be a kanye fan and this album represents it. all the hospitalization, maga, slavery, prescription stuff

I think "Ye" and "Kids See Ghosts" is some of Kanye's best work, it feels like a debut EP where you can feel the direct effort behind the artistry that is trying to be conveyed. These LPs are probably the most open Kanye has been for a long time.

Ghost Town is one of my favorite songs of all time, it’s so many layers in one. The song is the different parts of being bipolar. Partynextdoor’s feature is about him feeling so good that it can be dangerous. Cudi’s chorus refers to loneliness and 070 Shake’s refers to Mania, or how nothing hurts anymore so self harm feels liberating. The song itself is just so damn good, from the multiple samples to the slightly distorted guitar and of course, 070 Shake’s amazing outro. One of the only few songs to make me cry, I love it so much

This is definitely an album that can hit or miss on the first listen, i liked it’s sound in first listen but it grew on me with its overall experience

ye is a grower and i love that kanye opens up on this album

I KNEW IT!!! Literally no one likes Ye their first time listening and I think that’s cause most people going into this album are really excited to listen to some more Kanye West but instead you just get some Ye and how he feels. Honestly letting the album settle into your mental and coming back when you’re just in one of those really down moods to the point where you hate it and this album will really just speaks to you in a different way. Whenever I’m feeling really down I can just put this album on and listen to it all the way through.

Ghost Town is one of Kanyes finest songs. Amazing. Love the album as a whole. Also Bob, your "this is chaotic" remark? Exactly. That was Kanyes goal i beleive.

"They gotta repaint the colors, the lie is wearin' off".. And the end of violent crimes - At least to me - If about losing your innocence as you grow up. When you're young your parents nurture and guard you from the harsh realities of life - They paint a picture of the world that is a lot nicer than it actually is - But as you grow up the colors start to fade and "drip off".

Sucks that u don’t enjoy the album as much as us. Hopefully u can give it a couple more listens

While I think Kanye does get lazy a lot of times, I think the scattered feeling is incredibly fitting for the theme of the album which is Kanyes mind. If you have heard an interview from him you can see that his mind is incredibly scattered. One minute he talks about the presidental election then he talks about Shoes or whatever. Also he is Bipolar so obviously Songs, Lyrics and the whole album just constantly go up and down. Thats why it kind of works.

one of my favourite albums of all time, it has just stuck with me and feels like such a personal snapshot into his life, but I can also translate some of the emotions into my personal life, raw honesty like that is always so rare and beautiful

I love this album. It will definitely grow on you. The “chaotic” vibe the album shows is to portray his battles with mental health and bipolar disorder

Fucking love this album so much. So many highlights and absolutely top tier kanye songs

i can understand not falling in love with this album mostly because it’s a very specific piece of art. it’s brutal no filter, the first track is just about thinking about killing yourself and having those thoughts about others, like he says he says it even if it comes off as “bad.” the beat on yikes is stripped back and constantly going mimicking the feeling of a manic episode along with the lyrics. the rest of the album just perfectly portrays how he feels having bipolar episodes and how it relates to his family and public perception. that’s why it’s one of my favorite Ye albums and i see it as an absolute masterpiece

070 Shake, who is featured on this album and Daytona, also has two solo albums, the most recent of which is produced by Mike Dean and her best work yet. Her style is probably closest to Travis Scott, with lots of interesting auto tune and beat switches. Doubt you'll ever get a chance to react to her, just thought I'd let you know. :)

I grew up in Wyoming and can tell you it’s absolutely beautiful. I actually was invited to the listening party of this album! I was working at the hotel that he was recording these albums at. It was such a surreal experience. Cheers Bob!

Ghost Town is in Kanye West's top 5 best tracks

Yeah brother, I loved this year of albums from Kanye, and I so love Kanye's journey through music, it's been wonderful and I hope it continues to be

The biggest theme in all kanye albums is about liberation. Freedom from society, heartbreaks, loneliness, obligations, and pain.

Really hoped you would've liked this album as it's one of my favorites from Ye. Listened to this nonstop whilst in one of the lower points in my life.

Ghost town is one of Kanye’s best songs

BROOOOO this album is fuckin great

Big fan of your content Bob. This might be the only time I’ve been surprised by your reaction in comparison to mine. I think perhaps Kanye’s Rolling Loud shit made this album particularly challenging for you. It seems you couldn’t shake that nagging feeling that you don’t respect Kanye like you used to. That’s perfectly valid to feel that way, I just think that perspective dampened how you approached the songs. Love your content Bob!

i’m 1000% watching these super friday videos back to back to back so happy to see your reactions to these albums

This album has taken a front seat in my mind tonight cos I was recently diagnosed with Bipolar Spectrum Disorder (told it was 'mild' because my manic periods aren't that bad, the depression certainly is bad tho) and ADHD Ghost Town is exactly how i feel. I don't physically self harm but there are times I'll chase a high like gambling and I know it's wrong but I need that hit of dopamine, or I'll drink myself to death 3 nights in a row just cos I can. And I'll regret both of those decisions each and everytime and wear the guilt for hours or days, or even in the moment but will I stop? No. Why? Cos I'm chaotic, I'm brash. It's very easy to dismiss Ghost Town as just being chaos but that's exactly the point. Hes going from violent, to numb, to wanting to feel something and just grab a hold of anything, to wanting to be calm but not wanting to accept the consequences that come with a manic episode (so it's often easier just to continue the mania for self preservations sake) It's a really dangerous disorder. I often feel myself slipping between moods daily, but when those heavy swings come you can't actually feel the change. I went from sleeping at 11pm each night to staying up til 4am everynight and didn't notice a single thing wrong for about a week until I started having bad thoughts about cheating and stuff. I was highly productive but I was feeling a guy instinct to "fuck around and find out" and that's when i realised I was hypomanic. The chaos is so intentional in that track, it's so hard to explain. As you can see from above, this response is chaotic too hahaha

Ye was meant to be a portrayal of Kanye's psyche following his bipolar diagnosis, so that's why the songs are all over the place. The opening is dark and manic and then the end is vulnerable and even wholesome. It can seem like it's just a garbled mess at times but that's the point. This album was him being open and honest about his mental state. Ghost Town is one of my all time favorite Kanye songs, it just feels absolutely euphoric. People have their different interpretations of it but to me I just imagine him finally finding peace through that catharis while he looks out at those Wyoming mountains in the album cover.

I always love searching on RU-vid and finding your channel

I felt the same way about this album at first man. It will grow on you if you let it, but it might take a while. You may not even come around to it next week lol but I think Kanye really nailed taking you through a manic episode on this album and the minimalist production is a perfect backdrop for it

I just came back from a trip to the tetons and I gotta say this album felt so right to play while there. Side note Wyoming was amazing i cant describe it! Excited for the reaction

Ye genuinely one of my favorite albums of all time, I thinks it’s just how raw and personal it is, very much a more lyrical album content wise

I am having such a bad day today, I've been waiting for another kanye reaction and this made my day, thank you so much.

What I love about this album is the CLEAR meaning/ message conveyed n EACH song !

Bob, love your reviews, and watching this reminds me of my first time listening to the album back when it was released. Long story short: during The Saint Pablo Tour, Kanye started to rant and would end shows early. The things he’d talk about were very concerning. Examples being: begging Jay Z not to have him killed or his wife to stop hiring secret agents that were following him. He’d perform 2-3 songs, rant for 10 minutes and end the shows. Eventually, after a show, he was detained and committed to a mental hospital for further observation. (Hospital bands, 100k fuck a watch) The media of course went nuts, people on social media came up with a lot of conclusions. He disappeared from the spotlight. Several months later, reports of Kanye living out in Wyoming surfaced. He had supposedly purchased 10’s of thousands of acres of land and was living away from his family, as a suggested form of therapy. Not only that, he had announced that he would be releasing 5 albums in one month with 7-8 tracks on each. People were not sure what to think, as he had often promised things that never delivered and had had a recent mental breakdown. To everyones surprise, the albums were released on time and received universal critical acclaim. Ye however had received some mixed reviews. I think honestly: it scared people. At that current time, mental health awareness was gaining significant traction, though many still were (I’d say…) uncomfortable talking openly about it. So when Kanye dropped this open and honest, yet disturbing and menacing project, personally, it stressed me out. Like here’s an artist I truly cared about, saying some really scary shit. But quite honestly, it really was more that the album was so real, that a lot of people my age felt it hit home maybe… too much haha. The album introduces the lows (tracks 1-3) suicidal intentions, anger, lust. And eventually leads you through his journey of understanding himself and his condition and lastly… acceptance. “I hate being bipolar, it’s awesome.” He introduced this idea to a whole generation of kids who loved him, that even something like being bipolar should be a super power. We saw him at his low and he returned to us months later a still flawed, yet stronger and optimistic person. And it inspired a generation to embrace the things they hated about themselves. Ghost Town is now considered to be one of his best tracks, period. “One day all the drama’ll be gone and they will continue to play this song on and on.” Incredibly powerful words. He hopes that what he’s saying will influence society to challenge the norms and shift to better understand/accept mental illness. What used to feel like rushed mixtape to me, now feels like a masterpiece. It captures a specific time in his life and ultimately a shift in society. I too at the time was going through some shit, just graduated college and was about to enter the “real world” I was so uncertain of the future and became depressed. Things felt like they wouldn’t get better, they did. And interestingly enough, when I listen to songs like I Thought About Killing You, it reminds me of the lows and the scary moments, where as Ghost Town and Violent Crimes, is from a different current perspective: looking back on what felt like “the end of the world” and smiling about that 😂(understanding and acceptance). “I put my hand on the stove, to see if I still bleed. Nothing hurts anymore I feel kind of free.”

I'm so early for this one lets go!!! you should react to clipping! they are a noise rap group that makes super unique and interesting music and daveed diggs, the vocalist, is insanely talented

I love this album because it was his first album that year and it was immediately after so much drama and headlines surrounded him and it felt like he sat back and reevaluated his entire life

last 2 songs on this project are absolute 1 punch knockouts so excited for u to hear Also not sure if anyone else has mentioned this but in 'I thought about killing you' it's supposed to be him talking to himself, and the different sides of being bipolar

Unfortunately this is a album you literally cant begin to understand without knowing what was happening at the time. I think thats why you struggled with it. This was released in the wake of the infamous "Slavery was a choice" TMZ interview where he showed up at the TMZ studio with CANDACE OWENS a black conservative to essentially debate about why he was wearing the MAGA hat on twitter. He makes numerous light references in the early parts of the album before fully going into it on "Wouldn't Leave" where he addresses the way his wife Kim was feeling about the situation. She was under a lot of pressure as someone working with Meek Mill to advocate for prison reform at the time, and they all had met with Trump at the white house at different times to discuss prison reform. When Kanye met Trump, he was trying to get the president to help him free Larry Hoover Sr, a man from Chicago who was the founder/ran the Black Disciples, or BD, the dominant gang in Chicago. Larry has been in prison since 1973 for a murder he supposedly ordered. He was sentenced to 200 years in prison. Right as he was going into prison, he was attempting to get together with local community leaders to stop the violence in the city, and thats when the Feds came in and grabbed him. While in prison, he claims that he has not been in charge (pretty obvious this is true) and hasnt been in contact with active BD members. His family has been advocating for his release because they feel hes a beacon for Chicagos black and latino youth and that he could potentially be the spark to finally ending the constant killings that happen there. I figured you should know this in advance because not only was it relevant to a big reason WHY Kanye ever met Trump in the first place, but it comes back in his (MASTERPIECE) Donda in one of Kanye's best songs in years "Jesus Lord." The album "Ye" goes from one side of his bipolar to the other, and again like TLOP is going from materialistic and manic behavior to more family oriented and down to earth topics. It sucks you didn't connect with it on first listen, but if you keep this in mind and do even a little bit of reading, you're going to LOVE this album

This album was after he was hospitalized and was hurt and didn’t make music for a long time. He was kinda int his shell and he came out with this album to make himself feel okay with being bipolar and to show you can achieve anything. This album isn’t loved by a lot and it’s always forgotten but when you go back and listen it has such a good message and so many beautiful songs.

The Cover was cooked up in Ye's iPad 20 mins before the release on the car to the release party. Im not sure if Kanye already had taken the photo or took it in the car ride but he just wrote the words over it quickly and said this is it, and scrapped everything he had before that.

kids see ghosts up next!!... hopefully... i love how it follows the close releases of the actual albums

This album has great replay value it grows

I love how your knowledge of rap terms have grown through the year!

3 great albums reacts in one day. Insane 🔥

LOVE YOU BOB!!!

Ghost town is definitely the key to the album. For me that’s when it all clicked. It’s so emotional and hard hitting. Ties in the rest so we’ll

So glad you posted these two kanye projects.

If you listen to yhandi and ye. You see this pattern of production where the song starts off with a little vocal hook then slowly really subtly builds until you have something so grand that it feels like a different song. I think it's beautiful and alot of artists have been influenced by this travis, Don toliver, 070 to name a couple

if you wanna check out 070 shake's solo work (she did the outro to ghost town) i would HIGHLY recommend her latest album 'You Can't Kill Me'. it's almost entirely produced by mike dean and his fingerprints are all over the project, plus i'm sure you'd appreciate the clear dark side of the moon influence on lots of spots on the album. you can't kill me is my favourite album of this year, and, sonically speaking, possibly the best sounding albums that's released in a long time

I will always point out that Kanye had to edit the instrumental in ITAKY after the switch due to sample clearance issues. It’s small but the change irks me to no end and I think the updated beat sounds so flat. Please listen to the original version on RU-vid, it’s much better

I think that understanding all the references to the events and/or Kanye controversies from 2017-2018 is one of the key things to "getting" that album, especially songs like Yikes and Wouldn't Leave, where the references are really specific. Living through that time of chaos in Kanye's life and him being able to acknowledge his weaknesses in regards to those spesific events was magical at the time, at least for me.

Man i love ghost town it feels amazing everytime His best song in my opinion

this is his most personal and vulnerable album which is why it resonates with a lot of people and other people don’t really get it.

He liked the years ahead but way behind bar on ghost town but didnt dive into the george jetson/jefferson line in wouldn’t leave, I thought for sure he would be interested in that. Hopefully this album will have grown on him when/if he does an additional thoughts

just finished daytona reaction now this, hahaha lets gooo

Such a great album. The rawness, vulnerability, openness about mental health and that perfect production is just amazing. Hope people revisit the album because a lot didn't give it a fair shot considering the time it came out. Ye is definitely a top 3 Kanye album for me 🙏🏽

I guess I enjoyed this album when it came out becuz I was following what happened to Kanye after TLOP and him surprisingly ending the tour in the middle of one of his shows and him being in the hospital after that. Basically, I wasn't expecting a big project and big music production album from him at that down time in his life.

When ye came out I really thought it was his best album. It is an album I listen to alot and even though as I've grown older I understood the other projects way better. ye still has a special place in my heart.

I didn’t love this album at first but wouldn’t leave no mistake and ghost town have become some of my favorite ye songs ever

I always loved Ye, so intense and raw

There was a Kanye tweet that said "Who or what is Kanye West with no ego? Just Ye". He tweeted that the same year, the album ye was released. So I'd say the opening track is about killing a part of himself, his ego. And it sets up the contrast between dark thoughts and beautiful thoughts. The structure of the album mirrors what the album is communicating on a thematic level i.e beauty emerging from darkness. By having tracks grouped together that represent darker thoughts, then followed by tracks grouped together that represent beautiful thoughts side by side. Kind of like how in a film a character arc can tie into what a film is saying on a thematic level, and be explored through said arc.

Blows my mind because this is one my favorite albums ever from kanye 🤯

I love no mistakes and this album a ton, came out during my exam season

this album is very underrated i hope you appreciate its artistic value edit: ☹️

I feel like this album works as a window into his life. Just pure honesty and truth and genuine music from Kanye. A snapshot into his mind

Very underrated. Top 5 Ye. I've always loved this album.

what a great friday

Kids see Ghosts is essentially a more cohesive and polished version of ye imo. I think you will enjoy that a lot more, the production is incredible, some of Kanyes best work.

This is prime Kanye. How chaotic it is, all over the place, erratic it’s literally the most Kanye album lol. But that’s also the genius in this album. Didn’t love it at first but the more I listened the more I appreciated it

Ghost Town I one of my favourite songs ever it's Beautiful Sublime & Incredibly meaningful in my Life

I Thought About Killing You is one of my favourite songs of Kanye. I really like the spoken part too!

This is by far my favorite Ye's album. Beautiful, progressive and deep.

Thanks for reacting to this Album

BOB IS BACK!

The version on streaming had a sample removed or something iirc, the listening party version is the one I listen to and the one a lot of people heard when the album came out

i bounce back between this and KSG allll the time. def a grower

the album had a very common theme in fact it was one of kanyes least "out of place" albums. Very surprised that on each track you somehow came to the conclusion that the tracks were out of place

Calling up my loved ones, called up my cousins, called up the Muslims, said I’m about to go dumb, is likely referencing his particular response to ramping up due to BPD. He wants to tell everybody. And I have BPD and that’s how it feels sometimes. Despite the dark thoughts, you feel amazing. Often attributed to the beginning of a manic/hypomanic episode. The first 3 songs take this tone, then resolve during the last 4 songs.

once you finish all of kanye i’d recommend listening to kanye 2049. it’s a fan mix but once you know the music the experience of the tracks melding into one another is extremely enjoyable

I genuinely look forward to you dissecting lyrics, despite you thinking it's maybe "too much" , it's my favourite part.

ive always looked at this album as the true look into kanyes mind. its extremely personal and is crazy like kanye(especially in 2018)

i miss the original version of i thought about killing you, it had an ambient sample that got removed cuz of clearence and was replaced with a synth the song hits much harder with the sample, i think you acn find the original on youtube

Bob u gotta react to “Harry’s House” literally a contender for AOTY

The lyric in No Mistakes where he says "I don't take advice from people less successful than me" is very reminiscent of Cant Tell Me Nothing in my opinion. I remember your analysis of that track where it sounds like he wishes that people could get through to him but nobody can tell him anything now that he's this successful.

Hey Bob, i rarely comment, but this is an album worth commenting for: Pixel Bath by Jean Dawson - not particularly well known, but i CAN NOT overstate how unique of a record it is, i know no album that sounds even remotely like it, think of it as indie - somewhat experimental - pop/rap, whatever it is, i know you will love it. Oh and of course, love all the work you do, barely a video i havent watched front to back

back to back bangers??? THANKS!!!

Burrito Gamer took this reaction personally 💀

Damn it I gotta sleep now but I can’t wait to watch this tomorrow 🙏

This is just a personal theory but I think Ye is closing a chapter in his life. If you've noticed Nicki opens MDBTF and ends Ye, I believe that it indicates that Kanye chose to lay that part of his life behind him and start anew. Again, this is just a personal theory so I've probably missed something that contradicts this whole thing.

another thing to add that is just a theory but i think is neat to think about is that this is the end of kanye’s journey since MBDTF. that album starts with nicki minaj and on Ye it ends with nicki minaj. the first time on MBDTF it’s about fame and behind the curtain and then on Ye it’s about his daughter and his family. it’s a way to conclude Kanye’s relentless battle between fame and his family, finally deciding to be there for his family.

Ghost town is a song that needs relistening. It doesn't get tired or over the top, it just resonates more and more musically. Edit: I think the colors dripping off part is a continuation of losing your childhood or your childish/idealistic idea of what life *should* be.

the beat switch in 'I thought about killing you' used to be so much better 😫

You should check out 070 shake, she was the one singing on ghost town, she’s amazing, both her albums have been outstanding, really think you’d enjoy them

Ye is probably his most personal, honest album

kanye also produced teyana taylor's album that same year and it's also a seven track album just like the rest you should react to it

I keep returning to this video because unlike a lot of lyrics that aren't that deep (that Bob will try to analyze them nonetheless and I like him more for that), this album is so densely packed with meaning and with Kanye being overly sincere with his thoughts in a way he usually isn't and not only that but this video is one of the few videos on yt (if not the only, really) that actually took time to READ the lyrics and talk about them and understand what Kanye is talking about.

Ghost Town and Violent Crimes are both so amazing. They are almost on par emotionally with many songs off of Blonde for me.

The album artwork was actually taken by Kanye on his phone. He was on his way to the listening party for either his album or maybe Daytona.

At first I didn’t vibe with Ye and didn’t think it was very good, but one day I listened to it and it just worked for me and since then I’ve thought it was waaaay better than I thought initially. Idk if that happens for everyone but it happened to me and one of my good friends. But Ghosttown has been phenomenal the whole time, easily S tier Kanye and one of his best songs