What I Want From Kanye's "Waves"

If anyone knows how to draw attention to themselves, (rapper or not, although not all the attention is good attention) it's Kanye West. I don't care for the argument with Wiz Khalifa that was blown completely out of proportion, because although it is very entertaining to watch, I've taken more notice to how Kanye is promoting his slowly creeping up new album, Waves. Just a few days ago, Kanye put out an Instagram post of the supposed track list for Waves, and the internet was taken by storm. It's hard not to see it when it's all over my Twitter timeline of course, and normally I wouldn't care about a new Kanye album (send all the hate you desire, I don't care), but then I got to thinking about Kanye's old albums and what it'd be like to hear some more game changing tracks like the ones off of 808s & Heartbreaks, or some more haunting, orchestral sounds like the ones on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It seems Kanye is always one to try painstakingly hard to try to change the game; so much so that sometimes he forgets how to make a more to the point, simple (but certainly not simplistic) banger that people will want to play over and over again. Here's what I'd like to hear from Kanye's new album, taking into account what has already come out from Kanye since last year.

So since last year Kanye has released a barrage of loose tracks that live on no current project, and do not appear on the track list for his upcoming album Waves. Kanye collaborated with the great Paul McCartney on a couple of songs last year, including "FourFiveSeconds" which also featured Rihanna. Then came the song "All Day" a little bit later in 2015. These songs seemed like catchy enough songs to get radio play, but they didn't really bring more excitement towards the possibility of Kanye's album coming. Fans talking on the blogs and social media seemed to want the more ominous stuff that gave the MBDTF vibe, and it seemed like they got it when "Real Friends" and "No More Parties In L.A." featuring Kendrick dropped in the beginning of 2016.

https://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/real-friends-no-more-parties-in-la-snipped
https://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/nomorepartiesinla

Now these are the kind of songs I can vibe to. This is what Kanye should be doing all the time; his past experimenting with beats and song making strategies has gotten mixed reviews considering they range from College Dropout to Yeezus and everything in between, but with these new songs, Yeezy seems to be sticking to what works. Classic sampling, ominous tones and some subtle, yet powerful beats seem to be the perfect recipe for what Kanye is calling "the best album of all time." He was also quoted as saying on Twitter that "This is not album of the year. This is album of the life." Classic Kanye, but we'll see when that day comes 'Ye.

Kanye's never really impressed me lyrically, but he's always has that "it" factor with his music that makes you want to listen over and over again. The thing about Kanye is that he makes music with no expiration date, songs on every album of his still go to this day (especially my favorite Kanye album, 808s & Heartbreaks), and that's something that a very few can actually say (especially now). So what do I want from Kanye's new album?  I want some banging tracks. I want more songs like "Real Friends" and "No More Parties In L.A.". I want Kanye to bring this "God level rapping" that Travis Scott said lies on Waves. I want Kanye to stop fucking around with crazy sounds that mirror a screaming chimpanzee in the zoo, and stick to the classic samples that we hear on "Real Friends" and "No More Parties In L.A.". Dear Kanye; STICK TO WHAT YOU KNOW. I'll end this with one of my favorite, most perfect Kanye songs ever. (*PS*; I also think Kanye pulls off auto tune perfectly and is the only person who should be allowed to use it, ever.*)


                     (*I do not own this song, or the rights to it*)


            



          








   








              

Artist To Look Out For: Cyhi The Prynce

So how many people have heard of the gawd (don't judge me, I'm on this saying now, I feel hip saying it) Cyhi The Prynce?  Nobody?  A lot of people?  Well he is just so awesome sauce that you almost want to dip beats in him and let him flow like water. He's all natural baby. I know all of these food references are pretty corny but you get the picture. Anyways, if you haven't heard of Cyhi you're about to get a nice introduction. Cyhi The Prynce is the best emcee you've never given the light of day. Being signed to Kanye's GOOD Music label, it's pretty easy to get outshined by names like Kanye, Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and others to name, but if you're Cyhi the Prynce, you're going in the right direction for sure, and let me tell you why.

Cyhi The Prynce, born Cydel Young in Stone Mountain, Georgia, is a conscious rapping, thought provoking sleeper pick for one of the hottest up and comers in rap right now. If you haven't heard about him, he's certainly done good things with tracks on his mix tapes, such good things in fact that Kanye felt the need to sign him to his GOOD Music label, and he has featured on a multitude of GOOD Music artists' projects, such as Kanye's highly acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album and even made some appearances on GOOD Music's compilation album Cruel Summer. I didn't know this until I did some research, but a funny story about Cyhi is that Beyoncé herself actually recommended Cyhi to Kanye to sign him to his label. That's quite a cosign and certainly puts pressure on Cyhi to be great, but if anyone can handle pressure (besides Logic, get it? Never mind) it's Cyhi.

Cyhi's solo projects have been practically albums, and his Ivy League mix tape series has proven to be some of his best work as an up and comer. Ivy League Club and Ivy League Kick Back are arguably Cyhi's best projects as a whole, with some exciting features like Big K.R.I.T, Big Sean, Chris Brown, Schoolboy Q, Yelawolf and more. His flow and lyricism is one of a kind, his clever bars are matched by very few in the game today, but his ability to make great songs of all kinds is what gets the people's attention the most. Check out his song "Bachelor" below.

Cyhi is certainly dope and he makes great music, but the most interesting thing about him is that he hasn't yet put out a debut album, and being under Kanye's GOOD Music label you'd expect him to get some creative control. Cyhi has a lot of fans that are dying for his next project, whether it be another mix tape or an album, though an album is what fans have been waiting for from him for quite some time. It's hard to think that people will get bored with him before he starts to really build a buzz (that is if he already hasn't), but his lack of putting out music as of late isn't helping the case. Check out Cyhi and his mix tapes if you get a chance, and you can find his latest release "Credit 'i' Deserve" below.

                                    (*I do not own any of these songs, or the rights to them*)