Image via Complex Original
20.
Kanye West wasn't lying when he said The Life of Pablo was going to be a gospel album. Taking this project in over the course of the last 12 or so hours has felt like like going to church. The sloppy rollout, the rambling thoughts on Twitter, the G.O.O.D. Fridays or lack thereof—it all seems worth the wait now. We wanted the old Kanye, and we got what we asked for; this album could've been named Good Ass Job, to be honest.
Yeezy must've changed this tracklist and release date at least 10 times in the last week or so. His handwritten list, accompanied by signatures from everyone who slid through to give the god inspiration, has been deciphered and speculated upon. While most of the artists on there weren't all featured, the ones that were didn't disappoint.
Desiigner, the latest G.O.O.D. Music signee, makes a solid appearance, and it sounds like Kanye may've struck gold with the Brooklyn artist. Rihanna did her guest spot on "Famous" justice. Ty Dolla $ign knocked his features out the park, as did the-Dream. We've been listening to TLOP nonstop since it dropped and have been given the tall task of ranking the features in the few hours that we've sat with it. Check out our picks below.
19.Swizz Beatz
Song: "Famous"
We thank the heavens above Swizz didn't give us struggle bars. For that, we tip our cap and set the list off with him and his ad-libs.
18.Desiigner
Song: “Freestyle 4”
Desiigner was on this track for like 30 seconds, and I like what I heard. He's Brooklyn's answer to Future. I'm looking forward to seeing how Kanye's going to use him. We need a Desiigner x King Push ghetto symphony stat.
17.The-Dream
Song: “Ultralight Beam”
The-Dream was sent down by Our Heavenly Father to give us some of the smoothest vocals known to man. Let us pray.
16.André 3000
Song: "30 Hours"
Leave it to Kanye to have Three Stacks on his album and have him singing instead of rapping. This track feels a lot like "Late" off of Late Registration. He and André were probably in the studio discussing fashion and singing along to the song's infectious hook before it took off. We ain't mad at it, though.
15.Young Thug
Song: “Highlights”
Thugger x Kanye—we are not worthy of so much musical genius. Tell Metro we need some more.
14.Post Malone
Song: "Fade'
Does Post have another hit in him? "Fade" says he does. The Texan got kinky on here, and we wanna hear more from him like this. Here's to hoping he works with Ty and 'Ye more often; this could be the start of a beautiful relationship.
13.Ty Dolla $ign
Song: “Fade”
Ty Dolla $ign comes through once again with one of the best efforts on Pablo. "Fade" will be fucking the clubs up for years to come, mostly because he sounds so good over this old school house sample as does Post Malone. I'm just happy we finally got the CDQ. Now I need to pop some X and find some glow sticks.
12.Kirk Franklin
Song: “Ultralight Beam”
I cried.
11.Kelly Price
Song: “Ultralight Beam”
Sister Kelly took us to chuuuurch on this one, amen.
10.Frank Ocean
Song: “Wolves”
Where's the album, Frank?
9.The-Dream
Song: "Highlights"
The-Dream is a national treasure. We wonder if the shorties at our local Equinoxes are freaks, too.
8.Desiigner
Song: “Pt. 2”
Is it a feature if Kanye takes your song and puts it on his album as a sample? I guess. We're sure Desiigner isn't too mad about it. Do yourselves a favor and check the original track. "Panda" goes hard, we promise you.
7.Rihanna
Song: “Famous”
Rihanna is out here singing her ass off, and honestly, we're here for it. Her touch on here almost make us forget Kanye's controversial opening lines. Almost. Shouts to the Puerto Rican Day parade.
6.Kid Cudi
Song: “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1”
Kid Cudi is the best moaner in the game. Cudi took a break from his weird rock phase to give us soulful sounds in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He made us clutch our rosary in hopes of better days.
5.The Weeknd
Song: “FML”
Abel has the voice of an angel. You'd be hard pressed to find another singer who could make fucking your life up sound pretty chill. Don't ever let "them" speak on how much of a mess your life is.
4.Chris Brown
Song: “Waves”
Roll one for the Silver Surfer for giving Kanye his blessing. Chris Brown sounds so spiritual like he had a choir robe on in the booth. May God be with us all.
3.Kendrick Lamar
Song: “No More Parties in L.A.”
I'm very grateful Kanye decided to put "No More Parties in L.A." on here. Madlib, Kanye, and Kendrick on the same track? The rap gods have been smiling down upon us, my friends. We love when Lamar shows that he can get ignorant, too: "The head still good, though. The head still good, though." This track is proof that miracles are real. Scary.
2.Ty Dolla $ign
Song: “Real Friends”
Another "G.O.O.D. Friday 2016" song to make the cut, "Real Friends" gave us a glimpse of what The Life of Pablo was going to sound like. Ty Dolla $ign floated on this jawn. We can't wait for his gangsta gospel album.
1.Chance the Rapper
Song: “Ultralight Beam”
Why did Chance have to melt this track like this? We tried to tell you guys about him back in 2013 and you scratched your heads. Good luck making it past "Ultralight Beam"—it's by far the best song on the album. Let the healing process begin. Let the vibes of this track wash over your sins, my child. Did I mention Chance went off?