Kanye West released his last and final testament to the world on June 23rd, 2018. Once again a G.O.O.D. Music release, the record is complete with seven- oh wait there are eight tracks? It is the fourth album release along with the trilogy of DAYTONA, Ye, KIDS SEE GHOSTS and now finally K.T.S.E. An acronym for “keep the same energy”- it is a theme and line that Kanye incorporates throughout these strong concept albums. Teyana Taylor has had more than a long break from music, dropping her debut album, VII, in 2014. K.T.S.E acts as her sophomore release and it is clearly a catwalk. She actually made me slightly frustrated that she would put a hold on releasing music when she has this much star power and vocal range to produce a natural contemporary R&B vibe to her. It totals in at twenty-three minutes of high energy and vulnerable tracks that focus on sex and love.
Upon first listen, this album screams sex- literally. The tone, production and her vocal performance all carry a seductive sound and quality to the record. The cover of the album clearly confirms the main central theme of the album- on the surface.
Check out the cover art here:
Draped on top of her bed with her legs spread, it seems like she is masturbating to the thought of someone she earns for as she touches her breast. But it could also symbolize the ghost of her ex-lover, haunting her- bending her down as she accepts her vulnerability and allows him to possess her once again. Based upon the song, “3way” and the background moaning on the production it appears to be a possible connection.
But I refuse to believe literal meanings when we are dealing with the self-proclaimed philosopher- Kanye West.
To label this album review as “A Sexy Mistress Sonic Seduction” would be lazy. Due to the concept and connectivity within all the G.O.O.D music releases, it has to be bigger than just intercourse. During my analyzing process, I was able to notice the obviously placed call-outs by Kanye West, especially after the track, “Hurry” as he says, “No Fades Out” very abruptly. As the track dies- it signifies the end of the song, but also the end of her life? In the cover art, she is shown closing her eyes, looking up at the sky- possibly talking or praying to God as she once again reflects upon her journey. But despite Kid Cudi and Kanye West’s travels on KIDS SEE GHOSTS, it seems like she is much more orgasmic at the thought of death which tells so much more than a simple bad trip. During her last seconds of life, she feels the most complete- and she sings out: “I want so much more.”
There are eight tracks on this album, which is directly contrasting the consistent seven track releases symbolizing the seven deadly sins. Upon further research, there is, in fact, an eighth deadly sin. In the medieval times they trimmed it down to look more appealing, I guess,- is religion just made up at this point? I’m not here to get into a spiritual debate but it revolves around despond and distraction. Ultimately signifying that adversary doesn’t have to persuade us to commit grievous sin to keep us from reaching our ultimate destination. Our conflicting egos can’t make us unworthy to enter the gates, but they will only act as distractions. This is the most powerful sin that is forgotten- ultimately pulling meaning together for the seven rest.
As the list of deadly sins goes unfixed, it seems like the Bible can be reworked and changed. An instance of the Bible being remastered is told through Dante Alighieri‘s 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy. Before Dante’s Inferno, there was no clear picture or depiction of Hell, which is a common misconception. In all actuality, Hell is not a Biblical concept. Hell is only mentioned 14 times in the actual translation in the Bible. Dante’s Inferno was one of the first depictions of Hell, as he comprises sections representing the three tiers of the Christian afterlife: purgatory, heaven, and hell. What we all picture hell to be today is not based on the Bible, but from this epic poem.
The sinners in the circles include:
Circle Nine – Traitors (A.k.a Kanye’s cousin who stole his laptop)
The Bible is notorious for being open to numerous interpretations, with not even a fixed definition of the seven deadly sins. This album seems to mirror the literary work as Kanye plays with this concept-heavy as he reworks the bible in a sense- acting as the background production. He uses K.T.S.E as his open book interpreting the underworld. Kanye West takes on the role as the poet Virgil and Taylor acts as Dante as she falls asleep and loses her way on Good Friday. As pictured on the cover, Taylor is pictured to be asleep. Finally, the hidden message behind Kanye’s label name is relieved as, G.O.O.D. symbolizes Good Friday- hence all the releases are on Friday.
It can be misinterpreted that Taylor is singing about a lost love, but now with a clear idea of what this album is actually trying to depict, we can correctly analyze these tracks:
The album opens up with the blaring “No Manners” as it is paired with beautiful instrumentals and violins, almost simulating a trip to heaven sonically. She dedicates this song to her husband, but callout samples like: “Where are you hiding? I need….” show that she is trying to find God once again. Then the sample plays out at the end and the track is cut short- symbolizing she doesn’t have a lot of time left.
It is hastily transitioned into, “Gonna Love Me.” The track once again starts off with a soulful Delfonics sample with: “and oh, you’re gonna love me, You’re gonna wanna hug me and squeeze me” showing that she is uncertain about her relationship with God. With addition hints in the lyrics such as: “Please wait up for me till whenever I get home” and “Why is it so hard to keep in touch” to drive the point home. Her message is once again cut short.
We are then introduced to the third track, “Issues / Hold On.” Once again opening with a sample with, “I do love you but it’s-, I do love you but it’s-, Alright.” Electronic production compliments the sample that can be seen on Kanye West’s “Ghost Town” on his solo album Ye. The beat shoots up and down, showing that her fate is still undetermined. The song has the strongest theme on the album release which is littered with subtle indicators of talking to a higher power with,
“Fighting to keep us together, hope it’s worth a try
You ain’t always been an angel but heaven’s on our side
The chorus then begins and ends with: “So hold on, hold on, don’t let me go,” showing that she is dedicated to her faith and doesn’t want to die just yet- hence the way she is being held in the cover art. She then finally admits that she hasn’t led the most well-mannered life with her introspective thought: “Gave it up to somebody who didn’t deserve my body.” She then ends the song with: “On my healing, I’m feeling” to show that she was in the process of becoming a better person before her journey is cut short again.
The fourth track marks the midpoint of the album and is entitled, “Hurry” to once again show that she is running against the clock. “Hurry, hurry, hurry” is repeated throughout the song- giving her reminders that aren’t gentle. It is then contrasted with: “Early, early, early, early” with a sped down flow to make listeners tune into her cry for help, as she won’t be around to face the sunrise. Kanye West then delivers his first verse on the track which would be missed if he was absent. If you didn’t believe my theory on this album- the line: “I don’t know no patience, ain’t got no more time to waste” confirms it. Then Kanye West finally gives us clarity with, “No fade outs” so the listener doesn’t think something is actually wrong with their Spotify account.
The fifth track is “3Way” featuring Ty Dolla $ign and I can’t see myself doing anything else to this song but straight up making out with someone for the entirety of the three minutes. This track doesn’t really tie to the central theme as much, so I’m sure that Taylor had way more creative input on this one. I feel that Taylor just wanted to make a record about sex and love and Kanye was like, “nah I have to make it at least a little weird.” Also why the Hell is there a ballad about a threeway? I don’t see anything remotely romantic about having freaky sex with two other people- that is typically messy and most likely blacked out. But if you really love your man so much to have sex with another woman well then hey I’ll let you have your moment. If it was me I would rip that girls head off for even looking at my man but you know you gotta spice up the bedroom in your last seconds in life. Right?
The sixth song gets things back on “track” for the absolute highlight on this album entitled, “Rose From Harlem.” Upon first listen this song goes hard and continues to impress upon closer reads. Singing out like a choir, “A rose in Harlem, a rose in Harlem” to signify where she came from but also displaying that she is a flower in a field of weeds. Since Harlem is not the most well-off place in New York City, she touches on her background but also how much she has grown.
It also includes the most powerful refrain on the track located in the pre and post-chorus:
“It be the ones who say they ride for you
It be the ones, the ones you love, them too
It be the ones who swear they real, not true
It be them ones, It be them ones
It be the ones, the ones you closest too
It be the ones, the ones you trust – them too
She doesn’t seem angry about her shortcomings- but has more of an acceptance and strength of what she can tolerate and grow from. Truly a beautiful song that acts as her final testament- leaving all her baggage behind as she travels into the sky. Exiting with music that grows with intensity as it comes to a complete finale.
The seventh deadly sin enters with, “Never Would Have Made It.” Birds are heard chirping, making evident that it is now the morning and her travels have ended in the clouds. As she enters heaven she bows down to God in a liberating tribute to him as she knew her faith would lead her along the right path. Even though it was uncertain at times, she knew God would be there for her, which can be highlighted by the light production and absence of darker themes. She enters with soaring vocals as she talks to God: “You’re the highlight of my life, You’re the sunshine in my night, Oh how, oh how, oh, how do I, Ever repay you.”
She finally knows what she wants as she sings:
“I learned from my mistakes and my heartbreaks
She never truly followed her heart, which is why Kanye West had to help her before she made a fatal mistake by traveling down the wrong path that was paved with gold.
One of the first powerful bridges on the album takes over the song in the form of a choir with:
“Stand up, press forward, move on
She has made it through the night victorious and despite everything she had to go through, God was on her side through everything, even when she lost herself. This contrasts the earlier tracks where she stated that she didn’t find trust within anyone- meaning her relationship with God was faulty at the times. This caused her to lose trust within him but her questions are finally answered as God was leading her through hard times to show her her strength. Then the song ends with a sample of a mother and a child, representing that she has been reborn into the person she was searching for all along. What a statement- but still not the ending.
Kanye West then finally blesses us with an eighth track for, “WTP.” This track is completely different from the rest of the album but it acts as a celebration for the life Teyana Taylor has lived, complete with all her accomplishments including the fact that “she’s a mother fuckin’ international sensation.” Sticking to her Harlem roots it was inspired by their Ballroom scene in the 1970s as Mykki Blanco uses spoken word on the interlude. Teyana Taylor shows us OUT and dedicates her last song to the gays. If you’re straight you probably can’t tune in with the same ear, but girl work. I can just picture myself walking down a catwalk throwing my drink in someone’s face to this absolute banger. To end it off I really hope, “So I will make you cum through the night” is NOT a bible reference.
The Bible is notorious for being open to numerous interpretations and the work doesn’t have a fixed definition of the seven deadly sins. Basing his central theme of K.T.SE. off of Dante Alighieri‘s 14th-century epic poem Divine Comedy, Kanye West uses K.T.S.E as his open book interpreting the underworld as he creates his own depiction of Hell. West takes on the role as the poet Virgil and Taylor acts as Dante as she falls asleep and loses her way on Good Friday. Even though the album is filled with sexual references, it is not meant to be taken literally but it acts as the framework for a much bigger concept. Kanye West really took a nice cute album and centered it around the fiery pits of Hell- but that’s why we love Ye. Now that the G.O.O.D array of album releases are currently over, do you think this concept will live on or will it fade away like Taylor relationship with God?
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