If you have eyes and ears you would know that after seven years of marriage, Hollywood A-list couple Kanye West and Kim Kardashian have filed for divorce. While “Keeping Up With the Kardashian” viewers might be very upset upon hearing the news, Kanye’s music fans erupted in celebration, in anticipation of the classic trope of rapper’s post-breakup album releases. In 2008, after the official end of his on and off again relationship with his girlfriend/fiancé, Alexis Phifer, and the sudden death of his mother, Kanye released his redefining album, “808s & Heartbreaks”. So naturally, when Kanye’s fans heard rumors of an impending divorce, hip-hop blogs and social media exploded with people’s ideas for the new album. 

Before we get to Kanye’s next album, however, let’s take a step back and look at what music he put out while him and Kim were still together. Kanye first gave one of the greatest albums of all time in “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2010 when Kim and him first started dating. In fact, Kanye’s intro verse in his hit song feat. Bon Iver, “Lost in the World” actually comes from a love letter he wrote to Kim during the beginning stages of their relationship. While I might not be the biggest Kardashian fan in the world, I have to thank her for whatever role she might have played in Kanye’s production and emotion he put into this album. 

Then in 2011, after teaming up with Jay-Z, they released one of the most criminally underrated albums of all time—”Watch the Throne”. The album is underrated not because people don’t appreciate it as much as they should, but because it wasn’t available on streaming services, specifically Spotify, for years; resulting in it being overlooked, even though it features top-tier songs like “No Church in the Wild” feat. Frank Ocean, “Lift Off” feat. Beyoncé, infamous party song, “In Paris”, “Otis”, “Gotta Have It”, “Who Gon Stop Me” and more! With such an incredible tracklist, it really is a shame that this album never received the recognition it deserved. 

Two years later, Kanye released “Yeezus” with ten songs totaling 40 minutes of playtime. This 2013 release was met with mixed views. Hardcore Kanye fans obviously welcomed ‘Yeezus’ with open arms, but the album never really made it into the mainstream rotation (which is not necessarily a bad thing). The album is probably most well-known for “Black Skinhead”, “Blood on the Leaves”, and “Bound 2”. 

Fast forward three years, and Kanye tops all the charts with “The Life of Pablo”. This album brought in a whole new generation of Kanye fans who would fall in love with him and his music. For more on “The Life of Pablo”, be sure to check out last week’s edition of The Hill News!

In 2018, Kanye released “Ye” which detailed both his marital and mental health struggles. For those who haven’t hear it before, well, its sound is all over the place. Ranging from soft-spoken, deep and meaningful “Wouldn’t Leave” and “Violent Crimes” where Kanye raps about Kim’s strength through the ups and downs of their marriage, and Kanye’s personal growth as he raises his children—all the way to “All Mine” and “Yikes” talking about drugs, women, and money. ‘Ye’ is the first album that really exposes the depth of the pain Kanye was in and the complexity of his bipolarism. 

Working with Kid Cudi, Kanye released “Kids See Ghosts” in 2018 and was back to his original sound. With “Feel the Love” and “Reborn”, this was an album that showcased the very best of the two artists and put Kanye right back on top again.

Kanye most recently released his gospel and rap album, “Jesus Is King” in 2019 in which he reinvented himself and his sound. Even those that hated the album will still scream, “closed on Sunday, you’re my Chick-Fil-A!” so Kanye did something right here. 

If the past three years have taught us anything, it’s that Kanye is not afraid to crossover or combine genres or even create his own new sound. The only thing that we’re left to wonder is when will we get the next edition of “808s and Heartbreaks” and what will it sound like. While I can’t guarantee how it will sound or when it will drop, you can count on me being there to review it! As always, for more musical content be sure to follow me on Spotify @ndturtledove or on AppleMusic @nathan_tdove