Kanye West - New Slaves

It seems like, once again, Kanye West is intent on causing controversy.  In his latest of his wide accumulation of headlines, he's caught flak for pronouncing his second verse on "New Slaves" to be the greatest rap verse of all time.

I open the debate… The 2nd verse of New Slaves is the best rap verse of all time….meaning … OF ALL TIME IN THE HISTORY OF RAP MUSIC, PERIOD
— KANYE WEST (@kanyewest) July 20, 2013

Is he right?
I don't know if I'd go that far.  In my personal opinion (and I'll fully admit to having only a beginners knowledge of hip hop) the best rap verse belongs to Aesop Rock for his third verse on No Regrets.

But on the other hand, I've heard more than a few people criticise this statement (including otherwise absolutely hilarious funnymen Kevin Smith and Ralph Garman on their fantastic podcast Hollywood Babble-On) mocking the arrogance of such a claim.

That isn't fair because, while perhaps not the greatest verse of all time, New Slaves is really really really good.

Let's start by discussing the music.  Sparse and simple, beatless and intense.  The tune bases itself on a hypnotic four bar melody that transitions between pulsing short synths and the kind of droning choir's you might hear on a sisters of mercy album.  This minimilistic, near primal noise provides an ominous, intense undercurrent to the building rage in Kanye's voice.

Now, while Kanye has always been an incredible producer, his lyrics have been rather hit and miss.  He's notorious for his regularly terrible guest spots (he somehow manages to make 2 Chains already diabolical Birthday Song even worse and he manages to utterly grind Katy Perry's one halfway decent song to a screeching halt with his worryingly rapey verse on E.T.) but on his own work, he somehow seems to cut through his own bullshit to present intense clever insights into both the minds of his fellow man (such as on the five and a half minute tragedy play All Of The Lights) and into himself (like the brilliant analysis of materialism of the rap community that he himself falls victim to on All Falls Down)

And Kanye is absolutely on his A-Game on New Slaves.  The first verse could almost serve as a sequel to All Falls Down as he finds the materialism of the rap community transferred to the further reaches of the community around him.  He comments on the way that materialism makes the efforts of all the black community continue to serve those who have been exploiting them, rendering them one of the two examples of New Slaves the song discusses.

On the second verse he discusses himself (because it's a Kanye song, OF COURSE he discusses himself) and notes how media attention is devoted to himself and his private life, but rather than boasting he proceeds to comment on how, while everyone is focusing their attention on him, the prison industrial complex have continued to build a system where neighbourhoods are not improved, employment has not improved which has inevitably given rise to crime and drug use in turn creating a permanent flow of young black man into private prisons such as those run by the CCA.  This gives us Kanye's second definition of New Slaves.

Is it the best verse of all time?  I don't think so.  But others might and there's definitely an argument to be made.  More importantly, the song and the album it comes from (the fantastically titled Yeezus) is one of the strangest, most experimental, stark and intense pieces of music you're likely to hear from any mainstream artist right now.

He may not be the nicest person (remember the time his own president called him a jackass?) but he is a deeply talented composer and lyricist.  He's probably the most interesting person working in pop music today.  So try and forget the headlines, the controversy, the gold plated toilets and the award ceremony hijacks and really listen.

He just might surprise you.

Posted in: Kanye West, Music, New Slaves, Review