Donda 2 is the toughest of Ye’s albums to connect with. The project felt rushed out the door in early 2022 and was originally released only on West’s STEM Player. For every high watermark of tracks like “530,” there were a handful of others that boasted unfinished verses and half-baked ideas. It’s like Ye went back to the Donda well without many of the primary ingredients that made the 2021 predecessor a worthy listen. Perhaps there’s a solid album somewhere in Donda 2, we just never got it. – MICHAEL SAPONARA

The artist formerly known as Kanye West, being such an ambitious act with endless ideas, made the concept of his sort-of self-titled 2018 album very intriguing. How could he possibly pack his entire artistic repertoire into just seven songs on Ye? Add in the fact that he was seemingly at the peak of his manic outbursts (at the time). Even with that, he still had some of the genius we came to know and love in there, with gems such as “Wouldn’t Leave,” “Ghost Town,” and “Violent Crimes” being on this track list.

Unfortunately, three great songs aren’t enough to get it done for a guy who previously made albums loaded with hits and cult favorites, especially when the features shine the most here. Listening to this album will always feel a bit icky, given the person he was at the time. Musically, it couldn’t possibly be placed ahead of most of his work due to the lack of volume and the ratio of makes to misses. Brevity was not the source of wit in this instance, but he still produced three songs that he either performs to this day or that TikTok has helped keep alive. – ARMON SADLER

Ye damaged his reputation and corporate ties with a string of antisemitic remarks in the time between 2022 and Bully’s arrival. With Larry Jackson’s Gamma label behind him, West returned with his 12th studio album in March. The rollout was much different than a typical Yeezy lead-up as West remained largely quiet, allowing for the music to do the talking. Even if his rapping has slipped compared to prime Yeezy, his production remains avant-garde and better than just about anyone en vogue in the genre right now. There’s the chipmunk soul of The College Dropout, Yeezus’ industrialization and different eras of West sprinkled into Bully, which marks his most polished album this decade and a step in the right direction. The peaks of brilliance are why some will never quit Ye. Just press play on the Andre Troutman-assisted “All the Love.” – M.S.

Ye took stadium status so literally that he recorded much of Donda — named after West’s late mother — in the locker rooms of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. West assembled the rap Avengers by enlisting titans like Jay-Z, Travis Scott and The Weeknd alongside hip-hop’s next generation with Don Toliver, Baby Keem and Playboi Carti in the mix. Donda’s peaks (“Jail,” “Off the Grid” and “Hurricane”) are higher than just about anything he’s released post-Pablo, but the 27-track marathon lacks some cohesion compared to his consensus classics, which keeps the album in the second half of our rankings. – M.S.

The Chicago multi-talent regularly referenced his faith throughout his music career, but between his erratic nature and inability to commit to releases during this era, a full-length effort like Jesus Is King seemed impossible until it happened. Nonetheless, the 11-song LP actually came out, and Ye managed to shift his artistic focus completely into his complex version of gospel. In that, we got a scorcher like “Everything We Need,” the spirit-soothing “Water,” and one of the most humble displays he has ever exhibited in “God Is.” The highs of this album are so undeniable that it wiped away any eye-roll that was caused by “Closed On Sunday,” which infamously referenced one of Chick-Fil-A’s two flaws.

Jesus Is King thrived due to its conciseness and theme — largely a result of God being his North Star rather than himself. It honestly only falls this low because everything above it is fully secular music that was that much better, more influential, and less soured by his madness. His emoting and reverence for God on this album was palpable and almost believable; however, who he was outside of music forced you to question if his deference to a deity was genuine or merely an attempt at image rehabilitation. – A.S.

Yeezus just rose again. Following the dominance of Dark Fantasy, Watch The Throne, and G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer compilation, Ye’s approval rating couldn’t have been any higher. So, in true Kanye West fashion, he went against the grain and took a risky creative pivot — a sharp turn toward deconstructing rap which paved the way for industrial sonics to infiltrate mid-to-late-2010s hip-hop. Decisions like having glitchy tracks such as “On Sight” open Yeezus rather than more melodic options like “Blood on the Leaves” were meant to agitate fans rather than placate them.

Following all his success, Ye’s frustrations with barriers within fashion fueled every drop of rage present on Yeezus’ . Hip-hop dignitary Rick Rubin served as a “reducer” on this LP rather than acting as a traditional producer while West looked to kill off CDs with a blank disc cover accompanied by red tape ahead of an impending streaming service wave about to hit. What seemed so daring thirteen years ago feels more commonplace now; that is truly indicative of being a trendsetter.
– M.S.

Ah, the proverbial last “Kanye West” album. The Life of Pablo was an ever-changing set of music in multiple ways: Ye repeatedly switched its title ahead of its official release while continually updating tracks even adding songs for months after it hit digital streaming platforms (DSPs). Nonetheless, this album showcased such flexibility between its star-studded cast featuring records that matter culturally even today; it is difficult to pick out highlights due to so many A-tier or S-tier records present within it. Truthfully speaking: It must be taken fully as one cohesive work; however tracks like “Ultralight Beam,” “Father Stretch My Hands,” “Famous,” “Waves,” and “Real Friends” provide good snapshots into how deep his bag was at that time. If anyone were to rank this album higher than No.6 or even dare say No.1; you might not agree — but you couldn’t completely dismiss their claim either.
– A.S.

What was considered sophomore slump for someone only revealing more greatness? Late Registration, released just eighteen months after his debut,The College Dropout , was an ideal next step for Ye who occupied multiple lanes within hip-hop culture commanding attention from all angles possible . There were pop smashes like “Gold Digger,” vintage-sounding tracks such as “Touch The Sky,” awe-inspiring pieces like “Heard ‘Em Say,” smooth bangers including “Drive Slow,” alongside massive stadium-ready anthems represented by “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.” Contrary contrary what its title suggested; this collection arrived right on time: helping establish him as not just an artist known for production but overall artistry too.
Nobody else could accomplish what he did across these tracks making it timeless even today.
If Ye registered late; everyone else fought for parking spots or remained stuck within traffic jams.
– A.S.