Watching The Throne: A Lyrical Analysis Of Kanye West

Third time's the charm! We're going to get yet another listening party for DONDA in Chicago—and yes, Chris and Travis will be there!!! In this episode, we review everything that's been going on with Kanye over the past few weeks and what we can expect from the Chicago listening party this Thursday. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On his most critically appraised album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, we see Kanye West escape into a fantasy world. But before he enters that hellish realm, the character first needs to be introduced—which is where Dark Fantasy comes in. In this episode, we pick apart Kanye's epic opening track to show how he uses a collage of samples and references to provide foundation for the album's narrative. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ah, the magnum opus. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is, by and large, considered to be Kanye West's greatest work of art. And, yeah...its greatness is pretty hard to deny. But is there more to this album than meets the eye? On this season of Watching the Throne, we set out to find even more meaning and nuance to this story as Kanye plunges further into the lonely hellscape of celebrity.  If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

July 23...came and went. And then August 6...came and went. And now...now......well. We wait. We have no idea when we're going to hear Kanye West's tenth album, DONDA. But there has been lots of speculation and clues since last week's listening party in Atlanta. In this episode, we run through everything you need to know. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WE TOLD YOU IT WOULD BE WORTH THE WAIT. It appears as though Kanye's latest album DONDA is jussssst about finished and we will hopefully be getting the album today! But until then, we recount our experience of watching Kanye's second livestream of the album—WHICH SOUNDED FREAKIN AMAZING. We talk about the differences from the first Atlanta experience and highlight our favorite moments from the show. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Another day, another dollar...another album! Our line-by-line analysis of 808s & Heartbreak really broke the album wide open and revealed lots of nuance we had yet to discover. And now it's time to reflect on that experience. In this episode, we talk about our favorite discoveries and rank every single song from Kanye's classic album. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pinocchio Story may just seem like a live freestyle that doesn't fit into the narrative of 808s & Heartbreak. But it's actually a perfect ending for the album's themes and commentary—and an indicator of what Kanye West would do with his music moving forward. In this episode, we unpack what may in fact be the most important song of Kanye's career. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Not a single song on 808s & Heartbreak appears to be about Kanye's mother. So...why does Coldest Winter feel so heavily focused on her? The key to answering this question is to unlock the album narrative of 808s & Heartbreak. In this episode, we cycle back through the album and go line by line through its final track to make sense of Kanye's art-pop achievement. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's been a week since the DONDA listening party in Atlanta...and we still don't have an album. But we might have one soon? Wait...what's the status of this thing again? In this episode, we review everything we know about DONDA and when we can expect Kanye's new album. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Brrrr. It's getting cold in here! And dark. And...scary. And that's probably because we're ready to discuss one of the songs that many Kanye fans seem to hate: See You In My Nightmares. Well, Chris and Travis hope that will change after today. In this lyrical breakdown, we show how the nightmarish landscape of the production, how Lil Wayne's sinister verse, how the evolving narrative of 808s & Heartbreak all make See You In My Nightmares one of the most realized songs of Kanye's career. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. You can also watch this podcast in video form over on our YouTube channel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bad News. That's a song where a woman cheats on Kanye. Right? Or...wait. No. That can't be right. BECAUSE KANYE HIMSELF said the song was from a female's perspective. So how do we read and understand this song??? Luckily, Chris and Travis are here to help. We break down the track line by line and do some research on the sample in order to break this one wide open. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We were in Atlanta for the DONDA listening party!!! And it was...interesting? Transcendent? Confusing? Profound? Basically, it was a whirlwind of an evening. We got to meet lots of great Kanye fans and heard some awesome Kanye music—and we're ready to talk about it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Well, it's been a whirlwind of a week. But DONDA is FINALLY coming on Friday, and there's a listening party on Thursday—and you can bet your bottom dollar that Chris and Travis will be there. We get hyped for the new album in this episode as we review what has been possibly the most exciting week to ever be a Kanye West fan. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We spend a lot of time on this show talking about Kanye songs that are years old. But every once in a blue moon, we get that precious, fresh Kanye verse...even if it is only 22 words long? Which, yes, is disappointing. But the song is awesome, and there's still plenty of material for two rabid Kanye fans to discuss. That's exactly what Chris and Travis do in this episode as they give their first impressions of the song and Kanye's (very short) verse. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Several of Kanye's songs are catchy. Others are aggressive. Many are anthems. But some Kanye songs are just...special. And Street Lights definitely fits into that final category. Kanye's melancholic poem about loneliness is full of philosophical ponderings and haunting imagery, and it's backed by some of his most breathtaking production to date. In this episode, Chris and Travis reflect on how the song has affected them over the years, the role of Buddhism in Kanye's lyrics, and how Street Lights elevates 808s & Heartbreak to a new level. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Dead or alive, you're coming with me." That's the way RoboCop treats criminals. It's also how Kanye thinks he's being treated by his woman on the song RoboCop...but is that true? Or is it the other way around? Of course nuance and complexity abounds on 808s & Heartbreak, and Chris and Travis are here to pick apart every detail. In this episode, they deconstruct Kanye's clever wordplay, dig into the deeply layered production, and excitedly discuss what is probably Kanye's coolest sample on the album yet. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Order, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads...Kanye West? There are lots of great new wave artists out there, and Kanye became the most unlikely of additions back in 2008 with Paranoid. But, as it turns out, one of his most upbeat tracks is filled with tragic irony. In this episode, Chris and Travis break down the song to show how its counterfeit exterior fits into the sad storyline of 808s & Heartbreak. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kanye has several classics on 808s & Heartbreak. But this song—the first single on the album—seemed to be the one he really wanted you to hear. Love Lockdown is a beloved Kanye track that's stuffed to the brim with incredible lyrics and layered production. And Chris and Travis can't wait to talk all about it in their line-by-line deconstruction of this masterpiece. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kanye says that he's "amazing" like 50 times on the song Amazing. But...does anyone ever once believe him? Chris and Travis sure don't. There's duality to Kanye's bravado on the fourth track of 808s & Heartbreak, and we're going to break it down as we dissect the song line by line. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you heard the coldest story ever told? You probably have. Because Heartless is one of Kanye's biggest hits. But...do you know the actual meaning behind the song? And how the lyrics and production signal the birth of Yeezus?? Yup, we're going there. Chris and Travis have some theories about Heartless and how it fits into the 808s & Heartbreak narrative—so strap in. If you'd like to support the show (and hear this episode ad-free), then join our Patreon community: https://www.patreon.com/KanyePodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices