{"id":378816,"date":"2026-04-07T01:58:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-07T01:58:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378816\/"},"modified":"2026-04-07T01:58:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-07T01:58:10","slug":"yes-best-worst-solo-lps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/378816\/","title":{"rendered":"Ye’s Best & Worst Solo LPs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tYe (formerly Kanye West<\/a>) has redefined rap in the 21st century while pushing the sonic boundaries as a trendsetter in what\u2019s been accepted in hip-hop\u2019s mainstream. With every blockbuster album release, West tears down what\u2019s left behind and builds a completely new world, each album sounding nothing the previous. <\/p>\n

\n\tAs a self-proclaimed futurist, West doesn\u2019t often look back when it comes to his creations of the past, keeping both eyes on the road of what\u2019s to come. \u201cI don\u2019t care about having a legacy, I don\u2019t care about being remembered,\u201d he told Time<\/a> in 2015. \u201cI\u2019m not in a competition with anyone. None of us will be remembered.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tA plethora of antisemitic remarks and hate-filled rants have damaged West\u2019s reputation \u2014\u00a0particularly in the last few years \u2014 resulting in partners like Gap, Balenciaga, Universal Music Group, Live Nation and Adidas severing ties with the Chicago native.<\/p>\n

\n\tYe apologized to the Jewish and Black communities in January, and inked a deal with Larry Jackson\u2019s Gamma earlier in 2026, before returning with his 12th studio album, Bully, on March 28. The LP debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200<\/a> with 152,000 equivalent album units earned in the tracking week ending April 2.<\/p>\n

\n\tAs one of the century\u2019s premier hitmakers and influential artists invading music\u2019s A-list, ranking West\u2019s albums has been a passionate discussion among hip-hop fans for two decades, and Billboard\u2018s Michael Saponara and Armon Sadler will be adding to that with the list here. <\/p>\n

\n\tRemember, this list is solely Ye\u2019s solo albums, which means Watch the Throne, Cruel Summer and the pair of Vultures joint projects were excluded. Find the full ranking of Ye\u2019s 12 solo albums below.<\/p>\n


\"Billboard
<\/a><\/p>\n

\tDonda 2 (2022)<\/p>\n

\n\tDonda 2 is the toughest of Ye\u2019s albums to connect with. The project felt rushed out the door in early 2022 and was originally released only on West\u2019s STEM Player. For every high watermark of tracks like \u201c530,\u201d there were a handful of others that boasted unfinished verses and half-baked ideas. It\u2019s like Ye went back to the Donda well without many of the primary ingredients that made the 2021 predecessor a worthy listen. Perhaps there\u2019s a solid album somewhere in Donda 2, we just never got it. \u2013 MICHAEL SAPONARA<\/p>\n

\tYe (2018)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 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 \u201cWouldn\u2019t Leave,\u201d \u201cGhost Town,\u201d and \u201cViolent Crimes\u201d being on this track list.<\/p>\n

\n\tUnfortunately, three great songs aren\u2019t 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\u2019t 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. \u2013 ARMON SADLER<\/p>\n

\tBully (2026)<\/p>\n

\n\tYe damaged his reputation and corporate ties with a string of antisemitic remarks in the time between 2022 and Bully\u2019s arrival. With Larry Jackson\u2019s 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\u2019s the chipmunk soul of The College Dropout, Yeezus\u2019 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 \u201cAll the Love.\u201d \u2013 M.S.<\/p>\n

\tDonda (2021)<\/p>\n

\n\tYe took stadium status so literally that he recorded much of Donda \u2014 named after West\u2019s late month \u2014 in the locker rooms of Atlanta\u2019s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. West assembled the rap Avengers in enlisting titans like Jay-Z, Travis Scott and The Weeknd alongside hip-hop\u2019s next generation with Don Toliver, Baby Keem and Playboi Carti in the mix. Donda\u2019s peaks (\u201cJail,\u201d \u201cOff the Grid\u201d and \u201cHurricane\u201d) are higher than just about anything he\u2019s released post-Pablo, but the 27-track marathon lacks some of the cohesion of his consensus classics, which keeps the album in the second half of our rankings.\u00a0\u2013 M.S.<\/p>\n

\tJesus Is King (2019)<\/p>\n

\n\tThe Chicago multi-talent regularly referenced his faith throughout his music career, but between his erratic nature and inability to commit to releases in 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 \u201cEverything We Need,\u201d the spirit-soothing \u201cWater,\u201d and one of the most humble displays he has ever exhibited in \u201cGod Is.\u201d The highs of this album are so undeniable that it wiped away the eye-roll that was \u201cClosed On Sunday,\u201d which infamously referenced one of Chick-Fil-A\u2019s two flaws. <\/p>\n

\n\tJesus Is King thrived due to its conciseness and theme \u2014 largely a result of God being his North Star, and not himself. It honestly only falls this low because everything above it, fully secular music, 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, but the person he was outside of the music forced you to question if his deference to a deity was actually genuine or just an attempt at image rehabilitation. \u2013 A.S.<\/p>\n

\tYeezus (2013)<\/p>\n

\n\tYeezus just rose again. Following the dominance of Dark Fantasy, Watch The Throne and G.O.O.D. Music\u2019s Cruel Summer compilation, Ye\u2019s approval rating couldn\u2019t have been any higher. So, in true Kanye West fashion, he went against the grain and took a risky creative pivot \u2014 a sharp turn toward deconstructing rap, which paved the way for industrial sonics to infiltrate the genre\u2019s mid-to-late 2010s. Decisions like having the glitchy \u201cOn Sight\u201d open Yeezus rather than the more melodic \u201cBlood on the Leaves\u201d were meant to agitate fans, rather than placate. <\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing all of his success, Ye\u2019s frustrations with the fashion industry\u2019s barriers fueled every drop of Yeezus\u2019 rage and ego. Hip-hop dignitary Rick Rubin served as a \u201creducer\u201d on the LP, rather than a traditional producer, while West looked to kill the CD with a blank disc cover and red tape ahead of the streaming service tidal wave about to hit. What seemed so daring 13 years ago feels more commonplace now, and that\u2019s the true sign of a trendsetter.\u00a0\u2013 M.S.<\/p>\n

\tThe Life of Pablo (2016)<\/p>\n

\n\t
Ah, the proverbial last \u201cKanye West\u201d album. The Life of Pablo was an ever-changing set of music in multiple ways: Ye repeatedly switched the title ahead of its official release and continually updated the music, even adding songs, for months after it hit DSPs. Nonetheless, the album was such a flex between the star-studded cast of features and records that matter to the culture to this day. It is difficult to pick out the highlights of this one because there are so many A-tier and S-tier records. Truthfully, it has to be fully taken in as a full work, but \u201cUltralight Beam,\u201d \u201cFather Stretch My Hands,\u201d \u201cFamous,\u201d \u201cWaves\u201d and \u201cReal Friends\u201d are a good snapshot of how deep his bag was at this time. If anyone were to put this album higher than No. 6, or even dared to say No. 1, you might not agree \u2014 but you couldn\u2019t completely dismiss the claim, either. \u2013 A.S.<\/p>\n

\tLate Registration (2005)<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat was a sophomore slump to a man who only had more greatness to reveal to the world? Late Registration came out just 18 months after his debut, The College Dropout, and was the ideal next step for Ye. He was difficult to box in because he occupied, if not commanded, so many lanes. There was the pop smash \u201cGold Digger,\u201d the vintage-sounding \u201cTouch the Sky,\u201d the awe-inspiring \u201cHeard \u2018Em Say,\u201d the smooth banger \u201cDrive Slow,\u201d and the massive, stadium-ready \u201cDiamonds From Sierra Leone.\u201d Contrary to what the title stated, this collection was right on time: Late Registration helped West emerge as a legitimate player not just for his production, but his overall artistry. Nobody else was capable of doing everything he did on this album, and that uniqueness allows it to constantly ace the test of time to this day. If Ye was registering late, then everyone else was fighting for spots in the campus parking lot or stuck in traffic. \u2013 A.S.<\/p>\n

\tThe College Dropout (2004)<\/p>\n

\n\t
Before the sold-out stadiums, Yeezy sneakers and mega-celebrity spouse, Ye was fighting to be heard. The early 2000s saw Yeezy carving out a reputation as a talented producer inside the Roc-A-Fella machine, but Jay-Z and Dame Dash\u2019s label didn\u2019t trust his ability as a rapper. Surviving a frightening 2002 car accident ended up providing the unlikely inspiration behind West\u2019s breakout hit \u201cThrough the Wire\u201d and convinced Roc-A-Fella to greenlight Ye\u2019s College Dropout debut. Rocking his pink polo, West brought \u201cbackpack rap\u201d to the forefront, wearing his insecurities on his sleeve and chopping up signature chipmunk soul samples, which bucked the trend of street rap dominating hip-hop\u2019s mainstream. The Hot 100-topping \u201cSlow Jamz,\u201d \u201cAll Falls Down\u201d and \u201cJesus Walks\u201d followed, giving West one of rap\u2019s most memorable debuts and cementing him as a dual threat. Press play on The College Dropout and you\u2019ll be spellbound by what made you fall in love with Yeezy in the first place. \u2013 M.S.<\/p>\n

\t808s & Heartbreak (2008)<\/p>\n

\n\tYe decided to take the road less travelled by after three successful hip-hop albums, and fully committed to the Auto-Tune sound. This was bold, as these high-pitched melodies were ridiculed and viewed as an abomination within the genre. 808s & Heartbreak showed his staying power because, despite people being so opposed to this innovation within music, he made such great music that they had no choice but to embrace it in the same way he did. \u201cParanoid\u201d sounded like it could fit in any video game soundtrack, but stayed true to rap. \u201cHeartless\u201d was hauntingly beautiful, \u201cLove Lockdown\u201d played like a race against time to preserve what one held dear, and \u201cStreet Lights\u201d was one of the most direct yet impactful similes about time elapsing that a song has ever yielded. <\/p>\n

\n\tWhen you factor in the influence of this particular album, which artists have openly cited, it is difficult not to place it within the top three of his catalog. After all, West being so unashamedly emotional in this arena opened the door for one of the greatest artists of all-time to make his grand entrance from up north and set off another shift in music. When you\u2019re already one of the best and influence a fellow influencer who arguably surpassed you later on, what does that make you? \u2013 A.S.<\/p>\n

\tGraduation (2007)<\/p>\n

\n\tAfter his first two projects, Kanye could have finished college early. However, he paid his dues and shared Graduation two years after Late Registration. (Credit to him for obliging to the traditional four-year structure of a college career, by the way.) Beyond that, he showed he was ready for the real world by taking his abilities to yet another level: Pick the five best songs from any album throughout history and match them up against \u201cStronger,\u201d \u201cGood Life,\u201d \u201cCan\u2019t Tell Me Nothing,\u201d \u201cFlashing Lights,\u201d and \u201cHomecoming.\u201d The games may be close, but if this were a seven-game series, it may end like the Golden State Warriors sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. Okay, fine, maybe their gentlemen\u2019s sweep from the year prior is more fair. <\/p>\n

\n\tNonetheless, combine that set with deep cuts like \u201cBarry Bonds,\u201d \u201cBig Brother,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cEverything I Am,\u201d and \u201cI Wonder,\u201d and there really isn\u2019t much else to say. West was laser-focused on his craft, told resonant stories, and experimented in an easily receivable way. He had the foresight to not only see where the genre could go but also be the catalyst to initiate that shift and almost force his peers to follow suit. The artists at that time may have all been graduates, but make no mistake \u2014\u00a0West was the valedictorian. \u2013 AS<\/p>\n

\tMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)<\/p>\n

\n\tFollowing the harsh backlash from the infamous \u201cIma let you finish\u201d Taylor Swift fiasco at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Ye retreated to Hawaii for solace and a fruitful creative haven. When West\u2019s back has been against the wall, he\u2019s tended to come back with some of the best art of his career, and he delivered again here. Alongside a star-studded group of collaborators ranging from Elton John to Bon Iver and RZA, beachside breakfast and pick-up basketball games led to innovative studio sessions and Ye\u2019s magnum opus. The maximalist My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy redefined hip-hop\u2019s high-art ceiling. <\/p>\n

\n\tDark Fantasy found Ye at his most self-loathing on \u201cRunaway,\u201d reaching for perfection on \u201cAll of the Lights\u201d and soliciting career-defining verses from Nicki Minaj (\u201cMonster\u201d) and Rick Ross (\u201cDevil in a New Dress\u201d). West\u2019s fifth studio album took home best rap album honors at the 2012 Grammy Awards and topped Billboard\u2019s 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s<\/a> list. While they don\u2019t see eye-to-eye these days, just let Pusha T tell it: \u201cTwisted Fantasy is GOAT-level rap. It is what a hip-hop album should aspire to be like,\u201d he said in a 2015 interview.<\/a> \u201cPeople should talk about that album forever.\u201d \u2013 M.S.<\/p>\n

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