Latest Thelifeofpablo Podcast Episodes
Review: JEEN-YUHS: A Kanye Trilogy (Part 1)
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - January 25, 2022 16:34 - 28 minutes ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsJEEN-YUHS has had its Sundance premier. And I got to see it! So here are my initial thoughts about part 1 and some broader thoughts on the trilogy as a whole. We'll get into Coodie, Chike, J Ivy, Ye, what years the documentary covers, when it comes out, other reactions, if fans will like it, and ...
Eazy by The Game & Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - January 18, 2022 22:26 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsAs Ye ramps up for Donda 2, he's giving us some great music in the meantime! This week it comes in the form of Eazy, a collaboration with The Game that features production from Mike Dean, Hit-Boy, and DJ Premier. We discuss this classic verse from Kanye, which features a number of great lines and...
Donda: Reflections and Song Rankings
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - December 16, 2021 19:19 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsDonda released just over three months ago. And 27 episodes later...we're exhausted! In a good way :) That's right! It's the season finale of our Donda coverage. For this episode, we look back at our favorite moments and revelations from Kanye's latest masterpiece. And then we rank every single so...
No Child Left Behind by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - December 13, 2021 15:37 - 58 minutes ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsAfter 22 long, grueling, enlightening song discussions...we've finally reached the end! Today we're breaking down the final song on Donda's main narrative: No Child Left Behind. We discuss how Kanye and Vory put a cap on the album's thematic threads with this spare, direct, uplifting experience. ...
Come to Life by Kanye West (feat. Cole Cuchna)
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - December 07, 2021 11:00 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsDuring the course of our season-long dissection of Donda, we've penciled in our thoughts. Well, now it's time to write 'em down in pen for our Come to Life episode—and for that, we'll need a little help. For this extra-sized episode, Cole Cuchna from the Dissect podcast joins us to break down wha...
Pure Souls by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - December 02, 2021 16:27 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsThe truth is only what you get away with, huh? Well, we've got a truth for you: Pure Souls is an awesome song. And not just because the track is a bop—it's because Pure Souls pays off on so many narrative and thematic threads on Donda. In this episode, we break down why Kanye, Roddy Ricch, and Sh...
Lord I Need You by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 30, 2021 11:05 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsFor years, Kanye sought stability in his life—and Kim brought that. But now, as they move on from each other, we see Kanye putting those years together into perspective. What happened? And what's next? Lord I Need You is a crucial song on an album where Kanye is at a spiritual crossroads. And we'...
Tell the Vision by Kanye West (and Pop Smoke)
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 22, 2021 15:11 - 59 minutes ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsAh, everybody's favorite song on Donda!! Just kidding—people seem to *hate* Tell the Vision. But we're here to prove why it's an essential track on an album where Kanye is discovering and fueling his spiritual purpose here on earth as Pop Smoke looks on from beyond the grave. If you'd like to sup...
New Again by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 19, 2021 15:11 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsWhat Kanye lyricize...we'll analyze! That's right, today we're dissecting New Again—the track that leads us into the final movement of Donda where Kanye, indeed, seeks to be made new again after a trying time in his life. We also discuss the mysterious woman in the lyrics, The Weeknd's possible i...
Jesus Lord (Part 2) - Jay Electronica & Larry Hoover Jr.
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 17, 2021 14:22 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsOne episode? Not enough for this masterpiece. Based on the hours of discussion we've already had about Donda this season, Jesus Lord has proven to be the most important song on the album. Kanye's verse (which we discussed in Part 1) brought all of the album's major themes to the forefront, and no...
Reactions to Kanye releasing Donda Deluxe
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 15, 2021 21:27 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsJust when you thought you had everything figured out...Kanye throws a wrench into EVERYTHING!!! Yesterday we got the "Deluxe" version of Donda, which includes some new songs, changes to old songs, and a complete reworking of the track order. So what do we make of all this? We go through all those...
Reactions to Kanye's SECOND interview on Drink Champs
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 12, 2021 23:04 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsChris takes your questions about Ye's second appearance on Drink Champs and everything that happened during and after that interview. 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 YouTu...
Jesus Lord (Part 1) - Kanye's Verse
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 11, 2021 16:57 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsYou really thought we could do this in one episode? Nah. Jesus Lord is an epic track. It's the Runaway of Donda—the Sun around which all of the other planets revolve. Jesus Lord gathers all of the album's themes and motifs in a grand setting where Kanye, Jay Electronica, and Larry Hoover Jr. can ...
Keep My Spirit Alive by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 08, 2021 20:33 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsKeep My Spirit Alive is a song that's absolutely chock-full of underlying meaning and introspection. The self-awareness of Westside Gunn's verse, Conway the Machine's determination to move on from a near-death experience, Kanye and his mother's ode to KRS-One—it's all there, and it's all beautifu...
Reactions to Kanye's interview on Drink Champs
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 05, 2021 22:31 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsA classic Kanye interview—it's what we hope and pray for each day. And today...we have one! That's right, Ye went on Drink Champs and talked about a number of topics, from his beef with Drake (and other people he apparently has beef with) to his relationship with Kim to a host of other social and...
Donda by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 03, 2021 15:17 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsIn October 2007, Donda West gave an incredible speech where she discussed social justice in the context of both hip hop and her family. And, obviously, that meant talking about her son: Kanye West. Fourteen years later, Ye sampled that speech for the song Donda in the most epic way possible. On t...
Heaven and Hell by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - November 01, 2021 17:15 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsThe song Heaven and Hell Is on Earth by 20th Century Steel Band has been sampled dozens of times by the biggest artists in hip hop and R&B—and we can now add Ye to that list. And in classic Kanye fashion, this reference is crucial to understanding both the song Heaven and Hell and the album narra...
Moon by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - October 25, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsHow can I get through? It's a question many of us face when confronted with grief, with longing, with a desire to move forward—which is why so many people relate to the song Moon. As one of the standout tracks on Donda, Moon represents an important, heavy shift for the album's narrative, as Kanye...
Remote Control by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - October 21, 2021 18:20 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsGlib...no. Globgobob...no. Globglo...gabgalab? Yes! That's it. That's the bulbous creature we hear at the end of Remote Control. So who exactly is the Globglogabgalab? And why the heck did he replace Kid Cudi on what is perhaps the most divisive track on Donda? Remote Control features some great ...
24 by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - October 19, 2021 23:29 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsSo far on Donda, there's been an overwhelming sense of fear, of antagonism, of disorientation. But 24 is our very first moment of respite—and what a beautiful relief it is. This spare gospel track represents a turning point for Kanye on his latest album, as it signals the spiritual ascension that...
Believe What I Say by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - October 08, 2021 14:45 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsSunny melodies. Pop culture references. Lauryn Hill samples. Is this...Old Kanye we hear??? Believe What I Say certainly feels that way after so many dark, grim tracks on Donda. But there are plenty of New Kanye tricks on this song that elevate it to higher levels. On this episode, we get into Ka...
Junya by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - October 06, 2021 14:53 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsJonah has a Drake diss. Ok Ok has a Drake diss. And now Junya...has a Drake diss. Hmm. We're starting to see a pattern. So why is Kanye so obsessed with Drake on this section of the Donda? On this episode, we theorize why the album makes such an antagonistic shift by picking apart the lyrics of w...
Ok Ok by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 27, 2021 11:00 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratings"Kanye vs. Drake." That standoff has been brewing for quite some time, and it finally reached a head these past few months with the release of Donda and Certified Lover Boy. Of course Drake has thrown his lyrical shots during that period—but Kanye has as well. And Ok Ok is the most direct Kanye h...
Jonah by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 24, 2021 10:00 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsWho's here when you need a podcast to lean on? We are! And today, we're dissecting one of the heaviest songs of Kanye's career. Jonah navigates a minefield of depression, pain, anger, and suffering—with a possible Drake diss thrown in as well? From the ambient-heavy production to the piercing lyr...
Praise God by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 23, 2021 13:32 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsDecades ago, Gwendolyn Brooks wrote a poem that would become part of a legendary speech from Donda West in 2007—and would later become a guiding light for Kanye West when making music in 2021. Praise God wouldn't exist without Brooks, a famous Black poet from Chicago whose words spoke to Kanye at...
Hurricane by Kanye West (feat. The Weeknd, Lil Baby, KayCyy)
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 21, 2021 14:51 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsMm-mm-mm-mm-mm! We have been waiting for this episode since the very beginning. Hurricane—which very well could be the best song on Donda—is jam-packed with beautiful production, intense imagery, and narrative-building lyricism. In addition to all of that, we discuss the conception of the song an...
Hurricane by Kanye West
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 21, 2021 14:51 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsMm-mm-mm-mm-mm! We have been waiting for this episode since the very beginning. Hurricane—which very well could be the best song on Donda—is jam-packed with beautiful production, intense imagery, and narrative-building lyricism. In addition to all of that, we discuss the conception of the song an...
Off the Grid (Part 2) - Kanye's Verse
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 17, 2021 11:58 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsCould it possibly get than Fivio's gargantuan guest verse? Why yes. Yes it can. Because Kanye West has a few things to say. On this episode, we unpack Ye's legendary closer on Off the Grid and theorize about how it previews several themes we'll continue to see play out on Donda. If you'd like to ...
Off the Grid (Part 1) - Fivio and Playboi Carti's verses
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 16, 2021 23:16 - 1 hour ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsIf you know Watching the Throne, then you know that we LOVE long episodes. So when we decide to split an episode into two parts...we do it for a reason. There was simply too much to unpack in Off the Grid, so for Part 1 we're strictly going to focus on Playboi Carti and Fivio's verses. Notoriety,...
God Breathed by Kanye West (feat. Vory)
Watching the Throne: A Lyrical Analysis of Kanye West - September 09, 2021 18:26 - 2 hours ★★★★★ - 629 ratingsSo you think God Breathed is a long, pointless, and boring song? Well, do we have a treat for you! In this extra-long episode, we shed light on what is actually a deeply layered and sonically complex song that's incredibly important in setting up the Donda narrative. Kanye West would be proud of ...
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