Maps of Music

The Life of Pablo (2016)

Where the lyrics of The Life of Pablo take you, and where it was really made.

West claimed The Life of Pablo would never leave Tidal, yet the album reached rival streaming services by April 2016.

Key places

Recorded at Abel's Crib (2016)

Recording site Abel's Crib — The source lists Abel's Crib in Toronto among the places where the album was recorded. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded in New York City (2016)

Recording site Record Plant Studios — The source names Dean's List House of Hits in New York City as a recording location; the pin sits at city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at home studios in Calabasas (2016)

Recording site Calabasas home studios — The source lists home studios in Calabasas, California as one of the album's recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Jungle City (2016)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — The source lists Jungle City, in California and New York, as a recording location for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Larrabee Sound Studios (2016)

Recording site Larrabee Sound Studios — The source lists Larrabee Sound Studios in North Hollywood as one of the album's recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at No Name in Punta Mita (2016)

Recording site No Name studio — The source names No Name in Punta Mita as a recording location; the pin sits at city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded at Windmark in Santa Monica (2016)

Recording site Ruby Red — The source names Windmark in Santa Monica as a recording location; the pin sits at city center. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• The Life of Pablo: seventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West
• Released February 14, 2016 through GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings
• Executive producers Rick Rubin and Noah Goldstein worked with West to lead production
• Guest appearances include The-Dream, Kelly Price, Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, Kid Cudi, Desiigner, Rihanna, Young Thug, Chris Brown, the Weeknd, Ty Dolla Sign, Vic Mensa, Sia, Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, and Sampha
• West summarized the album as his interpretation of the Gospel
• Sound blends hip-hop with gospel music; critics described the soundscape as intentionally messy and fragmented
• Themes include Christian faith, family issues, and celebrity status

Background

• Recording began in November 2013 under the working title So Help Me God, planned for a 2014 release
• Title changed frequently during recording; the final title refers to Pablo Escobar, Pablo Picasso, and Paul the Apostle
• Early version previewed at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 2016
• First released exclusively on Tidal; an updated version reached other services on April 1, 2016

Recording

• Recorded between 2013 and 2016, though recording for "No More Parties in LA" started in 2010
• Recording locations included Mexico and Hawaii, according to Big Sean
• Ty Dolla Sign reported writing and recording took place in Mexico in September 2014

Cover

• Artwork designed by Belgian artist Peter De Potter
• Cover revealed February 11, 2016; a cropped photo of British model Sheniz Halil was used for the official release

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Ye (born Kanye Omari West, June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
• Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago; began producing in the mid-1990s for Chicago-area artists.
• Signed to Roc-A-Fella Records as a recording artist after producing for Jay-Z's label.

Members

• Solo artist; formed the Go-Getters group with GLC, Timmy G, and Arrowstar (1999).

Career

• Debut The College Dropout (2004) and Late Registration (2005) earned critical acclaim.
• Released eleven US Billboard 200 number-one albums; five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.
• Known for stylistic shifts from chamber pop to electropop, gospel, and industrial rap.
• Founded GOOD Music label; ventured into fashion with Louis Vuitton, Nike, and Adidas (Yeezy).
• Has 24 Grammy Awards and sold an estimated 160 million records.
• Faced major controversy for antisemitic statements from 2022 and later expressed remorse.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: generally favorable reviews, weighted average 75 out of 100 from 35 critic scores
• Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.4 out of 10, based on the critical consensus
• Rob Sheffield (Rolling Stone): called it both a mess and a masterpiece, feeling it was made messy on purpose
• Corbin Reiff: called it a brilliant document as a messy, mixed-up collection of 18 songs, far from West's tightly built earlier works
• Jon Caramanica (The New York Times): compared it to Tumblr turned into an album, and named it the best album of 2016
• Jayson Greene (Pitchfork): gave a highly positive review, calling it his most labored-over and unfinished album
• Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune): gave a mixed review, saying it sounds like a work in progress
• Ray Rahman (Entertainment Weekly): called it an ambitious album struggling to fit many identities into one whole
• Alexis Petridis (The Guardian): described it as rambling and chaotic at times, but impressively audacious

Reappraisal

• Multiple publications named it one of 2016's best albums
• Paste ranked it among its 300 Greatest Albums of All Time
• Many publications viewed the lack of an Album of the Year nomination at the 2017 Grammys as a snub

Records

• Debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, the first album to top the chart mainly through streaming (66,000 of 94,000 units)
• Number one in Norway; top ten in Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Sweden
• UK Albums Chart: number 30; gold in the UK in 2017 for 100,000 album-equivalent units
• Five Grammy nominations at the 2017 ceremony, including Best Rap Album
• Won Innovation and Integrated Campaign at the 2017 Clio Awards
• Certified triple platinum by the RIAA in 2022

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• West played an early version at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 2016, before the initial release on Tidal.
• West had said the album would never leave Tidal; in April 2016 a lawsuit was filed against him and Jay-Z over this claim.
• The title confused listeners; West wrote "Which one?" on his notepad, and he later named Escobar, Picasso, and Paul the Apostle as its sources.
• Lead single "Famous" referenced Taylor Swift after West's interruption of her speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
• The Saint Pablo Tour, started in August 2016, was canceled on November 21, 2016.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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