G.O.O.D. Fridays are Back???? (and Kim K told me all about it)

In a country where views on the Kardashians are an intensely polarized issue, I have prided myself on really just not caring at all. However my indifference reached maximum capacity last week when I realized the (k)lan of sisters had infiltrated even the smallest most niched crevaces of the Internet where I thought I was safe.

It happened when Kanye West put out a new song last week, and I received every update on its progress from Kim Kardashian. Last week her Twitter told me why Kanye's new song was late, what part of the production process the song was in, and when we could expect it. Kanye had always been my thing, and Kim was taking it from me. But regardless, she did let me know about the possible G.O.O.D. Friday return, so I think my opinion on her has returned to neutral.

And to be clear G.O.O.D. Fridays are a huge deal. (which is why I'm upset about Kim somehow getting herself into this.) In 2010, before the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye put out a new free song every Friday for 15 weeks, thus birthing G.O.O.D. Fridays. The Friday releases arguably gave us some of Kanye's greatest work---from Power to Monster to Devil in a New Dress. The rebirthed Friday releases are in accordance with SWISH, which is set to release on February 11th, and we can all only hope the return will bring us some 2010-esque Kanye magic.

So far, the free music Fridays have been off to a weird start. There's only been 3 releases in the past four Fridays, and one of the three came out on a Saturday. So below is a comprehensive list of what's come out so far, and what I think of it:

(Kanye and Kendrick via Kanye's Twitter. Captioned "We just wanna thank Madlib for these 6 beat CDs he sent over #scary" )

No More Parties in L.A. ft. Kendrick Lamar (Released Saturday, Jan. 18th)

Despite this being the most recent of the new releases, it might technically be the oldest. The Internet did some digging and found that Kanye may have actually worked on this song originally in 2010, during those famous MBDTF sessions. The beat is from Madlib, famed producer and essentially Kanye's righthand man back in 2010 during production. (For me, Madlib is hugely important because of his collaboration with MF Doom on my favorite album Madvillain.) And the pair does not dissapoint. The song intros with an "Uncle Larry" sample, which turns into a repetitive beat that Kendrick and Kanye go at for a full six minutes. This is the first time Kanye and Kendrick have worked together, which is surprising because of their paralleled and otherwise unmatched abilities. But although it's amazing to hear their distinct sounds back to back, Kendrick is basically an opener on this. Kanye's second verse spans from the 2:30 mark to about the five minute mark, with no interruption. He touches on everything from his ex Amber Rose to his daughter and newly born son. If this is what SWISH is gonna sound like, I am all in.

Real Friends ft. Ty Dolla $ign (Released Jan. 8th)

Something else that sounds like older Ye??? This track is sad and thoughtful song and lets Kanye slow down to talk about fucked up friends and fucked up families. Its lyrics are reminiscent of a younger Kanye, maybe like the concerned Kanye in All Falls Down, aware of his and everyone else's insecurities. And aside from lyrics, Kanye hits listeners in the heart by singing his most poignant lines with a heavy autotune on top, jsut like he did throughout all of his 808 tracks. I hate to feel like the guy yelling for the old songs in the concert crowd, but I am so ready for Kanye to sound like this again.

As for the feature with Ty Dolla $ign--I would like to think that Kanye is above featuring anyone who still thinks it's okay to have a dollar sign in their name. Let alone a literal $, along with the words "dolla sign." Granted, the chorus sounds super nice, so I can give it a pass. (Also Blase was on okay song, and I'm pissed I have to say that. Just remove the $, Ty, okay. )

Facts (Released Dec. 31st)

I wish this weren't the first G.O.O.D. Friday release. I wish this were not a G.O.O.D. Friday release at all. It started off well. An older song, slightly chopped for a sample, a classic Kanye touch. But the sample is abruptly cut off for a trap beat that sounds a lot like Jumpman. And I love Jumpman, but to be clear, I love Future's Jumpman. Kanye thrives as an innovator, a reinventor. Hearing him yell over a trap beat is not his area. Every once in a while, rappers need to flex a little on a track, and be aggressive and brag about dumb things. But this was an amplified version of all of those things at once. I prefer the more melodic long-winded tracks that followed this one. I don't want SWISH to sound like this.

So to conclude, I look forward to SWISH as much as I look forward to reading Kim's upcoming tweets-- I know it could be bad, but I'm gonna pay attention to it regardless because it could be (and based off of historical patterns) probably will be very important.