Kanye West drops new album

By Jay Henry

Amidst controversial celebrity feuds and an alleged 53 million dollar debt, Kanye West released his latest album “The Life of Pablo” on February 14, 2016.

A divisive artist, Kanye West has Frederick Community College students split.

“I can’t say I respect him personally,” says Joe Warner, a Frederick Community College student. “He’s like a little kid who says a bunch of stupid stuff, but doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” 

“The Life of Pablo” is West’s seventh album, following his 2013 album Yeezus. After several name changes and delays, Kanye West has been met with public backlash over his behavior surrounding the album. For one thing, the song “Famous”, which includes a line insulting pop star Taylor Swift, has been under scrutiny lately.

“I feel like me and Taylor [Swift] might still have sex. Why? I made that b***h famous,” West raps in the song. 

The line has received criticism on social media from fans and public figures including Swift’s boyfriend, Calvin Harris , and brother, Austin Swift.  However, Kanye West fans have also defended his lyrics.

“I know that lyric is offensive, but I also don’t think you should let it offend you. It’s entertaining,” said Noah Sommer, another Frederick Community College student. “Now if Kanye thinks it’s actually true, he’s wrong.”

In addition to his dispute with Taylor Swift, Kanye West reported on Twitter that he has a debt of $53 million. On February 14th he tweeted a series of comments, including “, I write this to you my brothers while still 53 million dollars in personal debt. Please pray we overcome… This is my true heart.” He later tweeted “, Mark Zuckerberg invest 1 billion dollars into Kanye West ideas.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the album, “The Life of Pablo” has mostly received positive reviews from media outlets. Pitchfork gave it 9 out of 10, and Rolling Stone gave it 4.5 stars out of 5  Newsweek described it as “fascinating and devilishly unpredictable and yet feels somehow unfinished.”  The album is available for download on the music service Tidal. 

“I like Kanye West, but I have no idea why,” said Jessy Stone, an FCC student.