Kanye West - Runaway (Full-length Film) Both albums have similar preoccupations, but on Pablo they have evolved and become fixations. From "Runaway's" production and visuals that proved he was a multi-talented artist not just a rapper, to Nicki's verse on "Monster" - which showcased his propensity for mentoring and catapulting artists to mainstream fame - Kanye gave a career-defining performance on that album that far surpasses the lackluster effort on Pablo.
There, in his peak and prime, his ego felt earned. Uniquely in that project, Kanye balanced his braggadocious self-congratulations with the acknowledgment that he had become an undeniable mainstay in the rap game. MBDTF was a masterclass in production and thematic vision, creating a cohesive album that felt constantly innovative without feeling scattered.
In his critically acclaimed My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye approached the perils of fame with more nuance and vitality. However, these are not new themes, neither unique to Kanye or to his music. The album sees Kanye lamenting about fake friends, greedy family members, and the downsides of his massive success. The Life of Pablo is a case study on fame, faith, and family. The non-linear, experimental style would be done insurmountably better by Frank Ocean's Endless and Blonde later that same year, and its meditations on life were meditations on Kanye's life - and the rest of us, his audience lest he forget, are not Kanye. It's probably his first full-length that won't activate a new sleeper cell of 17-year-old would-be rappers and artists," mostly because there's not much to take from it. Pitchfork called it "the first Kanye West album that's just an album: No major statements, no reinventions, no zeitgeist wheelie-popping. The Life of Pablo felt stale in comparison, its themes dry and derivative.
From the grief and heartbreak that made him sing - and that would ultimately pioneer the tone of mainstream rap music that would set the stage for Drake and The Weeknd's massive success - in 2008's 808s and Heartbreak or the passionate and unbridled energy of the bold and racially charged Yeezus, Kanye had become an iconoclast in rap for how much of his personality he put into his music. Notably, it also lacked the passionate emotional energy that had come to characterize and iconize West.