That Kanye West, Ye in the meantime, is a fantastic musician is publicly known. Sometimes, it’s more challenging to figure out what sort of music genre he makes.
We’ll try to explain what the genre of Ye is in the paragraphs below. We also try to categorize each album by genre and respond to some frequently asked topics.
Kanye West’s General Music Genre
Kanye West is best renowned for his rap and hip-hop genres, although he has also experimented with gospel, pop, and R&B music. He has produced several experimental-style kinds of music across ten studio albums, with Donda as the latest addition. The genres include rock, crooner, psychedelia, electro-pop, punk rap, Avant-poo, soul, industrial rap, and jazz music.
He was born in Chicago, which is also where House was born. Kanye gained an openness and willingness to explore as a result of his exposure to the genre.
Kanye West’s Music Genre per Album
The College Dropout (2004)
His debut album, The College Dropout, featured “Through the Wire.”
Following an automobile accident that required his jaw to be wired shut, West pursued his passion of being a rapper and recorded the song.
The backing track gave the song a typical hip-hop sound but with a West edge. He sped up samples from classic soul songs, resulting in the “chipmunk soul” style he would eventually be recognized.
The most popular tracks are:
Late Registration (2005)
It was heavily influenced by soul hip-hop, with plenty of rock, blues, jazz, and R&B, as well as some psychedelic elements.
Kanye West’s second studio album is titled Late Registration. Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records released it on August 30, 2005.
The most popular tracks are:
Graduation (2007)
Graduation was released in 2007 and once again experimented with several genres.
West infused electronic music, and rock music into his soul and hip hop character after listening to alternative and indie rock tracks.
The most popular tracks are:
808s & Heartbreak (2008)
West published 808s & Heartbreak in 2008.
This time, there was less hip-hop influence, and the emphasis was on avant-garde pop and electro-pop with substantial electronic elements like virtual synthesis.
The lyrics are telling the story of being heartbroken.
The most popular tracks are:
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
This album was widely regarded as a mash-up of his previous four releases.
It’s been called the “summation” of Kanye West’s last four albums, but it doesn’t only borrow elements from them.
The most popular tracks are:
Yeezus (2013)
Yeezus, released in 2013, marked the beginning of his industrial sound, which was regarded as “hostile, aggressive, and purposely off-putting.”
Avant-rap, techno, and punk rap were among the styles included on the album, in addition to hip-hop. The latter is a hip-hop subgenre that consists of various styles that aren’t considered popular.
The most popular tracks are:
The Life of Pablo (2016)
The Life of Pablo is known for its soul, crooner, and avant-garde influences. Kanye has described the music on The Life of Pablo as “The gospel according to Ye”.
The most popular tracks are:
ye (2018)
Ye was known for its “soul, stirring, and plump samples.” It has 2010s hip hop, rhythm & blues and pop influences.
The most popular tracks are:
Jesus is King (2019)
Jesus is King was released in 2019 and had a lot of gospel influences. Next, it had tracks with a good dose of bass, gorgeous chords, hip hop influence, and pop melodies.
The album also combined parts and pieces from previous albums like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Ye and The Life of Pablo.
The most popular tracks are:
Donda (2021)
Donda is Ye’s tenth and most recent studio album. It was released on August 29, after the release date was postponed multiple times.
West deviates from his original style and uses more experimental influences. Next, the album also contains trap and even house. Still, the major genres are hip hop, gospel, progressive rap, and pop.
The most popular tracks are: