All of Ye’s Solo Albums Ranked From Worst to Best: Critics’ Picks

Donda 2 is the toughest of Ye’s albums to connect with. The project felt rushed out the door in early 2022 and was originally released only on West’s STEM Player. For every high watermark of tracks like “530,” there were a handful of others that boasted unfinished verses and half-baked ideas. It’s like Ye went back to the Donda well without many of the primary ingredients that made the 2021 predecessor a worthy listen. Perhaps there’s a solid album somewhere in Donda 2, we just never got it. – MICHAEL SAPONARA

The artist formerly known as Kanye West, being such an ambitious act with endless ideas, made the concept of his sort-of self-titled 2018 album very intriguing. How could he possibly pack his entire artistic repertoire into just seven songs on Ye? Add in the fact that he was seemingly at the peak of his manic outbursts (at the time). Even with that, he still had some of the genius we came to know and love in there, with gems such as “Wouldn’t Leave,” “Ghost Town,” and “Violent Crimes” being on this track list.

Unfortunately, three great songs aren’t enough to get it done for a guy who previously made albums loaded with hits and cult favorites, especially when the features shine the most here. Listening to this album will always feel a bit icky, given the person he was at the time. Musically, it couldn’t possibly be placed ahead of most of his work, due to the lack of volume and the ratio of makes to misses. Brevity was not the source of wit in this instance, but he still produced three songs that he either performs to this day or that TikTok has helped keep alive. – ARMON SADLER

Ye damaged his reputation and corporate ties with a string of antisemitic remarks in the time between 2022 and Bully’s arrival. With Larry Jackson’s Gamma label behind him, West returned with his 12th studio album in March. The rollout was much different than a typical Yeezy lead-up, as West remained largely quiet, allowing for the music to do the talking. Even if his rapping has slipped compared to prime Yeezy, his production remains avant-garde and better than just about anyone en vogue in the genre right now. There’s the chipmunk soul of The College Dropout, Yeezus’ industrialization and different eras of West sprinkled into Bully, which marks his most polished album this decade and a step in the right direction. The peaks of brilliance are why some will never quit Ye. Just press play on the Andre Troutman-assisted “All the Love.” – M.S.

Ye took stadium status so literally that he recorded much of Donda — named after West’s late month — in the locker rooms of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. West assembled the rap Avengers in enlisting titans like Jay-Z, Travis Scott and The Weeknd alongside hip-hop’s next generation with Don Toliver, Baby Keem and Playboi Carti in the mix. Donda’s peaks (“Jail,” “Off the Grid” and “Hurricane”) are higher than just about anything he’s released post-Pablo, but the 27-track marathon lacks some of the cohesion of his consensus classics, which keeps the album in the second half of our rankings. – M.S.

The Chicago multi-talent regularly referenced his faith throughout his music career, but between his erratic nature and inability to commit to releases in this era, a full-length effort like Jesus Is King seemed impossible until it happened. Nonetheless, the 11-song LP actually came out, and Ye managed to shift his artistic focus completely into his complex version of gospel. In that, we got a scorcher like “Everything We Need,” the spirit-soothing “Water,” and one of the most humble displays he has ever exhibited in “God Is.” The highs of this album are so undeniable that it wiped away the eye-roll that was “Closed On Sunday,” which infamously referenced one of Chick-Fil-A’s two flaws.

Jesus Is King thrived due to its conciseness and theme — largely a result of God being his North Star, and not himself. It honestly only falls this low because everything above it, fully secular music, was that much better, more influential, and less soured by his madness. His emoting and reverence for God on this album was palpable and almost believable, but the person he was outside of the music forced you to question if his deference to a deity was actually genuine or just an attempt at image rehabilitation. – A.S.

Yeezus just rose again. Following the dominance of Dark Fantasy, Watch The Throne and G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer compilation, Ye’s approval rating couldn’t have been any higher. So, in true Kanye West fashion, he went against the grain and took a risky creative pivot — a sharp turn toward deconstructing rap, which paved the way for industrial sonics to infiltrate the genre’s mid-to-late 2010s. Decisions like having the glitchy “On Sight” open Yeezus rather than the more melodic “Blood on the Leaves” were meant to agitate fans, rather than placate.

Following all of his success, Ye’s frustrations with the fashion industry’s barriers fueled every drop of Yeezus’ rage and ego. Hip-hop dignitary Rick Rubin served as a “reducer” on the LP, rather than a traditional producer, while West looked to kill the CD with a blank disc cover and red tape ahead of the streaming service tidal wave about to hit. What seemed so daring 13 years ago feels more commonplace now, and that’s the true sign of a trendsetter. – M.S.

Ah, the proverbial last “Kanye West” album. The Life of Pablo was an ever-changing set of music in multiple ways: Ye repeatedly switched the title ahead of its official release and continually updated the music, even adding songs, for months after it hit DSPs. Nonetheless, the album was such a flex between the star-studded cast of features and records that matter to the culture to this day. It is difficult to pick out the highlights of this one because there are so many A-tier and S-tier records. Truthfully, it has to be fully taken in as a full work, but “Ultralight Beam,” “Father Stretch My Hands,” “Famous,” “Waves” and “Real Friends” are a good snapshot of how deep his bag was at this time. If anyone were to put this album higher than No. 6, or even dared to say No. 1, you might not agree — but you couldn’t completely dismiss the claim, either. – A.S.

What was a sophomore slump to a man who only had more greatness to reveal to the world? Late Registration came out just 18 months after his debut, The College Dropout, and was the ideal next step for Ye. He was difficult to box in because he occupied, if not commanded, so many lanes. There was the pop smash “Gold Digger,” the vintage-sounding “Touch the Sky,” the awe-inspiring “Heard ‘Em Say,” the smooth banger “Drive Slow,” and the massive, stadium-ready “Diamonds From Sierra Leone.” Contrary to what the title stated, this collection was right on time: Late Registration helped West emerge as a legitimate player not just for his production, but his overall artistry. Nobody else was capable of doing everything he did on this album, and that uniqueness allows it to constantly ace the test of time to this day. If Ye was registering late, then everyone else was fighting for spots in the campus parking lot or stuck in traffic. – A.S.

Before the sold-out stadiums, Yeezy sneakers and mega-celebrity spouse, Ye was fighting to be heard. The early 2000s saw Yeezy carving out a reputation as a talented producer inside the Roc-A-Fella machine, but Jay-Z and Dame Dash’s label didn’t trust his ability as a rapper. Surviving a frightening 2002 car accident ended up providing the unlikely inspiration behind West’s breakout hit “Through the Wire” and convinced Roc-A-Fella to greenlight Ye’s College Dropout debut. Rocking his pink polo, West brought “backpack rap” to the forefront, wearing his insecurities on his sleeve and chopping up signature chipmunk soul samples, which bucked the trend of street rap dominating hip-hop’s mainstream. The Hot 100-topping “Slow Jamz,” “All Falls Down” and “Jesus Walks” followed, giving West one of rap’s most memorable debuts and cementing him as a dual threat. Press play on The College Dropout and you’ll be spellbound by what made you fall in love with Yeezy in the first place. – M.S.

Ye decided to take the road less travelled by after three successful hip-hop albums, and fully committed to the Auto-Tune sound. This was bold, as these high-pitched melodies were ridiculed and viewed as an abomination within the genre. 808s & Heartbreak showed his staying power because, despite people being so opposed to this innovation within music, he made such great music that they had no choice but to embrace it in the same way he did. “Paranoid” sounded like it could fit in any video game soundtrack, but stayed true to rap. “Heartless” was hauntingly beautiful, “Love Lockdown” played like a race against time to preserve what one held dear, and “Street Lights” was one of the most direct yet impactful similes about time elapsing that a song has ever yielded.

When you factor in the influence of this particular album, which artists have openly cited, it is difficult not to place it within the top three of his catalog. After all, West being so unashamedly emotional in this arena opened the door for one of the greatest artists of all-time to make his grand entrance from up north and set off another shift in music. When you’re already one of the best and influence a fellow influencer who arguably surpassed you later on, what does that make you? – A.S.

After his first two projects, Kanye could have finished college early. However, he paid his dues and shared Graduation two years after Late Registration. (Credit to him for obliging to the traditional four-year structure of a college career, by the way.) Beyond that, he showed he was ready for the real world by taking his abilities to yet another level: Pick the five best songs from any album throughout history and match them up against “Stronger,” “Good Life,” “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” “Flashing Lights,” and “Homecoming.” The games may be close, but if this were a seven-game series, it may end like the Golden State Warriors sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals. Okay, fine, maybe their gentlemen’s sweep from the year prior is more fair.

Nonetheless, combine that set with deep cuts like “Barry Bonds,” “Big Brother,”  “Everything I Am,” and “I Wonder,” and there really isn’t much else to say. West was laser-focused on his craft, told resonant stories, and experimented in an easily receivable way. He had the foresight to not only see where the genre could go but also be the catalyst to initiate that shift and almost force his peers to follow suit. The artists at that time may have all been graduates, but make no mistake — West was the valedictorian. – AS

Following the harsh backlash from the infamous “Ima let you finish” Taylor Swift fiasco at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, Ye retreated to Hawaii for solace and a fruitful creative haven. When West’s back has been against the wall, he’s tended to come back with some of the best art of his career, and he delivered again here. Alongside a star-studded group of collaborators ranging from Elton John to Bon Iver and RZA, beachside breakfast and pick-up basketball games led to innovative studio sessions and Ye’s magnum opus. The maximalist My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy redefined hip-hop’s high-art ceiling.

Dark Fantasy found Ye at his most self-loathing on “Runaway,” reaching for perfection on “All of the Lights” and soliciting career-defining verses from Nicki Minaj (“Monster”) and Rick Ross (“Devil in a New Dress”). West’s fifth studio album took home best rap album honors at the 2012 Grammy Awards and topped Billboard’s 100 Greatest Albums of the 2010s list. While they don’t see eye-to-eye these days, just let Pusha T tell it: “Twisted Fantasy is GOAT-level rap. It is what a hip-hop album should aspire to be like,” he said in a 2015 interview. “People should talk about that album forever.” – M.S.