The Bottom Line
Pros
- Kanye's delivery has improved
- Jay-Z beats your face in with an iron-laden flow
- Bon Iver adds some flavor
Cons
- Some of the guest rhymes are forgettable
Description
- First installment in Kanye's G.O.O.D. Music Friday series
- First song to feature Bon Iver, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Nicki Minaj
- First rap song to feature the word "sarcophagus"
Guide Review - Kanye West - "Monster" (F/ Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, Bon Iver)
In many ways, "Monster" is about growth and improvement. Jay-Z has gotten better at aiming a singular missile in the direction of multiple targets. Kanye has improved his mic presence and delivery over the years. And Nicki Minaj has stepped up her flow-flip gimmick.
"Do the rap and the track, triple double, no assist," Kanye states on the self-produced "Monster." He then proceeds to flip multi-syllabic rhymes as if they're going out of fashion, rhyming "on top of this" with "sarcophagus" and "esophagus" with "a swallowship."
"Everybody wanna know what my Achilles heel is," Jay spits. "Love - I dont get enough of it. All I get is these vampires and blood suckers. All I get is these rappers I made millionaires, milling about, spilling their feelings in the air." Who's in Jay's crosshairs? Take your pick from Cam'ron to Beanie Sigel.
Nicki actually starts off strong but can't figure out how to close the deal. She throws up her hands and leans on that gimmicky flow as a crutch the rest of the way. It reminds me of something my cat brought home once but couldn't be bothered to kill.
Jay owned this one. It's not even debatable. Ye also drops some of the coldest rhymes he's conjured in a while. Sorry, Jay, those aren't Godzilla's footsteps you're hearing. They're Kanye's. Watch the throne indeed.
