Saying Goodbye To Kanye West And His Music
From outside the Carter Kingdom, the wounds exposed on “Lemonade” and “4:44” still seemed fresh. It felt as though Jay-Z was still putting in hours on his apology tour after Beyoncé revealed on her critically acclaimed visual album that he’d cheated. And the Brooklyn rapper was still far from the good graces of the BeyHive, who still have APBs out on “Becky with the good hair.”
After months of damn near everyone anticipating new music, from the Hive to the haters who somehow know every word to “Formation,” the Carters popped up on a calm Saturday evening with a surprise joint album: “Everything Is Love.” The power couple released the tape at the end of the London leg of their On the Run II Tour. Instead of listing the two artists separately, the nine-track album has them credited as one. This in itself is telling a story: Love won.
But not without hard work, of course. The album is the product of a love that has been badly beaten, wounded and scorned, but then given the time and care it needed — not only to heal but to laugh triumphantly at the things that had come between them. It is love not just in the sense of romance but in all of its iterations: self-love, the love between friends, the love of community, the love of blackness, the love of humanity — flaws and all. At its peak, the album shows the carefree liberation that comes with a love so genuine that it allows you to be unapologetically whole.
It’s the most vulnerable the world has seen of Beyoncé and Jay-Z as a couple. Any rumors clinging to their names, they address head-on with a laugh. It’s almost as if the Carters sent the drama a “I’m good luv, enjoy” text. They’re living their lives, enjoying their wealth, their kids, their happiness. The entire album is an infectious mood — from the waves of “Summer” to the mosh elements of “Black Effect.” It’s a damn good album with solid trap vibes.
On this edition of “Run That Back,” Julia Craven and Taryn Finley do a track-by-track breakdown of “Everything is Love,” discussing the effort that comes with nurturing relationship wounds, how Beyoncé and Jay-Z artfully show the multi-faceted beauty of black culture and how the Carters can do whatever they want and still own our edges.
“SUMMER”
Taryn: Sis, I’m drying my eyes. I just feel so blessed to live in the age of Beyoncé. She’s given us the 2018 we don’t deserve. But she’s so giving. How can you not stan?
Julia: This stage of my life is called: “Beyoncé Owns My Edges.”
Taryn: My edges. My scalp. My money. She can take it all.
Julia: She has taken it all. I’m still wigless, edgeless, scalpless. I’M BALD BITCH, I AM BALD.
Taryn: Everyone is, sis. Everyone.
Julia: LMAOOOOOO IT ME.
Taryn: I’m overwhelmed. You wanna get into the first track?
Julia: I do because it’s my fave track on the album. Beyoncé’s vocals sound like ecstasy. It felt like being washed over by a wave of love, sex, pain, forgiveness and truth. It’s a beautiful song.
Taryn: “Summer” feels like love. And it makes love feel like a vacation. It’s a perfect song and I’m so glad they opened with it. Like they were giving us a glimpse into the best part of their relationship. And we aren’t even worthy of that, but Bey is kind and giving.
Julia: It feels like the happiness after a storm. When the world is still wet, and the pain is still fresh, but it feels new and exciting yet also familiar.
Taryn: Right. It’s effortless because they already put in the work trying to survive the storms they talk about on “Lemonade” and “4:44.” Like, I don’t doubt the love they had for each other before, but it feels really undeniable on here. It’s definitely in my top three off this album.
Julia: It also feels victorious. Very “nigga we made it!” And I love that. Relationships are hard and people hurt each other. What a person chooses to work through is their choice, but the fact is that once you come out on the other side of some bullshit, you really do feel hype af.
Taryn: And I’m glad they’re letting us see that. This is what real relationship goals look like. It’s not stuntin on IG with coordinated fits. It’s doing what you gotta do to work through the valleys while not losing or sacrificing yourself so that y’all can grow together and enjoy the feeling of victory after war.
Julia: That part!
Taryn: I imagine this is what Gucci and Keisha felt when he got outta jail.
Julia: jsladhkdhfueieygdhjkhsad
Taryn: Sorry. I just had to be the one to cut up.
“APESHIT”
Julia: But, yeah, that song is a wave. It’s a victory lap. It’s the calm after the storm. It’s an affirmation of love that sustained. But “Apeshit”? That song is a STUNT. It’s a FLAUNT. It’s a MOOD.
Taryn: If “Summer” is the epitome of love, “Apeshit” is “HAHA, WE IN LOVE AND YOU HATERS CAN STAY MAD!” Bey repeating, “I can’t believe we made it” is exemplary of that. The shit they went through was so rough that you can’t help but to celebrate and rub it in the naysayers’ faces. I’m here for it. And I’m glad this is the first song we’re getting visuals for.
Let me tell you a lil story about the first time I went to the Louvre.
Julia:
