Yeezy Season has officially arrived, with Kanye West dropping “All Day” (featuring Paul McCartney, Allan Kingdom, Theophilus London)- the latest single from his upcoming album So Help Me God. “All Day” is dramatically different from his previous two singles (“Only One” and “FourFive Seconds”) and my God does it go hard.
Ever since he performed the song at the Brit Awards last week, the hype for this track has been felt throughout the Internet. West somehow finds a way to defy expectations, bringing just as much energy and passion to the studio version as the live one.
“All Day” has West going back to his rapping roots- as he effortlessly flows over an unconventional beat that mixes traditional rap with UK’s grime scene and classic rock. It’s a strange mixture on paper but works well, especially when considering that the guitar riff which is featured throughout is the most piercingly beautiful use of a guitar the radio has seen for a long time. That specific riff was highlighted in an even better light when it was discovered that Paul McCartney actually created that melody decades ago. It was a Beatles throwaway, making this the first hip hop song to officially feature a sample from the legendary band. Check out the original tune here:
Using that melody, West recruited Allan Kingston and Theophilus London to add haunting, Reggae-esque vocals. Their performances are short but sweet, and actually sound like samples on their own. West could have easily sampled these parts but his decision to have the two young talents record their own stylings adds to the authenticity of the single. This move shows Kanye’s embrace of the UK grime scene and just underground hip hop in general. These two up-and-comers aren’t particularly well known but soon will be after this track. West seems to understand the modern Soundcloud/Tumblr generation and his appeal in the Internet age won’t be going away anytime soon.
The single sounds brash, yet genuine. In your face, yet reserved. The multiple dimensions and transitions that are featured within the approximate 5-minute run time are both impressive and fresh. Anyone that listened to West’s last album Yeezus will instantly find the tone recognizable. Yet, there is a certain pop element/hip hop edge that was missing from that album which “All Day” nails. The Yeezus comparisons come to an all-time high as the track’s outro features McCartney singing through various distortions over a cluster of high energized electronic sound.
“All Day” marks West’s triumphant return to rap, innovating the whole game at the same time. This will surely be an instant hit and will be added to the list of classic Kanye singles. Plus he managed to get a former Beatle on a hip hop track, how sick is that?
Rating: 9/10
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