Kanye West appears on ‘Saturday Night Live’

What is that one thing that is Kanye West best at? Being Kanye West, he is so good that he has grown fond of it. The rapper is so good at it that he manages to set newer and higher benchmarks for himself each day. Well, last night’s “Saturday Night Live” was no different. Kanye West made his seventh appearance on the show. He was at the stage to promote his new album, “The Life of Pablo”. And he made sure that he makes every second of his presence worth it. The appearance began with him performing album opener, ‘Ultralight Beam’. The performance was followed by West announcing that the album was available on his website and on Tidal.

After a messy appearance at Madison Square Garden, Kanye West performs again

This was just three days after the album made its debut at Madison Square Garden. And the debut too was nothing short of any other thing Kanye-ed. Kanye showed off his newest clothing collection and single-handedly restored the cachet of the aux cord. The final stage wasn’t seamless either. The announcement was a tad messy one and there was a half-hour delay while the album was available for streaming and downloading.

Coming back to Saturday Night Live, his performance still kept the audience held. He brought along a murderer’s row of guests including Young Thug, The-Dream, A$AP Bari, and R&B singers Kelly Price and El DeBarge to perform ‘Highlights’. At the show’s end, he was ready to perform ‘Ultralight Beam’ with a larger group and he eventually reached a new level of intensity. He was pretty much in his own zone, enjoying his own album and cherishing his own self.

Live performances and battles, Kanye nails them all

He had an enthralling performance with a full choir and then ceded the stage to The-Dream and Chance the Rapper. Chance the Rapper delivered a typically buoyant, crafty verse. Kanye was grinning and smirking all the while. As the song neared its end, gospel veteran Kirk Franklin arrived to deliver a sermon. West went all the way and received the sermon while lying on the floor. There are ways to be in the limelight, Kanye on the other hand is the limelight.

West has had a career till date that can be exclusively define by live moments. One look at his new album, “The Life of Pablo” and it is easily understandable that the songs in his new album are more suited for his spontaneity and performance. In another sketch on the show, Kyle Mooney from “Saturday Night Live” freestyle-battled West. At the end of the episode, West ranted his verse from T.L.O.P.’s ‘I Love Kanye’. He then appeared with the rest of the cast wearing a t-shirt with his late mother Donda’s image on the front. His wife Kim Kardashian West’s late father Robert Kardashian’s likeness was on the back. After a messy rollout that was equally thrilling, the album got a stage that lets Kanye be himself. The album has been discussed much and the release was highly anticipated. All that is left is the verdict of the music.