Wiki
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Release Date
14 February 2016
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Length
18 tracks
The Life of Pablo is the seventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was initially debuted on February 12, 2016, during Kanye’s Adidas Yeezy 'Season 3' fashion show and was released exclusively on the streaming service Tidal. Kanye stated that the album “will never never never be on Apple” and “will never be for sale,” emphasizing its exclusivity to Tidal at launch.
The album features a total of 20 tracks with an eclectic mix of genres blending hip hop, gospel, soul, and experimental sounds. Production was primarily handled by West alongside a team of collaborators including Mike Dean, Hudson Mohawke, No I.D., Metro Boomin, and Rick Rubin. The project includes guest appearances from major artists such as Rihanna, Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Kendrick Lamar, Kid Cudi, Chris Brown, André 3000, Chance the Rapper, The-Dream, and more.
Lead single "Famous" was sent to radio on March 28, 2016, and the album was later made available on Spotify on April 1, 2016. Other notable tracks include "Ultralight Beam", which features gospel elements and vocals from Chance the Rapper, and "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1", which became a fan favorite.
The release of The Life of Pablo was unconventional — Kanye continued to update the album even after its release, treating it as a “living breathing changing creative expression” with multiple post-release updates and tweaks via streaming platforms. This digital “album as software” approach was groundbreaking at the time.
Critically, the album received generally positive reviews praising its ambition and experimental nature, though some critics were divided on its cohesion. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
Commercially, due to the album's initial Tidal exclusivity, it was heavily pirated with estimates of over 500,000 illegal downloads shortly after release. According to The New York Times on March 31, 2016, songs from the album were streamed 400 million times globally through that Monday, with 250 million streams occurring in the first 10 days. The industry standard counts 1,500 streams as equivalent to one album sold, which would make the album equivalent to approximately 267,000 sold albums, making it the best-selling hip-hop release of 2016 up to that point.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was certified platinum by the RIAA. Its influence can be seen in the broader hip-hop landscape, blending gospel, soul, and experimental production styles into mainstream rap and inspiring many artists in subsequent years.
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