Kanye West has redefined what expectations of a great artist can be. He's created some of the most indelible hip hop albums of all time. And yet, due to the staggering lack of quality in his recent output, he's increasingly being relegated to a curio. He flashes greatness on occasion, but other times, it can be hard to tell if he's messing with his fans. This is the guy who put out "Lift Yourself," after all. Kanye West continued to confound expectations on November 27. The rapper dropped a music video for the song "Bomb." He enlisted Yuno Miles, as well as his own children, North and Chicago West.
"Bomb" is an absurd song. The instrumental is choppy and trap influenced, but in a predictably silly manner. Those familiar with Yuno Miles know the rapper likes to border on parody with his rhymes, and he does so here with bars about "fritos" and "tacos." North and Chicago West take the assignment more seriously. They continue the trend of rappers having their children hop on records and deliver bars that are, frankly, not very good. It sounds like Kanye West is taking his kids to work on this one. North has shown a propensity for rapping in the past, as evidenced by her appearance on the VULTURES 1 track "Once Again."
Kanye West Lets His Children Take Center Stage
The music video focuses on North and Chicago. Kanye West's kids drive around the desert alongside Yuno Miles. They appear to be in a race of some sort, against an assortment of colorful creatures who drive other cars. It all feels very indebted to the pod racing scene from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999). There's something to be said for the charm and the gimmick of seeing children have fun with their dad on record. The problem is, Kanye West is nowhere on "Bomb."
The controversial rapper doesn't spit a verse on the song. Yuno, North and Chicago drop struggle bars, but Kanye West decides to stay on the production side of things. We can't say it really pays off. The beat for "Bomb" is not particularly special. It feels cut from the same cloth as the VULTURES 1 and 2 sessions, which is not a ringing endorsement of quality. Kanye West is working on the upcoming album BULLY. Let's hope he takes things a bit more seriously on that one.