Friday is a time of great joy for most people around campus, as it signifies the end of a workweek and the culmination of a job well-done (or not so well-done). For students, specifically, Friday means the party-filled weekend is here. Recently, another reason to celebrate Friday has arrived in none other than the Taylor Swift-interrupting and Grammy-winning Kanye West.
For the past five weeks, Kanye West has made every Friday a holiday, labeling them ""G.O.O.D. Fridays,"" which stands for ""Getting Out Our Dreams."" On this day, the hip-hop star releases one previously unreleased song via his Twitter account and newly created website. These songs are available for free download, allowing listeners who can't wait for the release of his next album a temporary solution. This anticipated album, formally labeled Dark Twisted Fantasy after West dumped the original moniker Good Ass Job, was originally scheduled to be dropped Sep. 14, along with albums from other artists signed to West's record label, ""G.O.O.D. Music."" This collective release date was meant to help bolster the record label as a whole as well as display their more specific musical talents. As exciting a gimmick as that was, those plans quickly fell through when West decided to push back the release of his album to Nov. 16.
West's delay has upset many fans who have been patiently awaiting a new album since his last record, 2008's 808's & Heartbreak. As he continues to put the final touches on his album and build on an already immense amount of hype, West has found a way to relieve these fans' eagerness, namely by instituting ""G.O.O.D. Fridays."" This not only keeps West from releasing an album before he is ready, but also allows him to provide weekly entertainment for his fans. And luckily, a postponed release date does not imply an end of these gifts, ""G.O.O.D. Fridays"" are supposed to last until at least the new album is released.
The one confirmed track, and first single off the upcoming album, ""Power,"" has received mixed reviews so far. The remix of this song, which features Jay-Z and Swizz Beatz, was the first song released on ""G.O.O.D. Fridays."" The remix is a nice take on the original, but an unnecessary one as the original, despite what many critics may say, speaks for itself.
Seven days after this remix came a track called ""Monster."" Featuring the talents of Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj, the song has a very experimental feel, not surprising considering the talent brought onboard. But all these additions led to few lyrical bright spots.
The third release was a shocking remix of the Justin Bieber song ""Runaway Love."" The song also features some guest artists, including Raekwon. The overall feel of the song is surprisingly good, and the combination of pop and rap works well.
The following release, ""Devil In a New Dress,"" is a solo effort that has more of a vintage Kanye West feel, as it seems to get back to his College Dropout roots.
The most recent track returns West to a group atmosphere. The song, actually named ""Good Friday,"" highlights Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean and Charlie Wilson. With the piano background and Cudi-sung chorus, the track takes on a more mellow tone. Because of the plethora of talent on the track, ""Good Friday"" can be played many times over without feeling old.
West has kept mum on whether some, all or none of these tracks are actually going to appear on the album, but that point does not seem to matter. As long as the free music keeps rolling in every Friday and keeps sounding as great as it has, it doesn't yet matter what will be on Kanye West's next studio release. For now, let's just continue to celebrate ""G.O.O.D. Friday.""
