As we make the transition into 2025, students have weighed in on the music that left them unimpressed during 2024. From unfinished tracks to wack beats, two albums in particular — Vultures 2 by Kanye West and Eternal Atake by Lil Uzi Vert — stood out for the most criticism.
While West focuses on more Boom bap and punchy bars, Lil Uzi Vert is more melodic and uses high auto tune to express himself into his songs.
Vultures 2 by Kanye West “is really bad lyrically; it’s really bad subject-matter-wise,” said Kwesi Kawakye (‘26). “It’s musically uninspired.” I agree with this statement. I don’t understand why West makes music anymore. I thought Vultures 2 was boring and I never listened to a full song because it was hard to listen to.
Other students also did not enjoy Vultures 2. “He wasn’t talking about anything,” said Rodrick Jones (‘25). ”He was just saying whatever, [and] it only had like 2 good songs, and they both had Carti in them. Kanye West’s album is one of the worst albums of the year; it was a terrible album.”
Others found Lil Uzi Vert’s Eternal Atake to be equally disappointing. “Every song sounds the same,” said student Henry Ward (‘26). “It just didn’t have any variety, and I couldn’t get into it.”
I personally don’t agree with this statement, because I’m a fan of Lil Uzi Vert, and I thought Eternal Atake was catchy and fun. My favorite songs were “Chips and Dip” and “Black Hole.” I loved how Lil Uzi Vert mixed rap and singing to create a masterpiece.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department also received criticism. “There’s nothing to it,” said Ward. “I feel like I’m listening to nothing.” Ward also called the album “bland” and “unlistenable.” Although she’s made a great impact on teens, when I listened to the album I thought Swift sounded out of date.
Kawakye also criticized Goodbye Horses by Ian, which he said was “lyrically bad…I was uninspired. I just don’t like Ian’s music,” Kawakye remarked bluntly. As a music connoisseur, I agree with this statement. As a student, I think that Ian’s sound is unique and there could be a little more self discovery, but the only good song he made was “Red Alert.”
Despite these criticisms, many students expressed a hope for improvement in the future. “It’s a shame when an artist you like puts out something that doesn’t hit the same level,” said Kawakye. “But I’m hopeful they’ll do better next time.”
