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   Ye is Better Than This
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   Ye's Apology Tour.
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                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   Driving around the morning after attending Ye’s sold-out show at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, I found myself, understandably, in the mood for a
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    Kanye
                   </a>
                   set. Much of the setlist at SoFi was built to function like a one-man Verzuz, a reminder that Ye has hits for days, timeless songs that both take you back to the moment in time when they were released but also sound potent and barely dated, even years and decades later. As I flew up the 405 on a solo mission, sun beaming down on the mountains on the horizon, I put my library of Kanye songs on shuffle and within a few tracks, landed on one of his best features: 2010’s “Live Fast, Die Young,” born out of the Hawaii sessions that would yield
                   <em>
                    My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
                   </em>
                   but ultimately placed on
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    Rick Ross
                   </a>
                   ’ equally excellent project from that year,
                   <em>
                    Teflon Don.
                   </em>
                   It’s a titanic song, two artists in their imperial phases talking cash shit, but one all-time Kanye bar in particular stuck out more than usual on this listen: “I’m back by unpopular demand/At least he still poppin’ in
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    Japan
                   </a>
                   … Screams from the fans: ‘Yeezy, always knew you’d be on top again!’”
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   All of this has happened before, and all of it will happen again. Sixteen years ago, Ye was in a position similar to the one he’s in now, a position he’s found himself in often—rapping his way out of cultural timeout, testing the waters to see if we’ll take him back, finding solace in
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    being poppin’ in Japan
                   </a>
                   while he field-tests his comeback.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   The stakes in 2010 were obviously much lower; all he’d really done was let his egomania and grief curdle into disrespecting America’s Sweetheart on national TV, which now seems like a minor infraction compared to making a song called
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    “Heil Hitler,”
                   </a>
                   wearing
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    a Klan hood in an interview,
                   </a>
                   and the other host of
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    Weird Shit
                   </a>
                   Ye’s done in the past few years. Still, Kanye took the greater public’s exasperation with him back then as a serious probational stint, retreated to a lair in Hawaii like a mad scientist, and didn’t emerge until the music was bulletproof. In one of my favorite Kanye
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    interviews
                   </a>
                   , a 2013
                   <em>
                    Yeezus
                   </em>
                   -era chat with New York Times critic Jon Caramanica, Ye would dismiss
                   <em>
                    MBDTF
                   </em>
                   as a “backhanded apology”: “I was like:
                   <em>
                    Let me show you guys what I can do, and please accept me back
                   </em>
                   .’” In that case, he overachieved—from the moment you hear the album’s opening notes, you can feel him swinging for the rafters, and then the first line confirms it, that refrain-as-mission statement: “Can we get much higher?”
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   In the years since Kanye became Ye, his offenses have gotten more serious and the music has gotten progressively less impressive; the best thing you can say about Ye’s new album
                   <em>
                    Bully
                   </em>
                   is that it’s at least better than some of the sonically-unfocused, lyrically provocative-for-provocation's-sake (“Now I’m Ye Cosby, bitch”) music he made at his creative nadir. (
                   <em>
                    Donda
                   </em>
                   and
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    <em>
                     Kids See Ghosts
                    </em>
                   </a>
                   innocent!)
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   It would be fine to admit that a middle-aged Ye (he turns 49 in June) might not be able to recapture his peak, or that
                   <em>
                    Bully
                   </em>
                   and the tour are, at best, a step towards that goal; instead both Ye and his fans are already in victory-lap mode. A proper comeback in hip-hop calls for a little cockinesss—verses like “Live Fast” only hit because he delivered them with the swag of someone who never doubted he’d be back. But from where I sat inside the stadium, moments like Ye commanding the crowd to sing along to “Heartless” then saying “this is what 80,000 people sounds like,” or him impishly smirking “Welcome to SoFi, motherfuckers” felt like flexes deserving of a better show.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   As with
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    <em>
                     Bully
                    </em>
                   </a>
                   , the components for greatness were there, but the sum total came up short. Gorgeous, awe-inspiring set design, an elite setlist… and yet the performance felt more like Kanye Karaoke than actually watching Yeezy the Conqueror reclaim his throne. Ye strode around a center-stadium globe (which for the majority of the show projected an image of planet Earth) with a safety harness that recalled his last true tour, when he pioneered the center-stage concept on a floating space raft suspended in the center of the arena. It felt futuristically dystopian, like something out of
                   <em>
                    Blade Runner
                   </em>
                   or the
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    <em>
                     Alien
                    </em>
                   </a>
                   series; the harness on that hovercraft felt less like it was there for safety and more like it was restraining Kanye the space prisoner eager to lash out and crash out.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   He didn’t move with that energy level at SoFi, nor did he attack many of the tracks with aplomb; at many points Ye seemed content to let the backing vocals on a great sound system do the heavy lifting. His performance seemed tentative, as if he’s still getting his sea legs back. Which would be fine! Except the Ye faithful—Stans and less rabid music fans just happy to see him in at least something approaching fighting shape—are so happy to have him “back” that they’re overrating all of this output. They’re championing
                   <em>
                    Bully
                   </em>
                   as
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    an elite Kanye project
                   </a>
                   , and hailing SoFi (especially Night 2), as his “
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    greatest show to date.”
                   </a>
                   Part of this is an inevitable skill issue—at least three people I talked to who attended last week admitted this was their first true Ye show, which sounds crazy until you remember that he really hasn’t toured in the technical sense since
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    Saint Pablo
                   </a>
                   ended unceremoniously with him being placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold. But as someone who attended Saint Pablo, as well as Glow In the Dark, as well as Watch the Throne, and THE FUCKING YEEZUS TOUR—pardon me if this doesn’t quite measure up.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   Ye’s enduring relevance is unprecedented and unparalleled; a song like “Carnival” is appealing to kids who were toddlers when “Touch the Sky” dropped. But if the fans won’t hold Ye to a high standard, I want him to at least hold himself to one. Yes, Ye has an endless bag of hits, songs that still go and still
                   <em>
                    mean something
                   </em>
                   . The fact that he even sold out SoFi, twice—after his detractors, as he said on stage at one point, swore he was too radioactive to ever perform at this level in the States again—is unprecedented and impressive. But the rest of the world is another story: After Ye was booked to perform at all three nights of Wireless Fest in London this coming July, sponsors began dropping out, even after the SoFi box-office news broke. On Monday night, Ye was offering to meet with “British Jews” to express contrition in person; by Tuesday morning, Wireless called the whole thing off. Once again, Ye finds himself at the center of a controversy where the line between rightful consequence and hyperbolic shunning are being hotly debated. He might book something just as big as Wireless before too long; he might also have to sit down longer than he’d hoped.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   He did
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    apologize
                   </a>
                   , for what it’s worth, but at this point, the skepticism or full-on dismissal from some music fans who’ve seen this cycle before is more than understandable. In the past, the backhanded apologies were more pleading, the music aimed for instant-classic and the tours were awe-inspiring. Now it’s
                   <a style="text-decoration: underline; color: #000000;">
                    “Whatever Works”
                   </a>
                   (incidentally, probably the best song on the new album.) The Kanye Cancellable Offense Cycle is too exhausting for me to personally invest in; I’ll shake my head when he crashes out then watch with an air of bemusement when he inevitably returns hat in hand. But a Ye performance that only gestures at the GOOD ol’ days isn’t enough to make me start fantasizing about a Super Bowl halftime show. Grandeur is cool, but he used to back it up as well.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   And yet this is still Ye, who always has an ace up his sleeve, big or small, that reminds you why he was once our greatest showman. Despite all the superlatives lavished on SoFi Night 2, inside the stadium please believe a bathroom-break lull fell over the audience when he went heavy on the
                   <em>
                    Bully
                   </em>
                   bag, despite spirited cameos from Cee-Lo and Travis Scott. Then a third guest appeared: Ms. Lauryn Hill herself. I figured they would perform
                   <em>
                    Donda’s
                   </em>
                   “Believe What I Say,” which samples “Doo Wop.” But before that, Lauryn launched into “Mystery of Iniquity” and transitioned into the hook for “All Falls Down,” the OG Kanye single that she famously passed on contributing her vocals to. Ye reached back in time through 20-plus years of lore and delivered a full-circle, instantly-classic live moment; it was the only time throughout the night that I really felt a battery in my back. He rode that wave of energy through an objectively stellar sequence of some of his strongest songs. It felt thrilling, a little guilty, and wholly undeniable—another backhanded apology that, for one brief moment at least, got us again. But can he get much higher?
                  </p>
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                   <strong>
                    Between the Taps
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0">
                   (
                   <em>
                    A weekly roundup of everything else I consumed since the last Tap In)
                   </em>
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                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   <strong>
                    <em>
                     Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen
                    </em>
                   </strong>
                   <strong>
                    , Netflix
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   I'll be honest: with the way my Ice Cold policy works, I engaged with so little of the promo around this show that I deadass thought the impending wedding day dread was going to be something a little more Sarah Jessica Parker-coded about cold feet, unsupportive family members and lingering exes. But no, this is real doom and gloom, with future in-laws who may actually be crazy, mutilated dogs, and serial killer stories all swirling in the first episode as portents of Very Bad Shit to come. Off of one episode, I'm definitely intrigued—and as a closed-ended wedding series concept, it's loosely reminding me of the woefully underrated
                   <em>
                    Harper's Island
                   </em>
                   —but I'm also getting the sense it may be one of those Netflix shows that gets so gassed on plot it forgets to invest in creating characters you actually care about.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   <strong>
                    Young Jeezy Ft. Kanye West, "Put On"
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   Another elite, seminal Kanye feature that popped up on my drive Saturday morning. Far be it from me to enable but... can you
                   <em>
                    imagine
                   </em>
                   a Ye B-Sides show?
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   <strong>
                    <em>
                     Mo' Better Blues
                    </em>
                   </strong>
                   <strong>
                    , Nya Studios
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   Some friends and I hosted a movie night for the love of the game in Hollywood last week, and the group landed on Spike and Denzel's first union on wax as the debut for our screening series, Unwrapping the Reel. I can't even remember the last time I engaged with this movie, but between my boy Sean considering it Spike's best and Van hailing it as his all-time favorite film, their co-sign was enough for me. And man, does it live up. It's a film that only illuminates the Spike-Scorsese bond even more—Spike following the white-hot success of
                   <em>
                    Do the Right Thing
                   </em>
                   with something niche, indulgent and personal immediately reminded me of Marty making
                   <em>
                    New York, New York
                   </em>
                   after
                   <em>
                    Taxi Drive
                   </em>
                   r (a film I also had the pleasure of watching on the big screen several years ago.) It's only natural that a film about jazz has a story that feels loose and improvisational for much of the runtime, but its themes all come together in a lyrical finale that's among one of the most gorgeous sequences Spike's ever filmed, even if you raise an eyebrow at certain character's choices. (Is Denzel's Bleek the proto-Marty Supreme?) Looking back three decades later, Spike using his windfall of clout and cachet to make movies like this and
                   <em>
                    Crooklyn
                   </em>
                   feel even more impressive and hardbody; it's an attitude I hope our blockbuster Black filmmakers (like, say, Ryan Coogler) keep in mind.
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   <strong>
                    <em>
                     Lee Cronin's The Mummy
                    </em>
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   I haven't seen
                   <em>
                    Evil Dead Rise
                   </em>
                   yet, so while I respect the flex, Lee Cronin's name being foregrounded here didn't affect my expectations one way or the other. I don't know that this really needed to be called
                   <em>
                    The Mummy
                   </em>
                   (maybe I'm just protective of that IP—more on that below) but it's a fun, nasty little time at the movies that cements Cronin as one to watch. Some of the storytelling and characterization is thin, some beats get repetitive and the pacing is a little tedious and at one point I wondered if the film was just too mean-spirited. But it won me over with a solid third act and ending. I'll definitely check for
                   <em>
                    Lee Cronin's Whatever He Does Next
                   </em>
                   . (I also spent the entire film trying to place lead Jack Reynor and did the Antonio Banderas gif after I realized he's the Bad Boyfriend from
                   <em>
                    Midsommar.
                   </em>
                   )
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0;margin-bottom:16px">
                   <strong>
                    <em>
                     The Mummy Returns,
                    </em>
                   </strong>
                   <strong>
                    AMC Century City
                   </strong>
                  </p>
                  <p style="margin:0">
                   If you're an avid reader of this column surely you must know
                   <em>
                    The Mummy
                   </em>
                   (1999) is, unabashedly, my favorite movie of all time, then and now. I'm not above admitting
                   <em>
                    Returns
                   </em>
                   is a standard case of sequel-itis: bloated reheated nachos, etc, but it's an equally fun if less genuinely great time at the movies nonetheless. In 2001, though, my excitement for this movie was unmatched—I still remember lying to my parents about getting detention in school the day it finally dropped so that they'd still take me to see it at my favorite theater in Battery Park on opening night. With that lore in the back of my mind, AMC happening to run a few Returns 25th anniversary shows during the same stretch that my mom was in LA visiting meant insisting that we go see it just as I did two and a half decades ago. Some things never change.
                  </p>
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