Kanye West’s new album, “The Life of Pablo,” made a monumental debut on the Billboard 200 chart ranking No. 1 within the first week of its release.

On Feb. 13, the album was initially released only on Tidal music streaming service, breaking piracy records with over 500,000 illegal downloads in the first three days.

On April 1, the long-awaited album was made widely available across other streaming services like Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.

There is a lot you can say about Kanye, and it’s pretty hard to not have an opinion on him. From his interruption of Taylor Swift at the 2009 VMAs, to his announcement to run for president in 2020 and his famous rant sprees on Twitter, Kanye has claimed his throne in popular culture.

However, there is no denying one thing: Kanye West is a skilled producer. All of Kanye’s crazy antics and his seemingly large ego are used as inspiration for the iconic music he creates. “Name one genius that ain’t crazy,” he says on the track “Feedback.”

Something that sets this album apart for Kanye is his collaboration with other artists. A long list of guest vocalists that appear on the album include names like Rihanna, Chance the Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean. Each artist brings their own personal style to the mix, creating some incredible music.

One of the better known tracks on the album, “No More Parties in LA,” was released as a promotional single before the whole album came out. He collaborates with Kendrick Lamar on this track, another skilled rapper.

There is an air of mystery behind the name of the album. Several times throughout the album Kanye makes references comparing himself to “Pablo,” but who is this Pablo? Two main theories are Pablo Picasso, the artist, and Pablo Escobar, the drug lord.

Interestingly enough, in one of his many Twitter rants, Kanye actually claimed that “The Life of Pablo” is a gospel album and asserted that “Pablo” refers to St. Paul of Tarsus, a name well-known in the Catholic Church.

There certainly are a few gospel-type references throughout the album. One example being the image he paints of him and his wife Kim Kardashian as a modern-day Mary and Joseph on the track “Wolves.”

Overall, I would give this album 4.5 out of 5 stars. “The Life of Pablo” demonstrates a new definition of Kanye’s talents. Each album he produces is a work of art that never fails to impress. He is extremely real and authentic on this album, and it shows how far he has come.

Cassandra Porter can be reached at [email protected] or @cassieporter_ on Twitter.