The Life of Pablo Songwriting Credits by Kanye West

The Life of Pablo is the seventh studio album by Kanye West, released in February 2016 on GOOD Music/Def Jam Records and notable as the first major-label album released exclusively through a streaming platform (Tidal) before physical and digital sales availability, a release strategy that extended across months and included West publicly revising and updating the album's tracklist and mix after the initial release, a practice without precedent in the commercial music industry. West wrote all his own lyrics; the album features gospel and spiritual themes alongside secular material, with 'Ultralight Beam' (featuring Chance the Rapper and Kirk Franklin) opening with church choir arrangements that establish a gospel frame before the album shifts through trap, soul, and experimental sections. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 after an extended release period and has been certified triple platinum in the United States; the singles 'Famous' (which interpolated a portion of Taylor Swift's name and generated widespread controversy) and 'Fade' received the most significant commercial attention. The Life of Pablo is the most formally fragmented of West's albums, its construction feeling more like a collection of separately produced sessions than a unified statement, and the ongoing post-release revisions blurred the distinction between album and live document. It represents the last point at which West's commercial and critical reputation remained largely intact before a series of public statements and actions began to reshape his public standing.