Yeezy Season is about to bestow itself upon us very soon, folks. Twenty people in Paris have heard Ye's new album and he also told the students of Los Angeles Trade Technical College that he's now "waiting" for it to come out, implying that it's pretty much in the hands of Def Jam as we speak.
No Beautiful Songs?
Kanye spoke to GQ Magazine back in July about his upcoming album and told them he had built up what he had a called a collection of “beautiful songs.”
"Hey, I'm a great musician. I make these beautiful songs, and they have all this meaning, and nobody can make anything that means this much."
Ye then admitted that he had decided to scrap his original work, in favor of a different sound.
"I got a new song that's so good that the album has to be balanced against it."
It seems that “beautiful” wasn’t up to Yeezy’s standards, which he stated led him rework his new record.
"Before … I had these beautiful songs, [but] they were just more songs. They weren't saying, 'OK, tuck your whole summer in.'"
It Could Drop Any Time Now!
When speaking to GQ once again, Kanye revealed that the album was likely to drop in September, or October or November! Indecisive, he felt he even could have released it June, meaning we all would have listened to it at least fifteen times by now. But when you are Yeezy, you have other competing priorities. He told GQ:
"But I think most likely September. I go back and forth. Like, should it be September or should it be October? Should it be November? When Beyoncé was working on her last album, she took a while. I was thinking it could somehow come out in June, like Yeezus, and just kill it for the summer. But then I'm like, I have to work on Adidas and be with my child."
Despite his mentions of November, recent reports have shown that the album could be with us very soon. Amongst his busy schedule, Kanye had time to drop by L.A. Trade Technical College, talking about his inspirations, and fashion of course. But when asked about his new album during his lecture, according to one of the students present (interviewed by Complex), Yeezus said he's "waiting for it to come out." The student’s comments essentially meant that Yeezy was waiting on the execs to give it the go-ahead.
This was further confirmed yesterday when Theophilus London revealed on his Instagram that 'Ye played his new record for a lucky 20 people at a private party in Paris. We can safely assume it’s ready to go!
“All Day” Is The First Single Off The New Album
Kanye confirmed in the same GQ interview that his first single off the new album would be a track called “All Day.” Since then rough versions, and snippets have been appearing all over the net of the track.
Ye also mentioned that the lyrics for the track are somewhat Hov-esque, taking inspiration from his “big brother.”
"I think about certain lines that I say on my new single, which is called "All Day," that usually Jay would say, but Jay's not on there. So I say, All day, nigga, it's Ye, nigga. Shopping for the winter, it's just May, nigga. Ball so hard, man, this shit cray, nigga. You ain't getting money unless you got eight figures. Right? Jay would have said that."
Although not yet confirmed (and most likely unofficial), the above image circulated at one point as the artwork for Kanye’s single.
We Have Track Names That May Or May Not Be On The Album
Along with “All Day”, a few track names on the album have been revealed. “Awesome” is a track that the rapper wrote for his beloved wife Kim Kardashian which was featured in the episode of "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" where Kim and Kanye got married. The snippet was 50 seconds long previewing the track that sounds auto-tune heavy-- nonetheless it remains uncertain if this will appear on the LP.
Working side by side with Adidas, Kanye’s track “God Level” was also featured on the ad for the brand’s “All Or Nothing” campaign. The video really only shares a small portion of the song, but this record seems more in the vein of his last album Yeezus.
A snippet of another track “Black Bruce Wayne” leaked onto the internet when a member of Kanyetothe forum sold the 32-second leak of the track for $500. Unfortunately you may have to wait for the real thing if you haven’t heard it as most of the snippets have now been pulled off the net. Also confirmed last month, was a track peculiarly called "Piss On Your Grave."
Rick Rubin And Q-Tip On Production
Last year, in his interview with Elliott Wilson, Q-Tip confirmed that he would be producing Yeezy’s new album along with the crazy-dope expertise of Mr. Rick Rubin.
Rubin also confirmed this in his interview with BBC Radio 1 presenter Zane Lowe.
"We listened to about three hours of music, most of which didn’t have vocals, and at the end ... [Kanye said,] 'I'm putting it out in like five to six weeks.'"
No doubt that if Rubin has the same effect on this album as he did with Yeezus, we can expect some incredible new music.
It Could Be Only 8 Tracks Long, Or Maybe Not?
West had us gasping last year when he expressed his desire to keep his talent to the minimum. Whilst at Art Basel in Miami he said:
"I think my next album is going to be eight songs. It’s just reducing down the amount of information that you need."
If the thought of only receiving eight songs on a Kanye album made you shudder, then fear not. A couple of months ago, an unnamed source from Billboard let it slip that the new record from West indeed included 12 new songs, with the sound being “mostly a mixture of soul samples and tamed ‘Yeezus’-esque darkness… nothing abrasive”.
From LA To Florence
When you are talking about a man with the amount of creative flair that Kanye West has, where an album is recorded becomes important business. We all know that 'Ye is all about drawing from artistic inspiration, so location could very well have an impact on his sound and of course, what he raps about.
This time round, the star has been recording around the world including in Mexico, in Malibu, Los Angeles as well as Florence, Italy.
Niggas In Paris 2?
"Niggas In Paris" 2?
In that highly informative GQ magazine interview, you may remember that West scrapped his original plans due to one specific track he created that took everything up a notch. Yeezy fans will be excited to know that he himself labeled this track a “club track” on par with his mega cut with Jay Z, “Niggas In Paris” which ruled 2012.
"And then I got a new song that's so good that the album has to be balanced against it. This song is a song that can be in the club like "Don't Like" or "Niggas in Paris"
With these comparisons, Kanye is creating some big expectations for what could be a stand-out track on the LP.
Ye’s Been Working With Tony Williams
The musical relationship between Kanye West and The World Famous Tony Williams (the two are also related) is a tried and tested method. Williams has helped Yeezy garner ample amounts of success with his previous work including providing vocals to a number of his tracks from 808s & Heartbreak, Graduation, Late Registration and The College Dropout.
West has been getting the assistance from Williams for his new project as well. When the singer was asked about his role in the album by Complex, he showed just how ambitious the record would be:
"We’re just focusing on making great records, and when I say great records, I mean not records that are pigeonholed into a certain genre, a certain style… We’re out to make a new Thriller – on that magnitude. Actually like the greatest album of all times."
Other Collaborators
There have been a number of rumors floating around about who Kanye has chosen to work with on this album. Yesterday, Theophilus London took to Twitter to confirm that we will definitely be seeing him on the record:
"I'm on it actually. Even the single."
Furthermore, Kanye was said to have been seen with a bunch of potential collaborators whilst out in Mexico recording, including Pusha T, Mike Dean and Travi$ Scott. There have also been rumors that Kanye has teamed up with a few non-hip-hop artists, such as Lorde and Sir Paul McCartney.