A year ago, Kanye West performed "Wolves" on Saturday Night Live alongside Vic Mensa and Sia. The track was immediately sought after, and, amazingly, the collaboration, produced by Cashmere Cat and Sinjin Hawke, among others, never made it online in any sort of official quality.
Regardless, the SNL performance alone was enough to make "Wolves" one of the most anticipated tracks on Kanye West's new album, which was finally unveiled this past weekend with the title The Life of Pablo. "Wolves" indeed appeared on the new album, but the features of Mensa and Sia were removed in favor of new contributions from classical singer Caroline Shaw as well as Frank Ocean, providing evidence that he is indeed alive three and a half years after his incredible debut album, Channel Orange.
Though most were elated to hear new vocals from Ocean, many fans still wanted to hear a non-live recording of the original track. A year later, that opportunity has finally come, as a reddit user has shared an unheard version of the original "Wolves," featuring Mensa and Sia, with the Hip Hop Heads thread.
It's billed as the CDQ, which is potentially misleading, but the track does seem to be some sort of studio recording.
It so happens that shortly after making The Life of Pablo exclusively available, Kanye tweeted, "Ima fix wolves," though it's unclear if that means the album version needs fixing. Or, perhaps, he'll liberate the original in a newly mastered quality.
In the meantime, listen to the new recording of the original here, and tell us whether you prefer the OG or the new "Wolves" found on The Life of Pablo.
[via Complex]