New Music
Kanye West is perhaps best known for defying the boundaries of the rap world, especially with past releases like “808s and Heartbreak” in 2008, and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” in 2010, and this year, he has done it again. His latest release, “Yeezus,” was leaked on June 14, just four days before the album was set to hit shelves, and a mere month after he had unveiled his music video for “New Slaves” across 66 buildings simultaneously on May 17.
To put it simply, the album is unlike anything you’ve ever heard, and the critics are gobbling it up. Collaborators on the 10-track album include Rick Rubin, Frank Ocean, Chief Keef and Kid Cudi, but the album is also littered with the unexpected touches of Daft Punk and Bon Iver, with dark narration that is borderline over-the-top focusing on various elements like power and ethnicity. His narcissistic tone is neither new nor shocking for Kanye West fans, but the electronic beats and synthesizers alongside daring and cynical lyrics have proved promising, as the album has received rave reviews and has already been noted as an early frontrunner for Album of the Year.
Word has it West is plotting a world tour beginning around October, which would give the rapper just a few months to bond with his daughter, who was born to West and girlfriend Kim Kardashian on June 15. Keep current on all the latest concert news, including any future Kanye West tour dates, by signing up for email alerts from Vivid Seats.
Prior to the album release, West’s last major venture involved collaborating with rapper and producer, Jay-Z, for 2011’s “Watch the Throne.” The two will surely battle on the charts in the coming weeks when Jay-Z’s new album, “Magna Carta Holy Grail,” drops on July 7. The album will be given away for free to Samsung Galaxy smartphone users three days before the album officially hits shelves, and fans will of course be able to see him perform soon enough during the Legends of the Summer Tour with Justin Timberlake.