Calling all Kanye fans, we’ve got a curious case on our hands. After releasing a handful of singles assisted by the likes of Paul McCartney, Rihanna, Sia, and Vic Mensa, Mr. West has created his very own SoundCloud account and is using it to drop (not so) new music into the laps of his fans. Let me explain.
Rising rapper Travis Scott sent out an Instagram in mid-October tagged with an image of the new SoundCloud account and the words “It’s starts.” Poor grammar aside, the link to the account brings you to two Kanye-driven tracks titled “Say You Will” and “When I See It.” Those titles should ring a bell. The first song is an altered version of ‘Ye’s opening to track his fourth studio album, 808s and Heartbreak. Though the differences to the original are not startling here, the inclusion of featured artist Caroline Shaw adds a new dimension to the already epic production.
The other released track, “When I See It,” is a reworking of The Weeknd’s song “Tell Your Friends.” In case you didn’t know, this particular beat was originally imagined and produced by West, and he ended up gifting it to The Weeknd for him to package inside his third studio album Beauty Behind the Madness. Here, West puts his own spin and his original record. One wonders if the undeniable presence of autotune here is laying the groundwork for what we can expect from West’s next effort.
Like all the other post-Yeezus material Kanye has dropped to this point, it’s hard to say where these songs may eventually land. The rapper’s long-incubating seventh album Swish (formally known as So Help Me God) is still in the works but with no release date in sight. If you’ve been yearning for something, anything from Kanye West, this is for you. And cherish it, because who knows when West’s next production will make it out of the woodwork.