Tag Archives: Kanye West

Kanye West announces Jay-Z collab EP, drops “Monster” (Featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj) & “Runaway Love” (Remix) (Featuring Justin Bieber & Raekwon)

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Kanye West promised new music every “G.O.O.D. Friday” and so far he has not broken that promise.  On Friday August 27 Kanye released “Monster” and it features an all-star cast including Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Justin Vernon of indie folk band Bon Iver.  All in all the track is tight, but you want to know who really kills it?  Nicki Minaj, that’s who.  She raps, “You could be the king, but watch the queen conquer.”  She’s quick and has tons of spunk.  Female rappers that go hard like this aren’t in abundance these days; I’m excited to see what she’s going to do next.  In fact, all of a sudden I’m anticipating her debut album to drop.  (Its expected release date is November 23, one week after Kanye’s yet-to-be-titled album hits stores.)  Kanye made sure to mention how much he appreciated Nicki’s contribution to the track.  He tweeted, “MONSTER… can we just talk about Nicki’s verse???????!!!!!!!!! I toooooooooooooooold yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaallll!!!!!!!!!!!!”  Preview and download “Monster” below.

Download: Kanye West – “Monster” (Featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver & Nicki Minaj)

[audio: Kanye West – Monster.mp3]

Speaking of Twitter… Nearly three hours before he posted the download link for “Monster” he shared this exciting news: “Me and jay bout to drop a 5 song album called ‘Watch the Throne'”.  I guess we can consider this upcoming 5 track EP a mini-prequel to his studio album.  Along with the download link he tweeted, “[This is] the second song off of me and Jay album!”  It would not be too drastic to think that the first song off the EP is the “Power” remix since that song does feature Jay-Z, but ‘Ye left this up in the air for now.

Fast forward to today and now there’s another new song from Camp Kanye.  Yeah I know, it’s not Friday just yet, so I guess we can consider this next song a special bonus.  About two weeks ago Kanye tweeted that he was listening to Justin Bieber’s “Runaway Love” song from My World 2.0.  The Bieb responded with gratitude.  Next Kanye blurted out this: “Maybe we can do something together. Me, You and Raekwon.”  Bieber’s reply?  “Me, u, and the chef 2gether on a song = EPIC. haha.”  Yeah, this collaboration actually happened.  Kanye West, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, and teen sensation Justin Bieber (who happens to be signed to Def Jam Records with Kanye) are featured on a remix of “Runaway Love”.  After listening to the track it appears that The Bieb might not have had a hand in making the mix.  Basically Kanye laid Beiber’s vocals on top of the Wu-Tang Clan’s “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing Ta F’ Wit” (1993) beat.  The remix includes one rather short verse from Kanye and two surprisingly explicative-free verses from Raekwon.  And you want to know what?  The song catchy, what with Bieber’s young Michael Jackson-esque sound, the Chef’s old school rhymes, and ‘Ye’s producing.  It’s a nice treat for fans of so many different generations.  Feel free to preview and download the track below.

Download: Kanye West – “Runaway Love” (Featuring Justin Bieber & Raekwon)

[audio: Kanye West – Runaway Love (Featuring Justin Bieber & Raekwon).mp3]

[Via KanyeBlog, here & here; Twitter]

Kanye West debuts “Power” remix, promises new songs every weekend until X-mas

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Kanye West dropped the official remix to his super single “Power” over the weekend.  The track features a verse from Kanye’s long-time collaborator Jay-Z and production by Swizz Beatz.  Jay-Z opens the remix strong; he raps about living in the 31st century, makes a Norman Mailer reference, and says this: “In search of the truth, even if it goes through Taylor Swift/Tell her this.”  Yes, this marks the first time a Kanye track alludes to the harsh “imma let you finish” Swift incident from last year’s VMAs.  After Jay-Z does his thing, Kanye hops onto the record with two brand new verses.  In them be brings up topics like social commentary (“Now we’re not all gonna be American idols/but you can at least grab a camera, shoot a viral”) and politics and war (Bring our troops back from Iraq, keep our troops out of Iran/So the next couple bars, I’ma drop them in Islam/They say as-salaam alaikum, say wa alaikum as-salaam/That’s no Oscar Mayer bacon, you should run and tell your mom/Now the question is, how we gon’ stop the next Vietnam/Keep Flex out of Korea, ’cause you know we drop bombs”).  With about 2 minutes left, a Swizz Beatz produced sample of “The Power” by Snap! consumes the track and Kanye goes in for one more verse.  He raps, “Don’t even think you can allude to the rumors/I’m immune to the booze, I’m a prude to you losers.”  When the five minute 15 second track is about to end, Swizzy pops on to kill it: “Chill, ‘Ye, chill/Sh-t’s burnt up already/It’s over.”

Overall the remix is really great.  It does away with the “21st Century Schizoid Man” sample and introduces a different but familiar flow for the chorus.  In many ways the remix is bigger than the original track (Kanye opens up about more topics in the former), but they both hold their own weight.  Be sure to preview the remix below; there’s also a download link for keeps.

Download: Kanye West – Power (Remix) (Featuring Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz)

[audio: Kanye West – Power (Remix) (Featuring Jay-Z & Swizz Beatz).mp3]

Late last night Kanye shared some very exciting news.  He promises to release new music every weekend until Christmas.  On G.O.O.D. Fridays (G.O.O.D. Music is the name of his record label) new songs will be released; he specifies that they may come from him, Jay-Z, and other rappers.  He released “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyonce & Charlie Wilson) last week for the fans, and he realized that the fans deserve new content on a regular basis.  He tweeted: “I know yall need the music so I’m dropping 1 new song every weekend until Xmas. It may be my song it may be a new Jay song etc… I’m calling it good Fridays. Yall know every Friday yall gone have a new joint from our family. We look at the game completely different now. It’s about the fans. No more holding back. That’s why I dropped see me now… It wasn’t about me it was about the Summer the BBQs etc…“  Though Kanye has not mentioned what’s on deck for next weekend, many speculate that “All of the Lights”, the planned second single off his upcoming album that he previewed during his UStream chat, might be it.  Kanye is also finalizing a remix to Justin Bieber’s “Runaway Love” with Raekwon, so that’s in the pipeline, too.

Currently Kanye is in Prague working Dark Twisted Fantasy, an artistic film that will accompany the untitled album when it releases November 16.

[Via KWBlog; Twitter; EW-MusicMix; WSJ; Rap-Up]

Kanye West pops into Hot 97 radio show, plays new song “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson), reveals November 16 album drop date

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The Kanye West headlines just won’t stop.  But I’m not complaining.  Today Mr. West stopped by Hot 97’s Angie Martinez Show to play a brand new track that may or may not be off his next yet-to-be-titled album.  It’s called “See Me Now” and features beautiful vocals from the talented Beyoncé and R&B/soul singer “Uncle” Charlie Wilson.  Unknowingly we had heard a preview of this track when Kanye paid a visit to Facebook HQ two weeks ago; he rapped “I’mma need you to kill all the hypocrisy / This is an aristocracy / I’m Socrates, but my skin more chocolatey.”  The track literally is brand new; it was completed this morning at 5am!  Though Wilson’s vocals were recorded about two weeks ago, Kanye met with Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Consequence this morning and rushed to write Beyonce’s part so that it could be recorded and played for us today on the radio.  The final package is nothing short of excellent.  Big shout-out to Lex Lugar and No I.D. for helping Kanye produce the light-hearted track.  “See Me Now” falls on the other side of the spectrum when compared to “Power.”  It’s got the stylistic drums and synths banging in the background, but it is not nearly as dark and brooding.  It’s more uplifting, very reminiscent of “Through the Wire” and other The College Dropout tracks.  It’s good to see Kanye having some fun in the studio again.  Preview and download the song below.

During his four part interview with Angie Martinez, Kanye mistakingly let loose an expected album release date of November 16.  So mark your calendars and let the anticipation begin continue.  Click here to stream the entire interview.  Kanye is surprisingly candid at the mic.

Update: Kanye just used Twitter to point out that this version of “See Me Now” is not the final mix.  When the mastered version is available I’ll post it here.  Also, a “Power” remix is on the way.

Download: “See Me Now” (Featuring Beyoncé & Charlie Wilson)

[audio: Kanye West – See Me Now (Featuring Beyonce & Charlie Wilson).mp3]

[Via KWBlog; AngieMartinez]

Kanye West hosts a Ustream chat: album gets a November release, next single drops in 20 days

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Kanye West has been making the rounds on the Internet even since he decided to come out from hiding.  First it was Twitter, then Facebook, now Ustream.  On Friday Kanye hosted a live Ustream video chat from Korea to answer a bunch of fan questions.  The most important news to come out of the twenty-five minute chat session is that the upcoming album is coming out “sometime in November” and that the next single is expected to drop within the next 20 days.  He’s still deciding between “Lost In The World” and “All of the Lights” for the next single.  He gave a 30 second preview of the latter song, and man did it sound great.  Besides spilling that info, he also talked about his influences on the album and the “Power” painting video.  He says that he’s constantly looking at thousands of pictures and a number of artworks and movies for inspiration.  (He name dropped Avatar, late designer Alexander McQueen, Thom Yorke, and Trent Reznor.)  About the “Power” video he said, “I always wanted to recreate the Sistine Chapel.  This is not the full re-creation [though].  I still might want to do that.”  He went on to set the record straight concerning his time on the web; he held up his second laptop to prove he has a hand in updating his blog and Twitter feed.  He also addressed more serious issues about his new (and so far much improved) public attitude: I’m not allowing my attitude to get in the way of my creation anymore.”  He continues, “That’s all I want to do, is give you all the most amazing work I can.”  “All I can do is focus on being a better person,” he adds.  When a commentor asked Kanye why he is a racist, a surprisingly appropriate and light response was given.  “I actually don’t know a rapper before me that liked white people more than me.  I don’t know a rapper that wore tighter jeans.  I don’t know a rapper that collaborated with more white people than me.”  Atta boy, Mr. West.  Watch the recorded Ustream chat here.

Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting”

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Tonight MTV premiered the music video painting for Kanye West’s new single “Power.”  Kanye started to hype the one minute forty-three second video/painting hybrid yesterday on his blog and Twitter account.  He constantly made sure to specifiy that the final product would not be a music video but instead a “painting”.  The video begins with a close-up of Kanye’s face with two lines of parallel pillars behind him.  As the track plays, the camera slowly pans outward to reveal scantily-clad women donning horns, canes, and wings.  Almost immediately you realize that this is not a traditional music video but instead a slow moving painting taking place in the clouds among angels and demons.  After only one verse the video draws to its conclusion when the camera starts to sporatically dart around the scene.  Then the mystical creatures disappear, two men fly through the air with swords aimed for Kanye’s head (and another one dangling above him through a halo ring), and the letters P-O-W-E-R filled with images from the video take over the screen.

Artist Marco Brambilla directed the video; he successfully invokes Michelangelo’s frescos in the Sistine Chapel, his source for inspiration, by placing historical characters and creatures in the neoclassical scenery.  Kanye approaced Brambilla after watching his tremendous specticle “Civilization.”  Click here for a brief behind-the-scenes look at the making of the “Power” video.  (NSFW warning: It does contain minor instances of nudity.)

I have one word to describe what Kanye has done here: interesting.  It’s definitely a bold risk for a music video for two obvious reasons.  One, it’s not really a music video, it’s a “painting”; and two, it does not encompass the entire song.  That said, the art direction is spectacular and the featured goddesses are a nice treat.  I also like the way it was filmed; the slow panning, the quick darting shots, and the awesome illusion on the eyes that made it look like Kanye was moving ever-so-slightly towards us all made for a high value viewing.  I am disappointed that “Power” will not be getting a standard music video that it so rightfully deserves.  I’d almost rather purchase an enlarged poster of this living portrait than watch it in video form.  But this is what Kanye wanted, and Kanye gets what Kanye wants.  Unconventional as it may be, the “painting” proves to be stylistically impressive and easy on the eyes.

P.S. – That poster idea got me thinking.  Watch the video in HD, take a screen cap of your favorite part, and now you have an groovy background image for your computer.  You’re welcome. Continue reading Kanye West’s “Power”: “it’s not a video…it’s a painting” →

Kanye West tweets find a natural home in New Yorker cartoons

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From all the hubbub surrounding @KanyeWest and his tweets you’d never believe that he’s only been using the social networking service for less than a week.  Just hours after he jumped on the bandwagon and started sharing thoughts only Kanye could come up with, comedian and real-life pal Aziz Ansari started an ongoing conversation using the hashtag #PredictingKanyeTweets.  Early ones included: “Just saw a girl with huge titties at Del Taco.”  “Hans Zimmer needs to write a score for whenever I eat a cookie. when I eat cookies shit is mad suspenseful.”  The hashtag made it to Trending Topics for a few hours that first day.

Following #PredictingKanyeTweets is #KanyeNewYorkerTweets.  That’s right, Twitter users are tagging Kanye’s tweets to actual New Yorker cartoons.  Surprisingly they make for near perfect captions.  I’ve posted one above, and there’s a bunch more in the gallery below.  Like Ansari’s hashtag, this new conversation has just begun so make sure to search the hashtag often for a light chuckle throughout the day.  Kanye must be loving this.

[Via HuffingtonPost]

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Kanye West braces for new album by previewing new songs at Facebook, joining Twitter [Update: Rolling Stone visit]

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After spending some time out of the limelight, Kanye West has returned to entertain us with his slick, emotionally-driven raps and different side of his thumping ego.  On Wednesday Kanye visited Facebook HQ in Palo Alto, California to preview four tracks from his upcoming album.  He donned a fresh suit and rapped a capella atop a table inside a fluorescently lit conference room in front of Facebook employees.  He starts with a “fun rap”, that’s the one embedded above.  It rocks.  “Kill the hypocrisy/This is an aristocracy..I’m Socrates/But my skin more chocolatey.”  The next rap is rather short; it may just be a freestyle, but it’s got a sick line in it: “Lost in this plastic life/Let’s break out of this fake-ass party, turn this into a classic night.”  The next song likely titled “Chain Heavy” is dipped in politics and contains this humorous line: “They try to tell me that aliens built the pyramids/I swear life’s on bitch on a period”; it concludes with my favorite line I’ve heard this far: “This is the making of a masterpiece/So we broke out the chains and told our master, ‘Peace’.”  The fourth song is called “Mama’s Boyfriend” and it’s an extremely emotional track about Kanye’s late mother Donde West.  In it he journeys back to the days when his divorced mother started dating other men.  “I’m my mama’s boyfriend/I’m her little husband…Keep your hands off my mama” he screams.  Apprently this track took him 33 years to write and it clearly means a lot to him.  ‘Ye drops so many uses of the n-word in this track, but he says, “I’m allowed to use it.”

Later that day he posted this message targeted to the Facebook employees:  “Many times in life I’ve had to deal with moments of doubt. And as it’s been a minute since I’ve performed any fresh material in front of an audience, this could’ve been one of those moments… but it wasn’t. Your energy was a gift so electric, so genuine, that it really helped me give my best. The energy was so inspiring I had to keep going!  I just hope you got as much from me as I got from you…which was everything!”  Be sure to look after the break to listen to all the tracks.

From one popular social network to another, Kanye finally caved in and joined the Twitterverse.  And you know what?  He actually comes across a non-egotistical funnyman.  Peep his first tweet: “Up early in the morning taking meetings in Silicone Valley.”  This was followed almost immediately by: “Lol I spelled Silicon wrong ( I guess I was still thinking about the other type of silicone ITS A PROCESS!! : )”  Then came some important news regarding his upcoming album: “The album is no longer called “Good Ass Job” I’m bouncing a couple of titles around now.”  Just confirming our suspicions, Kanye.  After giving a handful of shoutouts to various blogs for reporting his Facebook HQ visit, he started to notice how quickly he was garnering a following.  In less than two days he managed to gain a following of nearly 300,000 (he’s currently at 293,687 followers).  With tweets like these: “My thoughts on Twitter so far… at the end of the day, God damnit I’m killing this shit!!!” and “I think Twitter was designed specifically with me in mind just my humble opinion hahhhahaaaahaaa humble hahahahhahaahaaaa” you might think ‘Ye is stroking his ego again, but I think he’s actually starting to satirize himself.  He’s finally realized that he “has the power to let power go” and he’s learning from his past mistakes.  Hilarious comic (and one of Kanye’s friends) Aziz Ansari started trending the hashtag #PredictingKanyeTweets, and Kanye simply retweeted jokes that were on him.  “Damn I wish Hermes made edible snacks, Cheezits just ain’t dope enough for my mouth”, tweeted Ansari.  The fact that he’s not retaliating but instead having fun with his new lease on life through Twitter makes me believe that he’s turning a corner for the better.  But don’t take my word for it.  Follow @kanyewest and form your own opinions.

At the end of the day, it appears as if Kanye wants to begin a new chapter in his career.  After coming out of hiding he decided to tease some tracks and open up his fanbase using the power of social networking tools like Facebook and Twitter.  It’s an interesting and unconventional route to take but it’s one I can commend.  Welcome back Mr. West.  September 14 come now please.

Update: Later in the week Kanye visited a bunch of magazine headquarters including XXL and Rolling Stone.  A video surfaced on YouTube from his meeting with the latter outlet.  Look for it after the break.

[Via KWBlog; KWTwitter] Continue reading Kanye West braces for new album by previewing new songs at Facebook, joining Twitter [Update: Rolling Stone visit] →

Rapper Consequence talks up G.O.O.D. Music Day

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September 14 is the expected release for four big albums that are signed under Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music label: Big Sean’s debut album Finally Famous, Kanye West’s Good Ass Job, Kid Cudi’s Man On the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager, and Consequence’s ConsTV.  In an interview with HipHopDX, rapper Consequence was asked about the supposed G.O.O.D. Music Day.  Read the excerpt from said interview below.

DX: So on September 14th you, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, and Big Sean are all droppin’ your respective projects. But just to play devil’s advocate, you sure you wanna do that? It’s hard enough getting folks to cop one album let alone four albums on the same day.

Consequence: Well…the idea for doing the G.O.O.D Music Day emerged between me and Sylvia Rhone, just to be quite honest. I’m very communicative with Sylvia Rhone on everything that I do. We had actually met with Kanye one night, and as me and her left the meeting, we left together and I was like, “Yo, we need to really get this paper right now.”

When we left we thought that this is where we need to take advantage of the situation. So…she got on the phone…made some boss calls, and then we got to it. At the time when [Big] Sean announced that [he was also dropping his album on September 14th] I didn’t know that he was in the mix of that, but it’s all good.

But initially, how that shit came about was me, Kanye and Kid Cudi. I just hadn’t announced it because I know we had things that had to be ironed out. And it got ironed out where it’s – ‘Cause actually at the end of the day, Kanye being the head of G.O.O.D Music had to approve that. And the approval was based on, “Let’s shake the game up.” Cudi got the kids, Cons got the streets, ‘Ye got the globe, so we all gon’ eat. [Laughs] (Added emphasis.)

With Tony Williams’ King or The Fool and John Legend’s Wake Up (produced by The Roots) expected to drop on or around the 9/14 date too, Sepember might just be the greatest month for music in 2010.  Yeah, I went there.

[Via HipHopDX; DatNewCudi]

Singles: Kid Cudi – “REVOFEV” & “Erase Me” (Featuring Kanye West)

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Ahh yes. Rapper Kid Cudi has brought the goods.  Check out the first two singles off his sophomore album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.  The first is “REVOFEV” (pronounced Rev Of Ev, short for Revolution of Evolution) which is produced by Plain Pat with strings by Larry Gold.  Cudder officially released the mastered track on his blog.  The second is titled “Erase Me” and it features vocals by Kanye West.  The version that’s been let loose into the wild is only a radio rip, but it sounds great for a recording.

In “REVOFEV” Cudi asks, “Where will you be for the revolution?”  Yeah, because this album is going to be that good.  The track has a slow tempo and reminds me of many songs from MOTM, especially “Solo Dolo”.  It’s not nearly as dark but I definitely hear similarities in sound and style.  “Erase Me”, on the other hand, is starkly different from anything I’ve heard Cudi produce lately.  It’s a very cheery, upbeat song that uses drums, guitars, and echoing vocals that results in an extremely catchy pop-rock vibe.  And the fact that Mr. West makes an appearence is just icing on the cake.

MOTMII is expected to drop on G.O.O.D. Music Day, September 14 that is.  But for now, take a listen and download the tracks at the links below.

Kid Cudi – “REVOFEV”

[audio: Kid Cudi – REVOFEV.mp3]

Kid Cudi – “Erase Me” (Featuring Kanye West) (Radio Rip)

[audio: Kid Cudi – Erase Me (Featuring Kanye West) (Radio Rip).mp3]

Update: The dirty CDQ version of “Erase Me” is out now.  Download it here.

[Via KidCudiBlog; 5starhiphop]

Mr Hudson’s debut album finally releases stateside

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It’s been a long time coming for British musician Mr Hudson.  Though you’ve probably heard of him from Jay-Z’s recent single “Young Forever”, Hudson has been in the music biz since 2007 when he dropped his first album A Tale of Two Cities.  Back then he was in a band called Mr Hudson & the Library.  Having listened to his debut album and working alongside him at his Glow in the Dark tour, rapper Kanye West fell in love with Hudson’s sound, and so he decided to sign him to his G.O.O.D. music label.  Hudson graciously accepted and started to work on his debut solo album Straight No Chaser, which would be executive produced by Kanye.  The 12-track album includes singles “There Will Be Tears“, “Supernova” (Featuring Kanye West), “White Lies“, “Everything Is Broken” (Featuring Kid Cudi), and “Anyone But Him” (Featuring Kanye West).  It released in the UK way back on October 19, 2009.  After numerous delays, it was finally made available to purchase and download in the U.S. on June 29, 2010.  The UK version contains two additional tracks (“Lift Your Head” & a Calvin Harris remix of “Supernova”).

The best way to describe Mr Hudson’s music is alternative hip hop/electro-pop, if that makes any sense.  Straight No Chaser is a breakup album, so naturally it features heavy bass thumping tracks with softer ones to balance it all out.  Hudson is a fan of auto-tune, and so a number of the tracks include him using it.  Interestingly, he eliminates the use of auto-tune when he’s touring; he finds it to be a fun and useful tool when working in the studio.  Having listened to the album only once all the way through, I am not ready to formally review it yet.  However I can say that Mr Hudson is going to be huge.  He is a gifted artist with a knack for writing and beatmaking.  I’d really like to see him perform live someday.  Just read these choice words from collaberator Kanye West: “I believe Mr Hudson has the potential to be bigger than me, to be one of the most important artists of his generation.”  Again, that comes from Kanye West!

Be sure to look after the break for some more Hudson content.  You’ll find music videos for “Instant Messenger” and “Central Park”, plus there’s a short trailer that celebrates the U.S. release of the record. Continue reading Mr Hudson’s debut album finally releases stateside →

Kanye West’s “Power” single hits iTunes, severed head and all

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We already know that “Power” is the first single off Kanye West’s forthcoming album Good Ass Job.  What you didn’t know is what exactly ‘Ye was thinking when he wrote the song.  Though it’s still up for interpretation, I think we can all deduce what was West takes away from his masterpiece single by looking at the George Condo album artwork that’s tagged with the track in iTunes.  At the end of the song West says, “You got the power to let power go.”  It appears as if this severed head belongs to Kanye, and the sword left in it plus the bloody residue represents the death of the old egotistic, power-hungry Kanye and the birth of a new man.  What kind of man that is we still don’t know; but there was no Taylor Swift type incident at the BET Awards last week, where Kanye performed a fantastic rendition of “Power”, and that’s a good start.

Head over to iTunes to download the “21st Century Schizoid Man”-sampled  track and start anticipating the rumored September release of Good Ass Job.