Kanye’s new album is called “YEEZUS”; new single ft. Frank Ocean projected onto 66 buildings around the world (UPDATES!)

by Samuel Tolzmann on May 18, 2013

Posted in: Hip Hop, Music, News

Via Stereogum: Rumors have been circulating for a while now of a new album by Kanye West — who’s only released the collaborative efforts Watch the Throne (with Jay-Z) and Cruel Summer (as head of G.O.O.D. Music) since his 2010 magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy stole our hearts, ran away with our charts, and swept the critics’ 2010 best-of lists — due out sometime in 2013. This past week, they’ve increased exponentially after Kanye held a surprise show in New York, at which he performed from inside a pyramid, Daft Punk-style (now that they’ve apparently disowned their own mind-blowing 2007 live show, I guess it’s fair game). He also ranted, which is nothing new for Kanye (“I ain’t kissing nobody’s motherfucking babies”… :/ ). Tonight, he’ll be performing as SNL’s musical guest, and will hopefully be playing some new material; he released this awkward teaser with Fred Armisen and tonight’s SNL host Ben Affleck. The most affirmative sign of a new Kanye LP headed the way of us and our unblessed babies sometime soon, though, occurred last night, when at 66 sites around the globe, a video closeup of Kanye performing a new track called “New Slaves” was projected on the sides of buildings for all to see (that’s a still above). Previously heard at a Hudson Mohawke show in Poland earlier this week, it’s a pretty menacing, rap-first affair, and you can listen to it and watch a video of the projection from Williamsburg, Brooklyn courtesy of YouTube here (language NSFW). That’s Frank Ocean singing on the bridge! In other Kanye news, the Chicago hip-hop megastar walked into a pole this week and promptly threw a tantrum decrying the existence of poles; there’s video of that, too.

UPDATE UPDATE UPDATE (5/19/2013): According to reports (helpfully compiled by Pretty Much Amazing) including one from Kim Kardashian who is boffing Kanye and therefore probably knows best, the NEW KANYE ALBUM is due out JUNE 18, 2013 and is called…wait for it…

Yeezus.

…Yes, you read that correctly. Yeezus. Like “Yeezy” + “Jesus”. Amazing? Terrible? Beautiful? Dark? Twisted? Like all things Kanye-related, it’s so brazen, so egocentric, and so ridiculous that it just shouldn’t work. But hopefully, also like all things Kanye-related, he’ll pull it off the way he always does: by displaying the musical talent, artistic courage, verbal dexterity, personal charisma, neurotic self-awareness that validate even his most outre endeavors. Remember 808s & Heartbreak? Remember “Have you ever had sex with a pharaoh? Awww I’ll put that pussy in a sarcophagus”? Scoff now; eat your words later. Yeezus could very well be another masterpiece. The rumor mill’s been working overtime on this thing: two other tracks supposedly on it are called “”I Am A God” and “Awesome” (oh dear…), and collaborators may include the likes of Daft Punk, Skrillex, TNGHT, OFWGKTA, Chief Keef, Young Chop, and others.

Also, on SNL, Yeezus (ok no it’s not working) debuted another new cut following “New Slaves” ( which he also performed), entitled “Black Skinhead.” So there’s those song titles for you; not sure how to reconcile them with the album title, but anyway, you can read the lyrics here. Sadly NBC has taken down the performance videos, but I’m sure they’ll surface soon for your viewing pleasure.

Images via MTV.com and US Weekly.