Remember when I declared 2015 as the year of Yeezy? Well, given that he’s made headlines just about every day AND he’s been gradually revealing new songs, it looks like Yeezy season is in full swing. Get used to it, folks — it’s going to last a while.
On Wednesday, Kanye West stopped by Nando’s Peri-Peri and performed a new track, “All Day,” at the BRIT Awards. Hip-hop fans like myself knew that the song existed when a low-quality version leaked over the summer. After listening to it for months and praying to the Lord Yeezus that there would be a better-sounding version eventually, Ye has answered.
Kanye had an interesting choice of words when describing the new album in a Power 105 interview: “Bars, songs, cookout, music that feels good.” Well, listening to the “All Day” performance from yesterday really makes me wonder what his barbecues are like. Take a listen.
If you like Kanye, you probably like some of his club bangers such as “Ni**as in Paris,” “Good Life” or “All of the Lights.” This new track fits perfectly into that category: It gets you hyped, gets you to yell “All day!” literally all day, gets you to crave for more in this ongoing Yeezy season, etc.
That gigantic humming synth in the beginning sound familiar? Maybe it reminds you of “Black Skinhead”? I’m no Robert Christgau, so I can’t elaborate as much as I’d like to, but it’s really fun stuff to listen to. He’s pumped; he’s aggressive; he’s channeling his inner Chief Keef (or himself, actually) in “Don’t Like”. It’s … dope. They’re going to blast this one in Cornerstone and Bentley’s by the end of the fall 2015 semester, I swear.
Also, to state the obvious: That performance was literally on fire.
And then there’s “Wolves,” which Kanye premiered during his fashion show earlier this month and performed at the SNL 40th Anniversary show . It is supposedly the opening track in the new album.
The melancholic R&B tone is very, very reminiscent of 808s & Heartbreak but the soundscape is much more grandiose. It sounds like something that you could hear in movie soundtracks. It sounded somewhat similar to the maximalist and dramatic production from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy mixed with vocals from 808s.
When Ye dropped the family-first, radio-friendly and emotional “Only One” on New Year’s Eve, some of us wondered, “Is his new stuff gonna be safe? Is it going to be another 808s?” Well, “All Day” proved he’s not done making bangers and “Wolves” tells us he’s exploring more sonic possibilities. I can’t say what kind of sound he’s aiming for overall based on only two songs, but one thing is clear: It’ll be different some way or another.
Again, Yeezy season is in full swing. Well, maybe it’s not just a season right now — we are experiencing a Yeezy monsoon. The album is supposed to be released as a surprise a la Beyoncé’s self-titled record in 2013. Then we’ll have a Yeezy meteor flying toward the music world, destroying whatever’s out there. Be prepared.
