We've been waiting for this week and it's finally here.
Kanye West released new music to the world on Friday in a viral installation campaign that streamed a visual of his face rapping his latest song, "New Slaves," on 66 locations in 10 different cities across the world. It's an exciting time in hip-hop—and everyone is taking inspiration from Ye's latest debut.
It all started on May 2 when he tweeted "June Eighteen." Now, we're a month away from the scheduled release date for his sixth studio album Yeezus and if you haven't been keeping up, we've got you covered. Here's Everything You Need to Know About Kanye West's New Music.
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The "June Eighteen" Tweet
The 2013 Met Gala Performance
The "Adult Swim" Upfronts at Roseland Ballroom
Date: May 15
Location: Roseland Ballroom
What's a TV upfront? Who cares! (Actually, you can read a description here.) All we knew was Yeezy was performing in NYC at a pop-up show. We have no idea what it had to do with Adult Swim, but we're thankful they made it happen. Kanye hit the stage at Roseland and did not disappoint. He previewed two songs from the new album, one we don't know the title of and the other we're guessing is called "Awesome."
On stage, Kanye appeared within a pyramid. But this pyramid wasn't built for a pharaoh, it was built for an auteur. When he first hit the stage, video of lighting appeared on the triangular screens of the pyramid and Kanye was barely visible—it looked as if he was inside a TV screen, behind the images. As the show carried on, various images flashed across the screen like winds of sand and and flashing lights, making his live show unlike any other you've seen before.
The highlight of the night came when Yeezy went on a rant against paparazzi, being a celebrity, and more in typical Kanye fashion:
"One thing about me. I'm the worst kinda, worst kinda, worst kinda celebrity...because all I do is make real music. All I do is sit in the studio and make real, real shit. and that's it. That's motherfucking it. That's motherfucking it. So I don't want nobody trying to run up on me with no cameras, trying to sell pictures and shit to magazines, asking me no dumbass questions. throwing me off of my focus and shit. Harassing you all motherfucking day. I ain't no motherfucking celebrity..."
The Viral Installations for "New Slaves" Begin
"Yeezus" Is Confirmed as Album Title
"Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves" Performances on Saturday Night Live
Date: May 18
Location: New York City
Halfway through Saturday night's season finale of SNL, Kanye took the stage to debut his track, "Black Skinhead," and later in the show, "New Slaves."
Three years prior, Ye performed "Power" at SNL on a stark white stage with a dozen models, decked in an all-red outfit with gold practically hanging off of him. On Saturday, the stage was Kanye, his band, and a screen flashing images of his face behind him. It was a powerful image that left viewers focusing on Ye's stoic facial expressions.
Nothing took away from his performances—not the set design, not the live band. His voice was blunt, he was angry and the strength of his performance was in his vocals and nothing else. The next day, Jonah Weiner of Rolling Stone tweeted an excerpt from his forthcoming Daft Punk cover story revealing that they worked on "Black Skinhead" with Kanye.
Kanye's introduction of new music was a carefully crafted experience that ended with a night of two performances that left fans even more anxious to hear what seems to be a very dark and emotional new album.
RELATED: Kanye West Performs "Black Skinhead" and "New Slaves" on Saturday Night Live
