Kanye West, a scandalous black rapper, an ardent fan of various vampires like Hitler, and an equally scandalous designer – not only his sneakers, shirts and hoodies but also his collaboration with Russian fashion designer Gosha Rubchinsky have become the subject of a special cult, especially in this field. However, remaining an extremely hand-shaking figure to many “nice” people, West continues to not only be the center of attention of the American press, but he also occasionally becomes a “guest” on various rating shows. Cast shadows over the fence and stir up mysterious promises, including about a new album.
After all, among the “decadent” people, if you are opposed to the federal mainstream, this does not mean at all that, like a wreath on a New Year's tree, they will immediately tag you as an enemy and the last scoundrel, ban songs, concerts, broadcasts, kick you out of the country, take away your real estate and close your accounts… No, pennies constantly drip from all sides, and every word that falls from his lips, even when it evokes in someone a grimace of disgust or an outburst of pious indignation, presented in the same way – freely, it is still viewed with curious attention. And if he announces the release of a new album, the apocalypse will begin. That's what happened this time too.
Appearing on the famous comedy show Deon Cole on New Year's Eve, Kanye casually mentioned the new album. Everyone was dumbfounded, because recently he talked mainly about his “goat face”, complacent escapades, in the news – failed tours, his almost naked wife Bianca, whom he almost dragged to the Grammy awards by the collar, a “terrifying” (for some parts of the world community) visit to Moscow… And then the American music media simply paralyzed.
Even if the evicted Dolina suddenly stops spitting in streams, hissing: “You brute, Garik Kharlamov,” and dragging bales of trash from the old apartment, despite the insidious fate, disregarding the disgustingness of existence and immersing herself in recording a new album – for example, with the concept of “the weather is not in the house”, this will not make a big impression on tabloids, bloggers and news agencies. And West, of course, immediately made everyone forget all his devilish tricks by announcing a new album, and doing it as much as possible on his own terms – without press releases or trailers.
This is what Madonna did when she was at the peak of her fame – somewhere on a rusty pillar in a dark alley, a speckled poster with concert dates would appear and the halls would be taken by storm. But Madonna is no longer the same, and Kanye West, therefore, is still in …
Unexpectedly, without any announcement, Kanye appeared on Deon Cole's show, who introduced West as a “good friend” and thanked him for stopping by. You can just see Shevchuk coming to meet Malakhov and hear: “Hello, dear friend!”… After a short conversation, the host turns to the “main” question: “Should we expect anything? Or no more music, no more shirts, sweaters or boots?” Cole tried to be sarcastic “in a nice way.” West without blinking was extremely concise: “New album.”
The hall walls and ceiling shook, almost collapsing before the applause, whistles and screams of the audience. People streamed live from the scene, choking with emotion: “This is the first direct confirmation from Kanye himself about the upcoming release of a new album!” User-generated videos went viral before the show ended.
Deon Cole then jokingly asked for a spot in the intro or outro of a future album, not forgetting his “selfish” interests – he asked if West could send him a “bag of clothes.” Kanye said “like two fingers” and then left the stage, leaving the audience with two words and many questions.
At the same time, it does not mean that Kanye West has not been successful in the creative field for a long time. His previous releases, Vultures 1 and Vultures 2, were released in 2024 with rapper, author and producer Ty Dolla $ign. Kanye West did not reveal any details about the new album – title, release date or concept. There was also no press release from his media service explaining “anything”. The press noted: “As often happens with Kanye, the announcement was as brief, public and loud as possible. No details. No hints. Simple – “new album”.
The rap star knows how to “keep the mark” and fans, bloggers, music critics and other media audiences are now deprived of peace, immersed in anxious and painful expectations – both about the album itself and about the next “freaks”, whose imminent appearance almost no one suspected…
