Ye
Popular Singles and EPs by Kanye West
Kanye West is one of the most influential artists of our generation. He’s been called many things – genius, madman, visionary – but he’s never been described as a pop star. But that might be about to change. In his latest album Jesus Is King, he raps over some of the biggest pop songs of recent times, including Ed Sheeran’s Shape Of You, Drake’s God’s Plan, Post Malone’s Rockstar, and Taylor Swift’s Look What You Made Me Do.
He even covers Beyoncé’s Formation, a song that helped define her career. And now he’s got another hit single, too. Pop music fans are already loving it.
The tracklisting for the album includes five singles that have been released since the album came out earlier this week. They include Famous, All Day, I Love Yous, Real Friends and Father Stretch My Hands Pt1.
Background and recording
On February 24, 2016, rapper Kanye West tweeted that his upcoming ninth studio album would be titled TurboGrafx 16, referencing the Japanese video game console of the name. He also revealed that he would release the album sometime around the summer of 2016, and that the project would be named after the video game console because he grew up playing it. Later that day, West associate Ibn Jasper posted an image on Instagram with what appears to be a cassette tape containing the letter “T”. This led to speculation that the album would be called Turntable Beats.
In May 2017, news began circulating that West was working on a new album while in Wyoming, where he was spending most of his time since moving there in April. One report stated that he was working on the album on top of a mountain in the state, while another reported that he was staying in a cabin near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. A few days later, West confirmed the latter, stating that he was living in a cabin in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He also mentioned that he was planning to work on new music every week, and that he wanted to
Release and promotion
West’s fourth studio album, Ye, was released for digital download on June 1, 2018. The album features guest appearances from Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Frank Ocean, Big Sean, Jay Electronica, John Mayer, Chance the Rapper, Nas, Anderson.Paak, Teyana Taylor, Vic Mensa, Ty Dolla Sign, Kamaiyah, Desiigner, Jeremih, Jhené Aiko, YG, Playboi Carti, 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne, Young Thug, Kanye West, Pusha T, Pharrell Williams, Rihanna, Drake, Eminem, Rick Ross, Post Malone, Nicki Minaj, Cardi B, J Balvin, Future, Migos, Khalid, Sia, Dua Lipa, Kehlani, and Swae Lee.
The album received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81 based on 31 reviews. In his review for Pitchfork, Jesse Cataldo wrote that Ye “isn’t just a return to form—it’s something like a full-fledged rebirth.” He described the record as a “return to the sound of 808s & Heartbreak”, while noting similarities to earlier albums such as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Writing for Rolling Stone, Brittany Spanos called Ye West’s best work since 808s & Heartbreak, writing that it “shows off West’s broadening range.
Promotional videos
By June 6, 2018, Kanye West’s official website had changed to reflect the release of his sixth studio album, Ye. On the site, there are three sections: “Yeezy”, “Ye”, and “West.” In the section titled “Yeezy,” fans could find information about the YEEZY Boost 350 V2 sneakers, including where to buy them online and how much they cost. Fans could also watch a short clip of Kanye talking about the shoes.
In the section titled “Ye,” fans could find information regarding the album itself, including lyrics and tracklisting. Fans could also listen to clips of the songs “I Thought About Killing you” and “Ghost Town.” Finally, fans could watch a 30-second promo of the album playing over the song “All Mine.”
The album was promoted with two official music videos. One of the videos features the song “I Thought About Killing yu,” while another features the song “Violent Crimes.” Each video was accompanied by a lyric video for each song.
