Kanye West is one of the most popular and most secretive artists alive. So when anything related to a potential new album from Kanye West leaks or comes out from West himself — sometimes using his must-follow Twitter account — it instantly becomes news. Here’s what you need to know about Kanye West’s new rumored album.
1. Kanye May Have Tweeted Out the New Album’s Release Date
Last week, on May 2nd, Kanye West sent out the tweet above, which simply read: “June Eighteenth.” The Chicago Sun Times hypothesized that the date could be a potential release date for West’s still-unnamed album…or it could be the due date for his child with Kim Kardashian. Or both? Only time can tell but clearly this date has some meaning for West; it’s the only tweet on his Twitter feed (also he’s only following Kim Kardashian).
2. Rumored Features Include Daft Punk and Skrillex
Coming off of the “June Eighteenth” tweet, there were more leaks surrounding West’s rumored album. Rolling Stone reported that the rumored guest list from West’s new album is riddled with celebrities. The list includes:
Daft Punk
Skrillex
2-Chains
John Legend
Azealia Banks
Odd Future
What a lineup, right?
3. It’ll Be “Raw”
Rolling Stone also discussed the making of the new album and talked about some of the songs from the new album. Here’s what they said:
Sources familiar with the project say it’s even darker and more twisted than 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with one song that drew comparisons to Nine Inch Nails…”It was very raw,” Daft Punk’s Thomas Bangalter says of one recent session with West. “He was rapping – kind of screaming primally.”
4. West Performed a Ton of New Songs at the Met Gala
Complex notes that West gave a performance at the Met Gala last night in New York City. At the beginning of the performance, West announced that he would “only play new songs.” While he played some old tunes, he did mostly play new songs including “I Am A God,” the rumored first single that hasn’t been released yet. Watch the Vine videos below!
5. West Will Be On SNL On May 18
Kanye, who has had some issues with SNL in the past, will be performing on the popular late night show on May 18th with host Ben Affleck. The timing of his performance is very interesting. Obviously, it’s only 4 weeks ahead of June 18th, but it lends credence to the rumors that West may be releasing an album in June. Another reason is that most artists go on SNL to promote some new music. Case and point: Daft Punk has been releasing clips of their new album, Random Access Memories, as commercials attached to SNL