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Kanye West has been a lightning rod for controversy over the past month, but it seems as though the public’s attention has now turned towards the rapper’s eighth studio album, which is scheduled for release on Friday, June 1st. Reportedly titled YE, per comedian Chris Rock, the album is set to feature seven tracks.
How to stream and listen to Kanye West’s new album
West’s previous album, The Life of Pablo, had an unpredictable release cycle in 2016, but the release of recent singles like “Lift Yourself” and “Ye vs. The People” suggests that the new album will much easier to access. We’ve listed the different streaming platforms that the album will be released on, according to CNET, and the ways in which you can listen to them below.
WAV
On Thursday night, West tweeted out that fans could watch a livestream of the listening party he’s hosting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. To watch the album livestream, you can download the @WAV_Media app in the link above and create a free account.
Stationhead
You can also livestream the listening party on the Stationhead app. The service posted a photo on Instagram on Thursday night with the caption “Tune into G.O.O.D. Music Radio for a communal listening session and discussion – 12 AM ET – download STATIONHEAD to weigh in.”
Apple Music
You will be able to stream West’s album on iTunes and Apple Music. If you have an Apple Music account, you can go into the app on your phone or tablet and set the notifications to alert you when the album is out. Click here to learn how.
If you don’t have an Apple Music account and want to try it out, you can click here to start a free 30-day trial. If you cancel during your trial period, you’ll continue to have access to the entire Apple Music catalog until the date that you would have been billed for the full price.
Spotify
Based on the standard release schedule for Spotify, West’s album will also be available to stream. If you don’t have a Spotify account, you can sign up for one here and pay only $0.99 for the first three months.
Tidal
West’s album will also be available on Tidal. The streaming service offers a free 30-day trial with Tidal Premium, which provides access to music videos and curated playlists.
There is also a free 30-day trial option for Tidal HiFi, which provides access to videos, playlists, and Lossless High Fidelity sound quality. Click here to sign up for either trial.
Details surrounding the album have been scarce, but the few there have been suggest that West will make good on his release date. According to a post on the Instagram fan account BreakTheStimulation, news of the listening party was broken by Ambush designer Yoon Ahn, who originally posted the invitation on her Instagram story.
The invitation (which has since been deleted) read: “Kanye West. Album listening. Thursday May 31. Jackson Hole Wyoming. Itinerary confirmed upon RSVP.” This is not an uncommon practice for West, who hosted similar parties for 2011’s Watch the Throne, 2013’s Yeezus, and The Life of Pablo.
West has been incredibly prolific as of late, as he produced the entirety of the recent Pusha-T album DAYTONA, and is rumored to do the same for upcoming releases by legendary emcee Nas on June 15th and GOOD Music artist Teyana Taylor on June 22nd. In addition, West and rapper Kid Cudi will release a collaborative album titled Kids See Ghosts, which will be out on June 7th, a week after West’s solo effort and a week before Nas.
On May 15th, West posted a video of himself making a beat on Twitter. The video shows West working with several dry-erase boards in the background, outlining the tracklists for the aforementioned albums. While the tracklist written out for Pusha’s album is slightly different from the final product, there is more than enough similarity to ensure that these dry-erase boards are legitimate. Watch it above.
The board for West’s solo album confirms that it will only be seven tracks, with the titles for two of them, “Extacy” and “Wouldn’t Leave”, listed above West’s head.
West has also teased controversial artwork for the album on Twitter. The rapper announced that the cover would be an image of Jan Adams, the plastic surgeon who operated on his mother Donda before her untimely death in 2007. “I want to forgive and stop hating,” West tweeted out.
Adams responded in an open letter, thanking the rapper, but requesting that his image not be on the album. “Thank you for thinking of me for the cover of your next album. That is kind of you,” he wrote, “Unfortunately, I have to decline at this time, and I ask that you cease and desist using my photo or any image of me to promote your album or any of your work.”
Adams further wrote: “I don’t want to seem ungrateful… I just think that if in fact this conversation to love is genuine on your part… then it’s inappropriate to drag the negativity of the past with it.”
West took a similarly controversial approach with the Pusha-T album DAYTONA, which features a photo of Whitney Houston’s drug-covered bathroom counter. The rapper reportedly paid $85K to license the photo. Houston’s estate released a statement to Entertainment Tonight saying they were “extremely disappointed in Kanye’s choice”, and that “even in Whitney’s death, we see that no one is exempt from the harsh realities of the world.”
