Kanye West was in New York City last night to preview his sixth studio album entitled “Yeezus” – which has sparked a firestorm of controversy. Tongues began wagging when the rapper leaked the album title and as a result was labeled a blasphemer amongst other ungodly terms. To clear up some of the confusion, West made an attempt to explain his choice of title and we’re still a little confused.
The festivities took place at Manhattan’s Milk Studios, but rather than following the countless PR and fashion events that Mlik has hosted before, West instead chose the Meatpacking District building’s loading dock. Attendees were let in one by one, a slow process that would have led one to believe that only a select few were being given the privilege of the record. That was not the case: The venue was open to the street, so anyone within earshot could hear the album which had hitherto been shrouded in secrecy, and anyone within eyesight could see the basic video imagery that went along with the audio.
West also put one matter of confusion to rest: “I want to explain something about the album title. Simply put, ‘West’ was my slave name and ‘Yeezus’ is my god name.”
By this point, near the end of the second spin of the album, West was decidedly free-spirited, dancing and shaking hands with fans. It was easily his happiest public appearance in months, a period during which bloggers noted West’s perma-scowl. At the start of the night, West seemed more antsy, rattling off a series of somewhat curious justifications, saying he didn’t release singles because he didn’t enjoy seeing his work on YouTube next to “related artists” (“When you buy a Louis-Vuitton bag…”), reminding fans that his father was in the Black Panthers and letting the crowd know that didn’t hear Joy Division’s music when he was growing up. It made sense at the time, but it was certainly a stream-of-consciousness diatribe.
“I had to learn about giving, this whole album is about giving — this whole process is about giving … no f–ks at all,” West said after memorably explaining his new outlook as such: “I have a new strategy, it’s called ‘no strategy.’ I have a plan to sell more music it’s called ‘make better music.'”
viaHuffPost
