Kanye West's Yeezus, to no ones surprise, has quickly become regarded as one of the year's most innovative and shocking hip hop albums. West's crude and arrogant raps are complimented by abrasive beats that are uncommon to the genre of music. In fact, West breaks into an entirely new genre. The sound is unparalleled. It's brand new, which is something that is increasingly hard to come by. What's curious is his choice to not announce a single prior to the album's release. He even stated that he knew the album would promote itself, making a single impertinent.
West, however, chose not to stick to his guns. According to Billboard, "Black Skinhead" will be gracing the radio waves this summer. West is currently prepping the track as the first official radio single for Yeezus. He will also be releasing a clean version for DJs. Not only that, but a video for the single will also be arriving sometime this week, presumably July 4th.
West unveiled Yeezus on June 18, and according to producer Rick Rubin, he worked in unconventional haste to hit the early summer release.
"To me it seemed impossible what he was asking," Rubin said. "I remember I wasn't feeling that well that day, and I was thinking, 'Is the music making me sick? I don't feel good about this.'"
At first listen, Rubin thought West was preparing for a 2014 release, but when West later convinced him to lend a helping hand, the two worked furiously. "We ended up working probably 15 days, 16 days, long hours, no days off, 15 hours a day," Rubin said. "I was panicked the whole time."
Regardless, their efforts proved to be a major success. The album is receiving an incredible number of reviews. Whether those reviews are positive or negative, that's a different story. They tend to teeter on the extremes, but either way, it's clear that West has delivered yet another groundbreaking performance.