Just in case you hadn’t had quite enough Kanye West for one year, there’s another album incoming. Hold your eye rolls, though, cause this one could be quite exciting. Titled ‘Yandhi’ (stay with us), it’s reportedly a follow-on from for Kanye’s genre-busting, game-changing 2013 record ‘Yeezus’. Which certainly pitches it higher than half the Wyoming records, anyway.
With the album underway – and already delayed once, naturally – we thought best to round up everything we know about Kanye West’s ninth studio album.
Latest updates:
- An attempt to trademark Yandhi has sparked speculation that it could be on the way.
- Kanye’s engineer has revealed that Nicki Minaj and Ty Dolla $ign will appear on Yandhi
- ‘Yandhi’ is not being held up by West’s ongoing legal dispute, according to reports
- It’s reported that Kanye will appear on new series of My Next Guest… David Letterman’s Netflix talk show
- Kanye has premiered a new track, entitled ‘We’ll Find A Way’
- Kanye is reportedly recording in Miami with Lil Wayne, Timbaland, Migos and 2 Chainz
- Kanye has delayed the release of ‘Yandhi’… again
Has Kanye released any tracks from Yandhi?
Readers, he may have. Twice now Kanye has hosted a ‘Sunday Service’, wherein he presents gospel choir versions of his own songs – from ‘Father Stretch My Hands’ to ‘Ghost Town’ – and on the recent, second instalment he premiered ‘We’ll Find A Way’, a soulful new track that could well appear on ‘Yandhi’.
What’s this legal dispute about?
Well, Kanye is trying to get officials to reconsider his trademark for ‘Yandhi.’ According to The Blast, Ye’s legal team filed a request on September 16 for Reconsideration after Final Action, after U.S. Patent & Trademark Officials refused to register the mark earlier this year.
Although it’s unclear why he’s keen to trademark the phrase, it’s heightened speculation that ‘Yandhi’ could be arriving soon – even possibly instead of Kanye’s ‘Jesus Is King’.
Who features on ‘Yandhi’?
In a visit to The Fader’s office last year, West reportedly confirmed the inclusion of 6ix9ine and XXXTentacion on ‘Yandhi’. The move has attracted widespread criticism, due to 6ix9ine’s previous guilty pleas to sexual abuse of an underage woman, and XXXTentacion’s widely-reported domestic battery allegations.
He also said Ty Dolla $ign would appear on multiple tracks, and that he was sending a hook to Rihanna for her to sing. It’s not yet known who has co-produced the tracks on ‘Yandhi’ alongside Ye – ‘Yeezus’ was, famously, co-produced by Rick Rubin.
In October 2018, Migos’ Quavo revealed that he and his bandmates are set to feature on the record. “I did a record for [Kanye], we did a record for ‘Yandhi’,” he told Power 106’s The Cruz Show, “He called us.”
Meanwhile, West producer has now revealed that Nicki Minaj will appear on his next album and has also confirmed the appearance of Ty Dolla $ign.
Speaking in an interview with The Lunch Table, engineer Kevin Celik revelled that the two artists would appear whilst also describing some more about what fans can expect to hear on his next album.
As reported on XXL website, he said: “There’s a song on the album called ‘New Body’ and Nicki Minaj is on it…”It’s Kanye, Nicki and Ty Dolla $ign [and] it’s Kim K-inspired for sure.”
He added that the album was about “female empowerment” and “go get your own bag type shit.”
When’s ‘Yandhi’ released?
Originally announced back in September and slated for a September 29, 2018 release, Kanye West has since delayed the release of ‘Yandhi’, in order to head to “what is known as Africa” for recording.
“I need to go, I need to find out what it’s really called,” he told TMZ, “Just grab the soil and be and cook food, five meals a day so the metabolism stays up, have my kids in the studio, and have the mic in the open so you can hear nature while we’re recording.”
Following that announcement, Kanye flew to Uganda – presenting the President of Uganda with a pair of Yeezys in the process.
The release date was then moved to November 30 (commonly known as Black Friday) – which at least suggests he’s not rushing it, as he reportedly did with previous albums released this year. “It is worth the wait,” said Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian.
HOWEVER, Yeezy has now delayed the release of the album yet again. After performing with Kid Cudi at Camp Flognaw for the public live debut of Kids See Ghosts, West said that it showed him that he needed more time to work on the record…
“It felt so good being on the stage last night with my brother Cudi,” he wrote on Twitter. “After performing again, I realise the new album I’ve been working on isn’t ready yet. I’ll announce the release date once it’s done. Thank you for understanding.”
It felt so good being on the stage last night with my brother Cudi. After performing again, I realize the new album I’ve been working on isn’t ready yet. I’ll announce the release date once it’s done. Thank you for understanding.
— ye (@kanyewest) November 13, 2018
It’s now been reported that Kanye will appear on season two of My Next Guest…, David Letterman’s Netflix talk show, having taped their conversation on January 14. There’s no premiere date, but perhaps it will coincide with the release of ‘Yandhi’.
A recent report in The Blast which claimed that Kanye West was in a legal dispute over the release of his next album (leading to delays) has now been denied by a rep from the West camp, according to XXL who quote the rep as reportedly saying the claims were “untrue”.
West has recently filed two lawsuits against Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records and another against EMI. Although the details of both are believed to be heavily redacted, it appears that they’re directly linked to unpaid royalties and ownership rights.
What is the artwork for ‘Yandhi’?
The artwork for ‘Yandhi’ features a similar stripped-back, minimalist style to that of ‘Yeezus’, emulating a transparent case for a MiniDisc, a now defunct audio format which was largely available from 1992 to 2013, and carried up to 80 minutes of music.
Check out the ‘Yandhi’ artwork below.
What does ‘Yandhi’ mean?
Much as 2013’s ‘Yeezus’ was a less-than-subtle interpolation of the name ‘Jesus’, ‘Yandhi’ sees West comparing himself to Mahatma Gandhi – the Indian activist who led the Indian independence movement against British rule.
What is the tracklisting for ‘Yandhi’?
The tracklisting for ‘Yandhi’ has not yet been revealed.
What will ‘Yandhi’ sound like?
Due to the similarities in name, many have speculated that ‘Yandhi’ will follow a similar sonic thread to ‘Yeezus’, Kanye’s 2013 noise-indebted, industrial hip-hop album. Upon its announcement, Def Jam Records (the parent company of Kanye’s GOOD Music) delivered a coy response to speculation that the album will indeed be ‘Yeezus’ follow-up.
A previously-released teaser clip for ‘Yandhi’ finds Kanye singing in falsetto and layering his vocal with countless vocal effects. Listen to that below.
YANDHI 9 29 18
YANDHI IS RELEASING THIS SATURDAY pic.twitter.com/ysqMrtc1RP
— ye (@kanyewest) September 27, 2018
In addition, during his visit to The Fader’s office, one fan captured 15 seconds of new music. In one track, he raps about “giving up my slave name”. He also addresses his children, saying: “Saint, you don’t really need a last name/North, you don’t really need a last name.“ Listen to that clip below.
NEW YE. via @andycohn pic.twitter.com/WhyE8V3fcx
— TKDMEDIA (@mediatkd1) September 27, 2018
“I started incorporating sounds that you’ve never heard before, pushing, and having concepts that people don’t talk about,” Kanye also told TMZ. “We have concepts talkin’ about body shaming and women being looked down upon for how many people that they’ve slept with. It’s just a full Ye album. Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation. Now the alien Ye is fully back in mode, off of medication, working out, breathing as much fresh air as possible, thinking, doing, being himself.”
Spaceship calling earth| 3 Domes Uganda https://t.co/8rlv7aTSav
— ye (@kanyewest) October 14, 2018
On October 14, Kanye live-streamed an 11-minute video titled ‘Spaceship calling earth| 3 Domes Uganda.’ In the clip, he rapped: “Relax your mind / Let your conscious be free / No matter what they say / I’m gonna still be free,” and also shouted out his “brother A$AP Ferg,” and mentioned a “2019 prophecy.” Check that out above.