Ever since Yeezus dropped, we have heard tidbits from Kanye about his gung-ho plans to start working right away on his seventh studio album. Here we are, 1 year, 1 month, 13 days removed from Yeezus, still waiting on the drop. In the most recent edition of GQ Kanye talked a lot while simultaneously saying much of value on his new album besides the first single off of it — “All Day” — is ready. For Kanye fans that love his music but try to avoid all the celebrity bullshit that frequently surrounds him, one important question is left unanswered by Mr. West so far:

What the hell is going on with the seventh album?

What we do know is that it is getting close. In the GQ article — one of the only recent substantial forms of contact Kanye has had with the media — Kanye expressed his desire to get a song out in the next couple weeks, presumably “All Day” as the first single off the album. Additionally, he added that he would like that album to drop in September…or October..or November he added in. Most likely we hear something fresh from Kanye in a span of days not weeks. That doesn’t mean we haven’t heard some snippets from the new album, which have been leaking periodically from the Kanye stan forum, Kanye To The. Check out the following snippets from “All Day” below:

Shitty quality right? And pretty short, even for a snippet. But that’s the first taste of what this new album will definitely sound like. Even in such a short time frame, this sounds like a classic rap banger. I don’t hear the abrasiveness of Yeezus or the auto-tuned style of 808s on this one.

I wish this snippet didn’t exist, as it just kills some of the hype surrounding the track for me. It is clearly from the song while it was still in production, as it is raw. As far as Kanye raps, ehh. I’ve always loved ‘Ye for his beats for a reason — he has never been a top-of-the-line spitter. He is a beat machine and he knows what works and what doesn’t. Without that evident in the sample here, this is just a buzz killer.



Again, the background vibe is vacant and this doesn’t even sound like it is in production yet. Super raw quality with no beats make the lyrics stand out, and again, hard to judge a song by a snippet of lyrics. Especially when we have no idea what the themes of this album are (besides Kanye going all day, nigga).

So what is the takeaway from all that? For me, not much at all. Besides the fact that it seems evident that Kanye is swinging his musical pendulum away from angry and abrasive and back to more classic rap bangers is a good sign. Kanye is at his best when he can add a little comedy into his lines, even a little self-deprecation that we see occasionally throughout his career. That is the Kanye that shines and stands out. The early snippets of “All Day” show a generic side to a true individual, and that is a true shame. Maybe the album can totally avoid that — shit, maybe those snippets aren’t even close to what “All Day” will end up sounding like when released. But if Kanye can’t find the balance between his own personal individuality and generic rap, this seventh album may fall flat.