Arguably the most controversial figure in hip-hop of this generation, Kanye West is back with a new album—this time, he’s teamed up with Consequence. The producer and rapper follows up on the song following conversations surrounding his “retirement from professional music,” so whether that will happen after this release or at all is a big question. Currently, the track has been released and you can listen to it here!
The song has Kanye’s fingerprints all over it – a sample-based boom bap song with a hint of nostalgia that evokes the same uplifting feeling fans have experienced before on albums like Bound 2. However, this is more hampered in its sonic approach, with its minimalism largely carried by syncopated grooves. The lyrics revolve around the theme of being unapologetic in an artist’s career (although arguably, Kanye has plenty to apologize for!) and emphasize that artists have to do what they have to do to get paid millions of dollars, as they do .
Ever since the remix of Kendrick Lamar’s “Like That,” the rapper’s hype prospects have seemed pretty quiet. Many fans were unhappy with Kanye’s self-insert, and to be fair, Kendrick didn’t respond to the same standard on Pharrell’s behalf.
Still, there’s no denying that anyone close to Kendrick and Drake’s feud isn’t having an easy time (except for Kendrick himself). This was especially true for rappers Rick Ross and Kanye West, both of whom were immediately overshadowed by the sheer quality of the main event. Could this be one of the reasons behind Kanye’s retirement sentiment? Is the new version trying to reshape the narrative? Only time will tell.
Listen to Cons and Kanye’s latest collaboration below.
