“New Slaves” is probably the first one I came across, the projectors were haywire, state to state, city to city. The projections and details made by this dude and his team was expensive. And it’s still expensive today.
Then the pre-order promotion of YEEZUS came in handy online. This cover I just posted is what the album was looking like during the pre-order situation until mid-May.
Nine years regardless. I remember taking a little sneak peek of [one of my favorite songs from the album] “Black Skinhead” before getting to school, but it was an SNL version before the final version.
(I had an old iPod at the time at 12 years old.)
Ye’s birthday, 2013. The Governor’s Ball or wherever the early YEEZUS listening party was at, the final versions of the songs on the album performed live, especially before the live version, was crisp.
Some listeners felt a little weirded out about how the #YEEZUS album turned out when it came out.
People believe that some OG details of YEEZUS would’ve been more exciting, because probably a year later after, I then came across one of the speculations about the OG “Bound” record that was before the final joint. Mind you, one of the guys that was at some venue, uploaded the OG version on YouTube. (That was played early at the OG listening party before the final ones.)
Now that I’m finna get all that out the way, I would love to say that regardless of how this album would turn out or would’ve, and despite of all controversies and drama as well, I still love this album with all my heart. One of the best influential rock n’ roll albums in the 2010s that inspired a trillion outlets. It even inspired me and my peers’ outlets inside and outside of my interest in music.
Shouts to the beautiful families of the late, great Virgil Abloh.
More shouts to Jose R. Perez and the DONDA team, easily.
Travis Scott, Daft Punk, Chief Keef, Assassin, Cudi, Uncle Charlie, Frank Ocean, Justin Vernon, Mike Dean (MWA of course), Arca, Hudson Mowhawke, Noah Goldstein, Lunice, S1, Popcaan, Keith Carter Sr., Clifton Bailey III, Nina Simone, Omega, and more acts.