Which Version of Kanye Will We Get on His New Album, “SWISH?"

Illustration by Brittany Isdith

The king of headlines and rap music is about to drop some new tracks. Kanye West told the world his new LP was named “So Help Me God”, but ‘Ye went to Twitter to announce that he had changed his mind and the title of the album is now “SWISH.”

I personally cant wait for the new album and fully intend on buying whatever Kanye puts out. It is hard to quantify and qualify how Kanye will sound on his new album because Kanye is, well… unpredictable. Then again, that is what keeps Kanye’s sound so fresh. The king is constantly changing the game and flipping the scene around with his impeccable aesthetic and instrumental innovation.

So, which version of Kanye are we going to get on this new album? Will Kanye come through with the smooth soul samples and clever passionate rhymes of “Late Registration” and “College Dropout?" Or will it be a more dark and extreme like “Yeezus?” Will Kanye show his emotional side, similar to his “808s & Heartbreaks” album?

All I know for sure is his recent collaborations with Paul McCartney have thrown me through a loop. That being said, I don’t think the album will be as adult contemporary as the single “FourFiveSeconds,” or as lush as “Graduation." Of course, Kanye will likely hit us with a few radio, chart-topping singles, but personally I'm hoping “SWISH” will incorporate futuristic elements, as Kanye acts as a trend-setter in the music industry.

We do know that Kanye’s rhymes will still be fresh as ever. Like most on his albums, “SWISH” will rely both on rapping and singing, and hopefully will have that the little touch of soul Kanye is known for.

About a year ago Theophilus London said Kanye West played his new LP in a dark room for 20 people, three times on loop. Sources say that the LP had the crowd drunk moshing and singing along. Upon hearing this, fans all over the world got very excited for some new Kanye music… but nothing has dropped yet. As of now, there is no release date in sight. Kanye has said it's released would be in October or November, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up collaborating with either Apple Music or Tidal music streaming services. I speculate Kanye may be overly concerned with his possible 2020 Presidential bid after talking to the world at the MTV Video Music Awards.

The rapper said:

“I really want to go away. Like, I been doing a lot of features. Right now I just want to take some time to focus on my album, my next collection, and North’s birthday. Just focus on my family and then be able to recharge and reenergize and bring something of value. I’m working on Swish slowly, to make it an art project [and] deliver the innovation that I know I can and that I’ve consistently done since 808s and Fantasy."

The album is slated to have at least 12 songs with guest appearances from Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Sir Paul McCartney and many others. The songs that have been confirmed are: "All Day," "Piss on Your Grave," "A Long Time," "Want It All," "Feel Like That," "Can You Be Real," "Touch," "Owe Us," "Interrupt the Party," "Always," "Remember How," "Only One" and "Say Anything."

I cannot wait to hear what Yeezy has in store for us… but then again, I guess I'll have to.