In 2018, Kanye West vowed to release Yandhi, his second album of the year, on Black Friday. At least, that was the original plan. Upon reflecting on his own creative state, Ye decided to put the project on hold indefinitely. By that point, however, fragments of the album's blueprint had already surfaced, with news of Nicki Minaj, XXXTentacion, Ty Dolla $ign, and 6ix9ine involvement hitting the internet. Now, a few months shy of a year later, Yandhi is still nowhere to be found; in fact, all signs point to a complete overhaul. Yet the past month has seen several of its original cuts beginning to leak, with the Nicki Minaj-assisted "New Body" leading the charge. And it's not alone, as pointed out by Hypebeast.
Should you be lurking around Reddit's hiphopheads, you might have seen a few Yeezy cuts pop up over the past week, including "Chakras" and “Alien / Space X.” Now, Hypebeast has indicated that an entire half-hour project has surfaced on the "LeakThis" forum, which many have speculated to be Yandhi in its entirety. Apparently, song titles include “Bye Bye Baby,” “We Got Love” featuring Teyana Taylor, “Garden” and “Last Name.”
Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
Unfortunately for those hoping for a new Yeezy album, the Yandhi sessions are served in an unfinished state, with plenty of "reference-track" Kanye to be found. And not only that, but the premature arrival of what was meant to be his upcoming studio album has left the creative team downtrodden. One of Ye's affiliates, producer Angel Lopez, recently penned an open letter about the ramifications of leaking, stating "When music is leaked, the essence of our collaborations, our crafts, and our livelihood are jeopardized."
One has to wonder what this means for Yandhi, if it was ever meant to be released in the first place. Given Kanye's penchant for reinvention, it's not clear whether this is a genuine setback or merely a greater symptom of a discarded vision. Have you heard the Yandhi sessions?
[via]
