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Wikipedia

Yeezus

Yeezus is the sixth studio album by the American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, including Mike Dean, Daft Punk, Noah Goldstein, Arca, Hudson Mohawke, and Travis Scott. The album also features guest vocals from Justin Vernon, Chief Keef, Kid Cudi, Assassin, King L, Charlie Wilson, and Frank Ocean.

Yeezus
Digital cover artwork; CD copies are packaged as depicted.
Studio album by
ReleasedJune 18, 2013 (2013-06-18)
Recorded2012 – June 2013
Studio
Genre
Length40:01
Label
Producer
Kanye West chronology
Cruel Summer
(2012)
Yeezus
(2013)
The Life of Pablo
(2016)
Singles from Yeezus
  1. "Black Skinhead"
    Released: June 19, 2013
  2. "Bound 2"
    Released: August 28, 2013

Fifteen days before its release date, West enlisted the help of producer Rick Rubin to strip down the sound of Yeezus in favor of a more minimalist approach. The album has been characterized as West's most experimental and sonically abrasive work. It draws from an array of genres, including industrial, acid house, electro, punk, and Chicago drill. West's unconventional use of samples is also present, as on "Blood on the Leaves", which contains a sample from Nina Simone's 1965 rendition of "Strange Fruit".

The physical CD edition was released in a clear jewel box with only a strip of red tape and sample credits. Initial promotion included worldwide video projections of the music and live television performances. West released two singles from the album; "Black Skinhead" in July 2013 and "Bound 2" the following month. The release of Yeezus coincided with that of rapper J. Cole's album Born Sinner, which was moved back a week to coincide with Yeezus' release, leading to speculation about which release would sell more copies.

Yeezus received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom named it among West's best work and commended its brash direction, though public response was divided. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 327,000 copies in the first week of release, while also topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Russia and the United Kingdom. It has since been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and was named by several publications as one of the best albums of the 2010s, including Rolling Stone, who later included it at 269 on its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Background

 
West first began work on Yeezus at his personal loft in Paris, and on numerous occasions visited the Louvre (pictured) for inspiration.[1]

Following the release of his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), Kanye West collaborated with longtime friend Jay-Z on Watch the Throne (2011).[2] In July 2012, producer No I.D. revealed that he had been working on West's sixth solo studio album (and seventh overall) and that it would be released after Cruel Summer (2012), a collaborative compilation album between members of West's record label GOOD Music.[3] For Yeezus, West enlisted several collaborators, including Kid Cudi, Charlie Wilson, S1, The Heatmakerz, Mike Dean, Hudson Mohawke, Skrillex, Young Chop, Chief Keef, Frank Ocean, Odd Future, Travis Scott, The-Dream, Cyhi the Prynce, Malik Yusef, King L, John Legend, James Blake, RZA, Mase, and Pusha T. The album features additional vocals by Justin Vernon, Frank Ocean, Kid Cudi, Chief Keef, King L, Assassin, and Charlie Wilson.[4]

West was influenced primarily by minimalist design and architecture during the production of Yeezus, and visited a furniture exhibit in the Louvre five times.[1] A single Le Corbusier lamp was his "greatest inspiration".[1] West worked closely with the architect Oana Stănescu, and took "field trips" to Le Corbusier homes. Fascinated by Stănescu's comments on the unusual and radical nature of Corbusier design choices, West applied the situation to his own life, feeling that "visionaries can be misunderstood by their unenlightened peers".[5] West also met with architect Joseph Dirand and Belgian interior designer Axel Vervoordt, and had "rare Le Corbusier lamps, Pierre Jeanneret chairs and obscure body-art journals from Switzerland" delivered to the loft.[5] West also wanted a deep hometown influence on the album, and listened to 1980s house music most associated with his home city of Chicago for influence.[1] Alejandro Jodorowsky's The Holy Mountain was also an inspiration for the album and its ensuing tour.[6][7] The album was originally titled Thank God for Drugs.[8]

Recording and production

 
West enlisted Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin to executive produce the album.

In 2012, West began recording his sixth studio album with collaborators, including No I.D. and DJ Khaled.[9] The first recordings were held in January 2013, in the living room of his personal loft at a Paris hotel, referred to in the album's credits as the "No Name Hotel". West kept compositions simple in order to hear the tracks more clearly; too much bass or complexity would simply overpower the room's poor acoustics.[1] The beats emanating from the loft space, which sometimes lasted through the night, provoked complaints from neighbors.[5] Reports emerged that he and his then-girlfriend Kim Kardashian had moved to the loft in order for West to begin work on the album.[10]

The atmosphere in the studio was described by contributor Evian Christ as "very focused", and West once again brought in several close collaborators. Producer Hudson Mohawke noted the inclusive "group" atmosphere of the sessions, in which multiple contributors would work on similar pieces, with different elements ultimately selected from each.[11] All involved were given a song to work on and return the next day to sit and critique, a process Anthony Kilhoffer compared to an art class.[12] Producer Arca described being initially asked to send West music, noting that she purposefully sent perhaps the strangest stuff she had, with West happening to be excited by it.[13] Describing West's collaborative style, Arca stated:

It was a lot of coming up with design, like solving riddles. If the song called for something aggressive, it was up to three or four people to design what in their head was the best solution for that aggression in that moment. Everyone would approach it in completely different ways, and ultimately, it would all be edited by Kanye himself.[13]

 
The record production is characterized as raw and dark. West maintains a stripped-down approach while continuing to use eclectic samples.

Determined to "undermine the commercial", several tracks were left off the finished product that were deemed too melodic or more in line with West's previous material.[12] West set parameters regarding sound and style, insisting that there be no "bass wobbles" reminiscent of dubstep.[12] The album's recording process was described as "very raw" by Thomas Bangalter of the French electronic duo Daft Punk, who produced four songs for the album, adding that West was "rapping – kind of screaming primally, actually".[14] While previous albums, particularly Dark Fantasy, took considerable time in the studio, Yeezus was described by Kilhoffer as "the fastest record we ever made".[12] In May 2013, Def Jam executives listened to the "final product", (only later to be changed) describing the album as "dark".[15] American musician Travis Scott opined that the snippets he'd heard of Yeezus were from the year 3000 and recalled "crazy memories" from being around West during the recording of it.[16]

W writer Christopher Bagley reports that West's creative process often bordered on perfectionist. In March 2013, West described the album to Bagley as near completion, only to revise this statement one month later to the album being "only 30 percent complete".[5] West made several last-minute alterations to Yeezus, enlisting the co-founder of Def Jam Recordings, Rick Rubin, as an executive producer for additional recording mere days before its release; changes included re-recording whole songs and rewriting entire verses.[17] The rough cut West played Rubin ran nearly three and a half hours long.[18] West's orders to Rubin were to take the music in a "stripped-down minimal direction", often removing elements already recorded.[1] In a September 2013 interview with radio DJ Zane Lowe, West said of Rubin that "he's not a producer, he's a reducer".[19]

For several days in late May and early June 2013, West and a "rotating group of intimates, collaborators and hangers-on" holed up at Rubin's Shangri-La studio in Malibu in service of completing the record.[1] Rubin thought it impossible to meet the deadline and all involved ended up working long hours with no days off in order to complete the record. West had intended the album be 16 tracks until Rubin suggested cutting the album down to fewer tracks, from 16 songs to 10, saying the others could be reserved for a follow-up.[18][20] Rubin gave as example "Bound", which was "a more middle of the road R&B song, done in an adult contemporary style" before West decided to replace the musical backing with a minimalistic sample, "a single note bassline in the hook which we processed to have a punk edge in the Suicide tradition". Two days before the album had to be delivered to the label, West wrote and sang the lyrics to two songs while also recording the vocals to three others in just two hours.[21]

Music and composition

 
Described as West's most sonically experimental work, the album is driven by abrasive electronics while drawing from an array of industrial, punk and hip hop subgenres.

According to Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot, Yeezus is a "hostile, abrasive and intentionally off-putting" album that combines "the worlds of" 1980s Chicago acid-house, 2013 Chicago drill music, 1990s industrial music, and the "avant-rap" of Saul Williams, Death Grips, and Odd Future.[22] The Independent, Mass Appeal, and The Village Voice described it as an experimental release,[23][24][25] while Meagan Garvey of The Outline described it as West's "industrial album".[26] Rolling Stone described it as "an extravagantly abrasive album full of grinding electro, pummeling minimalist hip-hop, drone-y wooz and industrial gear-grind",[27] while Vulture called it a "punk rap opus",[28] and Rolling Stone called it an "industrial-rap opus".[29] Slant Magazine critic Ted Scheinman described the album as "built on alien, angular beats, slowly morphing drones and sirens, abrupt periods of silence, and a pulse-quickening style of delivery from Yeezy himself", writing that West reconceives the "notion of what kind of music (or noise) can underpin hip-hop".[30] According to Charles Aaron of Spin, Yeezus is "a hip hop album, not a rap album", because of how its sounds and subject matter are assembled together, and although listeners can hear "'punk' or 'post-punk' or industrial'" throughout, "hip-hop has always been about noise and dissonance and dance music as agitation".[31] The album also incorporates elements of industrial and trap music.[32] The record "most closely resembles" 1990s industrial rock, during which the genre had a significant pop culture impact, with artists such as Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, and Marilyn Manson gaining success. The industrial scene created a "vast global underground community", and Esquire notes that one of its epicenters was in Chicago, where West was raised.[33] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club characterized its opening series of songs as electro and industrial hip hop.[34]

Referencing the sound of Yeezus in September 2013, West stated: "For me as Kanye West, I got to fuck shit up... I'm going to take music and try to make it three dimensional... I'm not here to make easy listening, easily programmable music".[19] At the same time, he viewed himself as artistically being "here to crack the pavement and break new ground, sonically".[19] West would later go onto describe the sound of the album as "a protest to music".[35] West elaborated, claiming that he "was like 'I'm gonna take my ball and go home'".[35]

Yeezus is primarily electronic in nature, and boasts distorted drum machines and synthesizers that sound like they're malfunctioning, low-resolution samplers that add a pixelated digital aura to the most analog sounds.[33] To this end, the album incorporates glitches reminiscent of CD skips or corrupted MP3's, and Auto-Tuned vocals are modulated to a point in which they are difficult to decipher.[33] Esquire cites "On Sight" as an early example of the album's connection to electronic music, citing its "droning synthesizer tone", which is "modulated until the signal starts throwing off harshly treble-heavy spikes and begins to clip, as if it were overloading a digital audio processor".[33]

Yeezus continues West's practice of eclectic samples: he employs an obscure Hindi sample on "I Am a God", and a sample of 1970s Hungarian rock group Omega on "New Slaves". "On Sight" interpolates a melody from "Sermon (He'll Give Us What We Really Need)" by the Holy Name of Mary Choral Family, although the track originally sampled an old vocal track from the original recording.[17] "Bound 2" features heavy soul music samples and has been described as the only song on Yeezus which recalls the sound of West's early work.[38] "Bound", a 1971 song by American soul group Ponderosa Twins Plus One from their album 2 + 2 + 1 = Ponderosa Twins Plus One, serves as the primary sample used in West's track.[39]

The album's second track "Black Skinhead" has alternately been called an industrial hip hop song[34][36] and "a galloping punk-rap manifesto".[37] "I Am a God" was inspired by a "diss" from a major fashion designer, who informed West of his invitation to a widely anticipated runway show on the condition he agree to not attend other shows.[5] "I'm in It" began with a different sample and melody, but West removed the sample and Rubin edited the track down from a six-minute arrangement.[12] "Blood on the Leaves", which samples Nina Simone's 1965 rendition of "Strange Fruit" and was the first track in the first incarnation of the track list, is an example of West's signature dichotomy in which he melds the sacred and profane.[12][40] "Strange Fruit", first recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939, brought the lynchings of black Americans to a "startling poignancy", creating "one of the most towering, important songs of the 20th century". West's anthemic re-telling instead details an MDMA-fueled hookup and the perils of fame.[40]

Promotion and release

 
A video projection of "New Slaves" in Los Angeles in May 2013.

On May 1, 2013, West used Twitter to post a single message reading "June Eighteen", leading several media outlets to speculate that the post referred to the release date of West's upcoming album.[41] On May 17, he began promotion of the album by unveiling the previously unreleased song "New Slaves" through video projections in 66 assorted locations.[42] The following day, West appeared on the American late-night live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and performed the songs "New Slaves" and "Black Skinhead".[43] West subsequently revealed the album's cover and title, Yeezus, on his official website.[44] Fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar offered his opinion on the title in an interview that same month, stating: "That's crazy, I want to hear that. That's that creative Kanye genius stuff out the box".[45] He also claimed that the album's "whole marketing scheme is crazy" and "very inspiring".[45] The iTunes Store made Yeezus available for pre-order on May 20, but the listing was subsequently taken down for unknown reasons.[46] On May 29, A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou unveiled an advertisement for Yeezus which stated that the album would not be available for pre-order.[47] Speaking about the album's minimal promotion, West stated: "With this album, we ain't drop no single to radio. We ain't got no NBA campaign, nothing like that. Shit, we ain't even got no cover. We just made some real music".[17]

In May 2013, American rapper J. Cole called West "one of the greatest artists of our generation" via Twitter, with him following this by tweeting: "Which is exactly why I'm moving my release date up. Born Sinner June 18th".[48] He explained releasing his second studio album Born Sinner on the same day as Yeezus during an interview that same month, saying: "I'm not going to sit [here]... I worked too hard to come a week later after Kanye West drops an amazing album. It'd be like, 'Oh and J.Cole dropped too, a week later.' Nah. I'm going to go see him on that date. He's the greatest".[49] The next month, J. Cole gave further context, claiming for the coinciding release to be "more about the statement" than the sales.[50] J. Cole elaborated on this, admitting that the music being competed over "is art" and he "can't compete against the Kanye West celebrity and the status that he's earned just from being a genius", though stated: "But I can put my name in the hat and tell you that I think my album is great and you be the judge and you decide".[50] A lyrical reference to releasing on the same date as West is included in the track "Forbidden Fruit" from Born Sinner.[50]

The physical CD edition of Yeezus was released in a clear jewel box with no album artwork, reflecting the minimalist tone. The packaging consists of little more than a piece of red tape and a sticker affixed to the back, with sample credits and the album's UPC. Other versions of this release have different colors of stickers, with green, yellow and orange being some of the other colors. The front is affixed with a Parental Advisory label.[51] The Source pointed out a resemblance between the Yeezus CD packaging and a packaging concept designed for the single "Crystal" by the English band New Order in 2001.[52] In a 2016 BBC interview with Annie Mac, West explained the album cover; "The whole concept for the Yeezus album is that we're not going to be using CDs in the future and since this is the last time we're going to see it, this is an open casket for the CD."[53]

 
West performing in November 2013 as part of The Yeezus Tour.

Def Jam confirmed in late June 2013 that "Black Skinhead" would be serviced to American radio as the album's first single on July 2, 2013, and that a music video for the track was being produced.[54] It was officially released to radio in the United Kingdom on June 19.[55] The song peaked at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 34 on the UK Singles Chart.[56][57] In August 2013, it was revealed that "Bound 2" would be released as the second single from Yeezus.[58] "Bound 2" features vocals from American soul singer Charlie Wilson and incorporates numerous samples into its production, including prominent elements of the song "Bound" (1971) by soul group Ponderosa Twins Plus One.[39] "Bound 2" received general acclaim from music critics, who referred to the song as one of the highlights of the album and compared its soul sample-based production to West's early work from his debut studio album The College Dropout (2004).[34][59] The song has since peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart.[60] In November 2013, producer Hudson Mohawke revealed that "Blood on the Leaves" would serve as the album's third single.[61] West subsequently made the announcement in an interview on New York's 92.3 NOW.[62]

On September 6, 2013, West announced The Yeezus Tour, a North American tour to take place between October 19 through December 7, 2013; two months prior to West's announcement, Yeezus co-producer Mike Dean had announced a tour for the album.[63][64] The tour was marketed as his "first solo tour in 5 years", and featured Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T, A Tribe Called Quest, and Travis Scott as the supporting acts.[63] On October 30, 2013, while on the road to Vancouver, a truck carrying custom-made video screens and equipment for the show was involved in a car accident, the crash damaged the equipment beyond repair.[65] The tour resumed on November 16, 2013, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The missed Chicago and Detroit shows were rescheduled however, the rest of the missed dates were cancelled, Def Jam cited routing logistics as the reason.[66]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10[67]
Metacritic84/100[68]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [69]
The Daily Telegraph     [70]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[71]
The Guardian     [72]
The Independent     [73]
NME9/10[74]
Pitchfork9.5/10[75]
Rolling Stone     [27]
Spin8/10[76]
The Times     [77]

Yeezus was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 84, based on 46 reviews.[68] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 8.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[67]

Reviewing the album in The Guardian, lead critic Alexis Petridis found it "noisy, gripping, maddening, potent",[72] while Helen Brown from The Daily Telegraph said it was "the most exciting album" she had heard in some time.[70] Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a "brilliant, obsessive-compulsive career auto-correct" that made other abrasive records by "mad geniuses", such as In Utero by Nirvana and Radiohead's Kid A, seem tame by comparison.[27] Pitchfork critic Ryan Dombal viewed it as a "razor-sharpened take" on West's fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak, concluding that "cohesion and bold intent are at a premium on Yeezus, perhaps more than any other Kanye album. Each fluorescent strike of noise, incongruous tempo flip, and warped vocal is bolted into its right place across the album's fast 40 minutes".[75] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times felt it was his most ambitious piece of music yet,[78] and Evan Rytlewski from The A.V. Club said it was his most uninhibited record: "Even by the standards of an artist who reinvents himself with each release, it's a drastic departure".[34] In a highly positive review, AllMusic's David Jeffries opined that the album was an "extravagant stunt with the high-art packed in, offering an eccentric, audacious, and gripping experience that's vital and truly unlike anything else".[69] Ann Powers of NPR described the album as "juxtaposing avant-garde industrial and electronic innovations with the high romantic hip-hop West had already perfected."[79] Rock artist Lou Reed reviewed Yeezus in July 2013 shortly before his death, describing it as majestic and inspiring. "He's really trying to raise the bar. No one's near doing what he's doing, it's not even on the same planet".[80]

Some reviewers expressed reservations. In The New York Times, Jon Pareles said West's innovative transfiguration of his music—with unrefined electronica and drill elements—was undermined by his distasteful lyrics and appropriation of 1960s civil rights slogans "to his own celebrity or to bedroom exploits".[81] In Robert Christgau's opinion, the combination of harsh rock and hip hop sounds on Yeezus was as bold as Public Enemy's music during the 1980s, but West's lyrics were grotesquely off-putting. "He's wordsmith enough to insure that his sexist imagery is very hard to take", Christgau wrote in The Barnes & Noble Review,[82] looking at the album as an "alt-rap also-ran".[83] Chris Richards from The Washington Post found West's lyricism perhaps "his least compelling" yet and "drunk on bitterness", though viewed the album as "West at his most wasted, stumbling through rubble".[84] Alex Griffin of Tiny Mix Tapes expressed similar feelings, describing it as "a nebulous, dense, paranoid web of utterly unfiltered expression that's utterly or negligibly fascinating depending on how much you care about Yeezy".[85] In The Times, Will Hodgkinson surmised that Yeezus could have been West's masterpiece had he not become "so hopelessly self-important".[77]

Accolades

 
Yeezus was the most critically acclaimed album of 2013. It managed to top 18 lists and polls.

Based on 146 individual year-end top ten lists compiled by Metacritic, Yeezus was the most critically acclaimed album of 2013, appearing on 61 lists and being named first on 18 of them.[86] In October 2013, Complex named Yeezus the sixth best hip hop album of the last five years.[87] Yeezus was rated as album of the year by nine publications. Spin named it the best album of 2013, writing, "Yeezus was a thorny tangram puzzle of boxy headbanger blats that exemplified a year of equally stripped-down, basal pleasures".[88] The A.V. Club named it the best album of 2013 saying "It's magnificent, and it sounds like absolutely nothing else".[89] Rolling Stone named it the second best album of 2013, comparing it in concept to Reed's polarizing 1975 album Metal Machine Music: "No wonder the late, great Lou Reed embraced Yeezus, since it's basically the Metal Machine Music concept translated into futuristic hip-hop, all industrial overload and hypertense egomania and hostile vibes".[90] Exclaim! also named it the hip hop album of the year.[91] NME named it the second best album of the year calling it "his most sonically challenging album to date".[92] Stereogum, Time, and Complex were also among the publications that named Yeezus the best album of 2013.[93][94][95]

Yeezus was also nominated in two categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards including for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for "New Slaves". West responded unfavorably to this due to not receiving more nominations. He then addressed the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at one of his concerts and referred to it as patronizing.[96][97] The album received nominations for Foreign Rap Album of the Year at the Hungarian Music Awards,[98] International Album of the Year at the Danish Music Awards,[99] World's Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards,[100] and Best Album at the 2014 NME Awards.[101]

In January 2014, Yeezus was named the best album of 2013 by The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll.[102] By topping the poll, West attained his fourth album to do so, following on from The College Dropout, Late Registration, and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2004, 2005, and 2010, respectively.[102] On the same poll for singles, "Bound 2", "New Slaves", and "Black Skinhead" were ranked in the top 10.[103] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked Yeezus as the 269th album on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.[104]

Select rankings of Yeezus
Publication List Year Rank Ref.
The A.V. Club The 23 Best Albums of 2013 2013
1
Billboard 15 Best Albums of 2013 2013
2
100 Best Albums of the 2010s: Staff Picks 2019
62
The Guardian The Best Albums of 2013 2013
1
The 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century 2019
18
NME 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013
2
The Best Albums of the Decade: The 2010s 2019
3
Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 2013 2013
2
The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019
15
Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013
2
100 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019
13
500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2020
269
The 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time 2022
17
Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of the 2013 2013
4
The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019
41
Spin Spin's 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013
1
Time Top 10 Albums of 2013 2013
1
The Village Voice Pazz & Jop critics' poll of 2013 2013
1

Commercial performance

Yeezus debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, becoming West's sixth chart-topping studio album and selling 327,000 copies in the United States in its first week.[116] The album failed to reach the 500,000 sales projections, and marked West's lowest solo opening week sales in the US.[116] However, it still had the third-best first week sales of 2013 at the time of release and marked the highest first week sales by a hip hop album since Drake's 2011 album Take Care.[117] Simultaneously, Born Sinner entered at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 297,000 copies, selling 30,000 less than Yeezus.[117] The second week sales saw the album fall dramatically; although it descended two places to end at number three on the chart, sales dropped by 80% to 65,000 units, making Yeezus the largest second-week percentage drop for a number one-debuting album in 2012–13 and the fourth-largest for a number one-bowing album in the SoundScan era.[118] Billboard's Keith Caulfield attributed the diminished figures to the non-traditional marketing, considering that the lack of singles and public appearances led the album to find "difficulty in sustaining its momentum".[118] That same week, Born Sinner remained at number two on the Billboard 200, outselling Yeezus by nearly 20,000 units with sales of 84,000 copies.[119] The following week, Born Sinner climbed to number one on the chart, tying the peak position attained by Yeezus previously.[120] On August 12, 2013, Yeezus was certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.[121][122] By September 19, 2013, the album had sold 537,000 copies, being outperformed by the 599,000 copies sold of Born Sinner.[123] J. Cole responded to this by commenting that he doesn't "live for the accolades" and claiming: "I'm more so about the music. Making it, and putting it out. Those are the two best feelings".[123] Yeezus was later certified platinum in the US by the RIAA on January 8, 2014, for shipments of one million albums shipped to stores and digital retailers.[122][124][125] Yeezus was ranked as the 37th most popular album of 2013 on the Billboard 200.[126]

On the ARIA Albums Chart, Yeezus initially debuted at number two after selling 9,500 copies in three days, entering behind The Great Country Songbook by Troy Cassar-Daley and Adam Harvey at the summit. However, after a data error was found, a re-count of sales was done.[127] The re-count found that Yeezus was actually the number one album of the week. ARIA issued an apology and the chart was fixed.[127] The album stood as West's first chart topper in Australia.[128] Yeezus reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming West's fifth chart-topping album in Canada.[129] In the United Kingdom, the album experienced a chart-topping performance, with it debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and giving West his first number one on the chart since Graduation in 2007, as well as his fourth top ten album in the UK.[130] The following week, Yeezus descended five places to number six on the UK Albums Chart.[131] The album was ultimately certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on February 20, 2015, for sales of 100,000 units.[132] Yeezus was also a chart topper in Denmark, New Zealand and Russia.[133][134][135] The album was the ninth best-selling cassette album in the US in 2017.[136]

Public reaction

 
West at the Governors Ball Music Festival, where he performed several tracks from Yeezus publicly for the first time.

Public reaction to Yeezus, including its unorthodox and deliberate lack of promotion as well as its brash and aggressive sound, was mixed. Yeezus was noted as one of the most anticipated releases of 2013 by major publications, but the lack of a major radio single was regarded as a risky move.[137] Regardless, radio stations have still played tracks from Yeezus on air, despite it being a departure from the normal playlists found on hip-hop stations.[138] "When I listen to radio, that ain't where I wanna be no more", stated West at his headlining June 9, 2013 Governor's Ball performance, where he unveiled several tracks from the record for the first time. Rolling Stone summarized the audience's response: "Half the crowd cheered, half almost audibly rolled their eyes".[139] West's June 11 interview with Jon Caramanica of The New York Times was similarly viewed with a mixed reaction, with many outlets mocking West's seemingly vain statements.[140] In the article, West compares himself to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and refers to himself as "the nucleus of all society".[141]

Within four days prior to the release, Yeezus was leaked online.[142] The New York Times wrote that the leak "stirred up a Twitter frenzy" and received widespread media coverage.[81] The Washington Post commented on the significance of the leak: "Kanye West’s new album didn’t leak online over the weekend. It gushed out into the pop ecosystem like a million barrels of renegade crude — ominous, mesmerizing and of great consequence".[84] Critics were very kind to Yeezus regarding critical reviews, but others viewed the release as "musical and commercial suicide", and "fans live-blogged their own befuddlement on Twitter and Facebook".[143] The New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones suggests that Yeezus may be preferred over any of West's previous works in coming decades by a new generation due to the "lean vibrancy" of the album.[140] "One of the most fascinating aspects of Yeezus' arrival is the discursive crisis it's caused, produced by a fast-react culture colliding with a work of art so confounding", wrote The Atlantic's columnist Jack Hamilton.[143]

West was criticized by the UK and US Parkinson's disease Associations for controversial lyrics in lead-song "On Sight".[144][145] Oasis lead member Liam Gallagher criticized Yeezus over its title, saying of West: "He's a fucking idiot. You'll never see Jesus banging his head".[146] American rapper Hopsin dissed West over the album within the lyrics of his single "Hop Is Back" in October 2013, while the music video included Hopsin reenacting one of West's numerous encounters with the paparazzi.[147] That same month, Hopsin went on to explain the diss, admitting that he is a fan of West who likes a lot of his older music and viewing Yeezus as West "on some straight up [bullshit]".[148]

Jay-Z described Yeezus as "polarizing", though claimed "that's what great art is" and that West "pushes the genre forward" with his experimentation.[149] Expressing his thoughts on the mixed reception of the album in October 2013, fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco viewed himself as not facing the same difficult struggle.[150] Lupe Fiasco continued, assuring that his then-upcoming studio album Tetsuo & Youth (2015) wouldn't be as open for interpretation as Yeezus.[150] In February 2014, English singer Lily Allen announced that she would title her third studio album Sheezus. In an interview with Australian radio station Nova, Allen stated that she is terrified that West would think it's "a diss rather than a tribute". She said that she thinks West is brilliant and praised him for speaking his mind all the time.[151] That same month, Jack White, a vocal advocate of analog recording, remarked that Yeezus "is obviously recorded on Pro Tools but sounds unbelievable, because it is very simple and there aren't a lot of components going on, and this really allows the songs to shine. Plus he mixed using analogue components".[152] West went on to make the claim in October 2015 that despite many people rating My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as his best album, Yeezus is "so much stronger" in comparison.[153]

In 2013, Yeezus was voted as both the year's "Most Overrated Album" and "Most Underrated Album" by Pitchfork readers.[154]

Track listing

Yeezus track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."On Sight"2:36
2."Black Skinhead"
  • West
  • de Homem-Christo
  • Bangalter
  • Jones
  • Young
  • Rutberg
  • Wasalu Jaco
  • Sakiya Sandifer
  • Dean
  • Watkins
3:08
3."I Am a God"
3:51
4."New Slaves"
4:16
5."Hold My Liquor"
5:26
6."I'm in It"
3:54
7."Blood on the Leaves"
6:00
8."Guilt Trip"
  • West
  • Dean
  • S1
  • Travis Scott[b]
  • Ackee Juice Rockers[b]
4:03
9."Send It Up"
2:58
10."Bound 2"
3:49
Total length:40:01

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • "I Am a God" credits God as a featured artist and features additional vocals by Justin Vernon
  • "New Slaves" features additional vocals by Frank Ocean
  • "Hold My Liquor" features vocals by Chief Keef and Justin Vernon
  • "I'm in It" features vocals by Justin Vernon and Assassin
  • "Guilt Trip" features uncredited vocals by Kid Cudi[155]
  • "Send it Up" features vocals by King L
  • "Bound 2" features additional vocals by Charlie Wilson

Sample credits

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[4]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for Yeezus
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[194] Gold 35,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[195] Platinum 20,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[132] Gold 100,000*
United States (RIAA)[122] 2× Platinum 2,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for Yeezus
Region Date Label(s) Format(s) Ref.
Australia June 18, 2013 Universal
  • CD
  • digital download
[196]
Germany [197]
New Zealand Def Jam [198]
United States [199]
France June 21, 2013 Universal [200]
United Kingdom June 22, 2013 Virgin EMI [201]

See also

Notes and references

Notes

  1. ^ Tracks 1–5, 7 and 8
  2. ^ Track 6
  3. ^ Choir on track 1
  4. ^ Track 8
  5. ^ Tracks 6 and 8
  6. ^ Tracks 1, 2 and 4–8
  7. ^ Tracks 1, 2, 9 and 10

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External links

  • Official website
  • Yeezus at Discogs (list of releases)

yeezus, sixth, studio, album, american, rapper, producer, kanye, west, released, june, 2013, through, recordings, fella, records, west, gathered, number, artists, close, collaborators, production, including, mike, dean, daft, punk, noah, goldstein, arca, hudso. Yeezus is the sixth studio album by the American rapper and producer Kanye West It was released on June 18 2013 through Def Jam Recordings and Roc A Fella Records West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production including Mike Dean Daft Punk Noah Goldstein Arca Hudson Mohawke and Travis Scott The album also features guest vocals from Justin Vernon Chief Keef Kid Cudi Assassin King L Charlie Wilson and Frank Ocean YeezusDigital cover artwork CD copies are packaged as depicted Studio album by Kanye WestReleasedJune 18 2013 2013 06 18 Recorded2012 June 2013StudioGermano New York City a Gee Jam Port Antonio b Madpan New York City c The Mercer Hotel New York City d No Name Hotel Paris Real World Bath e Shangri La Malibu f Studios de la Seine Paris g GenreHip hop industrial rap punk rap alternative rap experimental electronicLength40 01LabelDef Jam Roc A FellaProducerDaft Punk Hudson Mohawke Kanye West Lunice Mike Dean S1Kanye West chronologyCruel Summer 2012 Yeezus 2013 The Life of Pablo 2016 Singles from Yeezus Black Skinhead Released June 19 2013 Bound 2 Released August 28 2013 Fifteen days before its release date West enlisted the help of producer Rick Rubin to strip down the sound of Yeezus in favor of a more minimalist approach The album has been characterized as West s most experimental and sonically abrasive work It draws from an array of genres including industrial acid house electro punk and Chicago drill West s unconventional use of samples is also present as on Blood on the Leaves which contains a sample from Nina Simone s 1965 rendition of Strange Fruit The physical CD edition was released in a clear jewel box with only a strip of red tape and sample credits Initial promotion included worldwide video projections of the music and live television performances West released two singles from the album Black Skinhead in July 2013 and Bound 2 the following month The release of Yeezus coincided with that of rapper J Cole s album Born Sinner which was moved back a week to coincide with Yeezus release leading to speculation about which release would sell more copies Yeezus received widespread acclaim from critics many of whom named it among West s best work and commended its brash direction though public response was divided The album was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 selling 327 000 copies in the first week of release while also topping the charts in Australia Canada Denmark New Zealand Russia and the United Kingdom It has since been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA and was named by several publications as one of the best albums of the 2010s including Rolling Stone who later included it at 269 on its 2020 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time Contents 1 Background 2 Recording and production 3 Music and composition 4 Promotion and release 5 Critical reception 5 1 Accolades 6 Commercial performance 6 1 Public reaction 7 Track listing 8 Personnel 9 Charts 9 1 Weekly charts 9 2 Year end charts 10 Certifications 11 Release history 12 See also 13 Notes and references 13 1 Notes 13 2 References 14 External linksBackground nbsp West first began work on Yeezus at his personal loft in Paris and on numerous occasions visited the Louvre pictured for inspiration 1 Following the release of his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy 2010 Kanye West collaborated with longtime friend Jay Z on Watch the Throne 2011 2 In July 2012 producer No I D revealed that he had been working on West s sixth solo studio album and seventh overall and that it would be released after Cruel Summer 2012 a collaborative compilation album between members of West s record label GOOD Music 3 For Yeezus West enlisted several collaborators including Kid Cudi Charlie Wilson S1 The Heatmakerz Mike Dean Hudson Mohawke Skrillex Young Chop Chief Keef Frank Ocean Odd Future Travis Scott The Dream Cyhi the Prynce Malik Yusef King L John Legend James Blake RZA Mase and Pusha T The album features additional vocals by Justin Vernon Frank Ocean Kid Cudi Chief Keef King L Assassin and Charlie Wilson 4 West was influenced primarily by minimalist design and architecture during the production of Yeezus and visited a furniture exhibit in the Louvre five times 1 A single Le Corbusier lamp was his greatest inspiration 1 West worked closely with the architect Oana Stănescu and took field trips to Le Corbusier homes Fascinated by Stănescu s comments on the unusual and radical nature of Corbusier design choices West applied the situation to his own life feeling that visionaries can be misunderstood by their unenlightened peers 5 West also met with architect Joseph Dirand and Belgian interior designer Axel Vervoordt and had rare Le Corbusier lamps Pierre Jeanneret chairs and obscure body art journals from Switzerland delivered to the loft 5 West also wanted a deep hometown influence on the album and listened to 1980s house music most associated with his home city of Chicago for influence 1 Alejandro Jodorowsky s The Holy Mountain was also an inspiration for the album and its ensuing tour 6 7 The album was originally titled Thank God for Drugs 8 Recording and production nbsp West enlisted Def Jam Recordings co founder Rick Rubin to executive produce the album In 2012 West began recording his sixth studio album with collaborators including No I D and DJ Khaled 9 The first recordings were held in January 2013 in the living room of his personal loft at a Paris hotel referred to in the album s credits as the No Name Hotel West kept compositions simple in order to hear the tracks more clearly too much bass or complexity would simply overpower the room s poor acoustics 1 The beats emanating from the loft space which sometimes lasted through the night provoked complaints from neighbors 5 Reports emerged that he and his then girlfriend Kim Kardashian had moved to the loft in order for West to begin work on the album 10 The atmosphere in the studio was described by contributor Evian Christ as very focused and West once again brought in several close collaborators Producer Hudson Mohawke noted the inclusive group atmosphere of the sessions in which multiple contributors would work on similar pieces with different elements ultimately selected from each 11 All involved were given a song to work on and return the next day to sit and critique a process Anthony Kilhoffer compared to an art class 12 Producer Arca described being initially asked to send West music noting that she purposefully sent perhaps the strangest stuff she had with West happening to be excited by it 13 Describing West s collaborative style Arca stated It was a lot of coming up with design like solving riddles If the song called for something aggressive it was up to three or four people to design what in their head was the best solution for that aggression in that moment Everyone would approach it in completely different ways and ultimately it would all be edited by Kanye himself 13 nbsp The record production is characterized as raw and dark West maintains a stripped down approach while continuing to use eclectic samples Determined to undermine the commercial several tracks were left off the finished product that were deemed too melodic or more in line with West s previous material 12 West set parameters regarding sound and style insisting that there be no bass wobbles reminiscent of dubstep 12 The album s recording process was described as very raw by Thomas Bangalter of the French electronic duo Daft Punk who produced four songs for the album adding that West was rapping kind of screaming primally actually 14 While previous albums particularly Dark Fantasy took considerable time in the studio Yeezus was described by Kilhoffer as the fastest record we ever made 12 In May 2013 Def Jam executives listened to the final product only later to be changed describing the album as dark 15 American musician Travis Scott opined that the snippets he d heard of Yeezus were from the year 3000 and recalled crazy memories from being around West during the recording of it 16 W writer Christopher Bagley reports that West s creative process often bordered on perfectionist In March 2013 West described the album to Bagley as near completion only to revise this statement one month later to the album being only 30 percent complete 5 West made several last minute alterations to Yeezus enlisting the co founder of Def Jam Recordings Rick Rubin as an executive producer for additional recording mere days before its release changes included re recording whole songs and rewriting entire verses 17 The rough cut West played Rubin ran nearly three and a half hours long 18 West s orders to Rubin were to take the music in a stripped down minimal direction often removing elements already recorded 1 In a September 2013 interview with radio DJ Zane Lowe West said of Rubin that he s not a producer he s a reducer 19 For several days in late May and early June 2013 West and a rotating group of intimates collaborators and hangers on holed up at Rubin s Shangri La studio in Malibu in service of completing the record 1 Rubin thought it impossible to meet the deadline and all involved ended up working long hours with no days off in order to complete the record West had intended the album be 16 tracks until Rubin suggested cutting the album down to fewer tracks from 16 songs to 10 saying the others could be reserved for a follow up 18 20 Rubin gave as example Bound which was a more middle of the road R amp B song done in an adult contemporary style before West decided to replace the musical backing with a minimalistic sample a single note bassline in the hook which we processed to have a punk edge in the Suicide tradition Two days before the album had to be delivered to the label West wrote and sang the lyrics to two songs while also recording the vocals to three others in just two hours 21 Music and composition nbsp Described as West s most sonically experimental work the album is driven by abrasive electronics while drawing from an array of industrial punk and hip hop subgenres According to Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot Yeezus is a hostile abrasive and intentionally off putting album that combines the worlds of 1980s Chicago acid house 2013 Chicago drill music 1990s industrial music and the avant rap of Saul Williams Death Grips and Odd Future 22 The Independent Mass Appeal and The Village Voice described it as an experimental release 23 24 25 while Meagan Garvey of The Outline described it as West s industrial album 26 Rolling Stone described it as an extravagantly abrasive album full of grinding electro pummeling minimalist hip hop drone y wooz and industrial gear grind 27 while Vulture called it a punk rap opus 28 and Rolling Stone called it an industrial rap opus 29 Slant Magazine critic Ted Scheinman described the album as built on alien angular beats slowly morphing drones and sirens abrupt periods of silence and a pulse quickening style of delivery from Yeezy himself writing that West reconceives the notion of what kind of music or noise can underpin hip hop 30 According to Charles Aaron of Spin Yeezus is a hip hop album not a rap album because of how its sounds and subject matter are assembled together and although listeners can hear punk or post punk or industrial throughout hip hop has always been about noise and dissonance and dance music as agitation 31 The album also incorporates elements of industrial and trap music 32 The record most closely resembles 1990s industrial rock during which the genre had a significant pop culture impact with artists such as Nine Inch Nails Ministry and Marilyn Manson gaining success The industrial scene created a vast global underground community and Esquire notes that one of its epicenters was in Chicago where West was raised 33 Evan Rytlewski of The A V Club characterized its opening series of songs as electro and industrial hip hop 34 Referencing the sound of Yeezus in September 2013 West stated For me as Kanye West I got to fuck shit up I m going to take music and try to make it three dimensional I m not here to make easy listening easily programmable music 19 At the same time he viewed himself as artistically being here to crack the pavement and break new ground sonically 19 West would later go onto describe the sound of the album as a protest to music 35 West elaborated claiming that he was like I m gonna take my ball and go home 35 Yeezus is primarily electronic in nature and boasts distorted drum machines and synthesizers that sound like they re malfunctioning low resolution samplers that add a pixelated digital aura to the most analog sounds 33 To this end the album incorporates glitches reminiscent of CD skips or corrupted MP3 s and Auto Tuned vocals are modulated to a point in which they are difficult to decipher 33 Esquire cites On Sight as an early example of the album s connection to electronic music citing its droning synthesizer tone which is modulated until the signal starts throwing off harshly treble heavy spikes and begins to clip as if it were overloading a digital audio processor 33 nbsp On Sight source source A sample of the opening track On Sight exemplifies the album s abrasive electronic music It features a droning synthesizer tone one that is modulated until the signal gives off harsh treble heavy spikes and begins to clip 33 Black Skinhead source source The album s lead single Black Skinhead has alternately been called an industrial hip hop song 34 36 and a galloping punk rap manifesto 37 Problems playing these files See media help Yeezus continues West s practice of eclectic samples he employs an obscure Hindi sample on I Am a God and a sample of 1970s Hungarian rock group Omega on New Slaves On Sight interpolates a melody from Sermon He ll Give Us What We Really Need by the Holy Name of Mary Choral Family although the track originally sampled an old vocal track from the original recording 17 Bound 2 features heavy soul music samples and has been described as the only song on Yeezus which recalls the sound of West s early work 38 Bound a 1971 song by American soul group Ponderosa Twins Plus One from their album 2 2 1 Ponderosa Twins Plus One serves as the primary sample used in West s track 39 The album s second track Black Skinhead has alternately been called an industrial hip hop song 34 36 and a galloping punk rap manifesto 37 I Am a God was inspired by a diss from a major fashion designer who informed West of his invitation to a widely anticipated runway show on the condition he agree to not attend other shows 5 I m in It began with a different sample and melody but West removed the sample and Rubin edited the track down from a six minute arrangement 12 Blood on the Leaves which samples Nina Simone s 1965 rendition of Strange Fruit and was the first track in the first incarnation of the track list is an example of West s signature dichotomy in which he melds the sacred and profane 12 40 Strange Fruit first recorded by Billie Holiday in 1939 brought the lynchings of black Americans to a startling poignancy creating one of the most towering important songs of the 20th century West s anthemic re telling instead details an MDMA fueled hookup and the perils of fame 40 Promotion and release nbsp A video projection of New Slaves in Los Angeles in May 2013 On May 1 2013 West used Twitter to post a single message reading June Eighteen leading several media outlets to speculate that the post referred to the release date of West s upcoming album 41 On May 17 he began promotion of the album by unveiling the previously unreleased song New Slaves through video projections in 66 assorted locations 42 The following day West appeared on the American late night live television sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and performed the songs New Slaves and Black Skinhead 43 West subsequently revealed the album s cover and title Yeezus on his official website 44 Fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar offered his opinion on the title in an interview that same month stating That s crazy I want to hear that That s that creative Kanye genius stuff out the box 45 He also claimed that the album s whole marketing scheme is crazy and very inspiring 45 The iTunes Store made Yeezus available for pre order on May 20 but the listing was subsequently taken down for unknown reasons 46 On May 29 A P C founder Jean Touitou unveiled an advertisement for Yeezus which stated that the album would not be available for pre order 47 Speaking about the album s minimal promotion West stated With this album we ain t drop no single to radio We ain t got no NBA campaign nothing like that Shit we ain t even got no cover We just made some real music 17 In May 2013 American rapper J Cole called West one of the greatest artists of our generation via Twitter with him following this by tweeting Which is exactly why I m moving my release date up Born Sinner June 18th 48 He explained releasing his second studio album Born Sinner on the same day as Yeezus during an interview that same month saying I m not going to sit here I worked too hard to come a week later after Kanye West drops an amazing album It d be like Oh and J Cole dropped too a week later Nah I m going to go see him on that date He s the greatest 49 The next month J Cole gave further context claiming for the coinciding release to be more about the statement than the sales 50 J Cole elaborated on this admitting that the music being competed over is art and he can t compete against the Kanye West celebrity and the status that he s earned just from being a genius though stated But I can put my name in the hat and tell you that I think my album is great and you be the judge and you decide 50 A lyrical reference to releasing on the same date as West is included in the track Forbidden Fruit from Born Sinner 50 The physical CD edition of Yeezus was released in a clear jewel box with no album artwork reflecting the minimalist tone The packaging consists of little more than a piece of red tape and a sticker affixed to the back with sample credits and the album s UPC Other versions of this release have different colors of stickers with green yellow and orange being some of the other colors The front is affixed with a Parental Advisory label 51 The Source pointed out a resemblance between the Yeezus CD packaging and a packaging concept designed for the single Crystal by the English band New Order in 2001 52 In a 2016 BBC interview with Annie Mac West explained the album cover The whole concept for the Yeezus album is that we re not going to be using CDs in the future and since this is the last time we re going to see it this is an open casket for the CD 53 nbsp West performing in November 2013 as part of The Yeezus Tour Def Jam confirmed in late June 2013 that Black Skinhead would be serviced to American radio as the album s first single on July 2 2013 and that a music video for the track was being produced 54 It was officially released to radio in the United Kingdom on June 19 55 The song peaked at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 34 on the UK Singles Chart 56 57 In August 2013 it was revealed that Bound 2 would be released as the second single from Yeezus 58 Bound 2 features vocals from American soul singer Charlie Wilson and incorporates numerous samples into its production including prominent elements of the song Bound 1971 by soul group Ponderosa Twins Plus One 39 Bound 2 received general acclaim from music critics who referred to the song as one of the highlights of the album and compared its soul sample based production to West s early work from his debut studio album The College Dropout 2004 34 59 The song has since peaked at number 55 on the UK Singles Chart 60 In November 2013 producer Hudson Mohawke revealed that Blood on the Leaves would serve as the album s third single 61 West subsequently made the announcement in an interview on New York s 92 3 NOW 62 On September 6 2013 West announced The Yeezus Tour a North American tour to take place between October 19 through December 7 2013 two months prior to West s announcement Yeezus co producer Mike Dean had announced a tour for the album 63 64 The tour was marketed as his first solo tour in 5 years and featured Kendrick Lamar Pusha T A Tribe Called Quest and Travis Scott as the supporting acts 63 On October 30 2013 while on the road to Vancouver a truck carrying custom made video screens and equipment for the show was involved in a car accident the crash damaged the equipment beyond repair 65 The tour resumed on November 16 2013 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia The missed Chicago and Detroit shows were rescheduled however the rest of the missed dates were cancelled Def Jam cited routing logistics as the reason 66 Critical receptionProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingAnyDecentMusic 8 2 10 67 Metacritic84 100 68 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 69 The Daily Telegraph nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 70 Entertainment WeeklyA 71 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 72 The Independent nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 73 NME9 10 74 Pitchfork9 5 10 75 Rolling Stone nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 27 Spin8 10 76 The Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 77 Yeezus was met with widespread critical acclaim At Metacritic which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications the album received an average score of 84 based on 46 reviews 68 Aggregator AnyDecentMusic gave it 8 2 out of 10 based on their assessment of the critical consensus 67 Reviewing the album in The Guardian lead critic Alexis Petridis found it noisy gripping maddening potent 72 while Helen Brown from The Daily Telegraph said it was the most exciting album she had heard in some time 70 Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a brilliant obsessive compulsive career auto correct that made other abrasive records by mad geniuses such as In Utero by Nirvana and Radiohead s Kid A seem tame by comparison 27 Pitchfork critic Ryan Dombal viewed it as a razor sharpened take on West s fourth studio album 808s amp Heartbreak concluding that cohesion and bold intent are at a premium on Yeezus perhaps more than any other Kanye album Each fluorescent strike of noise incongruous tempo flip and warped vocal is bolted into its right place across the album s fast 40 minutes 75 Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times felt it was his most ambitious piece of music yet 78 and Evan Rytlewski from The A V Club said it was his most uninhibited record Even by the standards of an artist who reinvents himself with each release it s a drastic departure 34 In a highly positive review AllMusic s David Jeffries opined that the album was an extravagant stunt with the high art packed in offering an eccentric audacious and gripping experience that s vital and truly unlike anything else 69 Ann Powers of NPR described the album as juxtaposing avant garde industrial and electronic innovations with the high romantic hip hop West had already perfected 79 Rock artist Lou Reed reviewed Yeezus in July 2013 shortly before his death describing it as majestic and inspiring He s really trying to raise the bar No one s near doing what he s doing it s not even on the same planet 80 Some reviewers expressed reservations In The New York Times Jon Pareles said West s innovative transfiguration of his music with unrefined electronica and drill elements was undermined by his distasteful lyrics and appropriation of 1960s civil rights slogans to his own celebrity or to bedroom exploits 81 In Robert Christgau s opinion the combination of harsh rock and hip hop sounds on Yeezus was as bold as Public Enemy s music during the 1980s but West s lyrics were grotesquely off putting He s wordsmith enough to insure that his sexist imagery is very hard to take Christgau wrote in The Barnes amp Noble Review 82 looking at the album as an alt rap also ran 83 Chris Richards from The Washington Post found West s lyricism perhaps his least compelling yet and drunk on bitterness though viewed the album as West at his most wasted stumbling through rubble 84 Alex Griffin of Tiny Mix Tapes expressed similar feelings describing it as a nebulous dense paranoid web of utterly unfiltered expression that s utterly or negligibly fascinating depending on how much you care about Yeezy 85 In The Times Will Hodgkinson surmised that Yeezus could have been West s masterpiece had he not become so hopelessly self important 77 Accolades nbsp Yeezus was the most critically acclaimed album of 2013 It managed to top 18 lists and polls Based on 146 individual year end top ten lists compiled by Metacritic Yeezus was the most critically acclaimed album of 2013 appearing on 61 lists and being named first on 18 of them 86 In October 2013 Complex named Yeezus the sixth best hip hop album of the last five years 87 Yeezus was rated as album of the year by nine publications Spin named it the best album of 2013 writing Yeezus was a thorny tangram puzzle of boxy headbanger blats that exemplified a year of equally stripped down basal pleasures 88 The A V Club named it the best album of 2013 saying It s magnificent and it sounds like absolutely nothing else 89 Rolling Stone named it the second best album of 2013 comparing it in concept to Reed s polarizing 1975 album Metal Machine Music No wonder the late great Lou Reed embraced Yeezus since it s basically the Metal Machine Music concept translated into futuristic hip hop all industrial overload and hypertense egomania and hostile vibes 90 Exclaim also named it the hip hop album of the year 91 NME named it the second best album of the year calling it his most sonically challenging album to date 92 Stereogum Time and Complex were also among the publications that named Yeezus the best album of 2013 93 94 95 Yeezus was also nominated in two categories at the 2014 Grammy Awards including for Best Rap Album and Best Rap Song for New Slaves West responded unfavorably to this due to not receiving more nominations He then addressed the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at one of his concerts and referred to it as patronizing 96 97 The album received nominations for Foreign Rap Album of the Year at the Hungarian Music Awards 98 International Album of the Year at the Danish Music Awards 99 World s Best Album at the 2014 World Music Awards 100 and Best Album at the 2014 NME Awards 101 In January 2014 Yeezus was named the best album of 2013 by The Village Voice s Pazz amp Jop annual critics poll 102 By topping the poll West attained his fourth album to do so following on from The College Dropout Late Registration and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2004 2005 and 2010 respectively 102 On the same poll for singles Bound 2 New Slaves and Black Skinhead were ranked in the top 10 103 In 2020 Rolling Stone ranked Yeezus as the 269th album on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list 104 Select rankings of Yeezus Publication List Year Rank Ref The A V Club The 23 Best Albums of 2013 2013 1 89 Billboard 15 Best Albums of 2013 2013 2 105 100 Best Albums of the 2010s Staff Picks 2019 62 106 The Guardian The Best Albums of 2013 2013 1 107 The 100 Best Albums of the 21st Century 2019 18 108 NME 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013 2 92 The Best Albums of the Decade The 2010s 2019 3 109 Pitchfork The Top 50 Albums of 2013 2013 2 110 The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019 15 111 Rolling Stone 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013 2 90 100 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019 13 112 500 Greatest Albums of All Time 2020 269 104 The 200 Greatest Hip Hop Albums of All Time 2022 17 113 Slant Magazine The 25 Best Albums of the 2013 2013 4 114 The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s 2019 41 115 Spin Spin s 50 Best Albums of 2013 2013 1 88 Time Top 10 Albums of 2013 2013 1 94 The Village Voice Pazz amp Jop critics poll of 2013 2013 1 102 Commercial performanceYeezus debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 becoming West s sixth chart topping studio album and selling 327 000 copies in the United States in its first week 116 The album failed to reach the 500 000 sales projections and marked West s lowest solo opening week sales in the US 116 However it still had the third best first week sales of 2013 at the time of release and marked the highest first week sales by a hip hop album since Drake s 2011 album Take Care 117 Simultaneously Born Sinner entered at number two on the Billboard 200 with sales of 297 000 copies selling 30 000 less than Yeezus 117 The second week sales saw the album fall dramatically although it descended two places to end at number three on the chart sales dropped by 80 to 65 000 units making Yeezus the largest second week percentage drop for a number one debuting album in 2012 13 and the fourth largest for a number one bowing album in the SoundScan era 118 Billboard s Keith Caulfield attributed the diminished figures to the non traditional marketing considering that the lack of singles and public appearances led the album to find difficulty in sustaining its momentum 118 That same week Born Sinner remained at number two on the Billboard 200 outselling Yeezus by nearly 20 000 units with sales of 84 000 copies 119 The following week Born Sinner climbed to number one on the chart tying the peak position attained by Yeezus previously 120 On August 12 2013 Yeezus was certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for sales of over 500 000 copies 121 122 By September 19 2013 the album had sold 537 000 copies being outperformed by the 599 000 copies sold of Born Sinner 123 J Cole responded to this by commenting that he doesn t live for the accolades and claiming I m more so about the music Making it and putting it out Those are the two best feelings 123 Yeezus was later certified platinum in the US by the RIAA on January 8 2014 for shipments of one million albums shipped to stores and digital retailers 122 124 125 Yeezus was ranked as the 37th most popular album of 2013 on the Billboard 200 126 On the ARIA Albums Chart Yeezus initially debuted at number two after selling 9 500 copies in three days entering behind The Great Country Songbook by Troy Cassar Daley and Adam Harvey at the summit However after a data error was found a re count of sales was done 127 The re count found that Yeezus was actually the number one album of the week ARIA issued an apology and the chart was fixed 127 The album stood as West s first chart topper in Australia 128 Yeezus reached number one on the Canadian Albums Chart becoming West s fifth chart topping album in Canada 129 In the United Kingdom the album experienced a chart topping performance with it debuting at number one on the UK Albums Chart and giving West his first number one on the chart since Graduation in 2007 as well as his fourth top ten album in the UK 130 The following week Yeezus descended five places to number six on the UK Albums Chart 131 The album was ultimately certified gold in the UK by the British Phonographic Industry BPI on February 20 2015 for sales of 100 000 units 132 Yeezus was also a chart topper in Denmark New Zealand and Russia 133 134 135 The album was the ninth best selling cassette album in the US in 2017 136 Public reaction nbsp West at the Governors Ball Music Festival where he performed several tracks from Yeezus publicly for the first time Public reaction to Yeezus including its unorthodox and deliberate lack of promotion as well as its brash and aggressive sound was mixed Yeezus was noted as one of the most anticipated releases of 2013 by major publications but the lack of a major radio single was regarded as a risky move 137 Regardless radio stations have still played tracks from Yeezus on air despite it being a departure from the normal playlists found on hip hop stations 138 When I listen to radio that ain t where I wanna be no more stated West at his headlining June 9 2013 Governor s Ball performance where he unveiled several tracks from the record for the first time Rolling Stone summarized the audience s response Half the crowd cheered half almost audibly rolled their eyes 139 West s June 11 interview with Jon Caramanica of The New York Times was similarly viewed with a mixed reaction with many outlets mocking West s seemingly vain statements 140 In the article West compares himself to Apple co founder Steve Jobs and refers to himself as the nucleus of all society 141 Within four days prior to the release Yeezus was leaked online 142 The New York Times wrote that the leak stirred up a Twitter frenzy and received widespread media coverage 81 The Washington Post commented on the significance of the leak Kanye West s new album didn t leak online over the weekend It gushed out into the pop ecosystem like a million barrels of renegade crude ominous mesmerizing and of great consequence 84 Critics were very kind to Yeezus regarding critical reviews but others viewed the release as musical and commercial suicide and fans live blogged their own befuddlement on Twitter and Facebook 143 The New Yorker s Sasha Frere Jones suggests that Yeezus may be preferred over any of West s previous works in coming decades by a new generation due to the lean vibrancy of the album 140 One of the most fascinating aspects of Yeezus arrival is the discursive crisis it s caused produced by a fast react culture colliding with a work of art so confounding wrote The Atlantic s columnist Jack Hamilton 143 West was criticized by the UK and US Parkinson s disease Associations for controversial lyrics in lead song On Sight 144 145 Oasis lead member Liam Gallagher criticized Yeezus over its title saying of West He s a fucking idiot You ll never see Jesus banging his head 146 American rapper Hopsin dissed West over the album within the lyrics of his single Hop Is Back in October 2013 while the music video included Hopsin reenacting one of West s numerous encounters with the paparazzi 147 That same month Hopsin went on to explain the diss admitting that he is a fan of West who likes a lot of his older music and viewing Yeezus as West on some straight up bullshit 148 Jay Z described Yeezus as polarizing though claimed that s what great art is and that West pushes the genre forward with his experimentation 149 Expressing his thoughts on the mixed reception of the album in October 2013 fellow rapper Lupe Fiasco viewed himself as not facing the same difficult struggle 150 Lupe Fiasco continued assuring that his then upcoming studio album Tetsuo amp Youth 2015 wouldn t be as open for interpretation as Yeezus 150 In February 2014 English singer Lily Allen announced that she would title her third studio album Sheezus In an interview with Australian radio station Nova Allen stated that she is terrified that West would think it s a diss rather than a tribute She said that she thinks West is brilliant and praised him for speaking his mind all the time 151 That same month Jack White a vocal advocate of analog recording remarked that Yeezus is obviously recorded on Pro Tools but sounds unbelievable because it is very simple and there aren t a lot of components going on and this really allows the songs to shine Plus he mixed using analogue components 152 West went on to make the claim in October 2015 that despite many people rating My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy as his best album Yeezus is so much stronger in comparison 153 In 2013 Yeezus was voted as both the year s Most Overrated Album and Most Underrated Album by Pitchfork readers 154 Track listingYeezus track listingNo TitleWriter s Producer s Length1 On Sight Kanye WestGuy Manuel de Homem ChristoThomas BangalterMalik JonesChe SmithElon RutbergCydel YoungDerek WatkinsMike DeanWestDaft PunkDean b Benji B b 2 362 Black Skinhead Westde Homem ChristoBangalterJonesYoungRutbergWasalu JacoSakiya SandiferDeanWatkinsWestDaft PunkGesaffelstein b Brodinski b Dean b Lupe Fiasco b Jack Donoghue b Noah Goldstein b 3 083 I Am a God Westde Homem ChristoBangalterRoss BirchardJustin VernonJonesSmithRutbergYoungDeanWatkinsClifton BaileyHarvel HartAnand BakshiRahul BurmanWestDeanDaft PunkHudson Mohawke a 3 514 New Slaves WestChristopher BreauxYoungBen BronfmanJonesSmithRutbergSandiferLouis JohnsonDeanGabor PresserAnna AdamisWestBronfman a Dean b Travis Scott b Goldstein b Shama Joseph b Che Pope b 4 165 Hold My Liquor WestDeanVernonKeith CozartRutbergSmithJonesAlejandra GhersiYoungWatkinsDeanWestArca b Goldstein b 5 266 I m in It WestVernonJeffrey Ethan CampbellJosh LearyJonesYoungSandiferRutbergDeanAndre HarrisJill ScottVidal DavisCarvin HagginsKenny LattimoreWestEvian Christ a Dom Solo a Goldstein b Arca b Dean b 3 547 Blood on the Leaves WestBirchardRutbergJonesTony WilliamsYoungDeanLewis AllenWestHudson MohawkeLuniceCarlos Broady a 88 Keys b Dean b Arca b 6 008 Guilt Trip WestScott MescudiYoungDeanLarry Griffin Jr Keith ElamKevin HansfordDupre KellyChris MartinAl Terik WardrickMarlon WilliamsTerrence ThorntonTyree PittmanWestDeanS1Travis Scott b Ackee Juice Rockers b 4 039 Send It Up WestJohnsonde Homem ChristoBangalterGhersiMike LevySandiferAb LivaRutbergDeanMoses DavisColin YorkLowell DunbarWestDaft PunkGesaffelstein a Brodinski a Arca b Dean b 2 5810 Bound 2 WestJohn StephensCharles WilsonPopeRutbergYoungJonesSandiferDeanNorman WhitesideBob MasseyRobert DukesRonnie SelfWestPope a Eric Danchick b Goldstein b No I D b Dean b 3 49Total length 40 01 Notes a signifies a co producer b signifies an additional producer I Am a God credits God as a featured artist and features additional vocals by Justin Vernon New Slaves features additional vocals by Frank Ocean Hold My Liquor features vocals by Chief Keef and Justin Vernon I m in It features vocals by Justin Vernon and Assassin Guilt Trip features uncredited vocals by Kid Cudi 155 Send it Up features vocals by King L Bound 2 features additional vocals by Charlie Wilson Sample credits On Sight contains an interpolation of Sermon He ll Give Us What We Really Need written by Keith Carter Sr I Am a God contains samples of Forward Inna Dem Clothes written by Clifton Bailey III and H Hart performed by Capleton and samples of Are Zindagi Hai Khel written by Anand Bakshi and Rahul Burman performed by Burman Manna Dey and Asha Bhosle New Slaves contains samples of Gyongyhaju lany written by Gabor Presser and Anna Adamis performed by Omega I m in It contains samples of Lately written by Vidal Davis Carvin Haggins Andre Harris Kenny Lattimore and Jill Scott performed by Lattimore Blood on the Leaves contains a sample of Strange Fruit written by Lewis Allan performed by Nina Simone Guilt Trip contains interpolations of Chief Rocka written by Keith Elam Kevin Hansford Dupre Kelly Christopher Martin Alterick Wardrick and Marlon Williams performed by Lords of the Underground and a sample of Blocka Ackeejuice Rockers Remix written by Terrence Thornton and Tyree Pittman performed by Pusha T featuring Travis Scott and Popcaan Send It Up contains a sample of Memories written by Anthony Moses Davis Collin York and Lowell Dunbar performed by Beenie Man Bound 2 contains interpolations of Aeroplane Reprise written by Norman Whiteside performed by Wee samples of Bound written by Bobby Massey and Robert Dukes performed by Ponderosa Twins Plus One a sample of Sweet Nothin s written by Ronnie Self performed by Brenda Lee PersonnelCredits are adapted from the album s liner notes 4 Technical Noah Goldstein associate production additional programming 3 SFX on 8 engineering all mixing 1 6 8 Hudson Mohawke production consultancy additional programming 4 Arca production consultancy additional programming 4 Young Chop production consultancy Ken Lewis noises and vocal sounds creation and engineering 4 oh vocals creation 6 choir production 1 Tammy Infusino oh vocals creation 6 Che Pope additional programming 3 Travis Scott additional programming 3 Anthony Kilhoffer engineering 1 8 10 mixing 4 9 Mike Dean engineering 1 6 8 Andrew Dawson engineering 1 9 Brent Kolatalo engineering 6 Marc Portheau engineering assistance all Khoi Huynh engineering assistance all Raoul Le Pennec engineering assistance all Nabil Essemlani engineering assistance all Keith Parry engineering assistance all Kenta Yonesaka engineering assistance 1 5 7 8 David Rowland engineering assistance 1 5 7 8 Sean Oakley engineering assistance 1 2 4 8 mixing assistance 1 4 6 9 Eric Lynn engineering assistance 1 2 4 8 mixing assistance 1 4 6 9 Dave Squirrel Covell engineering assistance 1 2 4 8 mixing assistance 1 4 6 9 Josh Smith engineering assistance 1 2 4 8 mixing assistance 1 4 6 9 Kevin Matela engineering assistance 4 Mat Arnold engineering assistance 6 8 Dale engineering assistance 6 Damien Prost engineering assistance 7 Manny Marroquin mixing 2 3 5 10 Delbert Bowers mixing assistance 2 3 5 10 Chris Galland mixing assistance 2 3 5 10 Kyle Ross mixing assistance 4 Uri Djemal choir engineering 1 Vlado Meller mastering Mark Santangelo assistant mastering engineering Chris Gehringer mastering 2 Musicians Mike Dean additional instrumentation guitar solo on 5 bass guitar on 10 Chris Hitchcock Chorney additional instrumentation cellos on 8 Dylan Wissing drums 1 Matt Teitelman percussion 1 Alvin Fields choir direction 1 Carmen Roman choir 1 K Nita choir 1 John Morgan choir 1 Jessenia Pena choir 1 Ronnie Artis choir 1 Crystal Brun choir 1 Sean Drew choir 1 Natalis Ruby Rubero choir 1 Lorraine Berry choir 1 Gloria Ryann choir 1 Timeka Lee choir 1 Matthew Williams music consultancy Benji B DONDA music consultancy Artwork Kanye West creative direction art direction Virgil Abloh art direction Matthew Williams art direction Justin Saunders DONDA art direction Joe Perez DONDA graphic design Jim Joe 13 illustration and type treatment for DONDA Todd Russell art production Kristen Yiengst art production Alex Haldi art production Andrew Zaeh art production Meredith Truax art production Tai Linzie art production The DGS Team art productionChartsWeekly charts Chart performance for Yeezus Chart 2013 2015 Peakposition Australian Albums ARIA 156 1 Australian Urban Albums ARIA 157 1 Austrian Albums O3 Austria 158 22 Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 159 4 Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 160 22 Canadian Albums Billboard 161 1 Croatian Albums HDU 162 4 Czech Albums CNS IFPI 163 32 Danish Albums Hitlisten 133 1 Dutch Albums Album Top 100 164 16 Finnish Albums Suomen virallinen lista 165 13 French Albums SNEP 166 12 German Albums Offizielle Top 100 167 15 Greek Albums IFPI 168 27 Irish Albums IRMA 169 4 Italian Albums FIMI 170 40 Japanese Albums Oricon 171 25 New Zealand Albums RMNZ 172 1 Norwegian Albums VG lista 173 2 Polish Albums ZPAV 174 41 Russian Albums 2M 135 1 Scottish Albums OCC 175 4 South Korean Albums Gaon 176 19 Spanish Albums PROMUSICAE 177 78 Swedish Albums Sverigetopplistan 178 21 Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 179 6 UK Albums OCC 180 1 UK R amp B Albums OCC 181 1 US Billboard 200 182 1 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 183 1 Year end charts 2013 year end chart performance for Yeezus Chart 2013 Position Australian Albums ARIA 184 65 Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 185 147 Canadian Albums Billboard 186 38 Danish Albums Hitlisten 187 66 UK Albums OCC 188 112 US Billboard 200 126 37 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 189 12 2014 year end chart performance for Yeezus Chart 2014 Position Australian Urban Albums ARIA 190 26 US Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard 191 38 2015 year end chart performance for Yeezus Chart 2015 Position Australian Urban Albums ARIA 192 76 2016 year end chart performance for Yeezus Chart 2016 Position Australian Urban Albums ARIA 193 83CertificationsCertifications and sales for Yeezus Region Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 194 Gold 35 000 Denmark IFPI Danmark 195 Platinum 20 000 United Kingdom BPI 132 Gold 100 000 United States RIAA 122 2 Platinum 2 000 000 Sales figures based on certification alone Shipments figures based on certification alone Sales streaming figures based on certification alone Release historyRelease dates and formats for Yeezus Region Date Label s Format s Ref Australia June 18 2013 Universal CDdigital download 196 Germany 197 New Zealand Def Jam 198 United States Def JamRoc A Fella 199 France June 21 2013 Universal 200 United Kingdom June 22 2013 Virgin EMI 201 See also2013 in hip hop music Born Sinner Hop Is Back List of number one albums of 2013 Australia List of number one albums of 2013 Canada List of UK top ten albums in 2013 List of UK R amp B Albums Chart number ones of 2013 List of Billboard 200 number one albums of 2013 List of Billboard number one R amp B hip hop albums of 2013 List of Billboard number one rap albums of 2013 List of number one albums from the 2010s Denmark List of number one albums from the 2010s New Zealand List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2010s Sheezus Tetsuo amp YouthNotes and referencesNotes Tracks 1 5 7 and 8 Track 6 Choir on track 1 Track 8 Tracks 6 and 8 Tracks 1 2 and 4 8 Tracks 1 2 9 and 10 References a b c d e f g Caramanica Jon June 11 2013 Behind Kanye s Mask The New York Times Archived from the original on June 12 2013 Retrieved June 13 2013 Christman Ed July 28 2011 Jay Z and Kanye West s Watch the Throne Exclusives Have Retailers Up in Arms Billboard Archived from the original on February 28 2014 Retrieved March 4 2014 Markman Rob July 5 2012 Kanye West To Drop Solo LP After G O O D s Cruel Summer MTV News Archived from the original on May 24 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 a b Perez Joe June 18 2013 YEEZUS Joe Perez www joerperez com Archived from the original on June 27 2023 Retrieved July 11 2023 a b c d e Bagley Christopher June 19 2013 Kanye West The Transformer W Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 24 2013 Scarano Ross Pasori Cesar November 22 2013 Kanye s Holy Mountain The Influence of Alejandro Jodorowsky on the Yeezus Tour Complex Archived from the original on September 3 2015 Retrieved December 6 2019 Kaye Ben November 22 2013 Is Kanye West s Yeezus an ode to Alejandro Jodorowsky s film The Holy Mountain Consequence Archived from the original on September 19 2015 Retrieved December 6 2019 Krol Charlotte January 3 2020 Kanye West s Yeezus was originally titled Thank God for Drugs NME Archived from the original on January 4 2020 Retrieved January 4 2020 Markman Rob June 11 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Gets Him Don Status From DJ Khaled MTV News Archived from the original on June 14 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 Sieczkowski Cavan March 4 2013 Kanye West Kim Kardashian Moving To Paris So He Can Work on New Album Report HuffPost New York Archived from the original on May 20 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 McQuaid Ian March 14 2015 Hudson Mohawke Kanye West s go to guy is changing the face of pop The Guardian Archived from the original on May 21 2016 Retrieved July 4 2016 a b c d e f Dombal Ryan June 24 2013 The Yeezus Sessions Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 26 2013 Retrieved June 26 2013 a b Staff Arca Reveals Details about Working with Kanye on Yeezus The Fader Archived from the original on July 12 2016 Retrieved July 4 2016 Weiner Jonah April 13 2013 Daft Punk Reveal Secrets of New Album Exclusive Rolling Stone New York Archived from the original on April 24 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 Kanye West to Release New Album Yeezus on June 18 Rap Up Los Angeles May 18 2013 Archived from the original on September 1 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 Alexis Nadeska June 18 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Came To Life In A Sacred Process MTV News Archived from the original on June 24 2019 Retrieved December 6 2019 a b c Michaels Sean June 11 2013 Kanye West still working on Yeezus even though it s due out next week The Guardian London Archived from the original on October 19 2013 Retrieved June 11 2013 a b Blistein Jon June 27 2013 Rick Rubin Finishing Kanye West s Yeezus Seemed Impossible Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 30 2013 Retrieved June 27 2013 a b c Cooper Leonie September 23 2013 Kanye West gives extraordinary interview on BBC Radio 1 NME Archived from the original on July 26 2019 Retrieved December 5 2019 Romano Andrew June 26 2013 Rick Rubin on Crashing Kanye s Album in 15 Days The Daily Beast New York Archived from the original on October 1 2013 Retrieved July 15 2013 Jourgusen Jon June 14 2013 The Inside Story of Kanye West s Yeezus The Wall Street Journal New York Archived from the original on June 18 2013 Retrieved June 15 2013 Kot Greg June 16 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus an uneasy listen Chicago Tribune Chicago Archived from the original on August 20 2013 Retrieved June 17 2013 Shepard Jack February 14 2016 Kanye West releases new album The Life of Pablo exclusively through TIDAL The Independent Archived from the original on August 20 2016 Retrieved July 25 2016 Krishnamurthy Sowmya February 9 2016 Eyes off the Throne A Look Back at Kanye s Rise The Village Voice Archived from the original on July 3 2016 Retrieved July 25 2016 Turner Hadrien Yeezus Walks Mass Appeal Archived from the original on August 16 2016 Retrieved July 25 2016 Garvey Meagan No One Man Should Use All That Pinterest The Outline Archived from the original on May 7 2018 Retrieved May 7 2018 a b c Dolan Jon June 14 2013 Yeezus Rolling Stone New York Archived from the original on June 17 2013 Retrieved June 14 2013 Guan Frank September 5 2017 Here s Why Taylor Swift s Ready for It Might Sound Familiar Vulture Archived from the original on May 29 2018 Retrieved June 2 2018 Weingarten Christoper R April 20 2016 Hear Dalek s Noise Rap Return LP Asphalt For Eden Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved June 10 2018 Scheinman Ted June 17 2013 Album Review Kanye West Yeezus Slant Magazine Archived from the original on August 25 2013 Retrieved December 6 2019 Aaron Charles et al June 15 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Our Impulsive Reviews Spin New York Archived from the original on June 18 2013 Retrieved June 24 2013 Kornhaber Spencer June 18 2013 The Shocking Poignance of Kanye West s Yeezus The Atlantic Archived from the original on June 18 2013 Retrieved June 19 2013 a b c d e Raymer Miles June 18 2013 The Chaos of Kanye West s Yeezus Esquire Archived from the original on June 23 2013 Retrieved June 19 2013 a b c d e Rytlewski Evan June 17 2013 Kanye West Yeezus The A V Club Archived from the original on July 9 2013 Retrieved July 9 2013 a b Britton Luke Morgan February 20 2015 Kanye West says his new album is 80 per cent done and will be released as a surprise NME Archived from the original on February 23 2015 Retrieved March 2 2015 a b Kelley Frannie May 21 2013 Kanye West Stands Alone NPR Archived from the original on July 11 2013 Retrieved July 9 2013 a b Rahman Ray June 25 2013 Yeezus 2013 Kanye West Entertainment Weekly New York Archived from the original on November 10 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 Unterberger Andrew June 17 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Reviewed Bound 2 PopDust Archived from the original on August 26 2013 Retrieved August 23 2013 a b Montgomery James June 4 2013 Who s Kanye West Sampling in Retro Yeezus Preview MTV News Archived from the original on August 2 2013 Retrieved August 23 2013 a b Kaufman Gil June 19 2013 Kanye West s Blood on the Leaves And The History Of Strange Fruit MTV News Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 26 2013 Wood Mikael May 2 2013 Kanye West reveals June 18 as something Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on May 21 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 Battan Carrie May 17 2013 Watch Kanye West Projects New Video New Slaves on Buildings Around the World Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 7 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 Coleman Miriam May 19 2013 Kanye West Unleashes the Fury of Black Skinhead on SNL Rolling Stone New York Archived from the original on June 5 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 Kanye West Unveils Yeezus Artwork Rap Up Los Angeles May 18 2013 Archived from the original on September 15 2013 Retrieved May 20 2013 a b Lilah Rose May 19 2013 Kendrick Lamar Speaks On Being Inspired By Kanye West s Marketing For New Slaves HotNewHipHop Archived from the original on October 17 2015 Retrieved December 5 2019 Battan Carrie May 20 2013 Update Kanye s Yeezus Listing Removed From iTunes Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 9 2013 Retrieved June 11 2013 Ahmed Insanul May 29 2013 Looks Like Kanye West s Yeezus Won t Be Available For Pre Order Complex New York Archived from the original on June 8 2013 Retrieved May 30 2013 Bobb Maurice May 20 2013 J Cole Moves Up Born Sinner Release Date Drops Official Cover Art MTV Rapfix Archived from the original on June 8 2013 Retrieved December 4 2019 Ramirez Erika Gale Alex May 21 2013 J Cole Talks Moving Up Album Release To Compete With Kanye West Exclusive Billboard Archived from the original on June 7 2013 Retrieved December 4 2019 a b c Alexis Nadeska June 20 2013 J Cole Went Head To Head With Kanye Because My Album Is Great MTV News Archived from the original on October 15 2019 Retrieved December 3 2019 Montgomery James June 18 2013 Can Kanye s Invisible Yeezus Artwork Still Nab A Best Package Grammy MTV News Archived from the original on June 22 2013 Retrieved June 19 2013 Benjammin June 27 2013 The Origin of The Yeezus Cover Art The Source Archived from the original on July 2 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 The 17 best quotes from Kanye West s interview with Annie Mac BBC Archived from the original on December 20 2016 Retrieved January 19 2020 Greenwald David June 28 2013 Kanye West Prepping Black Skinhead as First Yeezus Single Billboard Los Angeles Archived from the original on July 2 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 BBC Radio 1 Playlist 19 June 2013 BBC Radio 1 Archived from the original on July 5 2013 Retrieved September 1 2013 Kanye West Chart history Billboard Archived from the original on December 25 2013 Retrieved November 27 2013 2013 07 13 Top 40 Official Singles Chart UK Archive Official Charts Company July 13 2013 Retrieved November 27 2013 Williott Carl August 22 2013 Kanye West Releases Bound 2 As A Single To Trick People into Thinking Yeezus Sounds Like Old Ye Idolator Archived from the original on August 23 2013 Retrieved August 23 2013 Buyanovsky Dan June 18 2013 Album Review Kanye West Yeezus XXL New York Archived from the original on August 23 2013 Retrieved August 23 2013 KANYE WEST Artist Official Charts Company Archived from the original on December 2 2013 Retrieved November 27 2013 Lobenfeld Claire November 26 2013 Kanye s Next Single is Blood on the Leaves Complex Archived from the original on November 29 2013 Retrieved November 26 2013 Kanye Reveals Next Single From Yeezus HipHop N More November 26 2013 Archived from the original on November 27 2013 Retrieved November 26 2013 a b Kanye West Is Taking Kendrick Lamar Out on the Road XXL June 8 2013 Archived from the original on September 10 2013 Retrieved September 6 2013 Michaels Sean June 19 2013 Kanye West will go on tour says Yeezus co producer The Guardian Archived from the original on October 17 2013 Retrieved December 8 2019 Kanye West Cancels Tour Dates Because of Truck Crash XXL October 31 2013 Archived from the original on November 3 2013 Retrieved November 7 2013 Kanye West Announces Revised Tour Schedule XXL November 6 2013 Archived from the original on November 8 2013 Retrieved November 7 2013 a b Yeezus by Kanye West reviews AnyDecentMusic Archived from the original on November 1 2016 Retrieved October 31 2016 a b Reviews for Yeezus by Kanye West Metacritic Archived from the original on June 21 2013 Retrieved July 28 2013 a b Jeffries David Yeezus Kanye West AllMusic Archived from the original on June 21 2013 Retrieved November 17 2019 a b Brown Helen June 19 2013 Kanye West Yeezus review The Daily Telegraph London Archived from the original on March 9 2014 Retrieved March 24 2014 Rahman Ray June 17 2013 Yeezus Entertainment Weekly New York Archived from the original on November 10 2013 Retrieved June 18 2013 a b Petridis Alexis June 17 2013 Kanye West Yeezus review The Guardian London Archived from the original on June 27 2013 Retrieved June 17 2013 Price Simon June 22 2013 Album Kanye West Yeezus Def Jam The Independent Archived from the original on July 29 2013 Retrieved December 23 2016 Haynes Gavin July 2 2013 Kanye West Yeezus NME London Archived from the original on July 5 2013 Retrieved September 30 2015 a b Dombal Ryan June 18 2013 Kanye West Yeezus Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 19 2013 Retrieved June 18 2013 Tate Greg June 18 2013 Kanye West Yeezus Roc A Fella Def Jam Spin Archived from the original on June 21 2013 Retrieved June 19 2013 a b Hodgkinson Will June 17 2013 Kanye West Yeezus The Times London Archived from the original on September 16 2016 Retrieved September 15 2016 Roberts Randall June 17 2013 Review Kanye West s wildly experimental narcissistic Yeezus 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the 2013 Slant Magazine December 12 2013 Archived from the original on January 3 2020 Retrieved September 24 2020 The 100 Best Albums of the 2010s Slant Magazine December 20 2019 Archived from the original on December 20 2019 Retrieved September 24 2020 a b Official Kanye West s Yeezus Sells 327 000 Debuts at No 1 on Billboard 200 Chart Billboard June 25 2013 Archived from the original on June 29 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 a b Kanye s Worst Opening Sales Week Still Leads Yeezus To No 1 CBS Radio Archived from the original on July 2 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 a b Caulfield Keith July 3 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Sales Drop 80 In Second Week Billboard Archived from the original on July 6 2013 Retrieved July 3 2013 Paine Jake July 3 2013 Hip Hop Album Sales The Week Ending 6 30 2013 HipHopDX Archived from the original on July 6 2013 Retrieved December 4 2019 Caufield Keith July 10 2013 J Cole s Born Sinner Jumps to No 1 on Billboard 200 Chart Billboard Archived from the original on July 13 2013 Retrieved December 5 2019 Yeezus Gold Sales Complex August 14 2013 Archived from the original on August 17 2013 Retrieved August 25 2013 a b c American album certifications Kanye West Yeezus Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved November 25 2020 a b Tardio Andres September 19 2013 J Cole Comments On Born Sinner Outselling Kanye West s Yeezus HipHopDX Archived from the original on September 15 2018 Retrieved December 4 2019 Kanye West Yeezus goes platinum despite album sales of less than 700k Music Times January 17 2014 Archived from the original on January 27 2016 Retrieved January 9 2016 Kanye West s Yeezus Ships a Million Copies RIAA Certifies As Platinum Complex January 15 2014 Archived from the original on January 27 2016 Retrieved January 9 2016 a b 2013 Year End Charts Billboard 200 Albums Billboard Archived from the original on December 12 2014 Retrieved February 28 2015 a b Kanye West s Yeezus bumps Adam Harvey and Troy Cassar Daley from top of ARIA chart News Limited June 24 2013 Archived from the original on March 23 2018 Retrieved March 23 2018 ARIA Albums Chart 24 06 2013 Chartifacts PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Archived PDF from the original on November 10 2013 Retrieved June 25 2013 Coeur De Pirate Has This Week s Best Selling Album FYIMusicNews June 10 2018 Archived from the original on December 5 2019 Retrieved November 4 2019 Lane Daniel June 23 2013 Kanye West scores Number 1 album with Yeezus Official Charts Company Archived from the original on June 30 2013 Retrieved June 29 2013 Crossan Jamie June 30 2013 Tom Odell s Long Way Down knocks Kanye West s Yeezus off Official UK Album Chart top spot NME Archived from the original on December 5 2019 Retrieved December 4 2019 a b British album certifications Kanye West Yeezus British Phonographic Industry Retrieved December 6 2019 a b Danishcharts dk Kanye West Yeezus Hung Medien Retrieved December 3 2019 Album Top 40 24 06 2013 Hung Medien Archived from the original on July 24 2019 Retrieved December 5 2019 a b Daft Punk i Kane Uest sohranili liderstvo v rossijskih chartah iTunes in Russian Lenta ru July 1 2013 Archived from the original on July 3 2013 Retrieved July 2 2013 Caulfield Keith January 5 2018 U S Cassette Album Sales Rose 35 in 2017 Led by Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Tapes Billboard Archived from the original on March 31 2018 Retrieved January 31 2020 Markman Rob amp Montgomery James June 11 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Our First Take on the Year s Most Anticipated Album MTV Archived from the original on June 20 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 Markman Rob June 21 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus Will It Be A Hit on Radio MTV Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 Anderson Stacy June 10 2013 Kanye West Performs Yeezus Songs at Governors Ball Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 13 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 a b Frere Jones Sasha June 21 2013 Black Noise The New Yorker Archived from the original on June 18 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 Busis Hillary June 12 2013 The unbearable narcissism and complete awesomeness of Kanye s big Yeezus interview Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on June 15 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 Roberts Randall June 14 2013 Kanye West s Yeezus leaks Internet goes crazy Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Archived from the original on June 17 2013 Retrieved June 18 2013 a b Hamilton Jack June 21 2013 How Kanye West s Yeezus Is Like Sgt Pepper or Kid A or Riot Goin On The Atlantic Archived from the original on June 21 2013 Retrieved June 21 2013 Michaels Sean June 20 2013 Kanye West under fire as Parkinson s groups condemn offensive lyric The Guardian London Archived from the original on November 10 2013 Retrieved June 30 2013 Kanye West Under Fire for Parkinson s Disease Lyric Contact Music June 20 2013 Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 30 2013 Liam Gallagher on Kanye West You ll never see Jesus banging his head NME June 15 2013 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Kanye West Says 808s amp Yeezus Are So Much Stronger Than MBDTF HotNewHipHop Archived from the original on August 14 2017 Retrieved December 5 2019 2013 Readers Poll Results Pitchfork December 31 2013 Archived from the original on May 16 2021 Retrieved May 16 2021 Battan Carrie February 28 2014 Kid Cudi Is Annoyed With His Yeezus Feature Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 23 2018 Retrieved August 25 2019 Australiancharts com Kanye West Yeezus Hung Medien Retrieved December 3 2019 ARIA Urban Albums Chart Week Commencing 24th June 2013 PDF ARIA Charts Australian Web Archive p 19 Archived from the original PDF on July 18 2013 Retrieved February 13 2016 Austriancharts at Kanye West Yeezus in German Hung Medien Retrieved December 3 2019 Ultratop be Kanye West Yeezus in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved December 3 2019 Ultratop be Kanye West Yeezus in French Hung Medien Retrieved December 3 2019 Kanye West Chart History Canadian Albums Billboard Retrieved December 3 2019 Top Kombiniranih 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Billboard 200 Billboard Retrieved December 3 2019 Kanye West Chart History Top R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Retrieved February 13 2016 ARIA Charts End of Year Charts Top 100 Albums 2013 Australian Recording Industry Association ARIA Archived from the original on January 7 2014 Retrieved January 7 2014 ultratop be Jaaroverzichten 2013 in Dutch Ultratop Hung Medien Archived from the original on April 17 2014 Retrieved January 7 2014 Canadian Albums Billboard Archived from the original on January 5 2014 Retrieved January 7 2014 Album Top 100 2013 IFPI Denmark Archived from the original on January 31 2014 Retrieved September 19 2019 UK Albums Chart 2013 PDF ChartsPlus Archived from the original PDF on July 14 2014 Retrieved September 26 2019 2013 Year End Charts Billboard R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Archived from the original on July 7 2014 Retrieved December 13 2013 Top 50 Urban Albums 2014 ARIA Charts Retrieved September 19 2019 2014 Year End Charts Billboard R amp B Hip Hop Albums Billboard Archived from the original on December 27 2014 Retrieved February 27 2015 Top 50 Urban Albums 2015 ARIA Charts Archived from the original on April 17 2019 Retrieved December 3 2019 Top 50 Urban Albums 2016 ARIA Charts Archived from the original on April 9 2019 Retrieved December 3 2019 ARIA Charts Accreditations 2013 Albums PDF Australian Recording Industry Association Retrieved December 6 2019 Danish album certifications Kanye West Yeezus IFPI Danmark Retrieved October 15 2020 Yeezus West Kanye JB Hi Fi Archived from the original on June 12 2013 Retrieved June 14 2013 Yeezus Kanye West Amazon Germany in German Archived from the original on June 14 2013 Retrieved June 14 2013 Yeezus by Kanye West iTunes Store New Zealand Apple Archived from the original on January 10 2014 Retrieved June 14 2013 Yeezus Kanye West Amazon Archived from the original on June 24 2013 Retrieved June 23 2013 Yeezus Kanye West in French Archived from the original on June 11 2013 Retrieved June 12 2013 Yeezus Kanye West Amazon UK Archived from the original on June 16 2013 Retrieved June 15 2013 External linksOfficial website Yeezus at Discogs list of releases Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yeezus amp oldid 1218709256, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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