Kanye West is reportedly back in the studio working on a new solo album. After a two-year hiatus following his 2021 LP, Donda, the hip hop icon is speculated to make a return to streaming platforms sometime in the coming months. Previously, Ye dropped a demo for Donda 2, however, it was scrapped following his partnership termination with Stem Player.
Sources speaking to TMZ today (Sept. 27) said that West is in a “truly great headspace,” focusing on a sound reminiscent of the “old Kanye” that’s notably devoid of the political theatrics that characterized his recent work. The outlet reported that the Chicago native recorded 10 new tracks in just one week.
In August, close collaborators like Ty Dolla $ign were allegedly spotted in the studio with Ye. A user by the name of Gregor Estevan claimed that he heard unreleased tunes from the latter’s hotel room in Italy. He captioned his Instagram Story, “At Ye’s hotel and music is blasting from his room while they’re recording their new album. It sounds insane!!”
Recent leaks also heightened the buzz around West’s musical return. Earlier this week, unauthorized releases surfaced from his much-anticipated collaborative project with Dr. Dre titled Jesus Is King II. A combination of remixes and original tracks featuring music heavyweights such as Snoop Dogg, Anderson .Paak, and Pusha T were heard on the bootlegged material.
After the tumult of 2022, which saw West grappling with public scrutiny over anti-Semitic comments and severed business partnerships, the rapper has been relatively quiet this year.
On Sept. 13, Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden spoke out for the first time about the musician’s remarks. He joined the “In Good Company” podcast to talk about what happened behind the scenes.
He shared, “That caused [Adidas] to break that contract and withdraw the product. [It’s] very unfortunate because I don’t think he meant what he said, and I don’t think he’s a bad person. It just came across that way.”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Gulden said, “When you work with third parties, that could happen, and it’s part of the game. That can happen with an athlete, it can happen with an entertainer, so it’s part of the business.”