Kanye West Working on ‘Yeezus’ Follow-Up
Kanye West is working on a follow-up to Yeezus and is aiming to have it come out next year. The rapper recently told Philadelphia’s Power 99 Radio that he hopes to have a new LP “by next summer,” according to The Guardian. “I haven’t named my next album but I have started on it,” West said. “I’d like to put out more product.” The rapper reported that he is “constantly working” on new material and that he might even put out a Cruel Winter compilation, similar to his label G.O.O.D. Music’s 2012 Cruel Summer album.
In addition to music, West has been working diligently on a “product line” that will come out next September. “This line gonna be Ralph Lauren meets Steve Jobs meets Walt Disney meets David Stern meets every visionary through our culture,” he told the Philly DJ. “I’ma mix all of ’em, like how [my 2004 debut] The College Dropout was a mix of Roc-A-Fella, Bad Boy, Tribe Called Quest.”
In related news, West also announced that he’s worked out a clothing deal with Adidas. In an interview with Hot 97’s DJ Angie Martinez, West explained that he left behind his deal with Nike because the company refused to give him royalties. “The old me without a daughter might have taken the Nike deal ’cause I just love Nike so much,” he said. “But the new me with a daughter takes the Adidas deal because I have royalties and I have to provide for my family.”
He also told Martinez that he had big plans for his brands, saying he wants to be the “Tupac of product.” “There ain’t no Tupac of rap except for Tupac,” he said. “My designs are based on what I grew up on in hip-hop. My references be like girls shaped like Kim [Kardashian] – not these skinny, trying-to-look-as-close-to-a-boy models that they try to put on a runway in fashion. My reference is Nas and Mobb Deep. I’ll be the first hip-hop designer and because of that I’ma be bigger than Walmart.”
Currently, West is on tour in support of Yeezus, which, despite some re-routed dates, has turned out to be an incredible trek. While on tour, he’s also found time to speak to students at Harvard, release an outrageous video for “Bound 2” that inspired a James Franco and Seth Rogan spoof and even got engaged.