Q-Tip Says He & Rick Rubin Are Producing Kanye West’s Next Album (Which Ye Has Already Started)

Carl Williott | December 4, 2013 5:48 am

Fans of Kanye West have had an embarrassment of riches this year with Yeezus, the tour and his unexpected return to the spotlight via a relentless interview cycle. But, from the way he’s been talking about “product” and fashion and building his cultural empire in said interviews, it has often seemed like West is bored with music and ready to leave it behind altogether for other ventures. Luckily, that’s not happening just yet! In a recent interview, his pal Q-Tip said he and Yeezus guru Rick Rubin are producing West’s next album. “‘I’m producing Kanye’s new album with Rick Rubin…that’s coming up,” the Tribe Called Quest legend said in an interview at Life + Times.

Last week, Ye himself said he had already begun working on his Yeezus follow-up, and is aiming for a summer 2014 release. This is in addition to the fact that a few songs scrapped from Yeezus are just sitting around West’s lair. The Q-Tip news is particularly exciting — he did production work on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch The Throne, but since signing to G.O.O.D. Music in 2012, he has been relatively quiet. While fans are eager for Tip to release solo material on G.O.O.D., an EP credit on a Ye album is a fine second option.

One thing worth pointing out: Q in 2012 said that Cruel Winter was happening, so at least recognize the fluid nature of these things when it’s this early in the process. (West himself did recently say Cruel Winter will eventually happen.) The point is, we’re going to have plenty of Kanye West music to entertain us for the foreseeable future.

[via Pitchfork]

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