10 Things To Expect From Kanye West’s Next Album

Kanye West’s seventh album Yeezus was a bit of a game changer, to say the least.

Sure, many found it to be polarizing in its experimental approach, but sonically, Yeezus was something that Kanye had been building up to for years. The Yeezus Tour then made it all come to life, now, it’s like…okay, what’s next?

The internet has been swarming with theories on Ye’s eighth album. Lists (like this one!) have pieced together bits of information coupled with what we, as Kanye fans, can only “hope” to find on the album. This list, however, is #factsonly — err, as far as we know.

Idolator is bringing you the ten things to expect from Kanye West’s upcoming album: From artists he’s working with to sounds that you can expect, we’ve gathered all the intelligence up until now.

Before anything though, let’s get this out of the way: No Kim Kardashian cameo (yet), or even rumors of a North West appearance. (It would be pretty awesome to have either or both on the album, though!) For now, just keep watching the “Bound 2” video. Check out our 10 things to expect after the jump.

10. Location, Location, Location

So, remember when Kanye West recorded his fourth studio album 808s & Heartbreak, and he spent a considerable amount of time in Hawaii with his creative team of writers/producers (like Kid Cudi, for example)? Well, this next album is traveling around the globe. So far, we know that Kanye has recorded parts of the album in Mexico, in Florence, Italy, and in Los Angeles, and particularly Malibu at Shangri-La Studios, Rick Rubin’s studio. (Yes, it’s safe to assume that Rick Rubin will be on the project, but there will be more players. A lot more.)

9. The Players

There are a lot of people working on Kanye West’s next album. While Rick Rubin and Q-Tip have both been revealed as producers on the project, Kanye West has enlisted a whole bunch of people to create with him. Need a list? James Fauntleroy, Gee Roberson, Mike Will Made-It, Malik Yusef, Q-Tip, Rick Rubin, French Montana, Young Thug, Da Internz, Young Chop, James Blake, Symbolic One (S1), Evian Christ, 808 Mafia, DJ Mustard, and Tyga. (So far.) Happy now? If you notice, though, Jay Z is missing. Fear not, because Hov and Ye are still planning that Watch The Throne 2 project at some point.

8. Pop Friendly Or Nah?

Last year, Kanye West spoke with NY station Power 105’s The Breakfast Club about his album. He compared the upcoming project to Bruce Springsteen‘s Born In The U.S.A. What does that even mean? Well, it’s a reference to Springsteen’s history — not some dramatic switch on Ye’s part to patriotism. When Springsteen dropped his album Nebraska, fans were divided — they either loved it or hated it. Then Born In The U.S.A. came right after, and it was widely received; a chart-topping success. So Yeezus was his Nebraska, and this next one will be his Born In The U.S.A. (Hopefully.)

7. But What Will It Sound Like?

It’s hard to even assume at this point what a Kanye West project will even sound like, considering his last few albums have all sounded fundamentally different. That’s an awesome problem for fans to have, since Kanye’s worst enemy appears to be predictability (and the paparazzi). But there is a little bit of a direction, or at least some inkling of something. Producer Evian Christ revealed a little bit of what he’s been cooking for Kanye in his cover story interview for self-titled Magazine. He said the one beat he was working on was like Otis Redding meets Mobb Deep. (Those were email instructions from Kanye, by the way.) We still have no idea what that would even sound like — but it seems awesome.

6. We Have Song Titles And We Have Jay Z

Okay, that last part was misleading, especially since Jay Z wasn’t listed as a potential collaborator. When Kanye West spoke with GQ for his cover story, he mentioned that on a track called “All Day,” he plans to rap like Jay Z. So no Hov, but at least we will have Kanye rapping like Hov. And yes, that means one song title is confirmed: “All Day.” The song “God Level” that was used in Adidas’ FIFA World Cup campaign is rumored to also be a single. There was also a snippet that leaked a few months ago called “Black Bruce Wayne.” Maybe that will be on there too. Knowing Kanye though, he will change up the songs right before he drops the album.