17 Minutes of Kanye, Without Any Kanye

Earlier this month, Kanye West debuted his Yeezy Season 5 fashion line at New York Fashion Week and with the rollout of West’s past wardrobes, new music usually follows. This time, not so much, as there were no debuts or drops but instead, a looped track by The-Dream.

The-Dream’s rendition of J. Holiday’s “Bed” played on repeat throughout the entirety of the Yeezy 5 show and maybe even more surprising that there was no new drop, there was also no Kanye. West did not walk the runway after the show, something that is expected and tradition at New York Fashion Week, but then again, nothing Kanye does is expected or traditional.

That no-show leads us to Kanye’s latest absence, on the 17-minute long track that was uploaded to his Soundcloud page early this morning. “BED YEEZY SEASON 5 (FT. THE DREAM)” is 17 minutes of The-Dream putting his fingers through your hair, loving you until your eyes roll back and putting you to bed. If you are listening and waiting to actually hear Kanye spit a verse or sing a few bars, don’t hold your breath. The production and background music is absolutely flawless but when someone texts me “You hear the new 17-minute Kanye track?” I at least expect to hear Kanye.

Again though, nothing should be expected of Kanye. This is the same person that wore multiple masks during his YEEZUS Tour and the same person that had a suspended stage literally elevate him above fans during his short-lived Saint Pablo Tour. This is also the same person who has changed the entire music industry with every single album he has released. This is also the greatest artist of our generation. At me if you must. 

Sure, I was hoping to actually hear Kanye on his newly dropped track but after announcing that he was no longer following the “fashion calendar” and going “Mad Max” to drop three albums a year, maybe this is a precursor for his first of 2017.