Footage has emerged of Kanye West previewing songs in London that he created in collaboration with producer James Blake.
- READ MORE: James Blake live in London: hometown hero celebrates longevity with a career-spanning set
“It’s my birthday and [West] is playing tracks we made I’m good for presents thanks,” Blake tweeted earlier this morning (September 27). He also shared footage of West playing a song behind DJ decks, clarifying that the track does not sample ‘The Colour In Anything’ cut ‘Always’ but is a new song entirely.
In later tweets, Blake added that he produced the song, as well as two others. See his tweets and watch footage of West playing a snippet of new music below:
Doesn’t sample ‘always’. It’s new. https://t.co/UdqtPfJdLD
— James Blake (@jamesblake) September 26, 2022
As with the other two https://t.co/GIOB6AEZjL
— James Blake (@jamesblake) September 27, 2022
🥰🥰🥰
— James Blake (@jamesblake) September 27, 2022
Though they’ve never released music together, Blake has been vocal about wanting to work with West for some time. In 2015, the producer said that West would feature on ‘The Colour In Anything’ (then titled ‘Radio Silence.)
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“Something was supposed to happen; I don’t really know how to describe how that didn’t work out,” Blake explained when the album arrived the following year, sans Ye. “I wanted Kanye to be on the song ‘Timeless’, but the verse didn’t materialize,” Blake told Pitchfork at the time.
“I think a huge swath of things happened in his life, and I just stayed out of it. Eventually, the mood of the album changed, and in the end I don’t think it would have fit.”
Blake has an extensive history of producing tracks for hip-hop artists. In recent years, he’s received production credits on songs with the likes of Vince Staples, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Electronica and JPEGMAFIA. Just last week, Freddie Gibbs released his latest ‘Soul Sold Separately’ preview, ‘Dark Hearted’, produced by Blake.
Last year, Blake released most recent studio album (aside from ambient record ‘Wind Down’ in March) ‘Friends That Break Your Heart’. In a five-star review, NME called the record “James Blake in his richest, rawest form, still and always shapeshifting to find fascinating new ways to heal”.
West, meanwhile, recently announced plans to end the fashion partnership between Gap and his own Yeezy brand, terminating a 10-year agreement first established in 2020, accusing the company of “substantial noncompliance”.