The Life of Pablo, Kanye West’s seventh album — or, as he puts it, a “living breathing changing creative expression” — has received another update.
In his previous tweaking of the album, Kanye added Sia and Vic Mensa to “Wolves” and made Frank Ocean’s outro its own track (titled “Frank’s Track”, no less). He also made small alternations to “Famous”.
Today’s update is more extensive, as 12 of the album’s 19 tracks have been remixed or contain alternate vocals/lyrics. While fans are still making their way through the changes, reddit’s hiphopheads and KanyeToThe have a pretty good rundown (see below).
In addition to altering certain aspects of the album, Kanye has apparently had a change of heart regarding its availability. While he previously said The Life of Pablo would remain exclusive to TIDAL, Mashable reports that the album is expected to arrive on Spotify, Apple Music, Rhapsody, and Google Play this Friday. Earlier today, TIDAL sent download links for the album to those who originally pre-ordered it back in February.
Update – Thursday, March 31st at 8:30 p.m. CT: According to the New York Times, Kanye will be making additional updates in the months to come, with a representative at Def Jam describing Pablo as a “continuous process.” The latest version of Pablo will be released on all major streaming services by midnight Friday, the New York Times confirms.
Here’s a list of the changes:
Ultra Light Beam: The choir is mixed better. Everyone’s vocals except Chancer the Rapper have a lot more reverb. There’s also new lyrics from Chance the Rapper and Kirk Franklin.
Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1: Background vocals at the end of Kanye’s verse and a little on the hook. The snare isn’t as loud as the original release. Beat is a lot more clear.
Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2: New mix includes the addition of a bass line beginning at the 1:08 mark.
Feedback: It’s shorter. Kanye’s vocals are more balanced with the beat now. The bass is also a lot more mixed. Beat is a lot more different in general.
Highlights: Vocals now sit behind the beat. Young Thug’s vocals are a lot more clear and less harsh.
Freestyle 4: Vocals clarified, weird ass noises and strings added to the background, bass added right before Desiigner verse at 1:31 mark.
Waves: Kanye’s first verse is re-recorded. Lots more echos. The snare doesn’t make you deaf anymore!
FML: Vocal’s are more mixed. They sit on top of the beat now. Background vocals added.
30 Hours: The shoutout/adlib outro isn’t in time with the beat like it is in the original. He added the pause from the SoundCloud version for the Victoria’s Secret line.
No More Parties in LA: Transition to Facts is smooth. Not as jarring as it was before.
Facts: Piano line from MSG is back but is barely noticiable. Synths are a lot louder.
Fade: Way more minimal. The bass line is back too. More like the Yeezys SZN 2 performance. Doesn’t have all the cool sounds from the previous album version and the transitions aren’t as clean as before. It actually ends with an outro instead of cutting off.
Until Friday, check out the updated album on TIDAL.
The Life of Pablo Tracklist:
01. Ultralight Beam (feat. Chance the Rapper, Kirk Franklin, The-Dream, Kelly Price, and Donnie Trumpet)
02. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1 (feat. Kid Cudi)
03. Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 2 (feat. Desiigner and Caroline Shaw)
04. Famous (feat. Rihanna and Swizz Beatz)
05. Feedback
06. Low Lights
07. Highlights (feat. Young Thug, The-Dream, and Kelly Price)
08. Freestyle 4 (feat. Desiigner)
09. I Miss the Old Kanye
10. Waves (feat. Chris Brown and Kid Cudi)
11. FML (feat. The Weeknd)
12. Real Friends (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
13. Wolves (feat. Vic Mensa and Sia)
14. Frank’s Track (feat. Frank Ocean)
15. Silver Surfer Intermission
16. 30 Hours (feat. André 3000)
17. No More Parties in L.A. (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
18. FACTS (Charlie Heat Version)
19. Fade (feat. Post Malone and Ty Dolla $ign)
