Kanye West’s New Album,’The Life Of Pablo’, Now Available On All Major Streaming Services
Yeezy season is in full swing.
After Kanye West outspokenly declared that his newest album, The Life of Pablo, will never be available for sale outside of the streaming service he is a part owner of, Tidal, his label, Def Jam, has announced otherwise.
The New York Times has reported that the album, which dropped last month (but not really), will begin to appear on all major streaming services outside of Tidal.
The album has gone through myriad changes since West released his first draft back on February 14 after debuting his songs live on Saturday Night Live the same night.
The title of the album, The Life of Pablo, sets the perception that Kanye had initially drew up for the project: a creative masterpiece as abstract as the name implies: a nod to the late, and great, European artist Pablo Picasso. Long known for his abstract paintings and creations, the Spanish born Picasso is considered by many to be the most influential artist during the 20th century.
In his own bohemian way, West has evolved the way one experiences a record. The music painted on his newest album, or rather canvas, is — as West calls it — “a living breathing changing creative expression #contemporaryart.”
Trying to replicate the genius that was Picasso, West, whether intentionally or not, has gone off the deep end in the recent months leading up to his album’s release.
Most recently, West announced that he’s $53 million in debt, and suggested that Facebook founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg invest $1 billion in his ideas.
Picasso was famously poor for most of his early artistic career and that may be something that has encouraged Kanye to attempt to replicate with his claim of being broke and the recent fashion style he’s been promoting.
Either way, his antics and art have pulled fans and the music industry into his orbit.
When West first released the first draft of his album, it was for exclusive ears only. Those worthy enough to have signed up with Tidal — and not clever enough to pirate the album — were given the opportunity to indulge in his artistry.
Def Jam has since acknowledged what’s to come for their artist, Mr. West, and his evolving project in a statement this week.
“In the months to come, Kanye will release new updates, new versions and new iterations of the album.”
They added that “a newly updated, remixed and remastered version” of the album will be made available for stream on all major services by midnight on Friday (and as of noon today has been made available on Spotify), despite earlier claims to keep the album a Tidal exclusive.
Kanye has also made The Life Of Pablo available via his website — kanyewest.com — for $20 (more than most digital albums). And though his grip on his newest releases’ availability was supposedly absolute, a physical version has yet to be released.
With each album release, West has introduced listeners to a new version of his music and persona, never bringing the same taste to the table twice; a tactic many contemporary listeners struggle to digest, but soon enough build a pallet for.
[Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]
