SINGLE REVIEW: Kanye West – “New Slaves”

May 20th, 2013

Matthew Leimkuehler

Artist: Kanye West
Song: “New Slaves”
Album: Yeezus
Label: Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam

Ladies and gentlemen, Kanye West is back, and he is controversial as ever. This pop icon, who has built his dynasty on constant ingenuity and speculation, debuted his new single, “New Slaves,” via live projections on 66 different buildings across the world.

“New Slaves,” the first track to be released off up and coming record Yeezus, is dark, eerie and strikingly personal. Kanye spits blunt verses over a grave-digging bottom-end of bass that rattles bones. Not only does the beat blast, but the message he delivers also comes through fast and brutal, as though they work together like a 1-2 punch.

He successfully keeps the listeners’ attention from first line to last with a brilliant flow of words that build in intensity as the track continues. Kanye does not disappoint in this number — it is a song fans will be able to latch on to in coming months. Is it a track that our mothers will love? Maybe not, but Kanye appears to have brought something from the soul this time. Regardless of how trite it may be, it is honest. There are plenty of artists out there that could take notes on that.

A truly sinister number delivered from an emcee with a legacy, “New Slaves” is a great way to introduce a new record. Kanye delivers the perfect mixture of relevance and timelessness with this track as he continues to give pop culture more reason to write him off with the greats.

Check out a fan-captured premiere of the song here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6BKGp1XqddM

Score: 8.5/10

Written by: Matthew Leimkuehler | @callinghomematt