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The Meadows Music & Arts Festival - Day 2

Source: Taylor Hill / Getty

Kanye West — Ye

Kanye West assembled a group of friends, media personalities, influencers, and peers in Jackson, Wyo. for an elaborate listening experience of his new album, Ye, on Thursday (May 31).

Chris Rock introduced the LP with a brief statement. “Hip-Hop music is the first art form created by free black men…and no black man has taken advantage of his freedom more than Kanye West,” he said (via Variety). “Listen without prejudice.”

The album drops in the wake of some serious controversy. Since 2016, West has been praising President Donald Trump, most recently calling him his “brother” while wearing a Make America Great Again hat. He’s also made other offensive moves, like claiming that slavery was a “choice.”

Ye features seven songs with appearances by Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, 070 Shake, and Ty Dolla $ign, among others. The live stream premiered exclusively through the WAV app, but it’s now available on TIDAL and Spotify.

Black Thought — Streams of Thought, Vol. 1

The legendary Black Thought joins forces with 9th Wonder and The Soul Council for Streams of Thought, Vol. 1, a highly anticipated effort filled with thoughtful bars over soulful instrumentation.

But the five-song EP is not a solo project, according to the iconic vocal leader of The Roots. “All those solo efforts that I’ve announced, it breathes new life into the awareness of me as an artist,” he recently told NPR. “The Roots brand always has to be maintained, and we’re just at a place now where prime-time TV affords us a different sort of visibility and I’m able to kind of take a step back and focus on some of the other creative energy that I still need to get out. None of this is my solo album. It’s just a chance to see me in a different light doing a different thing.”

Outside of the 9th and Soul Council production, Thought nabs guest appearances from Rapsody (“Dostoyevsky”), Styles P (“Making a Murderer”), and KIRBY (“Thank You”). Listen to the not-solo offering below.

Mac Miller — Small Worlds, Buttons, Programs

This week, Mac Miller surprised fans with the release of three new songs. The surprise triple-track-pack clocks in at 11 minutes and arrives without guest appearances.

For the most part, the short effort is filled with mellow, soulful vibes. It features production from Tae Beast (“Small Worlds”), Person Brown (“Buttons”), Cardo and Cubebeatz (“Programs”).

Miller delivers some thoughts on loneliness and wealth over those moody sound beds. “You never told me being rich was so lonely,” he raps on the opening cut, “Small Worlds.” “Nobody knows me / Oh well / Hard to complain from this five-star hotel.”

It’s Mac’s first release since 2016’s The Divine Feminine and drops shortly after his Ariana Grande breakup and a reported hit-and-run car accident.

The Internet — “Come Over”

Fresh off “Roll (Burbank Funk),” The Internet keeps things funky as ever with “Come Over,” the latest single off their upcoming fourth album, Hive Mind.

The new track features a head-bopping bounce, complete with lyrics for your lover. “You’re beautiful, babe / You’re really something,” sings Syd. “You got me open / Filled with emotion / Living in ecstasy / Just want you next to me.”

“Come Over” will most likely join “Roll (Burbank Funk)” on Hive Mind. “After making a few songs we realized that we really want to use this album to live by example and promote camaraderie amongst young Black people,” Syd explained (as per Spin). “We realized that we’re the only band of our kind. And we want to really solidify ourselves as that, as the best.”

Kanye West — Ye

Kanye West assembled a group of friends, media personalities, influencers, and peers in Jackson, Wyo. for an elaborate listening experience of his new album, Ye, on Thursday (May 30).

Chris Rock introduced the LP with a brief statement. “Hip-Hop music is the first art form created by free black men…and no black man has taken advantage of his freedom more than Kanye West,” he said (via Variety). “Listen without prejudice.”

The album drops in the wake of some serious controversy. Since 2016, West has been praising President Donald Trump, most recently calling him his “brother” while wearing a Make America Great Again hat. He’s also made other offensive moves, like claiming that slavery was a “choice.”

Ye features seven songs with appearances by Kid Cudi, Nicki Minaj, 070 Shake, and Ty Dolla $ign, among others. The live stream premiered exclusively through the WAV app and is not available elsewhere at the moment.

Black Thought — Streams of Thought, Vol. 1

The legendary Black Thought joins forces with 9th Wonder and The Soul Council for Streams of Thought, Vol. 1, a highly anticipated effort filled with thoughtful bars over soulful instrumentation.

But the five-song EP is not a solo project, according to the iconic vocal leader of The Roots. “All those solo efforts that I’ve announced, it breathes new life into the awareness of me as an artist,” he recently told NPR. “The Roots brand always has to be maintained, and we’re just at a place now where prime-time TV affords us a different sort of visibility and I’m able to kind of take a step back and focus on some of the other creative energy that I still need to get out. None of this is my solo album. It’s just a chance to see me in a different light doing a different thing.”

Outside of the 9th and Soul Council production, Thought nabs guest appearances from Rapsody (“Dostoyevsky”), Styles P (“Making a Murderer”), and KIRBY (“Thank You”). Listen to the not-solo offering below.

Mac Miller — Small Worlds, Buttons, Programs

This week, Mac Miller surprised fans with the release of three new songs. The surprise triple-track-pack clocks in at 11 minutes and arrives without guest appearances.

For the most part, the short effort is filled with mellow, soulful vibes. It features production from Tae Beast (“Small Worlds”), Person Brown (“Buttons”), Cardo and Cubebeatz (“Programs”).

Miller delivers some thoughts on loneliness and wealth over those moody sound beds. “You never told me being rich was so lonely,” he raps on the opening cut, “Small Worlds.” “Nobody knows me / Oh well / Hard to complain from this five-star hotel.”

It’s Mac’s first release since 2016’s The Divine Feminine and drops shortly after his Ariana Grande breakup and a reported hit-and-run car accident.

The Internet — “Come Over”

Fresh off “Roll (Burbank Funk),” The Internet keeps things funky as ever with “Come Over,” the latest single off their upcoming fourth album, Hive Mind.

The new track features a head-bopping bounce, complete with lyrics for your lover. “You’re beautiful, babe / You’re really something,” sings Syd. “You got me open / Filled with emotion / Living in ecstasy / Just want you next to me.”

“Come Over” will most likely join “Roll (Burbank Funk)” on Hive Mind. “After making a few songs we realized that we really want to use this album to live by example and promote camaraderie amongst young Black people,” Syd explained (as per Spin). “We realized that we’re the only band of our kind. And we want to really solidify ourselves as that, as the best.”

STREAMED: Kanye West Unleashes ‘Ye’ In Wyoming [LISTEN]  was originally published on cassiuslife.com