Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign are reportedly seeking out a distributor for their joint album, with a number of options to choose from.
On Friday (October 13), Billboard shared that sources close to the artists have confirmed that they “will make a decision soon.” The album was apparently planned for an October 13 release, but has now been delayed by a few weeks.
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Several major labels have declined to work with Ye due to his antisemitic tirades from last year, creating an opportunity for smaller platforms to step in and boost their traffic if they can secure the partnership.
Among the many contenders are distribution and publishing company Too Lost as well as do-it-yourself outlets like Distrokid or Tunecore. The Yeezy boss’ last release through a label was 2021’s Donda, following which he dropped its sequel exclusively via Stem Player.
Ty Dolla $ign recently brought an old Kanye West leak back to life, updating the track and using it to create more buzz around their upcoming album.
Last week, the 41-year-old revived his previously scrapped collaboration with Ye and Nicki Minaj, “New Body,” while taking over the turntables at a club in Florence, Italy — which wasn’t completely a surprise as he did the same the month before.
At the end of September, Dolla $ign previewed the track at the Le Baroque Club in Geneva, Switzerland after it went missing for years, topping the tease off with a major announcement when he told the crowd: “New album on the muthafuckin’ way.”
Nicki Minaj reunited with Kanye West on “New Body” for his planned Yandhi album in 2019, but the release date came and went, with their collaboration ultimately getting shelved. During an interview with Hot 106 last year, she explained how Kanye’s decision to record a gospel album was the reason for the song not dropping.
“I respect everybody and where they are in life, where they are spiritually,” Minaj said. “The public adored ‘New Body.’ Like, ‘New Body’ is the biggest hit record that never came out. So what I thought was interesting was that Kanye made me write my ‘New Body’ verse four times over in order to fit into where he was creatively and spiritually in his life, right, only to then, I go on the internet a few months later to see him on Drink Champs.”
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She continued: “I missed it by a year, I guess. Had ‘New Body’ been out when he was not in his gospel era, then it would’ve seen the light of day. But it didn’t, so it wasn’t meant to be. Everybody knows that’s the hit that got away … I think the ship has sailed for ‘New Body,’ everybody has come to love the original way they heard it.”
