Is Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker on Kanye’s new record or not?
There’s some confusion as to whether Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker is in Kanye West’s new album YE – and Parker is the most confused.
Initially, he told triple j that he was listening to a livestream of West’s huge launch party in a remote ski resort in Wyoming and heard a piece of music he’d submitted at the rapper’s request.
“Holy shit!” he exclaimed. He added to triple j, “That’s such weird timing! I had this weird premonition of this exact scenario.”
The piece of music Parker sent was a beat that sampled ‘60s US psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge’s heavied-up version of The Supremes’ ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’.
Parker continued to presenter Linda Marigliano: “I was like, ‘Oh, he obviously hasn’t used it’. I hadn’t heard anything back and wasn’t invited [to Wyoming] – that doesn’t bode well.”
However, since Parker taped the interview with triple j, Tame Impala’s people have contacted them to say that Parker was wrong, and that his production wasn’t on the track after all.
Which adds even more to the mystery.
The track that’s apparently confused Parker is ‘Ghost Town’, which, according to credits on Tidal, has vocals from John Legend, 070 Shake and Kid Cudi.
The producer is credited to Kanye West, Francis & The Lights, Benny Blanco, Mike Dean.
Lyrics and composition are attributed to: Kanye West, Trade Martin, Mike Dean.
Through the seven tracks spanning 23 minutes, others acknowledged for their contribution are Nicki Minaj, Ty Dolla $ign, Jeremih, Charlie Wilson, PARTYNEXTDOOR and Dej Loaf.
070 Shake and Valee are two young acts signed to West’s G.O.O.D. Music label.
The Wyoming launch party was held at rural Diamond Cross Ranch with snow-capped mountains in the distance, where West has done a lot of recording since 2016.
Private jets shipped in hundreds of West’s friends, hip hop colleagues and media from all over the world.
They included wife Kim Kardashian West, Scott Disick, Chris Rock, Jonah Hill, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi. Nas, The Dream King Louis, Pusha T, Fabolous, 2 Chainz and Big Sean.
Guests were plied with booze and BBQ until the party started at 10 pm.
The widely-grinning West danced through the crowd and then called on the guests to gather around a huge campfire, and boomed the music out on giant speakers.
Chris Rock introduced the record: “Remember this: hip hop music is the first art form created by free black men… and no black man has taken more advantage of his freedom than Kanye West.”
West made himself very much approachable, taking hundreds of selfies, and making sure he was glad-handling top radio executives.
Kanye has had an issue with not getting much major radio support despite his sales, and sparks flying from recent nonsensical comments about slavery and Donald Trump had to be hosed down.