page_title: Kanye West
section_title: 2017–2019: Ye and further collaborations
hierarchical_section_title: Kanye West / Career / 2017–2019: Ye and further collaborations
caption_attribution_description: English: Full quality cover art for Kanye West's ninth studio album Yandhi
context_page_description: Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, record producer, and fashion designer.
  Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West was first known as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing singles for several mainstream artists. Intent on pursuing a solo career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to critical and commercial success, and founded the record label GOOD Music. He experimented with a variety of musical genres on subsequent acclaimed studio albums, including Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak. Drawing inspiration from maximalism and minimalism, respectively, West's fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and sixth album Yeezus were also critical successes. He went on to release The Life of Pablo, Ye, and Jesus Is King. West's discography also includes the full-length collaborations Watch the Throne and Kids See Ghosts with Jay-Z and Kid Cudi, respectively.
  West's outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant media attention.
context_section_description: It was reported in May 2017 that West was recording new music in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with a wide range of collaborators. In April 2018, West announced plans to write a philosophy book entitled Break the Simulation, later clarifying that he was sharing the book "in real time" on Twitter and began posting content that was likened to "life coaching". Later that month, he also announced two new albums, a solo album and self-titled collaboration with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts, both of which would be released in June. Additionally, he revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as Nas. Shortly thereafter, West released the non-album singles "Lift Yourself", a "strange, gibberish track" featuring nonsensical lyrics, and "Ye vs. the People", in which he and T.I. discussed West's controversial support of Donald Trump.
  Pusha T's Daytona, "the first project out of Wyoming", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy. The following week, West released his album, Ye. West has suggested that he scrapped the original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month. The week after, West released a collaborative album with Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nasir and K.T.S.E.,
  On August 30, 2018, West released the non-album single "XTCY" which was originally slated to be included in Ye. On September 7, 2018, West released a collaboration with American rapper Lil Pump titled "I Love It". On September 9, 2018, West announced via Twitter that Watch the Throne 2 would be coming soon. Later that month, West also announced his ninth studio album Yandhi to be released by the end of the month and a collaborative album with Chicagoan rapper Chance the Rapper titled Good Ass Job. West also announced in September that he would be changing his stage name to "Ye". Yandhi was originally set for released on September 29, 2018, but was postponed to November 23, 2018. West later postponed the album again in November 2018 with no new release date set.
  Later in 2018, West began collaborating with other new acts besides Lil Pump. West appeared as a guest feature on the tracks "Kanga" and "Mama" with Nicki Minaj on American rapper 6ix9ine's debut album Dummy Boy. West is also the sole feature on XXXTentacion's first posthumous album Skins. 6ix9ine and XXXTentacion were both slated to be included on Yandhi. In January 2019, West pulled out of headlining the years Coachella festival, after negotiations broke down due to discord regarding stage design.
  On July 18, 2019, it was reported that songs from West's unreleased album Yandhi were leaked online. By October of the same year the whole leaked unfinished album was available for a short time on streaming services like Spotify and Tidal but were shortly taken down. By October 21, 2019, West announced his Christian hip hop album Jesus is King, effectively changing and retitling his previously announced Yandhi Album.
caption: Yandhi was first completed in West's hometown of Chicago, but was later postponed. West went to do more recording in Uganda, but later delayed the album a second time with no planned release date.
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