Thirty years in, and Rick Rubin aka DJ Double R is still a giant in Hip-Hop music. In a new interview, the Def Jam founder reveals just how daunting the task of molding Kanye West’s new album, Yeezus, really was and he also hints at there being a sequel to the project.
In an in depth interview with The Daily Beast, Rubin recounted how he connected with West and the whirlwind of work it took to get his album in on time to Def Jam. It’s telling that the Chicago rapper basically handed Rubin the keys, sort of, to his project.
What did the album sound like at that point?
Kind of meandering, unfocused, usually without his vocals. I assumed that the album was scheduled to come out next year. So I said, “When are you thinking of finishing up?” And he said, “It’s coming out in five weeks.” Like completely confident and fine.
He wasn’t stressed.
Not at all. I said, “I have a record coming out in November that’s a lot further along than this.” He said, “Really? What are you doing for the next five days?” I said I was going to go away. Then he said, “Please help me. Would you be open to fixing it and shaping it and finishing it off?”
A key point Rubin let loose is that West had way more music than we heard on release day (earlier if you pirated the album).
When he came to you with the record, did you have a sense of what needed to be done?
Initially, he thought there were going to be 16 songs on the album. But that first day, before he even asked me to work on it, I said, “Maybe you should make it more concise. Maybe this is two albums. Maybe this is just the first half.” That was one of the first breakthroughs. Kanye was like, “That’s what I came here today to hear! It could be 10 songs!”
So there might be another Yeezus in the pipeline?
Might be.
Read the full interview with Rubin right here.
Let us know what you think of a Yeezus sequel in the comments.
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Photos: Michael Mueller
