Yesterday afternoon I got a phone call asking if I want to play at Kanye West's exclusive Album pre-listening at Prive Club in Zurich. My excitement was out of control.
I've been a fan of his music ever since I got into Hip Hop at an early age and have a lot of respect for his work.
Kanye showed up at around 01:00 AM and hung out behind the DJ booth for a while, before he stepped up, greeted me friendly and told me he likes the record I'm playing, I shall let it play (Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Can't Stop). He then connected his iPhone to the mixer and started his album pre-listening.
So basically, all attendees in the club got the opportunity to hear the entire album before it drops June 18th. I'm not sure if people realized what was going on…
The album sounds super sick! I've heard a couple of songs on Youtube already, but not all, his rap skills are on point and beats sound massive! I'm very excited for the release!
Unfortunately, there is a lot of negative buzz on the internet about the night. Kanye interrupted the music and asked the crowd to stop taking pics and listen to his music. Many people didn't understand… Well, they probably aren't aware how much passion, effort, hours of work and dedication go into an album. Therefore, presenting a new album shortly before it gets released, is something very intimate, I imagine, and for me, it was totally legit that he was annoyed by all who didn't focus on the music.
Kanye is a forward thinking dope ass artist with a lot of character and ahead of most of us – Respect!