Kanye West may have shocked the world last June with his electrifying, abrasive and critically-acclaimed album Yeezus, but for his impending 2014 follow-up, it seems like the future Mr. Kardashian will be taking things down a few notches.
According to a series of sources over at Billboard, album No. 7 has 12 tracks as of two weeks ago, and West is migrating toward old "soul samples and tamed Yeezus-esque darkness... nothing abrasive." Beatmaker Evian Christ said that West is looking to blend together the musical influences of Otis Redding and Mobb Depp, so expect lots of old school flavor.
West has been hard at work for his 2014 record, postponing show dates in Oceania earlier this spring in order to meet his record company's strict deadline. Reportedly, he's been recording in Los Angeles and his future wedding spot of Florence, Italy.
West has worked with numerous collaborators thus far, including Mike Will Made It, Rick Rubin, DJ Mustard, Tyga and more. However, West is known for frequently changing the course of his collaborators and albums, so none of these people could even appear on the record in its final state.
West's sixth solo studio album Yeezus was released with little forewarning on June 18, 2013. The follow-up is reportedly due out this summer, but no official details regarding its release has been unveiled.
But, knowing Kanye, it could all come as a big surprise.
