Hood Critic
The Power Circle
The Yeezus Sessions
We talk to seven men who helped create Kanye's polarizing thunderbolt of an album, including Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, producer Hudson Mohawke, and more.
Kanye West is one of the very few artists out there who can generate headlines with his album's credits. While the liners to Yeezus don't feature quite as many big names as previous Kanye productions, they're still extensive, filled with longtime collaborators and upstart young producers alike. In an effort to shed some light on the making of this vibrant and polarizing album, we spoke with seven guys who helped put it together: veteran producer/engineer/ mixers Mike Dean and Anthony Kilhoffer, who have both been working with 'Ye since the College Dropout days; Bon Iver's Justin Vernon, who returns to the Kanye fold after taking part in 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (his experimental pop outfit Volcano Choir releases its second album, Repave, in September); producer and TNGHT member Hudson Mohawke, who began working with Kanye on last year's Cruel Summer and now has a production deal with G.O.O.D. Music; up-and-coming UK beatmaker Evian Christ; 21-year-old rapper/producer Travi$ Scott, who recently released his debut mixtape, Owl Pharaoh, and is currently working with Big Sean, 2 Chainz, and Jay-Z; and producer/engineer/mixer Noah Goldstein, who's had a hand in albums by Arcade Fire and Interpol, and has worked with Kanye since Twisted Fantasy-- he's the guy Jay shouts out on Watch the Throne's "Who Gon Stop Me" ("extend the beat, Noah!").
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