VICE: What Rick Rubin Cut from Yeezus

[Kilgore Trout]

In interviews, Kanye made Yeezus out to be his embrace of minimalism. After years of learning how to do the most with more, he tried to do the most with as little as possible. And then he brought him rap minimalist godfather Rick Rubin to finish the job. In an exclusive interview, Rick Rubin walked us through everything he redacted from every track on Yeezus.

TRACK: On Sight
REMOVED: a bass drum, Mortal Kombat samples, the sound of Justice crying softly

TRACK: Black Skinhead
REMOVED: an extra six rounds of tape saturation, ambient noise from a minor league baseball game

TRACK: I Am A God
REMOVED: the invocation of Yahweh’s full name, launch codes, an atonal piano line played by Trent Reznor

TRACK: New Slaves
REMOVED: a Beatles sample, drums

TRACK: Hold My Liquor
REMOVED: additional vocals from Juice, Capital D and the dude from Iron and Wine

TRACK: I’m In It
REMOVED: ragtime piano, the “Think” break, swag

TRACK: Blood On The Leaves
REMOVED: Trapaholics drops

TRACK: Guilt Trip
REMOVED: bass solo by Victor Wooten, the sound of burning sage leaves, theramin

TRACK: Send It Up
REMOVED: percussion by Einstürzende Neubauten, clocks, wind

TRACK: Bound 2
REMOVED: nothing, although they opted not to use the take where Charlie Wilson’s soul briefly left this dimension

Rick Rubin Breaks Down What He Cut From 'Yeezus' | NOISEY

 

[desp]

TRACK: Blood On The Leaves
REMOVED: Trapaholics drops

 

[ROFL_GUY]

rubin

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

.......................

 

[Wepa Man]

the sound of burning sage leaves

 

[NickBlanco]

is this real?

 

[WOAHMYGOODNESS]

its funny cause i cant tell if they jokin or not

 

[desp]

Cats thinking this shyt real?!

I'm done... It's been real Coli.

 

[desp]

shyt says "ambient noise from a minor league baseball game" and dude said "is this real?"

 

[Long Live The Kane]

whole list is high comedy

My favorite:

TRACK: I Am A God
REMOVED: the invocation of Yahweh’s full name, launch codes, an atonal piano line played by Trent Reznor

Rick Rubin saved us from the apocalypse

 

[Sad Bunny]

I wonder what them sage leaves do though :lupe2:

 

[The Jewnited States]

shyt says "ambient noise from a minor league baseball game" and dude said "is this real?"

YOOOOOOOOOOOO I THOUGHT THE SAME THING AHAHHAHAHAH

 

[Artificial Intelligence]

.......................

 

[Wepa Man]

He wanted the music to take a stripped-down minimal direction," Rubin says when asked to describe the sound West was aiming for on 'Yeezus'. "He was always examining what we could take out instead of put in. A good example would be the song that became 'Bound'. When he first played it for me, it was a more middle of the road R&B song, done in an adult contemporary style. Kanye had the idea of combining that track with a cool sample he had found and liked – I removed all of the R&B elements leaving only a single note baseline in the hook which we processed to have a punk edge in the Suicide tradition."

I want to hear the original bound 2

Me too

 

[Won Won]

its funny cause i cant tell if they jokin or not

is this real?

TRACK: New Slaves
REMOVED: a Beatles sample, drums

like that was gonna clear

TRACK: I Am A God
REMOVED: the invocation of Yahweh’s full name, launch codes, an atonal piano line played by Trent Reznor