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Decoding Kanye West's 'Yeezus' Fashion Lyrics

Posted 19 hours ago by Gaby Wilson in Kanye West Fashion

Kanye West recording "Yeezus."
Photo: kanyewest.com

We're firing up our credit cards this morning as we finally get the chance to cop Kanye West's highly anticipated Yeezus, but thanks to a little leak Friday afternoon, we've been able to preview the tracks (and/or blow out our speakers with them over the weekend) before today's official release. The album is a stark, splintering departure from the lush, sweeping orchestral tendencies of Ye's previous My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, with Yeezus instead riddled with electricity and synth and DRUMS and #yeezyscreams. The new sound is unexpected and may only be immediately welcomed by ride-or-die Yeezy fans, but as far as lyrics go, Kanye brings his knack for storytelling and unflinching wit out full-force per usual.

Yeezus (much like West's accompanying New York Times interview) is rife with quotables, ranging from the acerbic "I'd rather be a d*** than a swallower" on his call-to-action "New Slaves" to the arguably tongue-in-cheek "Hurry up with my damn croissants" off "I Am A God." One thing is for sure, though: there's no shortage of fashion references. Rap Genius may have the most comprehensive unpacking of ALL of Ye's lyrics, but this world is our turf. (In Yeezy's own words, "Don't talk about style 'cause I'll embarrass you.") Thus, we took the liberty of noting every fash-specific line on Yeezus and are decoding them all right here.

Tags Black Skinhead, Blood On The Leaves, Bound, Can't Hold My Liquor, Guilt Trip, I Am A God, I'm In It, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Lyrics, New Slaves, On Site, Send It Up, Yeezus

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Been Trill Teases Yeezus Tour Merch In London

Posted 6/17/13 3:15 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Designers, Kanye West Fashion

Heron Preston wears Yeezus x Been Trill shirt.
Photo: @heronpreston's Instagram

Kanye West's Yeezus album has yet to enjoy its official release (get your plastics ready for purchase time tomorrow!), but that isn't stopping the Been Trill crew (which includes Ye's friend and style consultant Virgil Abloh) from teasing out what their captions are describing as "tour merch #yeezus x ##" (## being shorthand for the art collective often stylized "#been #trill"). Knee-jerk reaction is shock that without the album in anyone's hands, there's already talk (and maybe confirmation?) of a tour, but since we're about FASHUN here, we're going to talk about this "merch" aspect. First up, Heron Preston, late Been Trill recruit and that dude behind the bootleg Nascar factory defect shirts, posted this snap of himself wearing a black long-sleeved shirt printed with Yeezy's mug from the "New Slaves" projections across the front and "YEEZUS" in all caps with fangs down the exterior letters along both sleeves (better look here).

Tags Been Trill, Heron Preston, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Tour Merchandise, Virgil Abloh, Yeezus

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Kanye West 'Stan Swag': Praise Yeezus For The Michael Jordan Of Fan Merch

Posted 6/13/13 6:07 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Kanye West Fashion, Shopping

This s*** cray.
Photo: Product of Privilege/Culture Kings/Price of Fame/Can You Feel It?/MERYSTACHE/BBP/Awkward Breakfast

Did you know Kanye West has a new album coming out next week? It's kind of a small project, and Ye generally downplays everything he does, so it's understandable that you might not have heard about it... JOKES. Yeezus the man and the record have been everywhere for the better part of the past month and definitely this week. From premiering music at Governors Ball to celebrating his birthday with a star-studded party, from his Manhattan album listening party to the New York Times interview heard 'round the world, Kanye has ramped the anticipation for his sixth studio album waaaay up over the last few days. As we broach release week (the album officially drops on Tuesday, remember?), we want to make sure all the true blue Kanye fans are prepared for the coming of Yeezus. Thus, we've wrangled up a haul of the best Yeezy fan merch (affectionately termed around here as "Stan Swag") for your consumption. And don't worry, it's all (relatively) reasonably priced, so you won't be spending everything on Alexander Wang.

Tags Awkward Breakfast, BBP, Big Cartel, Can You Feel It, Culture Kings, Etsy, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Merystache, Price Of Fame, Product Of Privilege, Society 6, Stan Swag, Yeezus, Yeezy

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Is Kanye West Debuting Limited Edition Yeezy 2 Sneakers With 'Yeezus' Album Release?

Posted 5/30/13 2:03 pm EST by Maud Deitch in Kanye West Fashion, Shoes

Could these sneakers be yours someday?
Photo: Getty/@Jsusneaks Instagram

Remember how we mentioned that Kanye West's electrifying performance on Saturday Night Live might also be a subtle debut for a new colorway of his Nike Air Yeezy 2 sneaker? Just in case you were too distracted by the incredible performances, let us refresh your memory: after his debut of "New Slaves" and "Black Skinhead" on the famous late night show, Kanye enthusiasts began to, as we do, unpack his performance look. All-black everything gave way to a pair of bright red kicks that... wait a second, those are Yeezy 2s! But we've never seen the all-red colorway before! And thus, yet another Yeezus-related mystery was born. Today, sneaker heads around the world are abuzz with speculation that the great and powerful Ye may be planning to play rap game Willy Wonka in 1000 copies of his new album, Yeezus, by giving those lucky fans a chance to purchase the shoes. Intrepid British sneaker collector/blogger Jsus Sneaks got his hands on a pair of the all-red kicks, which are pictured complete with the signature Yeezy falcon head and an embossed box (we think), stamped with "June 18, 2013" and an individual number. We think we see where this is going.

Tags Air Yeezy 2, June Eighteen, Kanye West, Limited Edition, Sneakers, Yeezus, Yeezy 2

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What Does Kanye West's 'New Slaves' Reflect About His Relationship With Fashion?

Posted 5/20/13 5:00 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Dudes, Kanye West Fashion, Music Videos

Kanye West performs "New Slaves" on Saturday Night Live.
Photo: Getty Images

If you are, in any way, a Kanye West fan, the likelihood that your weekend was insurmountably OWNED by Yeezy (or rather, by Yeezus) is a good one. Ye kicked off our Friday night with the drop of a new song, "New Slaves," and accompanying visual. A music video of sorts, Team Yeezy didn't just upload the clip to the interwebz; instead he took the "New Slaves" premiere out into the physical universe, setting up viewing sites in some 66 worldwide locations and projecting the visuals onto choice buildings. After a short intro loop of discount price and sale tags, a massive tight-shot of Kanye's face staring squarely into camera and rendered in grayscale, a kind of verse-spitting Yeezy version of Shepard Fairey's OBEY Giant, appeared sprawling on the walls and windows of museums, universities, hotels, landmarks, and (most notably to us) high fashion boutiques and shopping districts across the globe. The track itself is fraught with controversy, its lyrics jarringly blending racism and consumerism, and with projection sites like FIT University, New York's 5th Avenue Prada store, the Chanel boutique on Rodeo Drive, and Versace's Miami house, it's unavoidably clear that fashion is at the center of focus.

Tags Kanye West, Lyrics, Music Videos, New Slaves, Saturday Night Live, SNL

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Kanye West Wore Glimmering Givenchy While Debuting New Song At The Met Gala

Posted 5/7/13 3:02 pm EST by Maud Deitch in Dudes, Kanye West Fashion, Met Gala, Performance Outfits

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West on the 2013 Met Gala red carpet, and Kanye performing at the event.
Photo: Getty/Kim Kardashian's Instagram

Thank you, Kanye West, for offering up new music in as rarefied a setting as the 2013 Met Gala, but thank you more to whomever created Vine for allowing the rest of us to revel in all of the performance's sparkly, masked, screaming glory. Although it's a bit of a bummer that the ultra famous, like A-Trak and Coco Rocha, had to be our conduits to the great and powerful Yeezy, it's true when they say that beggars can't be choosers. (please, Ye, may we have some more?) There are so many things about this performance we need to discuss, it seems possible that by the time we're done unpacking every leathery, iridescent aspect of it, it will be June 18th and whatever mystery Ye has in store for us will be revealed. The kilt! The mask! The gloves! The glitter! I have to admit, I kind of thought Kanye would keep the fashions toned down for the performance, instead letting the mere weight of his presence carry the show, but come on, what was I thinking? He walked the carpet in impeccably tailored Riccardo Tisci, sans tie, with (all due respect) baby-mama Kim Kardashian, also in Tisci, on his arm. But on an evening where everyone was looking for subversion, and any little off-kilter detail added to the eventually-infuriating Möbius strip of is-being-punk-at-the-punk-party-punk-or-is-not-being-punk-at-the-punk-party-punk, Kanye was just his regular old over-the-top self. How punk.

Tags 2013 Met Gala, Costume Institute Benefit Gala, Kanye West, Masks, Met Gala, Vine

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Kanye West, Pharrell, And More To Collab With Nowhere/A Bathing Ape For 20th Anniversary

Posted 4/1/13 6:00 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Celebrity Designers, Dudes, Kanye West Fashion

Nigo, Pharrell, and Kanye West at a pre-VMA party in 2006.
Photo: Getty Images

Twenty years ago today (exactly!), A Bathing Ape designer Nigo opened his very first store "Nowhere" in Harajuku, Tokyo. Since then, BAPE has risen to legendary status as a streetwear mainstay. Over the course of the past twenty years, the label has collaborated with a laundry list of entities from iconic characters (Hello Kitty, SpongeBob Square Pants) to mega brands (Pepsi, MAC) to artist heavy-weights like Kanye West and Pharrell Williams. In celebration of this major 20th anniversary, a select group of 20 artists, including Skateboard P and the (former) Louis Vuitton Don, will collaborate with BAPE on a range of T-shirts and art.

Tags A Bathing Ape, BAPE, Celebrity Designers, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Nigo, NOWHERE, Pharrell

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Wait, Did Kanye West And Giuseppe Zanotti Collaborate On These Men's Sneakers?

Posted 3/26/13 4:03 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Celebrity Designers, Designers, Dudes, Kanye West Fashion, Shoes

Did Kanye West and Giuseppe Zanotti collab on these sneakers?
Photo: Getty Images/Shoebaloo

Welp, I guess it's about time we own up. We need to apologize, to you and to ourselves, for being selfish over here at MTV Style. Sure, we tune in to dude fashion news every now and then, but that happens almost exclusively when ogling is involved. If this latest Kanye West x Giuseppe Zanotti question is any indication of the kinds of things we miss by keeping tunnel vision locked on women's fashion, though, it's high time we start paying closer attention to the wonderful world of menswear. You see, somehow in all our excitement about this duo's collaborative lady shoes, we completely overlooked that these two might have/probably/MAYBE teamed up for some men's sneakers!

Tags Celebrity Designers, Collaborations, Giuseppe Zanotti, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Shoes, Sneakers, Yeezi

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Kanye West Wears Mask To Margiela Paris Fashion Week Show

Posted 1/24/13 11:04 am EST by Gaby Wilson in Accessories, Dudes, Kanye West Fashion, Paris Fashion Week

Kanye West wears a red mask to last night's Maison Martin Margiela Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week show.
Photo: Splash News

Soooo are masks Kanye West's new thing or is the bright red balaclava he wore to Maison Martin Margiela's Paris Haute Couture show last night just his way of trying to beat the cold? We know it's skin-crackingly frigid over here on the East Coast, but this knit face-covering seems a little extreme for the cool 34°F (not even below freezing!!!) the City of Lights caught last night. This meteorological knowledge plus Ye's recent history with masks lead us to believe only one thing: Kanye wore this cherry red ski mask in the name of FASHUN.

Tags Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Maison Martin Margiela, Masks, Paris Fashion Week, Paris Haute Couture

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Kanye West Visits Paris A.P.C. Offices, Shops For Handbags

Posted 1/11/13 12:30 pm EST by Gaby Wilson in Celebrity Designers, Dudes, Kanye West Fashion

Kanye West spotted heading into Paris A.P.C. offices and shopping at Jamin Puech.
Photo: Getty Images

Well well well, look who we found traipsing into the A.P.C. offices in Paris this morning! Kanye West is spending a little time in the City of Lights, you know, per usual, and in typical Yeezy style, this visit is filled with fashion. We know Mr. West is friends with A.P.C. founder Jean Touitou, so it shouldn't come as such a surprise that he's making a pit stop at his workplace while he's in town. In light of the rumors that Kanye and Jean might be working on a collaboration, though, it's hard not to sit up and pay attention.

Tags A.P.C., Collaborations, Jamin Puech, Jean Touitou, Kanye West, Kanye West Fashion, Paris

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