Skip to main content

Kanye West reworked parts of Yeezus on Apple Music

Kanye West reworked parts of Yeezus on Apple Music

Share this story

Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Kanye West's The Life of Pablo still isn't quite finished, but that didn't stop him from releasing it anyway this past February. Instead, West continued to update the album several times after it was already available on streaming services. Now, it seems the rapper has decided to reach back even further into his discography to make a few more late-stage edits. As Spin points out, West has a different version of his 2013 album Yeezus on Apple Music than on other streaming services. This, however, may have been unique to Apple Music from the start.

Back to Yeezus

"Send It Up" features two lines rapped acappella instead of over a beat, and the opening line on "Black Skinhead" has been pitch-shifted. The changes might be borrowed from early track edits or leaks, according to Spin. They're minimal, but noticeable differences, and further proof that as long as he doesn't have to be, Kanye might never be satisfied.

West's editing of past albums, even ones that have been out for several months or years, is an interesting way of rewriting musical history in real time. If you use a streaming service now, an album you listen to one day might not be exactly the same album the next day. In theory, a single album could take dozens of forms and never be completely finished. It also now puts physical album holders in the unique position of owning stable copies of unstable art forms.

Update, 7:10PM ET: Updated to reflect that the mastering differences may not be a recent change to Yeezus. It looks like Apple Music was originally given a different version,