Kanye West Debuts “New Slaves”: Watch

Christina Lee | May 18, 2013 8:11 am

“I’d rather be a dick than a swallower,” Kanye West raps in “New Slaves,” a song he debuted Friday night. West premiered the song in 10 different cities by projecting a clip onto 66 different buildings, a video of him staring straight ahead. The rapper was calm, but his words were harsh.

“New Slaves” brings West’s February gigs in London to mind and how, to the tune of “Clique,” the G.O.O.D. Music honcho mocked corporations (“I can’t give a fuck about your comments, I promise, I promise”) as he rambled of the Grammys, “the whole Beyonce thing” and Jay-Z‘s cameo in Justin Timberlake‘s “Suit & Tie.” To the spare beat of “New Slaves,” West hits harder at the same target. 

“My mama was raised in the era when / Clean water was only served to the fairer skin/ Threw on clothes, you would’ve thought I had help/ But they wasn’t satisfied unless I picked the cotton myself,” West raps, before casting accusations of how corporations entice rap’s new signees: new Maybach keys, if not the same chain.

Wherever his public ratings may lie, it’s clearer than ever that Yeezy doesn’t care — he will be seen and heard.

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