At six and a quarter minutes in length, the extended new track is just long enough for most fans to forget that the song actually dropped three days late, first hitting the internet Monday because West had to fly to Italy for a fitting for his new clothing line, according to a tweet from wife Kim Kardashian.
An old-school banger with a classic soul-driven guitar hook, the song features extended air time from both of the famed wordsmiths, with Kanye delivering his longest recorded rap verse in almost half a decade.
The sound of the new single marks a distinct return to the beat-driven self-descriptive raps of West’s previous monster LPs Late Registration, College Dropout, and Graduationa, which many fans consider be some of his best work.
With a beat produced by legendary Stones Throw Records producer Madlib, and a guest verse by California’s most famous modern rapper, West throws the best of the new together with the best of the old. In doing so, the musician demonstrates perhaps the most acclaimed element of his longstanding musical success — his ability to cultivate stellar collaborations.
But even with such star-studded partners, it’s nice to see the rapper get less pop-perfect results; No More Parties In L.A. retains a rough-around-the-edges-feel that distances itself from the shimmery post-production magic that listeners heard on more recent releases, like 2013’s Yeezus.
Between Parties and the first release in the latest G.O.O.D. Friday series, Real Friends, there is a lot for old-school Kanye fans to latch onto as of late. And both of these new cuts should reinforce the high hopes of music fans who are looking forward to West’s next record, Swish, due out next month.
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- Listen to Kanye West’s new down-to-earth track Real Friends
