He previewed it at Sunday's BET Awards and now it's here: Kanye West and Pusha-T have released "New God Flow," a new track West's long-standing fans will appreciate for its College Dropout-like sound.
Indeed, it's the Mr. West of years ago that appears here, hungry and boastful yet dark and soulful. It's a departure from the larger-than-life brags on "Way Too Cold" and the club-friendly but mostly empty rhyming on "Mercy," which proves that though he's always willing to experiment with new styles, West hasn't forgotten the rapper inside of him. It's the artist which spun self-aggrandizing yet honest emotion into yarns like "Jesus Walks" and "Get 'Em High."
"New God Flow" also features one of the better moments in recent swagger history in West's lyric, "I ain't tryin' to stunt man, but these Yeezy's jumped over the Jumpman" (West's claim that his shoes have outpaced the Air Jordan as the ultimate sneaker).
The song starts with a sample from Ghostface Killah's "Mighty Healthy," which quoted Divine Force's 1987 classic "Holy War."
Pusha also makes an able appearance, though much of his two verses focus on delineating his proximity to West ("They said Pusha ain't fit with the umbrella / But I was good with the Yay as a wholesaler / I think it’s good that 'Ye got a blow dealer /A hot temper, matched wth a cold killer / I came aboard for more than just to rhyme with him /Think ’99, when Puff woulda had Shyne with him"). There seems to be a quiet, friendly competition between the likes of Big Sean and Pusha to be G.O.O.D. Music's consigliere, and Pusha seems bent on claiming that position.
"New God Flow" is off the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album Cruel Summer, due out August 7.
"Ye wasn't the only big name to drop tracks on Monday, as Rick Ross debuted "Hold Me Back," a new single off his upcoming God Forgives I Don't (July 31), and Nas pushed out 'Loco-Motive," a song that takes listeners back to his early work as well (off Life Is Good, out July 17). Peep both of those tracks below, followed by Kanye's best videos.
