Yeezus is the sixth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. Fifteen days before its release date, West enlisted the help of producer Rick Rubin to strip down the sound of Yeezus in favor of a more minimalist approach.
The album has been characterized as West's most experimental and sonically abrasive work. It draws from an array of genres , including industrial , acid house , electro , punk , and Chicago drill. West's unconventional use of samples is also present, as on " Blood on the Leaves ", which contains a sample from Nina Simone 's rendition of " Strange Fruit ". The physical CD edition was released in a clear jewel box with only a strip of red tape and sample credits.
Initial promotion included worldwide video projections of the music and live television performances. West released two singles from the album; " Black Skinhead " in July and " Bound 2 " the following month. The release of Yeezus coincided with that of rapper J. Cole 's album Born Sinner , which was moved back a week to coincide with Yeezus ' release, leading to speculation about which release would sell more copies. Yeezus received widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom named it among West's best work and commended its brash direction, though public response was divided.
The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard , selling , copies in the first week of release, while also topping the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, New Zealand, Russia and the United Kingdom. It has since been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA , and was named by several publications as one of the best albums of the s, including Rolling Stone , who later included it at on its list of the Greatest Albums of All Time. West was influenced primarily by minimalist design and architecture during the production of Yeezus , and visited a furniture exhibit in the Louvre five times.
In , West began recording his sixth studio album with collaborators, including No I. West kept compositions simple in order to hear the tracks more clearly; too much bass or complexity would simply overpower the room's poor acoustics.
