Entertainment

Kanye's "Famous" Has New Lyrics

by Loretta Donelan

Considering all the little changes the album went through leading up to its release, it's honestly surprising that The Life of Pablo hasn't seen more evolutions. Many people wondered if Kanye West's new record was still unfinished when it was finally released, and indeed, a few weeks after, it seems that West has changed some of The Life of Pablo's lyrics and sounds. There aren't any major differences between the newest version and the one released last month, but the fact that West posted remastered versions over the weekend suggests that the album is still a work in progress.

As for how the edits are still happening, the fact that West has only released his album to stream on Tidal, rather than in the more finished product of a CD or even an iTunes download, allows him to continually make edits if he so wishes. One of the biggest changes he's made so far is releasing a remastered version of "Famous" with one different lyric. If you're thinking he bowed to pressure, don't — he still thinks he and Taylor Swift might still have sex some day (ugh). The lyric West actually changed was originally "she be Puerto Rican day parade wavin'/last month I helped her with her car payment." He switched it to "she in school to be a real estate agent/last month I helped her with her car payment." Whether the singer changed the lyric for personal reasons or because he liked his new lyric better remains unclear; the song is one of the few things he hasn't talked about on Twitter recently.

Another small change? The name of one song, from "Silver Surfer Intermission" to" Siiiiiiiiilver Surffffeeeer Intermission." Well, then. Will West continue to tweak his new album with unceremonious uploads? He recently promised that he would release three albums a year, so he can't be too finicky if he decides to stick to that goal. Personally, I feel that he shouldn't make any more changes, and instead leave the album relatively intact. Then again, he is a perfectionist — perhaps he simply can't help himself.

And maybe it is actually for the best. Recently, West tweeted that he is trying to kill the CD format and will only release future albums for streaming. While it would be naive to assume that West will stick to his promise, the act of releasing an album not as a finished product but as a living, breathing, ever-improving artifact somehow makes perfect sense for an artist who seems to change his mind a few dozen times a day. Time will tell if the "Famous" change will be a singular one or part of an ever-evolving musical project.