Kanye West Drops New Song, ‘XTCY’ (Listen)

By Jem Aswad

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – Less than two days day after his comparatively sedate appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Kanye West dropped a new song called “XTCY” early Saturday morning.  DJ Clark Kent tweeted a link to the track: “Sitting in the studio with my man [] and he said… ‘Clark, let that new “XTCY” joint go!!!’” West retweeted the link soon afterward.

The song is minimalist, consisting of little more than a bassline, an elaborately looped voice saying the song’s title, West’s vocal and an occasional moan from a woman who kind of sounds like she might be in a state of ecstasy.

The single’s cover art, revealed via download, is a photo of the Kardashian/Jenner sisters from Kylie’s 21st birthday party (also Thursday night), both giving the finger to the camera. The sisters get a mention in the song’s semi-pornographic lyrics:  “You got sick thoughts? I got more of ’em/ You got a sister in law you would smash? I got four of them” (at press time, even the analysts at the lyric site Genius hadn’t touched that one yet). We even get a reprise of the immortal “poopity scoop” from West’s trolling track “Lift Yourself” from May, which was immortalized in a Donald Glover-led “Saturday Night Live” skit later that week.

The song marks West’s first release since his barrage of five albums by or produced by him released within five weeks: Pusha T’s “Daytona,” his own “Ye” — celebrated with an all-star listening session in Wyoming — his Kids See Ghosts collaboration with Kid Cudi, Nas’ “Nasir” and arguably the best of the batch, Teyana Taylor’s “K.T.S.E.”

Download “XTCY” at WeTransfer via DJ Clark Kent’s tweet below.