Kanye West isn’t down for the metaverse. On Monday, the rapper posted a handwritten statement (as opposed to a non-fungible one, of course) where he noted that he’d rather make “real products in the real world” — not NFTs.
“My focus is on building real products in the real world. Real food. Real clothes. Real shelter,” he wrote. “Do not ask me to do a fucking NFT.” But, West left the door open for joining the digital, blockchain fun down the line, adding, “ask me later,” to the end of the note.
In the post’s caption, West wrote, “STOP ASKING ME TO DO NFT’s I’M NOT FINNA CO-SIGN … FOR NOW I’M NOT ON THAT WAVE I MAKE MUSIC AND PRODUCTS IN THE REAL WORLD.”
As far as West’s music is concerned, the rapper is currently at work on his forthcoming album Donda 2 — with accused rapist Marilyn Manson on tap as one of the LP’s collaborators, Rolling Stone revealed Monday. “I see Marilyn a lot in the studio,” producer Digital Nas said. “Like, every day I go to the studio, Marilyn is there working on Donda 2.“
The LP, set for a Feb. 22 release, will likely sample some of Manson’s work. The shock rocker previously collaborated with Ye on 2021’s Donda.
“He wants Marilyn to play what he makes, and then Ye will take parts of that and sample parts of that and use parts of that, like he did [when making] Yeezus,” Nas said.
A Manson rep confirmed that the artist — who is facing four separate lawsuits accusing him of charges including sexual abuse and physical assault — is “continuing his creative collaboration with Ye.”
Digital Nas said West and Manson have “a crazy dynamic.”
“I would have never, ever thought that would happen, but it happened,” he says.
10cc drummer Paul Burgess has announced that he is leaving the band because the demands of touring have become too much for him.
The 75-year-old musician, who also spent time performing with Jethro Tull, Camel, Magna Carta, and The Icicle Works, has chosen to walk away from the legendary rock group after more than five decades.
He shared: “After so many wonderful years with 10cc, I must admit that the rigours of touring are no longer manageable for me as I get older, and I feel it’s time to let go of the long hours in airports and endless travel on buses.
“I’m not planning to stop playing altogether. I will still perform but at a pace that feels right, working alongside old friends and a new group of fellow musicians called The Guilty Men.”
Frontman Graham Gouldman confessed that it will feel unusual to perform without his “longest-running musical associate.”
He explained: “When Paul and I first joined forces in 10cc, we never could have imagined that we’d still be at it after 30 years, let alone 52.
“Paul has been my longest musical partner and it will feel different to turn around and see another drummer, but I completely understand why he no longer wants to sit on a plane for 14 hours or wake up in a new hotel every day for weeks at a time.”
Ben Stone, who has previously played with Mike and The Mechanics and Bonnie Tyler, will be taking over on drums.
Paul, who had several runs with 10cc after joining in 1973, performed his final show with the I’m Not In Love band in Alexandria, Virginia this past September.
The group is set to continue their And Another Bloody Greatest Hits Tour in the UK next year.
