Late Monday, Kanye West‘s “Black Skinhead” video premiered … or at least, we think it did.
After all, the clip in question — which features a CGI-version of West flailing and wailing, morphing into a silvery demon and even going full-frontal — is very much in keeping with the aesthetics and the angst the rapper has used when performing the song on and in concert. It begins with the same nightmarish visuals (snarling Dobermans, black KKK hoods, etc.) and burns with the same fury of his fiery “SNL” take. So, on one hand, it certainly seems like the real deal.
On the other hand, the “Skinhead” video never actually appeared on West’s official site (as of this writing, he’s still pimping his collaboration with French clothing line A.P.C.), and the normally verbose ‘Ye has remained silent about it on Twitter. The link that was making the rounds on Monday took fans to a Universal Music Group “development” page that has since been password protected, and MTV News could not reach West’s rep for comment about the clip.
So, was the “Black Skinhead” clip a fan-made hoax — a la the fake trailer for West’s Cruel Winter album — an accidental leak of an unfinished final project, or an early preview of the official video? There’s been no confirmation from Kanye’s camp, but that hasn’t stopped the Internet from believing it to be authentic, and analyzing every digital inch (and yes, we’re mainly talking about West’s CGI-ed weiner).
There have been plenty of jokes made about Digital Kanye’s super-buff physique, and several folks have pointed out his resemblance to a 2K Sports athlete or a Sims character. Some have taken issue with just how unfinished the video seems to be, while others have praised ‘Ye for changing up the game once again with his raw new video.
Regardless, we’re still not sure what to make of the “Skinhead” video, except to say this: If it’s real, it’s definitely confrontational, and after spending months telling anyone who would listen that there would be no singles released off Yeezus, you’d expect nothing less from West. If he’s going to be forced to drop a video, it’s damn sure going to be on his own terms … which means that, no, he’s not actually going to appear in it and, yes, it will most certainly give you nightmares.
After all, that’s been his mantra since the very first time he performed “Black Skinhead” — Like you’d expect fatherhood or another #1 album to mellow him out any.
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