Over the holidays, it was revealed that Kanye West gave a $14 million Miami condominium to his wife Kim Kardashian as a Christmas gift. TMZ has now reported that Kanye is using the new South Beach residence as a recording studio, and inviting artistic collaborators like Lil Wayne, Migos, Timbaland, 2 Chainz, Tee Grizzley and YNW Melly.
2018 was a rough year for Kanye. His relationship with Donald Trump, which began just after his election in 2016 with an early visit to Trump Tower, evolved into Oval Office meetings and public defenses of the MAGA hat. His infamous “Wyoming sessions” yielded a series of weak albums and weird listening parties. He went to Africa and livestreamed speeches about mind control. And through it all, his Twitter rants painted a portrait of an artist in distress, beefing with musicians and with the world.
With this news about a move to Miami, it’s hard not to think back on Kanye’s famous Hawaii sessions in 2010, when he retreated to a remote recording complex with a dream team of artistic collaborators and made My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Whether or not the Miami condo sessions will improve on the sound of last year’s ye has yet to be seen.
