Can U Be
| "Can U Be" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kanye West featuring Travis Scott | |
| Released | May 26, 2024 (leak) |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
"Can U Be" (also known as "Pressure") is an unreleased song by the American rapper Kanye West, featuring the American rapper Travis Scott. Initially previewed in 2016 by Scott, multiple snippets of the song leaked online from 2015-2024. However, the full version of the track remained unreleased until June 2024. At that time, a group of fans organized a crowdfunding campaign and raised USD$25,000 to purchase the song from a music leaker, resulting in its first complete public release.
Background and leaks[edit]
"Can U Be" was first publicly previewed by Scott in an Instagram post in 2016, where he posted a video of West dancing to the song.[1] The track was originally intended to be included on Kanye West's 2016 album, The Life of Pablo. However, it was ultimately scrapped. According to producer Keyon Christ, West and the album's executive producer Sounwave felt that the song was too futuristic for the album's overall sound.[2] In 2017, hackers MusicMafia leaked snippets of several West songs, including "Can U Be." They also asked for money in exchange for fully leaking the songs. However, they never reached their goal and the songs remained unreleased in full.[3][4]
In November 2023, the American streamer Adin Ross claimed to have purchased the full song for $200,000, before realizing he was scammed and it was a product of artificial intelligence.[5] In May 2023, Ross claimed that West had given him the full version of "Can U Be." Ross previewed a higher quality version of the track, which included new lyrics.[6] On May 26, 2024, a crowdfunding campaign known as a "group buy" was started on the online messaging platform Discord in order to purchase the song from a music leaker for $25,000. The goal was reached that same day and "Can U Be" was released in full for the first time, alongside several other leaked songs.[7][8][9]
References[edit]
- ^ Mansfield, Aaron C.; Isava, Nelson. "Two Kanye West Tracks With Young Thug, Migos, and ASAP Rocky Surface". Complex. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Brain, Eric (December 10, 2021). "Kanye West's Unreleased 'TLOP' Track "Can U Be/Forever Mitus" Is Being Sold as an NFT". Hypebeast. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Platon, Adelle (June 5, 2017). "Three Unreleased Kanye West Songs with Migos, A$AP Rocky & Young Thug Leak". Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Cush, Andy (June 17, 2017). "Who Is Music Mafia, the Hacker Group That Is Leaking Kanye West Songs For Bitcoins?". Spin. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
- ^ Cole, Alexander (November 7, 2023). "Adin Ross Pays $200K For Unreleased Kanye West & Travis Scott Song, Allegedly Gets Scammed Instead". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Fisher, Caroline (May 22, 2024). "Kanye West Allegedly Gives Adin Ross Unreleased Track, He Plays It On Stream". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Singh, Karan (May 28, 2024). "Kanye West, Travis Scott, A$AP Rocky & More Have Hundreds Of Unreleased Songs Leak Online". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Cole, Alexander (May 27, 2024). "Kanye West, Travis Scott, Gunna, & More Were The Victims Of Massive Song Leak". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie Cummings-GradyMackenzie (May 28, 2024). "Hundreds of Leaked Songs From Ye, Kendrick Lamar, Travis Scott and More Randomly Appear Online". XXL. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
