Last night, Hot 97 legend Funkmaster Flex premiered a forceful new Kanye West track.

As Pitchfork note, the track is a collaboration with DJ Khaled, and is titled ‘Theraflu’. DJ Khaled’s hollering might be fast approaching Westwood levels of daftness, but it sets the tone for a bombastic number. The shifty instrumental is cut from the same opulent cloth as ‘Niggas In Paris’: a clattering crunk-indebted beat, spotted with urgent beeps and percussive detail.

Kanye sounds hoarse and strangulated, a la ‘Monster’: he “might even kill somebody and YouTube it”. There’s no chorus, but particular couplets return at irregular intervals – the effect resembles some sort of rap rondo. It also shows Kanye applying his familiar stylistic tics with absolute self-awareness: you get that incredulous, melismatic habit of stretching out a single syllable (“We made it to the Paris neeeeews“), plus moments of inscrutable absurdity (“flyer than a parakeet”). Granted, the pant-a-long at the 2:30 mark is a little weird, but it’s a strong cut that shows Yeezy hasn’t lost his Watch The Throne swagger.

Habitual throne-watchers will also be pleased to know that Kanye’s G.O.O.D Music label is to release a new crew single tomorrow. The track will be called ‘Mercy’, and will feature appearances from Kanye, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz. The track will serve as a taster for a forthcoming album from the G.O.O.D collective. In the meantime, you can listen to ‘Theraflu’ below:

Joseph Morpurgo