Kanye, McCartney, Ezra Koenig, Dirty Projectors Recorded an Unreleased Collab

It’s no secret that Kanye West likes collaborating with a wide range of artists to create top-quality tracks. In 2015, West teamed up with Rihanna and Paul McCartney to record “FourFiveSeconds,” which included a bridge from Dirty Projectors’ Dave Longstreth and included writing from Ty Dolla Sign and Dallas Austin. The dynamic mix of folk-rock, pop and soul-pop received a highly positive reception, and has since been covered by artists such as Drake and James Bay.

In a new interview with The N.Y. Times, Longstreth spoke of another track that was recorded, but never used. Apparently, West played Longstreth a recording of McCartney playing around on a Wurlitzer (a kind of electric piano) while West freestyled nonsensical vocals. Longstreth said, “Something he sang sounded sort of like ‘Memories can get you into trouble.’” This line inspired Longstreth and Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend to write a song exploring its potential meaning—“Like, maybe you’re with your girlfriend but thinking of your ex.” Longstreth said West didn’t end up using the Wurlitzer/improv song in the end. However, Longstreth said he found the track quite good, and hopes that maybe something will come of it down the line. We hope so, too.

Watch the music video for “FourFiveSeconds” below, beneath Paste Cloud audio from Dirty Projectors’ 2007 Daytrotter session, and read Paste’s brand-new interview with Longstreth here, in which he discusses the beauty in writing a break-up album.