James Blake Plots Kanye West Collabo for New Album

James Blake | Photo Credit: Henry Laurisch / Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

When Rolling Stone spoke to Kanye West and James Blake in February about their mutual admiration for one another, it seemed like the rapper was pursuing the singer to appear on the follow-up to Yeezus, since he considered Blake to be his “favorite artist.” As it turns out, Blake was just as keen on recruiting West for his own upcoming LP. The British crooner tells the Miami New Times that he expects the rapper to drop by on his follow-up to 2013’s Overgrown, and that the album could arrive within five months.

Blake has picked up a temporary side gig as a BBC DJ in recent months, and he often uses his block to premiere new tunes he’s recorded, like “Building It Still” and “40455.” Blake also anticipates his next album should arrive in the first half of 2015.

“I’m probably about 70 percent done with it. I’m working hard and doing my best — I’m aware that people want to hear this record, so I’m not being complacent,” Blake said. “I should hope that [the new album] will be a step on, as much as the second one was to the first. I guess I’ve taken a focus on the songwriting again, even more closely, and I’m dabbling in some different production techniques, things I’ve developed.”