After Kanye West unveiled his Paul McCartney-featuring ballad “Only One” on New Year’s Day, a spokesperson for the rapper said the track was the first of “what has become a prolific musical collaboration between these two legendary artists.” According to singer/producer Ty Dolla $ign, who provided background vocals on “Only One,” the next Paul McCartney/Kanye West song is “gonna drop soon” and it will also feature Rihanna.
“Me, Rihanna, ‘Ye and Paul got a song about to drop as well,” Ty Dolla $ign told Billboard. “It’s gonna drop soon. I heard they shot the video recently. I don’t know what the final title is, but I know it’s crazy so just be looking out for [it].” He added that the song will also likely appear on West’s upcoming album. As The Daily Mail noted, West and Rihanna were spotted leaving a “secret photo shoot” in New York City on December 23rd wearing matching combat boots.
Ty Dolla $ign also talked about his own prolific sessions with Kanye. “[In] like 24 hours, [we recorded] seven songs or nine songs that day. I was like, ‘I’m here with Kanye, I’m not gonna waste my time,'” Ty Dolla $ign told Billboard. “He was open to my input, like, ‘Do whatever you want to do. Here’s your mic. Do you need anything?’ I’m like ‘Awesome! Let’s get it!'” One of the songs West and Ty Dolla $ign worked on during that marathon session was “Only One.”
A statement that accompanied “Only One” revealed that the song was born out of “a simple brainstorming session between the two, with McCartney improvising on the keyboards and Kanye vocally sketching and shaping ideas in a stream-of-consciousness riff.” McCartney and West first began working together earlier last year in Los Angeles.
“Kanye sat there with his family, holding his daughter North on his lap, and listened to his vocals, singing, ‘Hello, my only one..,'” the statement said. “And in that moment, not only could he not recall having sung those words, but he realized that perhaps the words had never really come from him. The process of artistic creation is one that does not involve thinking, but often channeling. And he understood in that moment that his late mother, Dr. Donda West, who was also his mentor, confidante, and best friend, had spoken through him that day.”
