WATCH: The leaked music video for Kanye West's 'Black Skinhead' [Updated]
The rapper's provocative new single gets a video that's packed with minimalist, poorly rendered CGI


Kanye West is nothing if not a masterful self-promoter, and in the music video for "Black Skinhead" — the first single from his critically acclaimed new album Yeezus — he's putting himself front and center. The video opens with a chorus of snarling wolves before quickly segueing to a bouncing, poorly rendered CGI Kanye stand-in, who raps along to the song in a black-and-white void as he gradually sheds clothing.
The "Black Skinhead" video, like the rest of Yeezus, appeared with almost none of the promotional pomp and circumstance that typically greets such a high-profile release. In fact, the video seems to have been an unintentional leak; though it originally appeared on an official Universal Music website, the original posting has since been pulled, leaving only copies that have been ripped and reposted by fans. Is this edgy, minimalist CGI treatment appropriate for West's provocative first single, or has West botched his latest promotional push? Judge for yourself here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
UPDATE: In a series of tweets, West confirmed that the video was an unintentional leak, and that a more polished version will be released within the week:
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
-
Why AI means it's more important than ever to check terms and conditions
In The Spotlight WeTransfer row over training AI models on user data shines spotlight on dangers of blindly clicking 'Accept'
-
Mis-sold car finance: who will be entitled to compensation
The Explainer City regulator to launch payout scheme after Supreme Court ruling spares motor industry's 'worst-case scenario'
-
Rosorange: the chic 'love child' of orange wine and rosé
The Week Recommends Peachy to look at and crisp to drink, here's to the wine of the summer