Toyomu — "Imagining 'The Life Of Pablo'" (Self-released)
Up until the first week of April, U.S. rapper Kanye West's latest full-length, "The Life of Pablo," could only be heard on the streaming service Tidal — a platform unavailable in Japan. Kyoto electronic producer Toyomu decided that, instead of hitting the torrents, he'd just create his own version of the album.
Enter "Imagining 'The Life of Pablo,' " a collection pieced together from the same samples and lyrics of West's original, but one that sounds nothing like it, primarily because Toyomu himself didn't hear any of it while creating his work. It gained attention from overseas, but a lot of that is due to anything with "Kanye" in the headline turning into a click bonanza.