cool things about You're Dead!:
The album was originally called Jodorowsky—a nod to Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, whose movies often deal with the subject of death (a recurring theme on an album called You're Dead!)
"Never Catch Me", which features Kendrick Lamar, was recorded at Ellison's home. Kendrick "came alone," he said, "With a hoodie over his head. Ready to work. He wrote it on the spot and laid it down."
Earl Sweatshirt can be heard "saying shit n the background sometimes" on "Dead Man's Tetris".
Snoop Dogg's appearance on "Dead Man's Tetris" "almost didn't work," so he had to "rework the beat." Ellison said Snoop was "really into the concept," and asked if Ellison knew that he'd made "a song like this" called "Murder Was the Case". Ellison's response: "ummm. Yea I heard of it"
Some of the beats were almost given away to other artists. Ellison says Mac Miller wanted "Coronus, the Terminator", while "Siren Song" "was originally intended for Pharrell." (As he said in an interview with Pitchfork, "I think the concept of the album was kind of off-putting to him because he's, for lack of a better word, happy. You’re Dead! might've been a little much.)
There's a version of "Ready Err Not" that features Chance the Rapper freestyling over the beat. "I sometimes play it in my live show," Ellison said, so keep an ear out. A video for "Ready Err Not" is in the works, by "one of my favorite animators of all time."
The beat for "Eyes Above" was made with FKA twigs and Niki Randa in the studio. Also, Kendrick recorded a verse "that can't come out I guess." Ellison added, "'Eyes Above' without Kendrick still breaks my heart." (In an interview with Pitchfork, Ellison said it was removed for "political reasons.")
Another version of "Obligatory Cadence" exists, featuring Ellison "singing about a dream I had once about a deity who took me into the clouds and showed me a world without darkness."
Ellison also shared this larger statement about the motivation behind the album: "I knew that when I set out to make this record I'd lose some people with the concept but I didn't do this shit to be crowd pleasing. What ever happens, I know I did what I set out to do. With minor heartbreaks. Truth be told going the 'easy way' is tempting sometimes but I was like fuck it I'm gonna make something only I can put together. A lil self indulgent? absolutely. Thats kinda the point. If you ask me. I had to tell my story!"
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