The Black Eyed Peas' Will.I.Am is producing U2's new album, according to Kanye West.
As a piece of news, it seems blatantly false. Yes, U2 have been working for ages on the tentatively titled No Line On the Horizon. But they have been working for ages with the pristine talents of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois – why would they swap these illustrious talents for the man who brought the world My Humps?
And yet, well, why would Kanye lie? Yesterday's blog declaration was relatively unequivocal. "WILL.I.AM IS PRODUCING ON U2'S NEXT ALBUM," Kanye wrote, caps lock key evidently stuck. "I'M SURE IT WILL BE DOPE AS SHIT JUDGING FROM THE CRAZY BEATS HE'S DONE IN THE PAST 3 YEARS!"
However, the neon-sunglassed rapper did not say that Will.I.Am had taken over for Eno and Lanois. But neither did he say that Will.I.Am had stumbled into the studio and accidentally flipped a switch. Unless Kanye West is just misinformed (and this is possible), we surmise Will.I.Am is just working on one song. Or a B-side. Or a remix. Or, er, a practical joke?
To be frank, a Will.I.Am take on U2 is the most abhorrent idea we have heard this year – and the year is almost over. We are great fans of Kanye but when it comes to Mr I.Am we must respectfully disagree. The man's production makes us snooze, and any team-up with U2 will, we are certain, make us want to crawl under the duvet in the foetal position. Just to make it go away. Also – is Bono going to rap?!
