Takashi Murakami has created the album art for Kanye West’s new joint album with Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghosts. Cudi revealed the new art in an early morning Tweet.

This is the second collaboration between West and Murakami, who previously designed the cover of West’s hit 2007 album Graduation.

Takashi Murakami, Kids See Ghosts album art for Kanye West and Kid Cudi's new group of the same name. Courtesy of the artist.

Takashi Murakami, Kids See Ghosts album art for Kanye West and Kid Cudi’s new group of the same name. Via @KidCudi on Twitter.

The announcement, along with the release earlier this month of Ye, West’s eighth album, puts the spotlight back on the rapper’s music. He has recently been the subject of controversy for wearing a Make America Great Again hat and saying that slavery was a choice.

His strange behavior sparked a conspiracy theory that West was actually creating an elaborate piece of performance art.

Rumors that Cudi was collaborating with West arose in July 2017, when they were seen together leaving a Los Angeles recording studio. The following month, Murakami posted a photograph with the two musicians in his studio on Instagram.

West confirmed the project with a series of Tweets in April. “Me and Cudi album June 8th,” he wrote. “It’s called Kids See Ghosts. That’s the name of our group.” Around the same time, he posted what appeared to be concept art for the new band by Murakami.

Takashi Murakami's album art for Kanye West's <em>Graduation</em>. Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Takashi Murakami’s album art for Kanye West’s Graduation. Courtesy of Roc-A-Fella Records.

It was West who first approached Murakami about working together more than a decade ago and asked to visit the artist in his studio. “He want to see my big-breast sculpture [Hiropon],” Murakami recalled last year, speaking to Complex. “I want to say no, and I also never know who is Kanye West.”

The meeting happened anyway, and three months later Murakami got the call that West wanted an album design for Graduation. “Kanye West is the greatest artist because he is exactly a psycho and he can make a big hit,” the artist added.

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