Kanye West almost rapped on James Blake's album

Kanye West almost featured on James Blake's new album 'The Colour in Anything'.

The 'Bound 2' hitmaker was to rap on a verse of the song 'Timeless', but it didn't happen because Kanye was preoccupied with his own LP 'The Life of Pablo'.

At the time Kanye, 38, and his wife Kim Kardashian West were also waiting for their son Saint - a younger brother for their two-year-old daughter North - to be born.

Blake, 27, decided not to pursue Kanye on his contribution as he accepted he was too busy to do it.

Asked why the collaboration didn't surmise, Blake explained: "I don't really know how to describe how that didn't work out.

"I wanted Kanye to be on the song 'Timeless', but the verse didn't materialise. I think a huge swath of things happened in his life, and I just stayed out of it."

During the recording process, the 'Retrograde' hitmaker found a new tone for the LP and decided a rap from Kanye - who named Blake as his favourite artist in 2012 - wouldn't fit in with the sound of the rest of the tracks.

Blake - who released 'The Colour in Anything' by surprise on Thursday (05.05.16) - told Pitchfork: "Eventually, the mood of the album changed, and in the end I don't think it would have fit. But I didn't say I was working with Kanye just so people would get interested - I really wanted him to be on it."