Kanye West premieres new album DONDA – including Jay-Z surprise
Kanye West held an album launch party in Atlanta for his 10th studio album – DONDA. The sold-out listening party was held at the Mercedes Benz Arena for the album named after his late mother.
It is a follow-up to his 2019 album Jesus is King.
Collaborations on the album include Pusha T, Lil Baby and Travis Scott but it was Jay-Z’s entrance for the final song that surprised many fans.
It marks the first time Jay Z and Kanye have worked together since appearing on Drake’s Pop Style in 2016 and before that, in 2011 they worked on the hit album Watch The Throne.
Jay-Z’s verse on the final song included a reference to a “red cap” – a note to West wearing a Donald Trump MAGA hat, as well as teasing more work with West.
“I told him to stop all that red cap, we going home,” Jay-Z rapped.
“This might be the return of the Throne. Hova and Yeezus like Moses and Jesus.”
Producer and DJ Young Guru, who has worked on Watch The Throne, claimed on Twitter that Jay-Z recorded his verse at 4 pm on Thursday, just hours before the launch.
As the album played, West performed at the centre of the stadium without a microphone, and the album included samples of his mother’s voice featuring throughout.
West’s mother, a professor of English, died in 2007 aged 58 after complications from cosmetic surgery.
The fifth song, which was introduced with a spoken word excerpt from Gwendolyn Brooks, featured Travis Scott and Baby Keem.
In the sixth song he sang about “losing my family” and the seventh song included a feature from Lil Baby.
Other features include Lil Durk despite previously saying he “missed the jet”, and an appearance from the late Pop Smoke, who was murdered last year.
Despite hosting the listening party, the album is yet to appear on streaming platforms.
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