Last week, we told you that the years-long feud between Drizzy Drake and Kanye West—now “Ye”—had ended, thanks in large part to J Prince.
Now it seems the beef has really been cooked as the two hip-hop icons are set to join each other for a free benefit concert in Los Angeles. Per Variety, the event is set to be held at the Los Angeles Coliseum in order to “raise awareness and support for Larry Hoover and the cause of prison and sentencing reform.” This marks the first time in years that the two have performed together and Drake’s first appearance since the tragedy at Astroworld earlier this month.
“With Ye, Drake and J Prince united to advocate for my father’s release, we can take our plea for redemption worldwide and show that we are truly stronger together on behalf of any and everyone with a love one wrong or unjustly incarcerated. Free my father!” said Larry Hoover Jr. in a statement.
Added the artist formerly known as Kanye West: “I believe this event will not only bring awareness to our cause but prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride aside and come together,”
In 2018, under the Trump administration, Yeezy tried and failed to get clemency granted for Hoover for his multiple life sentences. Co-founder of the Chicago-based gang Gangster Disciples, Hoover was found guilty of extortion, money laundering, murder and more back in 1997.
Hip-Hop Wired has more on Hoover:
Larry Hoover was born in Jackson, Mississippi on November 30, 1950. He and his family moved to Chicago when Hoover was four years old. He got into the street life at age 13, joining up with the Supreme Gangsters crew and rising through their ranks to obtain a role of leadership. In 1969, he’d ally himself with another rival, David Barksdale, and his crew to form the Black Gangster Disciple Nation. Hoover and the Gangster Disciples would dominate the South Side of Chicago, but in 1973 he and another member were charged with the murder of a dealer named William Young who was reportedly stealing from them. Hoover and the other suspect would receive a sentence of 150 to 200 years, serving time in the Statesville Correctional Facility.
In 1974, Hoover assumed the role of leader after Barksdale died from injuries sustained in an earlier shooting. He oversaw the expansion of the Gangster Disciples outside of prison and in Statesville, compelling the warden’s office to look to him as someone who could help quell violence in the institution. Hoover began to instill reforms in the organization, even renouncing violence in 1993 which helped him gain popularity back in Chicago as they supported community rebuilding and peaceful protests. He even stated that “GD” now stood for “Growth & Development”, and helped create a music label and a nonprofit organization that helped register voters. Hoover also mandated that every member get an education and learn a trade in order to be affiliated. But in 1995, Hoover was indicted on charges of continuing to run a criminal enterprise after a 17-year investigation using wiretaps and is now serving his sentence in a federal supermax prison facility in Colorado.
Tickets for the benefit concert are on sale now.