Jay-Z once asked if we wanted an encore and if we wanted more—it looks like Kanye answered it...for himself.
On Thursday night, the second coming (heh...get it, because the self-proclaimed Yeezus has a Jesus complex???) of the listening event for his upcoming 10th studio album Donda was held at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta and as you can imagine, shenanigans ensued. What kind of shenanigans? For example, there was a moment ‘Ye was lifted by ropes so it appeared he was levitating and ascending into “heaven.” That happened.
There are highlights to, um, highlight so allow me to answer a few (assumed) frequently asked questions.
Who Showed Up?
This question is significant because it involves some gossip-laden tea. The grapevine (heh) was buzzing when everyone realized Kim Kardashian once again showed up to the event with the estranged pair’s four children, North, Chicago, Saint and Psalm. Kim donned a masked outfit as a nod to ‘Ye’s theme for the events.
Naturally, her presence was a present (again, heh!) to the gossip mill, who automatically assumed the two were back together again. If you recall correctly, Kim and Kanye are currently undergoing divorce proceedings. We have no actual confirmation on that, however.
What About the Music?
The album boasts new features from Jay-Z, The Weeknd, Pop Smoke, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi and more. Even his late mother Donda is included in the list of features.
What Was the Kanye Kostume This Time?
Donned in all black (yes, including a mask), ‘Ye rocked a bulletproof vest with ‘DONDA” emblazoned across the chest and back.
He also scurried across the stage in a creepy cape, looking like a Kanye-version of the Babadook. A Babadookanye, if you will.
What About COVID-19 Concerns?
While there are still ongoing concerns with the many variants of COVID-19 in relation to large gatherings such as recent music festivals and Kanye’s Mercedes-Benz stadium event, the venue’s official social media account announced on Thursday that the event would also be a site for Pfizer vaccine administration.
Here’s hoping the swarm of unvaccinated folks took them up on the offer—especially since coronavirus cases among those who aren’t vaccinated are on the rise in Georgia.
But, Is The Album Out, Though?!
At the time I’m drafting this very line of this very blog post—approx. 8:24 a.m. ET—Kanye has not yet released Donda for public consumption. In fact, “Where Is Donda” is a current trending topic.
You can, um, preview it at Apple Music, though. I guess.