The ‘Jesus Walks’ rapper spoke of the planned change during a radio interview in 2018, explaining: “I believe ‘ye’ is the most commonly used word in the Bible, and in the Bible it means you. So I’m you, I’m us, it’s us.”

West went on to say that his name “went from Kanye, which means the only one, to just Ye – just being a reflection of our good, our bad, our confused, everything.”

Back in 2019, West considered changing his name to ‘Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West’, but didn’t follow through with the idea.

Kanye West. CREDIT: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

West’s name change follows the arrival of his long-teased album, ‘DONDA’. In a three-star review, NME‘s Rhian Daly said of the album: “The rapper’s 10th album follows an odyssey of delays and bizarre not-quite-release parties, the result merely punctuated with moments of brilliance.”

Earlier this month, the rapper’s manager Bu Thiam confirmed the album would be released following the third listening event in Chicago on Thursday (August 26). The event will also be live-streamed on Apple Music.

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Earlier this month, West earned his first ever Diamond certification, with ‘Stronger’ surpassing the 10 million sales mark.

Released in 2007 from West’s third album ‘Graduation’, the track has reached the milestone 14 years later.

Meanwhile, it’s been announced that an “intimate” new documentary about West, titled jeen-yuhs, is coming to Netflix next year.

jeen-yus was directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah and will capture two decades of the rapper’s life and career. It promises to showcase “both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist”.

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Earlier this year, it was revealed just 58 songs have been certified Diamond, which is the Recording Industry Association of America highest honour and is worth the equivalent of ten Platinum plaques. Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ was the fastest song to ever earn the classification while tracks by Justin Bieber (‘Baby’, ‘Sorry’), Eminem (‘Not Afraid’, ‘Lose Yourself’), Lady Gaga (‘Poker Face’, ‘Bad Romance’) and Drake (‘God’s Plan’) have also achieved the milestone.

West also recently announced he is looking at expanding his empire of fashion and music.

According to legal documents, the rapper submitted papermark to trademark the name ‘DONDA’ for use on a range of tech products including tablets, smart watches and earphones.

He’s also made similar moves to trademark his name to create Kanye West branded blankets.

Meanwhile, it’s been announced that an “intimate” new documentary about West, titled jeen-yuhs, is coming to Netflix next year.

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jeen-yus was directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah and will capture two decades of the rapper’s life and career. It promises to showcase “both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist”.

In other news, Tyler, The Creator recently thanked artists like West for paving the way for him in a speech after the rapper won the inaugural Rock the Bells Cultural Influence Award at the 2021 BET Hip Hop Awards.

“​​I definitely think I’ve created my own path but it’s the people who allowed me to understand that I can do that, who laid the blueprint,” said Tyler before shouting out likes of Missy Elliot, Kanye West, Q-Tip, Andre 3000, Chad Hugo, Pharrell Williams, Busta Rhymes and Hype Williams.

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“I always get teared up when he says that because this thing that’s a hobby, a passion or a pastime for us, for a lot of people in here, that shit kept us out of trouble. And it allowed us to change our family’s lives, our friend’s lives, our lives,” he continued.

“With Rap, it’s like a pathway for a lot of us to really just go, to leave, to experience new shit that we’re really not allowed to see or shown from where we grow up.”

Tyler went on to add: “​​I definitely think I’ve created my own path but it’s the people who allowed me to understand that I can do that, who laid the blueprint. For everyone it’s different but I wouldn’t be here, or up on this stage, or have this silly hat, or anything without the Q-Tip’s, the Andre 3000’s, the Chad Hugo’s, the Pharrell’s, the Kanye West’s, and the Missy Elliot’s who no one ever brings up.”

He then went on to shout out Busta Rhymes and Hype Williams before he said: ”I appreciate those names, and others I didn’t mention because I’m limited on time, but I appreciate you all so much for opening the doors and throwing the key. Not just opening the door but talking to young guys like me.”

The rapper finished by telling the room, “everyone keep thriving, keep doing your shit.”

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Tyler released his new album ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ earlier this year where it topped the Billboard 200 Chart.

He also recently announced a tour of North America as well as Australia and New Zealand

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It follows on from West’s company, Mascotte Holdings, Inc. filing a similar trademark application to brand a range of homeware products with West’s name. The documents specify West wanting his own brand of blankets, made from a variety of cashmere, fleece and silk.

‘DONDA’, Kanye West’s 10th solo studio album, was released in August and named after his late mother, who passed away in 2007.

While it was a blockbuster affair packed with 27 tracks, there have been reports that there was a lot more music made for it.

Soulja Boy revealed that West asked him to work on ‘DONDA’, yet never included his contributions, while Chris Brown called West a “whole hoe” for not including his entire verse written for ‘New Again’, before his contribution was removed completely.

According to Nikolai Skrobat, a sound engineer for West, “this album is not finished yet. That is, it came out, but it is quite possible that after some time we will hear a different sound, options, themes, films,” he said in a statement shared by a Kanye West fan account on Twitter.

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He continued: “Now ‘Donda’ is out, and I’m working on his old tracks, because West wanted to go through all the archive and make a playlist of forgotten tracks. There are a lot of them. Therefore, in the near future I will work in this direction.”

Meanwhile, an “intimate” new documentary about Kanye West, titled jeen-yuhs, is coming to Netflix.

Jeen-yus was directed by Coodie Simmons and Chike Ozah and will capture two decades of the rapper’s life and career. It promises to showcase “both his formative days trying to break through and his life today as a global brand and artist”.

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Now, according to Nikolai Skrobat, a sound engineer for West, the ‘Jesus Walks’ rapper is working on a playlist that might feature some unreleased material from ‘DONDA’.

“Actually this album is not finished yet,” Skrobat said in a statement shared by a Kanye West fan account on Twitter. “That is, it came out, but it is quite possible that after some time we will hear a different sound, options. themes, films.

He continued: “Now ‘Donda’ is out, and I’m working on his old tracks, because West wanted to go through all the archive and make a playlist of forgotten tracks. There are a lot of them. Therefore, in the near future I will work in this direction.”

You can see the tweet below:

Nikolai Skrobat, a sound engineer for @KanyeWest, says that #DONDA is actually "not finished yet" and that Ye wants to go through all the archives and make a playlist of forgotten tracks. pic.twitter.com/hesVnNIkIX

— Photos Of Kanye West (@PhotosOfKanye) September 22, 2021

Whether the aforementioned tracks with Brown, Soulja Boy and Andre 3000 will feature is not yet known. West has not confirmed the playlist or what will be included.

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Earlier this month, Todd Rundgren vented his frustration over working with Kanye West on ‘DONDA’.

According to Rundgren he contributed to the record over a year and amassed “three albums worth of Kanye stems on my computer.”

“I didn’t mind working on his gospel stuff. If you want to sing about Jesus, go ahead, I don’t care. I’ll help ya do it, you know? If you want to sing about your troubles with your wife, go ahead and do it. I don’t care,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock of the early sessions.

But over time Rundgren said he grew frustrated with West. “When it got into the homestretch in July, I just said, ‘That’s enough for me. I have no idea whether any of this is being used.’ You don’t get much feedback from him regarding what it is,” he said.

“If I can contribute something, fine. If I can’t, just let me know. I’m out of here… There is a possibility that I’m actually in there somewhere. There’s so much junk in that record!”

Meanwhile, West recently shared a film clip for ‘Donda Chant’, the opening track to ‘DONDA’.

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“I didn’t mind working on his gospel stuff. If you want to sing about Jesus, go ahead, I don’t care. I’ll help ya do it, you know? If you want to sing about your troubles with your wife, go ahead and do it. I don’t care,” he said of the early sessions.

But over time Rundgren said he grew frustrated with West. “When it got into the homestretch in July, I just said, ‘That’s enough for me. I have no idea whether any of this is being used.’ You don’t get much feedback from him regarding what it is,” he told Ultimate Classic Rock.

“If I can contribute something, fine. If I can’t, just let me know. I’m out of here… There is a possibility that I’m actually in there somewhere. There’s so much junk in that record!”

Kanye West and Drake. CREDIT: Jeff Kravitz/Prince Williams/Getty Images.

He also criticised West for rush-releasing the album so he could release it before Drake‘s ‘Certified Lover Boy’.

“He was too afraid that Drake would one-up him, so he hurried up and released the album the weekend before Drake could get his out,” Rundgren added. “And in the end, Drake ate his lunch anyway.” ‘Certified Lover Boy’ outstreamed ‘DONDA’ in just three days in the US.

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He continued: “He’s just a dilettante at this point. Nobody would regularly make records like that unless they had stupid money to throw around. Nobody rents a stadium to make a record in. Nobody flies in the entire world of hip-hop just to croak one syllable, just so you can say that everybody was on it.”

Read NME‘s three-star review of West’s ‘DONDA’ here.

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During his verse, West appears to take shots at Drake, detailing a recently surfaced text exchange between himself, the Toronto rapper and fashion designer Virgil Abloh.

“I put Virgil and Drake on the same text/ And it wasn’t about the matching arc’teryx or Kid Cudi dress/ Just told these grown men stop it with the funny shit/ I might hire the whole team from ACG/So don’t text me like I’m Juanita JCV,” Ye raps on the track.

Towards the end of his verse, he issues a warning to Drake while also mentioning his infamous MAGA hat: “Told Drake don’t play with me on GD/ And he sent that message to everybody/ So if I hit you with a ‘WYD’/ You better hit me with, ‘Yes sir, I’m writing everything you need’/ I told you I was gonna take the summer back/ So any of the cap, won’t take none of that/ Where my muthafuckin’ red hat?”

Listen to the ‘Life Of The Party’ below:

A post shared by 🔥Bars Central🔥 (@barscentral)

Elsewhere on ‘Life Of The Party’, the ever elusive Andre 3000 delivers a mind-blowing performance that hears him ask West’s late mother, Ms. Donda West – who Kanye’s new album is named after – to share his messages of love to his own mother, Sharon Benjamin Hodo, who passed away in 2013.

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“Miss Donda, if you see my mama, tell her I’m lost/ You see, she’d always light a cigarette, we talk, I would cough/ Exaggeratin’ a little bit so she get the point/ Tryna get her to stop smokin’, I would leave and fire up a joint/ Till I quit, started back up again, 20 years later,” he raps.

Last month, Drake and Kanye West reignited their on-and-off feud – which itself dates back to 2009 – when Drake took shots at West and Pusha T on ‘Betrayal’, a new collaboration with Trippie Redd.

West appeared to respond by calling Drake out in a group text, writing: “I live for this. I’ve been fucked with by nerd ass jock n****s like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you.” West then later leaked the rapper’s home address in an Instagram post, before quickly deleting it.

Earlier this week, West spammed Drake‘s hometown of Toronto with huge billboards advertising his new album ‘DONDA’.

Meanwhile, Drake fans have been reacting to the rapper’s use of Right Said Fred‘s ‘I’m Too Sexy’ on one of the tracks featured on his new album, ‘Certified Lover Boy’.

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In a since deleted tweet, the Peppa account wrote: “Peppa didn’t need to host listening parties in Mercedes-Benz Stadium to get that .5.”

You can see some of the fan reaction to the moment below.

Nah lol not Peppa Pig throwing shade at Kanye 😂😭😂😭 pic.twitter.com/CyCKpQYSX4

— TYE (@WhosTYE) September 1, 2021

👑

— Peppa Pig Official (@peppapig) September 1, 2021

Just heard @peppapig is gonna get @souljaboy on the next record for a Kanye diss. 🤯🤯🤯

— certified melon boy (@theneedledrop) September 3, 2021

reminder that peppa pig ended kanye, PEPPA SUPREMACY!! pic.twitter.com/4SjIWE8c5M

— Felixlore (@cowboylikefelix) September 3, 2021

Peppa Pig trolling Kanye West is the content I live for. pic.twitter.com/jk6KQV5W35

— Nick Vaught (@vaught88) September 3, 2021

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Days after the release of his much anticipated new album ‘DONDA’, West unveiled an unreleased track featuring André 3000.

The rapper and producer’s 10th studio album, which arrived on Sunday (August 29) after multiple delays and three high-profile listening events, features the likes of JAY-Z, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Lil Baby, Kid Cudi, Pusha T and more.

One name that didn’t feature is OutKast’s André 3000. However, during a recent interview with Germany’s Bild, Kanye played a snippet of a track featuring the enigmatic musician that might or might not have been recorded specifically for ‘DONDA’.

“I produce music in my thoughts, no matter where I am,” said Kanye, explaining that he’s always working on music. From there, the conversation led to him playing the unreleased record with 3000, of which a snippet has made its way online.

Earlier this week, West claimed that his label’s parent company, Universal Music Group, released ‘DONDA’ without his approval.

Reviewing ‘DONDA’ NME said: “While ‘DONDA’ certainly isn’t a rushed job, it could have benefitted from West spending a little less time on it and learning when to let things go. Nobody needs all 27 of these tracks, but dig deep into its contents and you’ll find enough gems to make his 10th album worth your time.”

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“I produce music in my thoughts, no matter where I am,” said Kanye, explaining that he’s always working on music. From there, the conversation led to him playing the unreleased record with 3000, of which a snippet has made its way online.

Kanye West played unreleased music featuring André 3000 in Berlin 👀 pic.twitter.com/pZd6bQaHkP

— Squirt Reynolds (@SquirtReynoIds) September 2, 2021

It’s not the first time the pair have collaborated on a record together. Besides Chris Brown’s ‘Deuces’ remix and Fonzworth Bentley’s ‘Everybody’, 3000 appeared on West’s ’30 Hours’ and had an unreleased verse on Nas’ Kanye-produced album ‘Nasir’.

Elsewhere in the interview with Bild, which he did in person after flying to Germany, Kanye said he was in the country to “meet with architects and artists to build the best architecture to help rebuild Chicago.”

“I’m not staying [in Germany] for long,” he said, per translations. “We will work on the school and then on new music. … God put me on this earth to make music. God put Demna here to design. God put Tadao Ando here to create architecture. God gifted us Turrell. God all sent us here for a certain reason and I have to make music.”

.@KanyeWest’s interview with Musrif premiered on Bild a few minutes ago.

Unfortunately, they dubbed his voice with a German voice-over. pic.twitter.com/JMg447IMRp

— Photos Of Kanye West (@PhotosOfKanye) September 2, 2021

Translation of @KanyeWest’s new interview with Bild: pic.twitter.com/3ORe6V1m5A

— Photos Of Kanye West (@PhotosOfKanye) September 2, 2021

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Earlier this week, West has claimed that his label’s parent company, Universal Music Group, released ‘DONDA’ without his approval.

The rapper and producer has taken to social to media to claim that Universal, the parent company for Def Jam Recordings and West’s own G.O.O.D. Music imprint, put the album out without him approving it.

“Universal put my album out without my approval,” he posted on Instagram, before adding that the company allegedly “blocked” ‘Jail, Pt. 2’, his controversial new collaborative track that features DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, from being on ‘DONDA’.

When ‘DONDA’ first dropped, ‘Jail, Pt. 2’ was showing on streaming platforms but it was coming up as “unavailable” to play. By Sunday evening (August 29), the track was available to listen to.

Meanwhile, Kanye reportedly requested to transport his childhood home from its permanent location to the Chicago stadium that hosted his final ‘DONDA’ listening event.

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A WGN report from last April revealed that West purchased the home where he lived from the time he was a toddler until he was 20 for approximately $225,000 (£163,657). He had plans to renovate it.

Kanye West is seen at ‘DONDA by Kanye West’ listening event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 22, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. CREDIT: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Music Group

As the Chicago Sun-Times added, it wasn’t immediately clear how the house, which has been empty and boarded up for several years, was put in demolition court.

West eventually commissioned a replica of his boyhood home to be built inside Soldier Field stadium for his third and final ‘DONDA’ listening party on Thursday (August 26).

An NME review of the event described how Ye set himself on fire besides the replica house. “To illustrate his need for rebirth, what handier symbol could West borrow but fire? He indeed walked through flames which danced on his back until a handler put them out with a fire extinguisher. With point made, the house no longer took focus.

“Now, mourners moved quickly to exit while a woman in a white wedding dress moved slowly among them, a veil draped over her head. Whether or not it was West’s former wife Kim Kardashian in the flesh didn’t matter – he met her smiling and produced a ring. Moments later, they exited together.”

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It was the last opportunity for fans to hear West’s new album ahead of its official release on Sunday (August 29) and to see the spectacle dedicated to his late mother, Donda.

Meanwhile, Soulja Boy has hit out at Ye after he was left off ‘DONDA’, branding the rapper a “coward”.

The 27-track album, which arrived after multiple delays and three high-profile listening events, features the likes of JAY-Z, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Lil Baby, Kid Cudi, Pusha T and more.

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“Universal put my album out without my approval,” he posted on Instagram, before adding that the company allegedly “blocked” ‘Jail, Pt. 2’, his controversial new collaborative track that features DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, from being on ‘DONDA’.

When ‘DONDA’ first dropped, ‘Jail, Pt. 2’ was showing on streaming platforms but it was coming up as “unavailable” to play. As of this evening, the track is now available to listen to.

A post shared by ye (@kanyewest)

Hours before the ‘DONDA’ dropped, West took to social media to share a pair of text message screenshots that appeared to show his manager Bu Thiam informing him that DaBaby’s manager wasn’t giving clearance for the ‘Rockstar’ rapper’s verse on ‘Jail, Pt.2’ to be used.

During the verse, DaBaby addresses the recent controversy surrounding the homophobic comments he made while at Rolling Loud festival. His on-stage remarks were widely condemned and led to his appearances at numerous festivals being cancelled.

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“I said one thing they ain’t like, threw me out like they ain’t care for me/ Threw me out like I’m garbage, huh?/ And that food that y’all took off my table/ You know that feed my daughters, huh? (Mmm)/ But I ain’t really mad, ’cause when I look at it/ I’m getting them snakes up out my grass,” DaBaby raps on the track.

The song, which was first previewed during West’s latest ‘DONDA’ listening event in Chicago and saw DaBaby appear alongside West and Marilyn Manson, seemed to be a different version from the track that was played during West’s two previous listening events for the album, which initially featured JAY-Z.

It has since been revealed that the version featuring DaBaby is a remix called ‘Jail, Pt. 2’; it also features Manson on the hook.

NME has reached out to Universal for comment.

One of the other main talking points about ‘DONDA’ has been Ye’s sample of Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ on ‘Believe What I Say’.

West originally sampled Hill on 2004’s ‘All Falls Down’ from ‘The College Dropout’, then repurposing her song ‘Mystery Of Iniquity’.

One fan called ‘Believe What I Say’ “the Mona Lisa of the album” and a “summer banger,” while another said the sample “did wonders”.

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Second track ‘Jail’ does indeed feature Jay-Z rather than DaBaby, after Ye earlier assert that he would not remove DaBaby from the track in order to release the album. ‘Jail pt 2’ shows on the tracklisting but is not available to listen on Spotify.

Listen to ‘DONDA’ via Spotify, and check out the full 27-song tracklist below. Listen on Apple Music here.

‘DONDA’ tracklist

01. ‘Donda Chant’
02. ‘Jail’
03. ‘God Breathed’
04. ‘Off The Grid’
05. ‘Hurricane’
06. ‘Praise God’
07. ‘Jonah’
08. ‘Ok Ok’
09. ‘Junya’
10. ‘Believe What I Say’
11. ’24’
12. ‘Remote Control’
13. ‘Moon’
14. ‘Heaven And Hell’
15. ‘Donda’
16. ‘Keep My Spirit Alive’
17. ‘Jesus Lord’
18. ‘New Again’
19. ‘Tell The Vision’
20. ‘Lord I Need You’
21. ‘Pure Souls’
22. ‘Come To Life’
23. ‘No Child Left Behind’
24. ‘Jail pt 2’
25. ‘Ok Ok pt 2’
26. ‘Junya pt 2’
27. ‘Jesus Lord pt 2’

Named after West’s late mother, who died in November 2007, a release date of July 24, 2020 was originally set for ‘DONDA’.

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Reviewing ‘DONDA’, NME’s Rhian Daly concluded: “While ‘DONDA’ certainly isn’t a rushed job, it could have benefitted from West spending a little less time on it and learning when to let things go. Nobody needs all 27 of these tracks, but dig deep into its contents and you’ll find enough gems to make his 10th album worth your time.”

Since then the campaign has seen various dramatic twists and turns, including three listening parties, Ye moving into sports stadiums to finish up the album, complementary vaccinations, guest appearances from Marilyn Manson and DaBaby, and his childhood home being vandalised following a feud with Drake.

‘DONDA’ is Kanye’s first full-length album since releasing ‘Jesus Is King’ in 2019.

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ASM Global Management, which runs the stadium, alongside the City of Chicago is said to be the driving forces behind the move rather than the ‘Runaway’ artist.

A similar offer was in place for Kanye’s Atlanta listening party on August 5 though it was claimed afterwards that only four out of 40,000 fans received the vaccine.

The latest event will include a recreation of the rapper’s childhood home, the new album ‘DONDA’ is named after his late mother, inside the stadium.

News *

Kanye is rebuilding his Chicago home in the stadium. pic.twitter.com/7G6OLuPeta

— West Sub Ever (@WestSubEver) August 23, 2021

Also announced today was the news that Kanye has launched a $200 (£145) ‘DONDA Stem Player’ that allows consumers to rework songs from his forthcoming album.

According to information on his website, users can manipulate songs using the player by separating parts of the compositions and tweaking the sounds. Among the features is the ability to “control vocals, drums, bass, and samples” and “split any song into stems”.

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Meanwhile, Ye’s manager Bu Thiam also confirmed the rapper will “absolutely” release ‘DONDA’ after this week’s listening event, though he didn’t confirm a precise release date.

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The listing claims that the vest was “worn by Kanye West” at some point. Reed explained in the GQ interview that he was unsure what to price the garment as but after receiving multiple offers, he decided to double it from his rough starting price of $10,000.

A post shared by JUSTIN REED (@justinreed)

The news follows reports that Ye is building a structure inside Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium that resembles the house he grew up in. It’s ahead of his planned third listening party this week.

First shared by TMZ, pictures taken inside the stadium reveal the foundations of a light blue building resembling West’s childhood home.

Instagram account @chicagomediatakeout posted additional pictures of the structure inside the stadium. Earlier this week, West posted his own photo of his childhood home amongst a string of other cryptic pictures.

Check out images of the house inside the stadium below.

An aerial view of Kanye's setup for the 'Donda' listening event at Soldier Field, via @nbcchicago pic.twitter.com/hlXxU1lesZ

— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) August 24, 2021

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News *

Kanye is rebuilding his Chicago home in the stadium. pic.twitter.com/7G6OLuPeta

— West Sub Ever (@WestSubEver) August 23, 2021

A post shared by Chicago Media Takeout (@chicagomediatakeout)

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You can see West’s announcement on Instagram below.

A post shared by ye (@kanyewest)

“I work for security at Soldier Field, and we recently had an event added under ‘major concert event,’ and I’m very confident that it’s for Kanye’s listening party,” a fan tweeted ahead of tonight’s confirmation. “If it’s true, then Kanye will be performing in Chicago at Soldier Field on the 26th.”

Andrew Barber of the Chicago-based hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive also tweeted last night (August 17) about the potential “‘DONDA’ listening party” in Chicago as West’s fans on social media began to speculate further about the event.

Donda listening party in Chicago 👀

— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) August 17, 2021

The next listening party for Kanye West’ ‘Donda’, will be taking place next week in Chicago! pic.twitter.com/uaHleetKEm

— OnThinIce (@OnnThinlce) August 17, 2021

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Earlier this month West’s collaborator KayCyy sparked rumours about a new ‘DONDA’ venue after tweeting “we moving to another stadium”, before then subsequently claiming that his Twitter account had been hacked.

“You hackers gotta stop,” KayCyy wrote. “4 of my tweets were hacks … I will not be on Twitter anymore for the rest of the week.

West’s second Atlanta listening event earlier this month was Apple Music’s biggest ever livestream, with the broadcast attracting over 5.4 million viewers on the streaming service.

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On Saturday (July 24), West was spotted wandering around the stadium during an Atlanta United football match versus Columbus Crew, which he documented on his Instagram – see the footage below.

A post shared by ye (@kanyewest)

A post shared by ye (@kanyewest)

Yes, that WAS #kanye in the Supporter’s Section at the Atlanta United game just now! He stayed for about 30 seconds total. #atlantaunited #atlutd #donda #atlanta pic.twitter.com/Q7xP6i9qv2

— Grover & Ferris & Magoo (@venus_fry_cook) July 24, 2021

Kanye West at the Atlanta United FC game ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/2mF4oTXlQG

— SAINT (@saint) July 24, 2021

Kanye West spotted at the ATL United FC game living his best life👀 pic.twitter.com/T5LKShrd7l

— Hip Hop Ties (@HipHopTiesMedia) July 24, 2021

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DONDA’ will reportedly arrive next month, according to internet personality Justin Laboy.

A press release originally stated that West’s new album would be released on Friday (July 23) via G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings, but in true Kanye fashion, the album did not materialise on said date.

“KANYE WEST WILL MOVE THE RELEASE DATE OF DONDA TO AUGUST 6TH,” Laboy tweeted yesterday (July 24). “THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE HE WANTS TO GIVE HIS FANS THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT WITHOUT RUSHING ANYTHING. HE LOVES YALL WITH ALL OF HIS HEART. GOD BLESS #DONDA #RESPECTFULLY.”

West is yet to comment on the release date himself. NME has reached out to representatives for West for comment.

In other Kanye news, a fan is selling a bag of what they claim is air from the rapper’s ‘DONDA’ listening event.

An eBay listing from user imacanon16canz – who has 100 per cent positive feedback – is doing the rounds online as it claims to be selling air from Ye’s listening party. The starting price for the Ziplock bag full of oxygen from the event is $3,330.00.

Meanwhile, the city of Atlanta has officially declared July 22 to be Kanye West Day.

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The listing, titled: “Bag of Air from DONDA Drop LAST ONE OFFICIAL Kanye West – Mercedes-Benz Stadium”, includes an image of a small plastic bag being held up at the event. The bag features a label that reads: “AIR FROM DONDA DROP.”

There’s five days left to bid on the bag of air which currently sits at $2,125.01, with six bids made in total. You can get your bid in here.

A number of similar listings have started to pop up on eBay, but imacanon16canz’s appears to be the most in-demand.

This isn’t the first time a Kanye fan has tried to make some cash by selling bagged air from one of the Chicago musician’s events. In 2015, someone made over $60,000 from an eBay listing selling air from ’Ye’s ‘Yeezus’ tour, according to Rolling Stone.

Meanwhile, DONDA’ will now reportedly arrive next month, according to internet personality Justin Laboy.

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A press release originally stated that West’s new album would be released on Friday (July 23) via G.O.O.D. Music/Def Jam Recordings, but in true Kanye fashion, the album did not materialise on said date.

“KANYE WEST WILL MOVE THE RELEASE DATE OF DONDA TO AUGUST 6TH,” Laboy tweeted yesterday (July 24). “THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE HE WANTS TO GIVE HIS FANS THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT WITHOUT RUSHING ANYTHING. HE LOVES YALL WITH ALL OF HIS HEART. GOD BLESS #DONDA #RESPECTFULLY.”

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The relationship between West and Abstract Mindstate (comprising E.P Da Hellcat and Olskool Ice-Gre) goes back to the early 2000s, when the ‘Jesus Walks’ rapper/producer began making beats for them on their 2001 album ‘We Paid Let Us In!’.

‘Dreams Still Inspire’ will mark the first album West has fully produced that was not his own since Common’s ‘Be’ in 2005 (if you don’t include Nas‘ 2018 EP/album ‘Nasir’).

In addition to handling the production, West also appears on ‘The Brenda Song’. Other contributors on the album include Tony Williams, Luka Sabbat, Deon Cole, and Jonquia Rose.

You can listen to the album’s first track, ‘A Wise Tale’, below:

The premiere of West’s ‘Donda’, also known as ‘Donda: With Child’, will take place at a listening event at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Thursday (July 22), which will then be live-streamed via Apple Music.

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The event was confirmed by Pusha T in an Instagram post. PageSix reported that 5,000 tickets to the event have been donated by Kanye to historically black colleges in the city.

Speculation that the release of ‘Donda’ was imminent swirled following reports of West playing the album at a closed-door listening event in Las Vegas on Sunday. Internet personality Justin Laboy had also tweeted that Kanye played the album for him and professional basketball player Kevin Durant over the weekend in Vegas.

Laboy added in his tweets on Sunday (July 18): “The production is light years ahead of it’s [sic] time, and the bars sound like he’s broke & hungry trying to get signed again. Any artist who plan on dropping soon should just push it back”.

While an official tracklist has yet to be revealed, previous clips shared online that feature Tyler, The Creator in the studio with Kanye hint at the ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’ rapper getting involved in the album.

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On a whiteboard behind the pair appears to be a tracklist. ‘Donda’ is visible at the top of the list alongside apparent names including ‘Remote’, ‘New Again’ and ‘Come To Life’.

A post shared by Consequence (@constv)

The clip was posted to rapper Consequence’s Instagram, who captioned the post: “Ye x Tyler. Epic Level. Summer ’21.” Watch it above now.

The two stars have collaborated together in the past, with West featuring on Tyler’s tracks ‘Puppet’ and ‘Smuckers’.

West recently lent his vocals to ‘Faith’, the second posthumous album by late Brooklyn rapper Pop Smoke. He appears alongside Pusha T on the track ‘Tell Me The Vision’.

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Meanwhile, Tyler claimed earlier this month that A$AP Rocky ignored his requests for the New Yorker to appear on ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’. At a pop-up show in support of the album, the Odd Future rapper revealed that he had Rocky in mind for the track ‘Corso’, but didn’t hear back from him.

“I made that beat for me and Rocky shit, but that n***a ignored me for five months,” Tyler said. “So the middle part where DJ Drama is yelling and I’m not rapping, that was for Rocky.”

In a four-star review of ‘Call Me If You Get Lost’, NME said: “The record stands as an all-encompassing culmination of Tyler’s ever-varying sound, showing that growth isn’t always linear and that artists can be a multitude of things. On ‘Call Me…’, Tyler cements his place as a generational talent, one in fine form and continuing to push the boundaries of his vision and kaleidoscopic sound.”

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It eclipses the previous record holder, a game-worn pair of basketball star Michael Jordan’s Air Jordans, which sold for $615,000 (£443,000) last August.

The Yeezys sold by Sotheby’s were purchased by the investment company Rares. The company’s CEO Gerome Sapp said: “We are thrilled to work with Sotheby’s on this acquisition.”

Kanye West performs during the 2008 Grammys CREDIT: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

“Our goal in purchasing such an iconic shoe—and a piece of history—is to increase accessibility and empower the communities that birthed sneaker culture with the tools to gain financial freedom through Rares. We look forward to working with Sotheby’s to continue to identify rare finds that will help elevate, preserve and uphold sneaker culture.”

The Nike Air Yeezy 1 ‘Grammy’ sample was created specifically for West for the awards, where the rapper both performed and took home four awards, including Best Rap Solo Performance for ‘Stronger’ and Best Rap Album for ‘Graduation’.

The Nike Air Yeezy 1 kick-started the multi-billion-dollar-valued Yeezy sneaker and clothing brand when they finally launched the following year.
West eventually split from Nike in 2013 in order to partner Yeezy with Adidas, and they remain in business together to this day.

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Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren said Clark “needs to be held accountable” for his actions, adding that “other potential scammers out there need to see the consequences” of committing such crimes.

“In this case, we’ve been able to deliver those consequences while recognising that our goal with any child, whenever possible, is to have them learn their lesson without destroying their future.”

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. CREDIT: Allen Berezovsky/Getty Images

The teenager posted fake tweets in order to convince users to send bitcoin to accounts he owned, prosecutors said.

Clark also targetted high-profile figures such as president Joe Biden, former president Barack Obama, Kim Kardashian and Elon Musk, as well as various large companies including Apple and Uber.

Over the summer, two more individuals were formally charged by the US Department of Justice for their involvement – 22-year-old Nima Fazeli in Orlando and 19-year-old Mason Sheppard in the UK.

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“These crimes were perpetrated using the names of famous people and celebrities, but they’re not the primary victims here,” Andrew Warren said at the time.

“This ‘Bit-Con’ was designed to steal money from regular Americans from all over the country, including here in Florida. This massive fraud was orchestrated right here in our backyard, and we will not stand for that.”

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