Kanye West has to be the first musician in history to dangle an album over millions of fans waiting to digest DONDA, for this long.
At this point, there has to be a clause in the laws that govern artistry that prohibits this level of teasing and taunting. The Chi-town native took his third DONDA listening event to his hometown, where fans came in droves, from all corners of the US, to gather at Soldier Field, ready to consume the theatrics of the 44-year-old billionaire.
And, boy, was it a spectacle. Already, it’s been touted that Kanye made millions from his last two listening sessions that were hosted at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium.
The album previews were so successful, Ye broke Apple Music’s long-standing streaming record.
This time around, the numbers may have skyrocketed because of the gob-smackers fans witnessed at the Chicago listening session.
DONDA listening event: Five take aways from the album preview
Here are five things we took away from the third — and hopefully last — DONDA listening event:
No Jay-Z on this version of DONDA
One of the standout moments of the listening event that streamed live on Apple Music was when DaBaby was heard over the instrumental that once held Jay-Z’s verse.
Fans not only found this to be odd, given DaBaby’s recent tribulations, but it further heightened speculation that the duo will probably never collaborate on wax again.
When Jay-Z found out Kanye replaced his verse on #Donda with Da Baby pic.twitter.com/qedy07mOIJ
— DARIUS A. (@iamdariusalford) August 27, 2021
Shensea snubs Drake for Ye?
The ongoing feud between Drake and Kanye seems to transform at every turn. First, the OVO rapper threw a jab at Ye over a Trippy Redd guest appearance, then West rebutted by leaking Drizzy’s home address.
Now, in the midst of the impasse, Ye unveiled Shensea — a woman rumoured to be Drake’s next baby momma — as a possible feature on DONDA.
The shade.
That is NOT Teyana Taylor or Rihanna that’s up there wit Kanye, her name is Shenseea pic.twitter.com/960dbFCliK
— beefALERT (@beefalertnow) August 27, 2021
Kid Cudi a no-show – ouch?
Fans were also taken aback when they noticed that Kid Cudi was not present at the listening event, not only physically but sonically as well.
The Moon snippet featuring the Kids See Ghosts cohort that once drove the internet crazy was not heard on this version of DONDA.
Me seeing Kanye took out Jay Z & Kid Cudi off the Donda album #Donda pic.twitter.com/HpGiMe3cAQ
— (@LoyaISideNigga) August 27, 2021
Is it a snub? It would be heartbreaking if it were true.
Ye and his momma’s house on fire – is this the end?
Kanye’s visual limits know no bounds and towards the end of the event, the rapper emerged out of an installation of the house he grew up in, engulfed in fire. The house also caught on fire, leaving fans to speculate that this may be an artistic expression of Ye bowing out of music.
DONDA is his 10th solo album, after all, and the numeric significance of this in Christianity may also lend a hand in driving this speculation.
But, rule absolutely nothing out with Yeezy.
Kanye just walked out of the house on fire #DONDA pic.twitter.com/tOiLtHOUF7
— B (@swaggy_b_) August 27, 2021
Is KimYe back on the cards?
The show-stopper came when a woman hidden in a veil was seen walking towards Kanye. While no official sighting was made, the internet concluded that this was Kim Kardashian and what we were witnessing was some form of remarriage.
A gleeful Ye could be seen staring intensely at the woman. For many, this was enough circumstantial proof to conclude that this was the official return of KimYe.
— TeamKanyeDaily (@TeamKanyeDaily) August 27, 2021
At this time, no official release date has been announced for DONDA. Much like the two previous occasions, for Kanye stans, it’s a case of waiting patiently for the 44-year-old rap genius to complete his work.