It’s gotta be tough being Kanye West‘s friend. Not that Yeezy isn’t loyal — he’s always keen to work with his stable of pals — but he clearly runs hot and cold, likely a symptom of his struggles with mental health.
Of all the people who’ve suffered the brunt of Kanye’s ire, though, few have taken it to the chin like Drake: from disses to doxxes, Drizzy’s weathered it all.
So when news broke of the forthcoming Kanye & Drake concert, fans were understandably baffled by the sudden change of heart.
What a beautiful night I had last night in Canada. Let’s make history December 9th. Free Larry Hoover Concert pic.twitter.com/2ri4r6wQcf
— J Prince (@jprincerespect) November 17, 2021
I mean, remember the bizarre circumstances that saw Kanye clash with and then make up to Kid Cudi — these conflicts come outta nowhere and resolve just as suddenly.
Drake and Kanye had bigger beef than Kanye and Cudi, though, so it took a much stronger force to bring them back together: Yeezy’s activist streak.
https://youtu.be/zIUzLpO1kxI
Even before he broke big, Kanye has verbalized his personal politics in a big way — how could anyone forget the time he made Mike Myers uncomfortable during a Hurricane Katrina fundraiser or outspoken support of Trump?
Early tracks like “Two Words” manifested visions of police brutality against Black Americans, which carried through to later songs like “New Slaves” and actions like “reappropriating” the confederate flag.
Point is, even when Kanye’s politics veer into outrageous comments on slavery, alt-right reactionaries, or so-called “cancel culture,” they remain consistent with a strain of pro-Black thinking that underscores Ye’s ties to the likes of Dave Chappelle, thinking that’s complex and layered.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgclvlJsgL/
Tellingly, Drake and Kanye apparently reunited at a Dave Chappelle show last week.
Point is, the only thing Kanye loves more than Kanye are his pet causes. The wrongful incarceration of Larry Hoover is one such subject, obviously, as it’s the impetus for this Kanye/Drake crossover concert.
Hoover’s incarceration means a lot to Kanye, clearly: he brought up Hoover during his bizarre lunch with President Donald Trump back in 2018, though Ye was unable to secure a presidential pardon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CWgkQQXL-nD/
The fact that Hoover’s cause has moved Kanye to put his pride aside and rejoin Drake for a surprise concert mere months after dissing the Six God is especially meaningful.
It demonstrates Yeezy’s scruples — this time, for the better.
