The album, in its current form (as of press time, the “final” version isn’t officially available on streaming services), features a reunited Jay-Z on its final track, as well as Pusha-T, Travis Scott, Lil Baby, Baby Keem, Jeremih, Lil Durk, Roddy Riich, Pop Smoke, and more, plus spoken word interludes from Donda herself. The opening track, at times, felt like Ye trying to convince himself of his ability to survive his loss. The record started abruptly – almost haphazardly – with Donda’s voice booming through stadium speakers on the song “24/You’re Gonna Be OK”, setting the tone for a project that played with bass and deep gothic organ chords, with lyrics like, “Nothing ever feels right,” and “We’re gonna be ok”. Musically, West delivered on an album made for stadiums. “We are fortunate that our lives crossed paths.” “Mom West was a remarkable woman and a role model who we all loved dearly and cherished,” the programmes read. There were $125 T-shirts displaying photos of Kanye’s mother as a child, and audience members received fans that looked like funeral programmes containing candid photos of mother and son. A ‘homegoing’ service is an African-American Christian funeral tradition where, in contrast to many other types of funerals, the occasion is marked by rejoicing and singing as the deceased goes on to a better place.Įven the on-sale merch nodded to the idea of the event as a homegoing for Donda. The importance of location, legacy, and grief is vital to how Black people grieve their loved ones in public and exuberant ways. Although he has touched on themes of loss in past works, the release of this record finds the rapper going through a period of personal upheaval leaving his first marriage, while finally seeming to come to terms with the reality of his mother’s death. Grief has been a lingering question in West’s work and life for years. West also gifted 5,000 tickets to faculty staff and students from Atlanta HBCUs for the event. Donda West’s son got 50,000 people to listen to her posthumous voice a block away from where she spent years of her life teaching. When she moved to Chicago to teach at Chicago State University, another small HBCU, she became head of the English department and left to manage Kanye full time until her untimely passing in 2007. Kanye was born in Atlanta to Donda West, a then-professor located at Morris Brown College, just steps away from where Ye performed. On the vast milky stage he stood out in a suit of red armour: Yeezy boots, a nude mask, and a Yeezy puffer suit that made him look as though he was preparing for battle. He turned up two hours late, lighting up the venue in brilliant white. It is where the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is located today – and where Kanye West chose to publicly premiere his new album.Īt the stadium on Thursday (July 22) night, Kanye’s audience seemed tense and unclear on what they were showing up for. Vernon Baptist, founded in 1862 by former slaves, was the foundation of multiple HBCUs (historically black colleges or universities) in the city. Since the church was removed from its former Mitchell St and Northside Dr locations and relocated, it has been the excuse for lacklustre sports teams and burned interstate bridges. The ‘curse’ of Friendship Baptist Church is known throughout the city of Atlanta, Georgia.
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