Kanye West & JAY-Z Reuniting is the Highlight of ‘DONDA’

Kanye West held an event to celebrate his new album, DONDA.

It is Friday, July 23rd, and DONDA is still not here. But a good portion of Kanye West fans have already heard the album. And, similar to what he did with the Life of Pablo, Kanye turned the premiere of his new album into a live event.

On Thursday, Kanye held an event at Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, which was also live streamed on Apple Music. Kanye, masked, wearing an all-red outfit, stood at the center of the stadium as he played every track from the album. For fans, this was a return to pre-Jesus is King Kanye, who explores his new status as a single man. (It should be noted that ex-wife Kim Kardashian was in attendance.) 

The album, which is named after his late mother Donda West, is Kanye West’s return to secular music and is stacked with features. DONDA features appearances from Pusha-T, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Pop Smoke, Baby Keem, Lil Durk (who found a way to send in his verse), and more. However, the feature that has fans losing it comes from JAY-Z. After years of tension and no collaborations, JAY-Z and Kanye, aka the Throne, reunite. (It’s the first time they did a song together since Drake’s woeful single “Pop Style” in 2016.) 

On the track, which is called “Heaven and Hell,” they even hint at a sequel to their 2011 masterpiece, Watch the Throne. On the track JAY-Z raps:

“This might be the return of the throne
Throne Hova and Yeezus
Like Moses and Jesus
You’re not in control of my thesis”

By every indication, Kanye is cramming to finish this album. The album was supposed to drop at midnight but has still not arrived; Young Guru confirmed that JAY-Z recorded his verse at 4pm on July 22nd; and Kanye West references Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks winning the NBA championship. 

It’s still not clear when this album will actually drop. But until then, enjoy some memes of fans who are pissed it still hasn’t dropped below.