A change of scenery! Kanye West has reportedly decided to stay at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium until he finishes working on his upcoming album, Donda.
According to the Associated Press, West, 44, remained in the stadium following his sold-out public listening party on Thursday, July 22. The event, which was also livestreamed via Apple Music, offered over 42,000 fans a glimpse at the rapper’s first album since his Jesus Is King release in 2019.
Kanye West Michael Wyke/AP/Shutterstock
“I was thinking of not rapping again, because I rapped for the devil so long that I didn’t even know how to rap for God,” West told GQ in 2020 about his future music plans. “Then one of my pastors told me, ‘My son just said that he would want a rap album about Jesus from Kanye West.’ He didn’t say, ‘Kanye West, you should do this,’ or, ‘You need to do this.’ He just told me something that a child said. And that one thing made the difference.”
During the first look event, the songwriter was seen pacing around and listening to his own music the entire night. The album, which was originally set to be released the following day, included a collaboration with Jay-Z.
After the listening party, Variety confirmed that the album release date will be moved to August 6. West was later seen in the stands at the stadium during Atlanta United’s soccer game on Saturday, July 24.
“So apparently Kanye West is still walking around Mercedes-Benz Stadium in his #DONDA release party fit,” one social media user tweeted with a photo of the record producer in the same red snowsuit and stocking mask that wore during his listening party two days prior.
While West continues to perfect his album, which is named after his late mother, some fans noticed that he already seemingly touched on his split from Kim Kardashian, citing the lyric, “I’m losing my family.”
Kardashian, 40, who attended the event with their four children, North, 8, Chicago, 3, Saint, 5, and Psalm, 2, filed for divorce from West in February after almost seven years of marriage.
At the time, a source told Us Weekly that West’s comments about their personal life had impacted their relationship for a while.
“The turning point in Kim and Kanye’s marriage was when he said that slavery was a choice,” the insider shared, noting his controversial 2018 interview with TMZ. “They went through a really rough patch in the aftermath of that. Kim was completely mortified by Kanye’s ridiculous and outrageous comments. It took a lot for them to move past it, but they were able to eventually. … Kim and Kanye, of course, had disagreements behind closed doors just like any other couple, but she asked him several times to be careful with the things he said in public, especially when it involved the kids.”
During the final season of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, the SKIMS founder further explained why she felt like she could no longer stay together with West.
“I just think he deserves someone who will support his every move and go follow him all over the place and move to Wyoming. I can’t do that,” she revealed in a June episode of the reality show. “He should have a wife that supports his every move and travels with him and does everything, and I can’t. I feel like a f–king failure.”
Kardashian revealed that she felt “lonely” during West’s trips to Wyoming over the years.
“To me, I thought, ‘Oh, my God, that’s when we’re getting along the best,’ but then that is sad to me and that’s not what I want,” she told her sisters. “I want someone that we have the same shows in common. I want someone who wants to work out with me. … I think I’m ready for the smaller experiences that I think will mean a lot.”
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