In the days after Kanye West’s first listening party for Donda, held in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium, it was revealed that the rapper had taken up residence in the venue itself, in a bid to finish the still-unreleased record. Now, Ye appears to need a change of scenery.
News that Kanye had transferred his efforts to another stadium first came via KayCyy, a rapper and collaborator who has worked on Donda. “We’re moving to another stadium,” KayCyy wrote in a since-deleted tweet.
It’s currently unclear why Kanye would want to switch locations, and whether he would stay in Atlanta — other nearby stadiums include the State Farm Arena, Truist Park, and Russ Chandler Stadium — or move to an entirely different city. Maybe it heralds yet another listening event on the horizon. Maybe he’s just got another football game to catch.
At his theatrical second listening party, aired from the Mercedes-Benz stadium on August 6, Kanye modelled the set on his stripped-back bedroom in the stadium, which was strewn with exercise equipment, candles, and Balenciaga (Demna Gvasalia acted as creative director).
Ahead of the event, the musician also shared a snippet of an unreleased song with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, titled “Glory”. The track featured in a Beats ad starring sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, just like the teaser that came before it, for the Donda track “No Child Left Behind”.
So, where is Kanye now, and when will Donda finally see the light of day? According to Apple Music the new release date is August 13, but the answer to these two questions remains basically the same: only Kanye truly knows.