Kanye West faces backlash after bringing out DaBaby, adding him to song
West's surprise guests at his Chicago "DONDA" event include one who spent the past few weeks earning criticism.
At the third listening party for his DONDA album, Kanye West brought out several surprise guests, including one who spent the past several weeks facing the earned criticism of fans for some homophobic comments: DaBaby.
The first song of the night was “Jail,” sending fans into a frenzy because the song had previously featured a verse by Jay-Z, so they reasonably expected his guest appearance at Chicago’s Soldier Field. Instead, at this event, Hova was replaced by DaBaby, who joined West on the custom-crafted stage, a reconstruction of the front porch of Ye’s childhood home.
DaBaby was joined by goth-rocker Marilyn Manson, who has faced several accusations of sexual, physical and emotional abuse. He has a New Hampshire court date early next month for two misdemeanor counts of simple assault stemming from a 2019 concert in which he allegedly spit and blew snot on a videographer.
West’s surprise sidemen drew quite the reaction on social media.
In one reaction, a fan shared, “Kanye is gonna bring out Bill Cosby and OJ next.” Another wrote on Twitter, “DaBaby is a violent homophobe and Marilyn Manson is a serial rapist… So whatever hopes of a Kanye rehabilitation album folks had, time to cut that sh*t out.”
DaBaby was previously criticized for comments he made at the Rolling Loud festival in Miami, where he told the assembled audience, “If you didn’t show up today with HIV, AIDS, any of them deadly sexually transmitted diseases that’ll make you die in two, three weeks, then put your cellphone light up. Ladies, if your p—y smell like water, put your cellphone lighter up. Fellas, if you ain’t sucking d–k in the parking lot, put your cellphone lighter up.”
After being blasted far and wide for his words, he later said he was just “keeping it real.”
West’s soon-to-be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian-West, attended the listening party too, as did their children. On Soldier Field, he recreated a version of his wedding to her, where he was greeted by a bride with a veil-concealed face.
TMZ is reporting it was Kardashian-West under the veil.
The other two previous livestreamed DONDA listening parties were in Atlanta at the Mercedes-Benz stadium, where West briefly lived while finishing the LP. The highly-anticipated project was initially due to be released on Aug. 6.
Despite all of the pomp and circumstance around its supposed this-Friday release, DONDA had not been released as of press time.
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