Ye's water-logged Donda 2 event wades through cameos and fails

Miami, Florida - Kanye "Ye" West's livestreamed concert event for Donda 2 featured the return of two controversial artists, a Kim Kardashian sample, and audio fails that left the rapper visibly frustrated.

On Tuesday, Kanye "Ye" West livestreamed his Donda 2 listening party, which featured the return of two controversial artists, a Kim Kardashian sample, and audio fails galore.
On Tuesday, Kanye "Ye" West livestreamed his Donda 2 listening party, which featured the return of two controversial artists, a Kim Kardashian sample, and audio fails galore.  © Collage: IMAGO/The Photo Access & The Photo Access

Unsurprisingly, the rapper's new album Donda 2 has yet to drop, despite thousands of disappointed fans who bought Ye's $200 Stem Player as the only way to get their hands on the LP's release on Tuesday.

But this didn't stop the rapper from livestreaming a listening event for the album, albeit – in typical Ye fashion – two hours later than scheduled.

On Tuesday evening, the 44-year-old billionaire broadcasted the music event from Miami’s Loan Depot Park. The livestream played in select IMAX theaters, on West’s Stem Player website, on Amazon Music's Twitch account, and on YouTube.

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Ye gave another unforgettable show while prancing around a stage that once again hosted a replica of his childhood home in Chicago. This time, the house appeared charred in black ash, while the lighting was dark, and the stage was flooded with water.

Keeping the all-black theme going, Ye sported black Balenciaga boots, black jeans, and a shiny black puffer coat.

There were some high moments, like the release of some catchy new singles from Donda 2 and the appearance of notable artists like Migos, Jack Harlow, and Alicia Keys.

But there were also some questionable decisions, like the return of controversial figures Marilyn Manson and DaBaby, and Ye's unexplained choice to sport creepy, icy-blue eye contact lenses. Not to mention the two-hour-long eerie heartbeat sound effect that played on a loop before the show actually started.

Ye once again left another memorable yet confusing impression amongst fans after his latest event. But who's to say that isn't exactly what the eccentric rapper wanted.

Cameos abound

Controversial figures Marilyn Manson (r.) and DaBaby (l.) made appearances at the Donda 2 listening event on Tuesday.
Controversial figures Marilyn Manson (r.) and DaBaby (l.) made appearances at the Donda 2 listening event on Tuesday.  © Collage: screenshot/instagram/dababy & IMAGO/agefotostock

Is history repeating itself?

It appears that the Hurricane artist is continuing the same pattern from late 2021, when he held three listening events for his first Donda album before releasing it after multiple delays.

The Yeezus owner's latest showcase was split into two parts that continually saw him walking on, or rather in, three inches of water he had dumped onto the Loan Depot field.

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As his show went on, the house in the middle of the water pool split in half, causing the home to become divided - likely a reference to his messy ongoing divorce from Kim.

But not everything was about his personal life just yet.

First, Keys and Fivio joined the hip-hop mogul for a rendition of their recently released track, City of Gods. Then came the welcome surprise cameo from Harlow as he teamed up with Ye on the song, Louis Bags.

"I stopped buying Louis bags after Virgil passed," Ye rapped, referencing his late friend and designer Virgil Abloh.

But it was the show's inclusion of controversial figures DaBaby and Marilyn Manson that further proved Ye's recent trend of not backing down from causing a commotion. And as to be expected, he roped in his ongoing drama with Kimmy Cakes and her new beau, too.

Ye trolls Kim K and Pete Davidson while fumbling through sound failures

During Tuesday's event, Ye alluded to his divorce from Kim Kardashian (r.) and played a snippet from her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.
During Tuesday's event, Ye alluded to his divorce from Kim Kardashian (r.) and played a snippet from her opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.  © IMAGO/MediaPunch

Of course, the music mogul couldn't help but mention his failed marriage to the SKIMS owner, who also appeared in Ye's last Donda concert event in August but was noticeably absent this time around.

From attacking her new boyfriend Pete Davidson via social media, to blasting her parenting skills, it's probably safe to assume that Kimmy will keep her distance from anything related to Donda 2. However, her presence was clearly missed.

Her estranged husband seemingly trolled her Saturday Night Live hosting gig while performing the track Sci Fi. The Miami stadium heard a snippet from Kim's SNL opening monologue, where she refers to Ye as "the greatest rapper of all time" and the "richest Black man in America." The audio clips of Kimmy's voice played loud and clear before the song began.

Ye also made sure to highlight the line, "God saved me from that crash. Just so I can beat Pete Davidson's a**" from his feature on the Game's song, Eazy.

Yet, karma has its own way of dealing with things. Just as things heated up, Ye's big night seemed to be disrupted by two audio fails and sound issues.

While on stage with Manson and DaBaby performing Jail 2, the rapper threw his mic to the ground out of frustration after being seen having issues with his in-ear monitor.

During the final song of the evening, Off The Grid, Fivio rejoined Ye on stage along with Playboi Carti, but Fivio's mic appeared to be out-of-sync with the audio playing.

Alas, another Ye event has come and gone, and with no album in sight, fans have been left waiting for it to arrive. But as the livestream coincided with the drop of the second part of his Netflix documentary, it could all be part of Ye's peculiar plans.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO/The Photo Access & The Photo Access

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