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Kanye West performs at Rolling Loud on December 12, 2021.
Kadeem CobhamMuch intrigue has swirled around Ye‘s Donda Academy, and on Monday (Jan. 24), the prep school’s basketball team shed some light on the program in a new interview.
In a cover story for SLAM, the elite team talks about being recruited away from their hometowns to attend the prep school named after Kanye West‘s late mother — a professor at Chicago State University and the namesake of her son’s latest, Grammy-nominated album — in Simi Valley, Calif. (While he doesn’t comment in the story, West did pose with the hand-selected team for the cover shoot, wearing a black hoodie and dark sunglasses.)
“A lot of my teammates, when they left [their previous schools], they had some bad reactions,” 6-foot-8 forward Braeden Moore admits to the magazine. “People called them clout chasers and said the [school] offered them money.”
The profile reveals that the basketball team’s custom jerseys are produced by Balenciaga, they wear YEEZY 500s during games, and at one point had their meals prepared by Ye’s personal chef. They also live together in luxury apartments, use an online curriculum approved by the NCAA known as K12 Private Academy and aren’t surprised when the rapper swoops in to direct the team’s photo shoot or call players on the phone for one-on-one mentoring.
“I know how important education is and I have goals that surpass basketball,” adds Moore. “That’s another reason [why] I came here, like with Justin [Laboy] and Ye, creating these relationships not only sets me up for success in basketball, it sets me up for life.”
Meanwhile, vice principal and athletic director Shayla Scott says in the story that Ye’s goals for Donda Academy are only in their infancy. “When I have opportunities to talk with [Ye] about his vision for the school, it’s by no stretch of the imagination something that’s out of reach,” she says, later adding, “In actuality, anybody can do school this way. But, to know that we’re doing it because of the support we have from Ye and all the parents and players, I think is really, honestly, going to build for future years.”
Read the full SLAM cover story here and check out Ye’s Instagram post of the cover below.
NEWS
There is no question that Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out made a serious impact and continues to hold weight. The project showed that hip hop is not limited by age and proved that a long-awaited return can still land in a major way regardless of the time away.
If you need a reminder, the Virginia duo’s fourth studio album debuted comfortably within the top five of the Hot 200. It secured the number four position and moved an impressive 118,000 units in its first week.
On top of that, it picked up a win at this year’s Grammys, earning Best Rap Performance for “Chains & Whips.” The album also received four additional nominations, including Best Music Video, Rap Album, and Album of the Year.
It is hard to believe the project will officially hit its one year mark this summer on July 11. Even so, Pusha T is making it clear that both supporters and critics should not be overlooking it anytime soon.
While performing at Coachella yesterday, King Push told the crowd that LGSEO still sits at the top, regardless of genre.
He said, “‘Let God Sort Em Out’ is still the album of the motherfckin year. Whole new year, still album of the year,” per Kurrco. “Album of the motherfcking year until we drop again. We don't care who dropping. It don't matter.”
That is a strong statement for obvious reasons, especially considering the recent claims surrounding Push himself.
Over the same weekend, hip hop social media lit up after several alleged reference tracks connected to Quentin Miller and Push began circulating. Three tracks surfaced in total, but one that drew the most attention was an alleged record titled “Real Gon’ Come.” It is said to come from the DAYTONA era, around 2017 to 2018.
The situation gained traction because fans remember the past tension between Drake and Pusha T before Drake’s clash with Kendrick Lamar. During that feud, Pusha accused Drake of using ghostwriters on tracks like “Infrared,” which appears on DAYTONA. On that song, he raps, “The bigger question is how the Russians did it /
It was written like Nas, but it came from Quentin.”
Reactions have been mixed. Some people argue it is not a major issue since Miller’s alleged contributions were limited to hooks. Others point out that the songs were never officially released, so they see no real problem. Meanwhile, critics view it as clear hypocrisy on Pusha T’s part, a perspective that DJ Akademiks has also supported.
