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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.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
