LOS ANGELES — Kanye West, who last month officially changed his name to Ye, has announced that Drake will join him as a special guest for a “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert set to take place at L.A. Coliseum on Dec. 9.
The rappers have been engaged in a feud for years — a conflict that escalated after both artists dropped new albums in September. In a statement about the one-night concert, Ye noted that the show will “prove to people everywhere how much more we can accomplish when we lay our pride aside and come together.”
The impetus for this coming together (which the rappers hinted at just a few days ago when Ye publicly asked Drake to join him at a December event in L.A.) is the cause of Larry Hoover, a former gang member and co-founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples, who in 1997 was convicted of murder, conspiracy, extortion and money laundering and is serving six life sentences in federal prison.
Hoover’s son, Larry Hoover Jr., was featured on Ye’s recent album “Donda.” On the tracks “Jesus Lord” and “Jesus Lord, Pt. 2,” he is heard talking about the many problems with the country’s criminal justice system and how his father’s incarceration has affected his family.
In a statement about the benefit, Hoover Jr. said, “With Ye (and) Drake ... united to advocate for my father’s release, we can take redemption worldwide and show that we are truly stronger together.”
The benefit will mark Drake’s first appearance since the Astroworld Festival disaster, which resulted in the deaths of 10 people and injured hundreds. It will be Ye’s first show in five years.
