With the Rolling Loud California festival taking place just two days and a few dozen miles from the site of Kanye West’s massive concert with Drake on Thursday, it seemed likely that West might make an appearance. But although it didn’t happen on Friday night during Kid Cudi’s set — which seemed like a strong possibility, since the two friends most recently collaborated on the Kids See Ghosts project in 2018 and performed together at two festivals in the months...
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In what amounted to a typical turn of events for one of the most polarizing figures in pop culture, West has spent 2021 entering into a divorce arrangement with Kim Kardashian West after striking a nine-figure deal in 2020 to make clothes for Gap. He had claimed he wouldn’t release any music until he was freed from his major-label contracts, but West put out the long-gestating “Donda” (named after his late mother) in August, after it was preceded by a series of bizarre high-profile “listening events” at stadiums in Atlanta and Chicago, the latter of which was marred by guest appearances from disgraced artists DaBaby and Marilyn Manson. As usual, he got the last laugh, raking in a reported $7 million from “Donda” merch at those gatherings before the album debuted at No. 1, more than making up for his failed 2020 presidential run.