If there's anyone who could convince a bunch of rich people to travel to the heart of middle America for a rap listening party, it's Kanye West. Last night, the polarizing rapper debuted his latest album, Ye, inside an actual barn at a Wyoming ranch called Diamond Cross, for a gaggle of famous people. Among them were his wife and ride or die Kim Kardashian, G.O.O.D. Music artists like Pusha-T and 2 Chainz, Nas, Chris Rock, and Kanye super fan Jonah Hill.
"He’s the one person who I have an unending childhood kind of fascination with. I still look at him like I’m a little kid, and he’s a superstar," Hill told Pitchfork. "When I decided to come here, I thought, 'It’s like if someone got to hear Thriller in the middle of Wyoming.'" Also in attendance was conservative talking head Candace Owens, who West famously tweeted he "liked the way she thinks." Owens has since become synonymous with West's newfound affinity for President Trump. "Artists are expected to be liberal, but there is an underground railroad of conservatives in Hollywood," she said. "He liked Trump before he went into politics, and now he has to shut that off because he’s black?"
Could West's new album be good enough to make people forget about his recent pro-Trump antics? Well, if you weren't lucky enough to score an invite to the ultra-exclusive event, the livestream is still up on YouTube and the album is available on streaming services today. After the release of Pusha-T's album DAYTONAlast week, Ye is the latest chapter in West's summer assault. His collab album with Kid Cudi, Kids See Ghost, arrives next Friday, while a West-produced Nas project drops on June 15. Teyana Taylor's latest project caps off a torrid month on June 22. Cruel summer, indeed.
