André 3000 has issued a statement regarding the verse he cut for Kanye West’s “Life of the Party,” and Drake’s decision to leak the song Saturday morning.
André said that the initial track he received and wrote to, with his late mother in mind, did not have Kanye’s diss verse on it and that the pair were “hoping to make a more focused offering for the Donda album but I guess things happen like they are supposed to.” The rapper and actor also called the way the track was released “unfortunate.”
Kanye’s verse on the track, which initially hit the internet early Saturday after Drake unleashed it while hosting a guest mix on SiriusXM’s Sound 42, included some shots directed toward the 6 God. In the track, seemingly in relation to the cryptic group text he posted to Instagram weeks back, Kanye raps, “I put Virgil and Drake on the same text, and it wasn’t about the matching Arc’teryx or Kid Cudi dress/Just told these grown men stop it with the funny shit.”
Kanye, who also mentioned that he “made 808s so he’s everyone dad,” continued: “Thought we was the new Abu Dhabi/Told Drake don’t play with me on GD and he sent that message to everybody/So if I hit you with a ‘WYD,’ you better hit me with, ‘Yessir, I’m writing everything you need.’”
Toward the end of his statement, 3 Stacks shared that he not only wanted to be part of Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, which is on track to have the biggest sales week this year, but wants to work with Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Tyler the Creator, and Lil Baby on future projects.
Read the full statement, which was released via a rep, below.
“A few weeks ago Kanye reached out about me being a part of the Donda album. I was inspired by his idea to make a musical tribute to his mom. It felt appropriate to me to support the Donda concept by referencing my own mother, who passed away in 2013. We both share that loss. I thought it was a beautiful choice to make a clean album but, unfortunately, I didn’t know that was the plan before I wrote and recorded my verse. It was clear to me that an edited ‘clean’ format of the verse would not work without having the raw, original also available. So, sadly, I had to be omitted from the original album release.
The track I received and wrote to didn’t have the diss verse on it and we were hoping to make a more focused offering for the Donda album but I guess things happen like they are supposed to. It’s unfortunate that it was released in this way and two artists that I love are going back and forth. I wanted to be on Certified Lover Boy too. I just want to work with people that inspire me. Hopefully I can work with Kendrick on his album. I’d love to work with Lil’ Baby, Tyler and Jay-Z. I respect them all.”
