The signs were already “not fantastic” trends with respect to Kanye West’s latest Donda listening party in Chicago tonight, with reports circulating that the musician – who has been promoting his new album in the typically Kanyesian way lately, through a series of elaborate live shows and seemingly intentional delays – would skip the requirements. vaccination or COVID testing for the event at Soldier Field. West managed to limbo even with these low expectations tonight, however, when he decided to bring two of his many musical friends in front of the crowd to celebrate the occasion: rapper DaBaby and musician Brian “Marilyn Manson” Warner, in a gesture is very difficult not to read as the last middle finger raised in a race that has presented them in abundance.
For its part, DaBaby has been facing controversy in recent months, following homophobic comments made at a concert made him lose a set to Lollapalooza in Chicago. (Other festivals followed suit.) DaBaby not only appeared on the show, but apparently appeared; Fork reports that his new verse from the album seems to have replaced one of Jay-Z that was heard in previous shows. (The policy of that a particular movement is labyrinthine and petty in a way that we do not feel empowered to fully explore.)
Warner’s presence, however, is the clear and obvious “Fuck you” here. Warner has, of course, been the subject of a series of allegations of sexual assault and domestic abuse since then. 202 February1, when Evan Rachel Wood named him her longtime abuser. (Several other women, including actress Esmé Bianco, have filed similar allegations against the musician.) She has since lost contracts, TV concerts, performances and more, although more complaints have come out. Per Fork, both men joined West in the field tonight, being left out of a replica of the musician’s nursery, bothering him awkwardly and allegedly serving as a statement from some a sort of West intent, which doesn’t seem to worry Warner will face allegations and sexual assault allegations of several women related to incidents spanning decades of her career.