Kanye Sued by Production Company Alleging $7 Million in Unpaid Concert Costs
Larry Hoover
J. Prince Accuses Wack 100 of Working Against Him in Fight for Larry Hoover’s Freedom: ‘Lyin-Ass N***a’
Inside Ye And Drake’s ‘Free Larry Hoover’ Concert
2021 has been full of unexpected surprises and the reunion between Kanye West (or Ye, now) and Drake coordinated by Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J Prince will live in the hip-hop textbooks forever. On December 9, thousands of fans gathered at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for the Free Larry Hoover Benefit concert to witness two of rap’s biggest stars perform in the name of criminal justice reform.
Alice Marie Johnson, the prison advocate who was freed by former President Donald Trump with the help of Ye and Kim Kardashian, was also there and she shared an enlightening speech amid fog and low-lighting about what this moment meant to her, why it was important to bring awareness to Larry Hoover, co-founder of the Chicago gang Gangster Disciples, and why he should be freed.
Aside from what his son, Larry Hoover Jr., said on Donda (not being around growing up, not being able to see his grandchildren), Johnson noted that Hoover was sentenced to serve over 100 years in prison. They’re calling it unjust because he’s mostly been in isolation his entire sentence. Though rumors swirled around on this dark, cold, night, that proceeds from the show would not go to charity, representatives confirmed that ticket sales from the evening (including a portion of the merch) were set to go to not-for-profit entities Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, Hustle 2.0, and Uptown People’s Law Center.
The show was put together in just 18 days and according to Ye’s production lead for the event and founder of PHNTM, Gabe Fraboni, the large slab of concrete build centered in the middle of the stadium that everyone was buzzing about days before the show was made from something called shotcrete, he told Uproxx over the phone, with dirt at the bottom and a layer of concrete on top.
After Johnson spoke, the night grew longer and colder as the stadium filled up — even past start time. There was a lot of traffic on the way to the Coliseum — so even though viewers at home (especially the east coast) watching on Amazon Prime were deprived of their sleep, I know it made a lot of attendees happy to find the show hadn’t started when they arrived and there was time to stand around in line for a drink.
First to make an appearance on the night was the Sunday Service choir, donned in all black, descending upon the Coliseum stairs while anointing the show with their spirit and robust harmonies. Fog and the winter chill swirled the concrete mesa below the stairs when two illuminated figures arose from the gloom. The entire stadium stood up and cheered. There was so much to celebrate at that moment.
@uproxx kinda wanna hear ye do more drake covers!
#fyp #drake #kanye #ovo #kanyetok #concerts #popculture
As Drake took to the sidelines, Ye kicked things off with his Donda cut “Praise God” then went into a fury of his hits such as “Jesus Walks,” “All Falls Down,” and “Gold Digger.” The last time I saw Kanye live was in Dallas during his Touch The Sky Tour, so seeing him perform that exact track brought back warm memories and was a gentle reminder of why I became a fan in the first place. And Ye kept the classics coming. He kept the energy high with his peculiar dance moves that whirled in between a billowing fog and colorful lights. Those two elements were brewed together to create what Fraboni described as an “atmospheric” vibe.
By the way, there were no projectors — just Ye appearing mythical while dancing under the moonlight. With “Find Your Love” for instance, I thought Drake sounded a little strange. Nope. It was Mr. West doing his own rendition, only he was eclipsed by an abundance of fog. And it would make sense that Ye would cover Drake. Earlier that day, there was a video circulating of Drizzy practicing “24.”
When it was The Boy’s turn to perform on the mystic mesa, “24” is the first song he did and it sounded glorious. Aubrey didn’t take us back as Ye did by performing his classics. Instead, Drake opted to perform his more recent hits such as “Way 2 Sexy” and “God’s Plan.” Throughout Drake’s set, Ye’s influence was evident. From the way he hyped the crowd to his quirky way of moving across the stage, anyone watching could tell that Drake is a student of Kanye. You’ll be lucky to find Drake’s full performance of the show, however. Apparently, the new edit on Amazon only features the pair performing “Forever” as the finale. Drake’s entire 12-song set is gone.
Nevertheless, December 9 is a day that will go down in history when two of the music industry’s most illustrious acts, Ye and Drake, set aside their years-long beef to bring awareness to what’s going on with Larry Hoover in hopes of having him freed under Trump’s First Step Act. It’s too early to tell if the concert will actually help with that cause, but at least a few criminal justice reform organizations are getting some shine.
Drake Has Been Mysteriously Edited Out Of Ye’s Larry Hoover Benefit On Amazon Prime Video
Well, this is awkward. You know the Larry Hoover Benefit Concert and livestream that went down at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum last Thursday night? You know, the one that was dubbed as “Kanye With Special Guest Drake Live In Concert #FreeLarryHoover”? The one where Ye played an unthinkable set of his greatest hits and Drake put down a dozen songs of his own before the pair closed the show out with “Forever”? Well, if you weren’t there or didn’t watch the livestream, you might never know that Drake played a set at all.
That’s because Amazon has mysteriously removed Drake’s set from the Amazon Prime Video version of the show that’s currently up on their site for streaming. Following the concert, the video has had numerous periods where it has been unavailable on Amazon Prime. One of them was presumably for producer Mike Dean to apply his own audio mix to the show, which is the higher quality sounding version currently available, which is also 24 minutes shorter than the original. Two days ago, Dean posted an update about his mix on Instagram stating “NEW MIX ON THE COLLISIUM [sic] SHOW. CHECK IT.”
So why is Drake’s set missing from the video now? The closing duet of “Forever” is still on there, so he hasn’t been completely erased. But could this insinuate a rekindling of the Drake/Ye beef? A more plausible assertion is that Drake’s set doesn’t have the high-quality audio that Ye has infamously demanded of every project he’s ever been a part of. So perhaps someone like Mike Dean hasn’t cleaned it up for the streaming video yet. Maybe the concert will be unavailable again for a day and then reappear with Drake back in there? Or perhaps Drake hasn’t cleared his performance for streaming video after the fact? Either way, this is just weird and low-key messy. Of course, it is.
Ye And Drake’s Merchandise Profits From Their Benefit Concert Will Reportedly Not Be Donated To Charity
On Thursday, Ye and Drake’s Larry Hoover benefit concert finally went down, to great acclaim. Ye performed a number of tracks from throughout his catalog while Drake stuck to songs from Certified Lover Boy. The concert also offered some merchandise for attendees and viewers at home to purchase, ranging from hoodies, jeans, and t-shirts. As the show was a benefit concert for Larry Hoover, the incarcerated founder of Chicago’s Gangster Disciples gang, many wondered where the profits from the show would go. Just a couple of days after the concert, we have an answer (sort of).
According to GQ, a representative confirmed that the sales made from the merchandise sold with the concert will not be donated to charity. It’s unknown where the money will go, but the representative confirmed the funds will not be given to organizations like criminal justice reform groups. However, that is not the case for the ticket sales from the concert. Those will reportedly be donated to those groups, leaving them to receive a sizeable amount of money as a result of the benefit show.
This comes after a report revealed that federal officials were “surprised” and upset about Drake and Ye’s support towards Larry Hoover. They struggled to understand why they would vouch for Hoover’s release, a man they called “the worst of the worst.”
Drake And Ye’s Larry Hoover Benefit Concert Reportedly Left Federal Officials ‘Surprised’ And Upset
After a few weeks of promotion, Drake and Ye took over the Los Angeles Coliseum for their benefit concert for Larry Hoover, and it was quite the spectacle. Ye took the stage a performed a number of hits from his 15-year catalog, including “Jesus Walks,” “All Falls Down,” “Good Life,” “All Of The Lights.” Drake appeared later on and mostly stuck to songs from Certified Lover Boy like “Knife Talk,” “Way 2 Sexy,” and “Girls Wants Girls.” All in all, it was a great show that left viewers extremely satisfied, but according to TMZ, federal officials are shocked by it all.
The report says officials are “surprised” that Drake and Ye held the concert at all. Hoover, a Chicago native and founder of the Gangster Disciples gang, is currently serving a state-sanctioned sentence of 150-200 years for a 1973 murder and six life sentences for running a criminal organization from prison. Federal officials can’t seem to understand why Drake and Ye would want to support a man who they called “the worst of the worst.”
While the odds of the concert leading to Hoover’s freedom are minimal, it did help to end Drake and Ye’s longtime beef. The rappers reconciled weeks before the show thanks to some help from J Prince, and it was good to see them showing each other some brotherly love onstage.
Ye And Drake’s ‘Free Larry Hoover’ Concert Is Reportedly Costing $10 Million
With Ye and Drake’s Free Larry Hoover concert just hours away and scheduled to stream around the world live, TMZ reports that the crew at the LA Memorial Coliseum are working overtime to finish the stage ahead of the production. In addition, TMZ’s sources say that the show’s budget comes in at well over $10 million, covering the cost of the stage, space rental, staff, and security.
Of course, to the two rappers, who have spent the last several years sniping at each other on their records and social channels, the cause is worth the cost. According to J. Prince, who is the one who ultimately connected the two artists, Drake saw the bigger picture was worth setting aside their petty — and extremely funny, let’s be honest — feud.
Hoover, who helped co-found Chicagos’ notorious Gangsta Disciples organization, has been in prison since 1997, serving a life sentence (six of them, actually, which… how?) for an extended list of crimes committed in his capacity as the gang’s leader. However, since then, he says he’s seen the error of his ways and can do more good outside of prison keeping kids away from gangs with his knowledge, experience, and street credibility.
In addition, Larry Hoover Jr. has been advocating for his father’s release, as well as overall prison reform.
The Free Larry Hoover Concert is expected to begin tonight at 8 pm.
J Prince Says He Believes Drake Reconciled With Ye Because He Saw ‘The Bigger Picture’
Tomorrow night, Ye and Drake will take over the Los Angeles Coliseum for their benefit concert for Larry Hoover, a Chicago gang founder currently serving a 150-200 year sentence for a 1973 murder. The show will be available on Amazon platforms and in IMAX theaters. However, it wouldn’t be happening without the rappers’ decision to set aside their differences, ending the beef they’ve had for the past three years. Rap-A-Lot Records CEO J Prince had a huge hand in helping Ye and Drake patch things up, but in a new interview with Billboard, he sets the record straight on how it went down.
“I painted the bigger picture to Drake,” Prince explained when he was asked why he thinks the two rappers met at Drake’s Toronto mansion late last month. “I let him know that this is a moment and movement that can save lives. I believe by Drake and Kanye being an example, as two of hip-hop’s top artists, that lives would be saved.” He continued, “I believe this is going to be imitated and it’s important to be an example to those that look up to you and that meant something to Drake — just the life-saving event wrapped around putting the spotlight on injustice, prison reform, and my brother Larry Hoover. Everything is icing on the cake after that, because he never envisioned things like that.”
Prince also made sure to note that he did not pressure or “force” Ye into setting aside his differences with Drake for the benefit concert. “It was an interesting conversation, but the furthest thing from the truth regarding any kind of force,” he said. “I heard all kinds of rumors, and that was the furthest thing from the truth To me, that moment was what I called an ‘anointing moment’ — because none of it was planned. It wasn’t planned where we had that meeting in that particular church, but me being a man of God, I couldn’t deny the invitation to actually meet him.”
The concert will kick-off at 11pm EST / 8pm PST on Thursday and stream on Prime Video, the Amazon Music app, and the Amazon Music Twitch channel in addition to IMAX theaters.
You can read J Prince’s full sit-down with Billboard here.
Aerial Footage Shows Kanye West & Drake’s Larry Hoover Show Stage Buildout Is “Massive,” Streaming Live On Amazon & Twitch
Aerial footage captured by a photojournalist has revealed that a massive stage is under construction for Kanye West and Drake‘s ‘Free Larry Hoover’ benefit show. Kanye West & Drake’s Larry Hoover Show Underway A clip shared by CBS LA‘s John Schreiber shows the huge stage which is being built for the Kanye West & Drake […]