Ye

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.”

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.

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.