Kanye, Drake, Rhymefest, & Kim Kardashian Embroiled In Donda’s House Drama
One diss track has stoked some deeper drama, thanks to a single tweet to Drake. The tweet called out Kanye West on the alleged abandonment of the non-profit founded in his mother’s name — and Kim Kardashian is not having it.
On Saturday (May 25), Rhymefest — Chicago rapper, West collaborator (his credits include “Jesus Walks,” which he co-wrote) and co-founder of Donda’s House, the nonprofit youth organization he and West launched in their hometown — threw himself into the fray developing between Drake and Pusha T. That rap beef sparked over “Duppy Freestyle,” Drake’s clap-back to Pusha T’s “Infrared,” as both tracks threw barbs at the artists involved as well as their labels. (Drake helms OVO Sound, while Pusha T is signed to West’s G.O.O.D. Music and just dropped a West-produced album, Daytona, that includes the song in question.)
One line of Drake’s name-checks West — “Tell ’Ye we got an invoice comin’ to you/ Considering we just sold another 20 for you” — and that’s what Rhymefest seized on, as he then tweeted to Drake asking for financial assistance while sharing that West, in his view, had more or less abandoned Donda’s House.
Enter Kardashian: West’s wife went in on Rhymefest and insulted everything from his work with Donda’s House (“Truth is you haven’t been able to sustain the foundation”) to his footwear (“U haven’t been right since u got kicked out of the studio in Hawaii wearing fake Yeezy’s”).
U haven’t been right since u got kicked out of the studio in Hawaii wearing fake Yeezy’s @RHYMEFEST 😂 You’re over levergenging Kanye’s name & asked Kanye to donate money to u so stop w your fake community politics & lies. Truth is you haven’t been able to sustain the foundation
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 26, 2018
I saw you at our studio a few weeks ago so why didn’t you bring this up then @RHYMEFEST ? You were trying to get Kanye to listen to your sub par beats. You have the audacity to use Kanye’s mom name to try to shead a negative light on Kanye.
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 26, 2018
You didn’t say this when Kanye paid you up front then you disappeared during Pablo #RealFriends @RHYMEFEST
— Kim Kardashian West (@KimKardashian) May 26, 2018
She then proceeded to threaten Rhymefest’s involvement in the foundation itself: “You better believe I will make it my mission to take Donda’s House from you and let my children run it the way it should be run!”
Rhymefest immediately responded to Kardashian’s tweets with a full statement, in which he alluded to recent conversations with West. “I spoke to your husband about peace, and balance, as well as about the work that we have been doing in Chicago regarding Donda’s House,” he wrote. “He was more interested in his record.”
Hey @KimKardashian good to hear from you. Here’s my response pic.twitter.com/dWvwZfr1b5
— Rhymefest (@RHYMEFEST) May 27, 2018
The disagreement inspired Rhymefest and those running Donda’s House to no longer operate under the name of West’s mother, with the nonprofit continuing to “support youth in our future endeavors” while encouraging Kardashian and West “to indeed pick up the baton of service.”
Please read the attached final statement regarding the future of @DondasHouse, effective immediately: @kanyewest & @KimKardashian. pic.twitter.com/aNVWbJ1h49
— Donda's House, Inc. (@DondasHouse) May 27, 2018
To say this is an unexpected, unfortunate post-script to both “Infrared” and “Duppy Freestyle” would be an understatement.
West has yet to publicly comment on Kardashian and Rhymefest’s correspondence or the Drake/Pusha T feud that led to it.
This article originally appeared on Billboard.