"Adidas has allowed the production of a shoe that is named after an archangel in Islam. This is highly offensive to the Muslim community" - a petition, started on Change.org, reads, pushing for new Kanye West shoes be taken off the market, All Hip Hop reports. West has recently dropped sneakers that bear the name of two Islamic angels of judgment and death. The Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Israfil is a shoe Adidas already has on its way to market, and the Yeezy Boost 350 V2 Asriel that should be released in September/October. The new petition demands cease of all sales and an apology.

It is widely believed that Kanye West's American presidential candidacy serves one purpose - to take potential Joe Biden's votes, black and young ones, and make it easier for Donald Trump to win. Billboard argues it just might not happen like that. African Americans tend not to vote for candidates solely because they are Black, while West’s status with Americans age 18 to 29 is actually more unfavorable than favorable - said David Jackson, a political science professor at Bowling Green State University whose research focuses on the links between young people’s entertainment and political preferences. It’s also possible West could actually draw support away from Trump, since he’s been an outspoken supporter of the president in the past.

Kim Kardashian West has publicly addressed her husband Kanye's mental health issues asking for "compassion and empathy" for her family, All Hip Hop reports. KKW came out publicly following a series of West's erratic statements in recent days. She wrote on Instagram: "As many of you know, Kanye has bipolar disorder", adding that west a "brilliant but complicated person" whose "words sometimes do not align with his intentions". "He is a brilliant but complicated person who on top of the pressures of being an artist and a black man, who experienced the painful loss of his mother, and has to deal with the pressure and isolation that is heightened by his bipolar disorder" Kardashian West said, asking for "compassion and empathy that is needed so that we can get through this."

Kanye West has officially launched his campaign for the 2020 US presidential election, with an unorthodox rally in Charleston, South Carolina, ABC reports. West appeared with "2020" shaved into the back of his head and wearing a protective security vest, and addressed the gathered rowdy crowd of a few hundred people without a microphone. He gave an impromptu monologue about 19th century abolitionist Harriet Tubman saying she "never actually freed the slaves, she just had the slaves go work for other white people" (Tubman was rescuing slaves on the network of routes and safe houses known as "underground railroad", risking her own life to lead people to freedom). West also suggested that women should be given $1m when they have a baby. He clarified that he thinks abortion should be legal, but that there should be more support for those who need it. West also said that marijuana "should be free". He also spoke about his private life, his children and his mother... You can watch his rally here.

Moses Sumney released 'Monumental', his interpretation of 'Olympic Hymn', accompanied by a stunning black and white video starring and directed by Sumney, featuring the musician singing the song on a pedestal like a marble statue come to life; Idles make a slight turn - release s tense psych-ballad 'A Hymn'; free jazz collective Standing On The Corner shared ‘G-E-T-O-U-T!! The Ghetto’ featuring a seven-year-old vocalist Annalise Chanel Renee Williams; Kanye West, again, has a good song - 'Donda', dedicated to his mother; King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard shared a ballad 'Honey'; 'Order' by Zen Mother is just some mighty electro industrial; Helena Deland's 'Lylz' is about the "aching forever-after of female friendship"; Arcade Fire's Will Butler released his new, solo, uplifting song 'Surrender'; Makaya McCraven's 'Strangers in the City' is groovy and tribal jazz.

Kanye West talked in lengths with Forbes about his presidential bid - he has chosen a party name, Birthday Party, a slogan, “YES!”, and a vice president - Wyoming preacher Michelle Tidball. His political views are quite conservative - he said vaccines are “the mark of the beast”; he believes family planning is racist - “Planned Parenthoods have been placed inside cities by white supremacists to do the Devil’s work”; he envisions a White House organizational model based on the secret country of Wakanda in 'Black Panther'. NME's Mark Beaumont argues that West's "Presidential bid, by swaying even a small amount of liberal and minority voters away from Biden, might well serve to aid Trump’s re-election chances. You might even wonder if the whole idea for the West 2020 campaign came from POTUS sliding into his DMs to stroke his permanently priapic ego".

Kanye West has shared a song 'Wash Us in the Blood', mixed by Dr. Dre and features Travis Scott, with video directed by Arthur Jafa. It goes back to West's raw sound, but it keeps the Christian narrative and gospel undertones. The video features plenty of protest footage, and some from West’s Saint Pablo Tour and Sunday Service rehearsals. The new track is set to feature on an album presently titled 'God’s Country'. Vulture has an interesting perspective on the song - "On one level, the song is a return to form and a smoother pairing of West’s newfound faith and existing politics. It’s also motivational boilerplate. But that’s to be expected. The sneaker man does not want you so free that you stop wanting sneakers”.

Kid Cudi has released a teaser of the new CGI animated series 'Kids See Ghosts', based upon his 2018 collaborative album with Kanye West., Complex reports A new trailer features the iconic Kanye West bear, voiced by West himself, and another character, Kid Fox, voiced by Cudi. It's directed by Takashi Murakami, and Cudi promises it's “coming soon.

Kanye West has partnered with Gap to launch a clothing line called Yeezy Gap where the musician will act as creative director, designing “modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points”. According to the New York Times, Yeezy Gap will arrive in stores in the first half of 2021, and Gap hopes the new line will be generating $1 billion in annual sales within five years.

Kanye West has donated $2 million to support the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor - three unarmed African-Americans recently killed by police officers or a former police officer. West also set up a 529 education plan to cover the full college tuition for George Floyd's 6-year-old daughter Gianna Floyd, All Hip Hop reports. West was also seen joining protestors in the streets of Chicago.

Based on financial documents reviewed by Forbes, Kanye West’s net worth has recently reached $1.26 billion dollars. It's a tremendous change - less than five years ago, West publicly announced himself to be $53 million in debt. After striking a deal with Adidas to expand his Yeezy apparel brand, his income skyrocketed. Last year alone, West’s Yeezy sneakers sold $1.3 billion, with West himself personally pocketing $140 million in royalties. On the music side, West’s recordings and publishing rights are valued at around $90 million.

Kanye West's charitable collaboration has partnered with Chic-fil-A to help Christian non-profit the Los Angeles Dream Center provide food and other items to those in need since March. This partnership has helped provide more than 14,000 meals every single day, 300,000 meals in total to the needy in Los Angeles, CBN reports. In similar news, Cash Money’s Bryan "Birdman" Williams has offered to pay the rent for people hit hard by the devasting coronavirus pandemic in New Orleans, All Hip Hop reports.

The woman from the Dirty Dancing song teams up with a mobster and a kid from a pizza parlor to - by a combination of timing, luck, forethought, and stolen lyrics - start a revolution - Complex says about Sylvia Robinson, their choice of the best hip-hop producer od 1979. The best in 2019 - Madlib, for creating soulful, era-spanning beats. In-between the two - Kanye West, Dr. Dre, The Neptunes...

Kanye West is bringing his Sunday Service to New York Yankee Stadium on May 2, as New York Post reports. West's performance will be part of an event held by televangelists Joel and Victoria Osteen, who announced the forthcoming event as “an evening of hope and inspiration to draw tens of thousands from across the country". Tickets go for $25.

Nick Cave was asked “Do you like Kanye?” on his blog. This is his not-so-disambiguous answer: “Making art is a form of madness – we slip deep within our own singular vision and become lost to it. There is no musician on Earth that is as committed to their own derangement as Kanye, and in this respect, at this point in time, he is our greatest artist”.

Brooklyn Vegan combed through the 2010s as well and came up with 141 best albums of the last ten years (it was a shame to kick out Leonard Cohen, right?!? :_) ). The first ten are: 10. The National – 'Trouble Will Find Me Read More' 9. PJ Harvey – 'Let England Shake' 8. Beyonce […]

Kanye West released a new album 'Jesus Is Born' on Christmas day, two months after 'Jesus is King'. The album's primary artist is listed as the Sunday Service Choir, a gospel collective featuring West, which has also performed in his Sunday Service hip-hop and gospel pop-up events. The album features 19 songs -- including a […]

An impressive project by the Los Angeles Times - a 50-song mixtape attempting to locate musical intersections both physical and thematic. They picked out a whole lot of musicians - Kanye West, Lana Del Rey, Kendrick Lamar, Devendra Banhart... landing them in LA. An entertaining ride.

Kanye West staged his sophomore opera, 'Mary', at the Miami Marine Stadium as part of the final day of Art Basel on Sunday, with him covered fully in silver, Pitchfork reports. The opera tells the Christmas nativity story through Gospel arrangements of Kanye’s own songs, including 'Devil in a New Dress', 'Love Lockdown', and 'Power', as well […]

Taylor Swift has topped Forbes‘ annual list of the world’s highest-paid musicians with $185m made in pre-tax earnings from June 2018 to June 2019. The bulk of Swift’s earnings came thanks to a new record deal, an array of endorsements and the tail end of her recent ‘Reputation’ stadium tour. Kanye West came in second […]

Kanye West has announced a new opera titled 'Mary', scheduled to take place at Miami Marine Stadium on Sunday, December 8, the last day of this year’s Art Basel, Complex reports. Once again tapping his Sunday Service choir, 'Mary' will be directed by frequent collaborator Vanessa Beecroft, who recently directed 'Nebuchadnezzar' last month in Los […]

They are the architect of the sad-banger, the creative genius, a long shadow over a tough decade, the pop icon redefining gender, the voice of the next generation, the survivor, the relatable superstar, the saviour of grime, rock frontperson 2.0 and the hip hop’s boundary-pusher. NME...

LA Times sent classical music critic and pop music critic to see Kanye West's opera 'Nebuchadnezzar'. Judging by their words it was something, but not much - "if this thing had a story, it was pretty hard to tell", "You can call just about anything an opera", "this didn’t allow much of his gift to come […]

Kanye West has announced his first opera, 'Nebuchadnezzar' - it opens on November 24th at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles. It is about the longest-reigning monarch of the Neo-Babylonian Empire and a ruler who West relates to. The opera is directed by Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft and will feature music by Kanye’s Sunday […]

Tracks from Kanye West’s new album, ‘Jesus Is King’, currently hold all Top 10 song spots on Billboard’s Hot Christian Songs and Hot Gospel Songs charts. Apart from that, the album itself holds the all-genre Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Albums charts, Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums chart. With it West […]

Organizers of Kanye West's Sunday Service event in Baton Rouge on Friday charged $55 for a Styrofoam plate of lukewarm pancakes, bacon, sausage, and grits, All Hip-Hop reports. Several attendees posted photos of the meal on social media. To add insult to injury (or, maybe, to let people enjoy their meals 🙂 ), Kanye West was […]

Kanye West reached the No. 1 spot at the Billboard 200 albums chart with his latest release 'Jesus Is King', which earned 264,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. Of that sum, 109,000 were in album sales, while the rest was powered largely by streaming activity. 'Jesus Is King' on top of Billboard makes Kanye West the […]

"When it comes to making records promiscuity has become a talent-killer. That’s why Kanye was right to ban anyone working on his album from having pre-marital sex during the recording period of ‘Jesus Is King’ – not for ridiculously pious religious reasons but to stop the music being smug, bland and self-satisfied" - Mark, My […]

Bruce Springsteen documentary 'Western Stars' earned $560,000 from 537 theaters over the weekend in the US, and combined with grosses from preview sneaks, his directorial debut has earned $1 million. 'Western Stars' shows Springsteen performing all 13 songs on his first studio album in five years, archival footage, personal narration, and guest appearances, and is […]

"West's greatest talent has always been his ability to lead as a genius creative director. From soaring choirs to redemptive synths to even a wailing Kenny G solo—the music itself is stunning" - Esquire says in a review of Kanye West's new album 'Jesus is King. NME writes how "‘Jesus Is King’ lacks the goofball […]