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Donda: Kanye West appears to diss Kim Kardashian and her ‘family secrets’ on new album

Rapper also references Brad Pitt and ‘celebrity drama’ in confessional tracks on just-released record

Adam White
Sunday 29 August 2021 16:17 BST
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Kim Kardashian dons wedding dress for Donda listening party
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Kanye West has appeared to diss his former wife Kim Kardashian on his new album Donda.

Following more than a month of delays, Donda was surprise-dropped on Sunday (29 August), with the album appearing on streaming platforms with no advance warning.

The 26-track, 108-minute epic features appearances from artists including Jay-Z, The Weeknd and Ariana Grande. Fans, meanwhile, have zeroed in on lyrics that appear to reference West’s separation from Kardashian.

On the track “Jail”, West seems to mock Kardashian over her decision to end their marriage, rapping: “Don’t you curse at mе on text, why you try to hit the flex? / I hold up, likе, ‘What?’ I scroll, I scroll up like, ‘Next’ / Guess who’s getting ex’d?”

In another bar, West seems to celebrate his newfound relationship status, boasting: “You made a choice that’s yo’ bad, single life ain’t so bad.”

Later, in a track titled “Believe What I Say”, West appears to rail against Kardashian’s choice to separate, insisting that he “never questioned what you was asking for”, and that he “gave you every single thing you was asking for”.

“I be going through things that I had to wrote [sic],” he continues. “Celebrity drama that only Brad’d know / Too many family secrets, somebody pass the notes.”

“Brad” appears to be a reference to Brad Pitt, who has been embroiled in a high-profile split from his ex-wife Angelina Jolie since 2016.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in 2019
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian in 2019 (Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

It remains unclear if West’s allusions to his split from Kardashian reflect his current mindset, or whether they paint a picture of the earliest days of their separation.

Donda has been released just days after West and Kardashian recreated their 2014 wedding during a listening party for the album on Thursday (26 August).

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Kardashian appeared on stage at Chicago’s Soldier Field Station in a Balenciaga wedding dress during a play of the Donda track “No Child Left Behind”.

Soon after the moment occurred, Kardashian’s younger sister Kylie Jenner posted a photograph of the couple on her Instagram account, while elder sister Khloe tweeted: “Damn…… I’ve never seen anything this sick!!!!!”

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