The Free Larry Hoover concert marks Drake’s first return to the stage since he performed with Travis Scott at the Astroworld Festival, where 10 people were killed
Their beef is a thing of the past.
On Thursday night, Kanye West and Drake took the stage together for the first time since their public feud as they hosted the sold-out “Free Larry Hoover” benefit concert at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
The two rappers walked side by side down the steps of the Coliseum as the choir sang West’s “Ultralight Beam” in a powerful show that their feud had been put to rest. West took the stage first to debut “Praise God.”
He then “took it back to day one,” performing classics including “Gold Digger,” “Touch the Sky,” “Stronger” and “All of the Lights.”
West then dedicated the lyrics “I need you to come right back to me, baby” to estranged wife Kim Kardashian as he said “more specifically, Kimberly” at the end of the song.
Ye x Drake walk out #FreeLarryHoover pic.twitter.com/wH0UGfcUXr
— Donda’s Place (@dondas___place) December 10, 2021
Drake later took the stage to perform some of his biggest hits, including “No Friends in the Industry,” “Life Is Good,” “IMY2” and “Laugh Now Cry Later.”
“I appreciate Kanye for having me up here tonight,” Drake said. “It’s important that we make this happen. When we were walking through the arches right there it felt like a dream. It felt surreal. It was something I always wanted to do being on stage with my idol as he’s running through one of the best catalogs in music, period.”
To end the show, West hit the stage with Drake after changing into matching denim jackets and jeans to perform “Hurricane,” his song with The Weeknd, and “Come to Life.” He also performed “Bound 2,” “N—s in Paris” and “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1.”
“I just get on the side of the bed and thank God for the hard times. The lessons,” West said during a prayer. “When he makes me who he wants me to be. I thank his son Jesus Christ for dying for me. For dying for us to save our souls. If you say and believe Jesus Christ is your lord and savior then you will be saved. 214 million homes have to bear that.”
The show ended with both artists performing Drake’s song “Forever.” The two embraced for a hug and then walked off stage together.
The concert comes about a month after the two rappers — along with J Prince — met up and said it was “time to put [the feud] to rest.”
“I’m making this video to address the ongoing back-and-forth between myself and Drake,” West, 44, said in the video. “Both me and Drake have taken shots at each other and it’s time to put it to rest.”
“I’m asking Drake on December 7 to join me on stage as a special guest to share the two biggest albums of the year live in Los Angeles with the ultimate purpose being to free Larry Hoover,” he said, referring to the co-founder of the Gangster Disciples gang. (Drake and West also met up in Toronto soon after.)
Drake, 35, and West agreed to perform on Thursday to benefit Hoover, who has been incarcerated at the ADX federal prison in Colorado, where other criminals, such as El Chapo Guzman, are locked up.
The show was meant to bring awareness about his incarceration and Hoover’s family’s efforts to free him after the 2018 Free Step Act gave federal prisoners with drug-related charges the chance to reduce their sentences. Neither Drake nor West made mention of Hoover during the entirety of the show.
West raps with Hoover’s son Larry Hoover Jr. on his new album Donda on tracks “Jesus Lord” and “Jesus Lord Pt. 2.” On the songs, Hoover Jr. promises his father won’t be involved in gang activity were he to get out. Hoover is now 71.
“It’s a great thing they’ve done for our family to help promote and push for the release of Larry Hoover Sr.,” Hoover’s wife Winndye Hoover told Denver Post. “He’s got people who love him just like other people do.”
She added, “We couldn’t repay them for what they’re doing. This is monumental.”
Hoover was convicted on 40 counts related to leading the Gangster Disciples and trafficking drugs from 1970 and 1997.
As for the rappers’ feud, it dates back several years and resurfaced this year after the releases of West’s Donda and Drake’s Certified Lover Boy. On the albums, they both share disses about each other. Though the Canadian rapper never calls out West by name, fans were quick to dissect several lines on multiple songs from Certified Lover Boy that appear to take digs at him, most notably on “7AM on Bridle Path.”
The concert also marks Drake’s return to the stage after appearing alongside Travis Scott during last month’s deadly Astroworld Festival where 10 people were killed. Drake is among those named in several lawsuits related to the tragedy, including one $750 million lawsuit.
As for West, he’s been at the center of controversy due to welcoming Marilyn Manson — who has been accused by more than a dozen women and sued by four for allegations of sexual and physical abuse — on his Donda album and at a recent Sunday Service.
Fans of West and Drake’s attire are able to purchase the limited-edition clothing items designed by Ye and Demna Gvasalia at the Amazon Fashion store.
