
Ye and Drake hugging in the concert.
The Free Larry Hoover benefit concert was a joint performance with Ye, Drake, and the Sunday Service Choir hosted at the Los Angeles Coliseum on December 9, 2021, starting around 9:40pm local time. The concert was intended to serve as a platform for the two artists to jointly advocate for the freeing of Larry Hoover[1] weeks after they seemingly settled their years-long feud. The show live streamed on Amazon Prime, Amazon Music, and Twitch for free[2][3], as well as aired at select IMAX theaters at the same time.[4]
Background[]
Ye and Drake had been in a beef for years, but it concluded when Drake accepted Ye's invitation to perform together to advocate for the freeing of Larry Hoover. They posed together for Instagram pictures on November 16.[5] A couple days later, the next Sunday Service event opened with a cover of Drake's hit 2018 track "God's Plan".[6]
Three days before the concert, aerial footage revealed a circular mound made of "sand and concrete or stucco" was being constructed in the coliseum as part of stage design.[7][8] The morning of the concert, a video went around of Drake rehearsing his cover of "24".[9]
Event[]
The concert was originally scheduled to start at 8pm local[10][11][12][13], but started almost two hours late.[14]
It opened with a speech from a woman and repeating sounds of a man speaking. Later, the Sunday Service Choir performed as a group in an end of the stadium. As they finished performing their rendition of Ye's "Ultralight Beam," Ye and Drake emerged from the top of that end of the stadium and walked down the many steps together as the crowd welcomed them.
Ye took over the stage with "Praise God," which ended during Baby Keem's verse. Next, Ye told the audience that he was heading back to day one, going on to play songs from his first three albums, then "All of the Lights" from MBDTF and "Black Skinhead" from Yeezus. He briefly performed "All Day" but hopped over to performing "Mercy." He resumed the nostalgia trip with tracks from Graduation and 808s & Heartbreaks. He concluded his set with a cover of Drake's track "Find Your Love," a performance of "Runaway" that ended with "more specifically, Kimberly" which garnered public response, and the triumphant "Can't Tell Me Nothing."[15]
Drake took on the stage with a cover of Ye's "24," which he had been seen rehearsing the day before.[9] He then played a set that was half songs from his recent album Certified Lover Boy, including the live debuts of "What's Next," "IMY2," "Girls Want Girls," and "In The Bible."[16]
Ye returned with four songs and then gave a prayer during "Come To Life."[17][18] The show concluded with Drake and Ye performing "Forever" and then walking off together.[19]
Throughout the concert, Ye's songs had slightly different instrumentation (particularly synths), which Mike Dean has been credited for.[20][21] Ye also appeared to have avoided cursing at times, but did so on numerous occasions. He did skip a questionable lyric on "Forever," though.[22] Like he usually does, he ended "Runaway" with some improvised lyrics, this time continuing with "run right back to me," before concluding with "more specifically, Kimberly." These were in reference to his divorcing wife Kim Kardashian, who reportedly contacted her lawyer immediately after this unfolded.[23][24]
Setlist[]
The show included an introduction from the Sunday Service Choir and two Ye sections separated by a Drake set. Ye's two sets contain songs from every album of his excluding ye, KIDS SEE GHOSTS, and Jesus Is King. Drake's set consisted of half from his recent album Certified Lover Boy and another half consisting of older hits. Below is a complete setlist, adapted from Setlist.fm:[15][16]
Sunday Service[]
- SSC - Carmina Burana
- SSC - Ready or Not
- Adele - Easy On Me (Cover)
- SSC - Back to Life
- SSC - Puer
- Ye - Ultralight Beam (Cover)
Ye (1/2)[]
- Ye - Praise God
- Ye - Jesus Walks
- Ye - All Falls Down
- Ye - Gold Digger
- Ye - Touch The Sky
- Ye - Stronger
- Ye - All of the Lights
- Ye - Black Skinhead
- Ye - All Day
- Ye - Mercy
- Ye - Good Life
- Ye - Flashing Lights
- Ye - Say You Will
- Ye - I Wonder
- Drake - Find Your Love (Cover)
- Ye - Runaway
- Ye - Can't Tell Me Nothing
Drake[]
- Ye - 24 (Cover)
- Drake - Wants and Needs
- Drake - No Friends In The Industry
- Drake - What's Next
- Future ft. Drake - Life is Good (Drake Part Only)
- Drake - IMY2
- Drake - Laugh Now Cry Later
- Drake - Girls Want Girls
- Drake - In The Bible
- Drake - Way 2 Sexy
- Drake - Knife Talk
- Drake - God's Plan
Ye (2/2)[]
- Ye - Hurricane
- Ye - Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1
- JAY-Z & Kanye West - N* In Paris (Kanye Part Only)
- Ye - Bound 2
- Ye - Come to Life
- Drake & Ye - Forever
References[]
- ↑ https://people.com/music/kanye-west-and-drake-team-up-free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-after-ending-feud/
- ↑ https://hypebeast.com/2021/12/kanye-west-drake-free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-10-million-budget
- ↑ https://ew.com/music/how-to-watch-kanye-west-drake-concert-amazon-prime-video/
- ↑ https://ew.com/music/how-to-watch-kanye-west-drake-concert-amazon-prime-video/
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/drake-ye-reconcile-photographs-1234998304/
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/music/kanye-west-sunday-service-choir-cover-drake-gods-plan
- ↑ https://www.complex.com/music/kanye-west-drake-free-larry-hoover-concert-stage-design-aerial-footage
- ↑ https://twitter.com/johnschreiber/status/1467697747818008581?s=20
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.66394/title.drake-performs-kanye-wests-24-during-larry-hoover-concert-rehearsal#signup
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/kanye-west-drake-free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-1235000805/
- ↑ https://www.lacoliseum.com/free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-performance-by-ye-and-special-guest-drake/
- ↑ https://www.ticketfaster.com/performers/kanye-west-los-angeles?gclid=CjwKCAiAhreNBhAYEiwAFGGKPAk9FtFesHBs8aIPtuxGeD_wkaUkVeA0hLs9SJTwfspsdhV8R_g62xoCrA8QAvD_BwE
- ↑ https://www.lacoliseum.com/free-larry-hoover-benefit-concert-performance-by-ye-and-special-guest-drake/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/XXL/status/1469178354922360841?s=20
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/kanye-west/2021/los-angeles-memorial-coliseum-los-angeles-ca-1b8be998.html
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/drake/2021/los-angeles-memorial-coliseum-los-angeles-ca-438be773.html
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z2sp_rqWepc?t=182
- ↑ https://youtu.be/Z2sp_rqWepc?t=242
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DrakeDirect_/status/1469312611338518535?s=20
- ↑ https://twitter.com/Laflame_World/status/1469194407861760004?s=20
- ↑ https://time.com/6127521/kanye-west-drake-concert/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/jwongnyy/status/1469209467543773186?s=20
- ↑ https://www.buzzfeed.com/natashajokic1/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-legally-single-report?utm_source=dynamic&utm_campaign=bfsharecopy
- ↑ https://www.tmz.com/2021/12/10/kim-kardashian-kanye-west-ye-divorce-legally-single/