In 2011, Jay-Z and Kanye West released Watch The Throne, and it seemed like it was only the start of the biggest rap crossover collaboration of all time. Years passed without additional team-ups, however, with tensions flaring until an unexpected follow-up collab on Ye's 2021 album Donda. Since then, the tension has returned, and Yeezy explained that a song lyric is essentially what led to this latest cold-shoulder era.
Not long after details surfaced about his "hooligan choir," which followed the release of a song addressing an incestual relationship with his cousin, Ye addressed in a since-deleted post on X why fans never got to hear a follow-up to Watch The Throne. Here's what apparently had the rapper so upset about Jay-Z's verse on Donda's "Jail":
Why did Jay Z have to say ‘no red hat’ on Jail? That shit tore me to my soul. We fought about it and he told me either leave that line on there or take my verse off. Me wearing the red hat was the most stand out example of me going against ‘the program.’ Do you guys think he was instructed to say that?
Kanye West is referring to Jay-Z's "Stop all of that red cap, we goin’ home" lyric, which is a pointed reference to Ye's support of President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement. The Georgia-born rapper didn't want to include the political line in the song, but it was apparently the only way to make the Jay-Z collaboration happen.
Kanye West and Jay-Z's professional relationship initially began in the 2000s, when the former worked as a producer on several hit songs for H.O.V.A. Once West's rap career started to flourish, they had more collaborations, ultimately leading to the release of their album Watch The Throne. The album had a couple of radio hits, and it seemed the famous friends would conquer the music industry.
Unfortunately, the relationship became strained in subsequent years, and it seems as though the two are no longer friends. West took offense at Jay-Z and Beyoncé not attending his wedding ceremony to ex-wife Kim Kardashian, and the two had traded vague jabs with each other through songs leading up to the surprise collaboration in Donda.
This latest post came a month after Kanye West made offensive comments about Jay-Z's children, which continued his streak of controversial posts on the internet. Jay-Z has not publicly commented on what Ye had to say about the lyrics, and given his limited presence on social media, I don't see it happening unless he's asked in an interview.
Other celebrities have reportedly taken legal action against Kanye West for his comments, which have been scrutinized for their legitimacy. Claims ranging from having sex with Taylor Swift to blaming demons for a string of anti-Semitic tweets he made. The self-alleged billionaire hasn't been the most PR friendly person to be around as of late, so even if Jay-Z wanted to make another song with the rapper, chances are he wouldn't.
CinemaBlend will keep an eye out for what Ye is up to next, as well as all celebrities in the industry. Plus, there's a big summer of movies coming just around the corner, so stick with us for news about what to watch as we approach blockbuster movie season.
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