Could Kanye West heal the world?
Roc-A-Fella Records giant Damon Dash has nothing but good words for the “Famous” rapper.
In Netflix’s new three-part documentary “Jeen-Yuhs,” filmmakers Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozahchronicle chronicle West’s meteoric rise to fame in the music industry.
The 50-year-old executive signed West, 44, to a record deal with Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s and spoke about his effect on Yeezus throughout his career.
The entrepreneur compared Ye to the late great Michael Jackson, saying he was a new incarnation of the “Thriller” singer.
“I was the guy who always ran around with a camera ’cause I knew that these moments were priceless, it was just a matter of when it was time,” Dash said during an interview with the Jasmine Brand.
He continued: “So, I was glad that they actually took that advice and did that, or at least followed the example. I got a lot a footage, but it’s just the time, it’s always about the times. I think this is the right time for that.”
The music mogul added that West is “our new Michael Jackson,” noting, “Whether that’s negative or positive, but that’s just what it is.”
“Every move [Kanye] makes, everybody’s paying attention to. He triggers the world,” he said, adding that in the aughts, West “wasn’t that bold back then but he always was very confident.”
West recently performed songs from his upcoming album “Donda 2” at LoanDepot Park in Miami. His album will soon be available to only those who can pay $200 for a device needed to stream the record.
“Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player,” West wrote in a post on his Instagram account Feb. 17. “Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube. Today artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes. It’s time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s time to take control and build our own.”
According to Page Six sources, the “All Falls Down” crooner was a no-show at his own afterparty at XXIII Club following the concert on Feb. 22. “His team spent money on the party,” a source said. “He was supposed to be there.”
But his A-list friends such as 2 Chainz, DaBaby, Fabolous, Pusha T and Hollywood Unlocked’s Jason Lee were at the bash. “All these people showed up and were wondering ‘Where is Kanye?’” the insider noted. “Every time a Sprinter [van] pulled up, people were like, ‘Is it him?’”
But despite West’s absence, the party was still popping. “It was great,” a partygoer told Page Six. “People just gave up and had a good time. It was a running joke, ‘Is he here yet?’”
During his concert, the Chicago native performed a song about his late friend and collaborator Virgil Abloh, who died last November of cancer.
West sang, “I stopped buying Louis bags after Virgil passed. We ain’t doin’ business, it won’t be no business.”