Kanye West and Drake officially put their beef to rest and reunited on stage.
Two of music’s biggest stars came together before a sold-out crowd of 70,000 during a monumental concert to benefit imprisoned gang leader Larry Hoover at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night (Dec. 9), which was streamed live on Amazon Prime Video and Twitch as well as in select IMAX theaters.
The epic two-hour event, which cost a reported $10 million, kicked off with the Sunday Service Choir before Ye and Drake emerged together like gladiators on the steps of the Coliseum and walked down to the giant concrete stage in the middle of the stadium. Ye was decked out in Balenciaga-designed “Free Hoover” merch, while Drake sported a powder blue “Free the Man Dem” hoodie and gloves.
After opening with “Off the Grid,” the “Old Kanye” took fans back as he ran through his catalog of classics including “Jesus Walks,” “Gold Digger,” “Stronger,” “All of the Lights,” and “Good Life.”
He even performed a cover of Drake’s “Find Your Love,” which he co-produced, while Drake excitedly looked on.
At the end of “Runaway,” he switched up the lyrics, pleading for his estranged wife Kim Kardashian to come back to him.
“Run right back to me!” said Ye. “More specifically, Kimberly.”
Drake then joined his idol on stage as Ye performed “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” before Drake delivered his own solo set, starting with a cover of Ye’s DONDA song “24.”
He served up cuts off his latest album Certified Lover Boy, including “Wants and Needs,” “Girls Want Girls,” “Way 2 Sexy,” “IMY2,” and “Knife Talk,” as well as “Laugh Now Cry Later” and “What’s Next.”
During “Life Is Good,” he paid tribute to the late Virgil Abloh by replaying the line, “Virgil got a Patek.”
He paused to acknowledge the historic moment. “It’s something I always wanted to do, be on stage with one of my idols while he’s running through one of the best catalogs in music, period,” said Drake.
“This probably in my career, like one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen in my life, just to see all of these beautiful people back in this lovely building.”
But it wasn’t over. Ye reemerged for “Hurricane” and continued with “Ni**as in Paris,” “Bound 2,” and “Come to Life.”
“It’s like a hundred million hits between the both of us,” he said.
The rap titans closed out the celebratory evening in solidarity, performing their sole collaboration “Forever” before embracing and walking off stage together.
The benefit concert raised awareness for prison and sentencing reform, while supporting legal reform and community advocates including Ex-Cons for Community and Social Change, Hustle 2.0, and Uptown People’s Law Center.