André 3000 issues statement after his Kanye West collaboration is leaked by Drake

André 3000 has shared his thoughts on ‘Life Of The Party’ – an unreleased collab track he made with Kanye West – being leaked by Drake earlier this weekend.

• READ MORE: Divorce, Drake disses and problematic features: 10 talking points from Kanye West’s ‘DONDA’

Though West had previewed the track earlier this week in an interview with Germany’s Bild, the full version remains officially unreleased. Drake leaked it on SiriusXM yesterday morning (September 4), however, appearing on the station’s Sound 42 program as a guest DJ to celebrate the release of his new album, ‘Certified Lover Boy’.

The track, which was reportedly recorded for West’s recently released tenth album, ‘DONDA’, features a guest verse from OutKast‘s André 3000, as well as a soundbite from a video of DMX and his daughter on a slingshot ride.

During his verse, West appears to take shots at Drake, detailing a recently surfaced text exchange between himself, the Toronto rapper and fashion designer Virgil Abloh.

“I put Virgil and Drake on the same text / And it wasn’t about the matching Arc’teryx or Kid Cudi dress / Just told these grown men stop it with the funny shit / I might hire the whole team from ACG / So don’t text me like I’m Juanita JCV,” he raps on the track.

André 3000 has now responded to the leak, confirming that ‘Life Of The Party’ was indeed written and recorded for ‘DONDA’, but got pulled from its release due to West’s decision not to feature any explicit lyrics.

In a statement he issued through a representative (via Pitchfork), the rapper said: “A few weeks ago Kanye reached out about me being a part of the [‘DONDA’] album. I was inspired by his idea to make a musical tribute to his mom. It felt appropriate to me to support the [‘DONDA’] concept by referencing my own mother, who passed away in 2013. We both share that loss.

“I thought it was a beautiful choice to make a clean album but, unfortunately, I didn’t know that was the plan before I wrote and recorded my verse. It was clear to me that an edited ‘clean’ format of the verse would not work without having the raw, original also available. So, sadly, I had to be omitted from the original album release.”

He also spoke on Drake and West’s ongoing feud, noting what when he agreed to collaborate with the latter, the verse ripping on Drake was not a part of the track.

“We were hoping to make a more focused offering for [‘DONDA’] but I guess things happen like they are supposed to,” he continued. “It’s unfortunate that it was released in this way and two artists that I love are going back and forth.

“I wanted to be on ‘Certified Lover Boy’ too. I just want to work with people that inspire me. Hopefully I can work with Kendrick on his album. I’d love to work with Lil Baby, Tyler and Jay-Z. I respect them all.”

Following a lengthy series of delays, ‘DONDA’ – which West says Universal released without his approval – hit streaming services last Sunday (August 29). NME gave it a three-star review, saying “nobody needs all 27 of these tracks, but dig deep into its contents and you’ll find enough gems to make [West’s] 10th album worth your time”.

On Friday (September 3) – the day Drake released his sixth album, ‘Certified Lover Boy’ – West spammed Drake’s hometown of Toronto with billboards advertising ‘DONDA’.

The post André 3000 issues statement after his Kanye West collaboration is leaked by Drake appeared first on NME.