When Drake released Views earlier this year, the album version of the song “Pop Style” didn’t feature Kanye West and Jay Z like it had when it was released to digital outlets a few weeks before. Kanye shed some light on the situation in a long-winded rant at his Saint Pablo tour last night, blaming Tidal and Apple Music for his absence.
West, before performing “Pop Style,” bluntly says that he wasn’t on the track “‘cause of ‘Hov, ‘cause of this Tidal-Apple bullsh-t,” but that Jay Z backed out because of his respect for rapper Meek Mill who Drake has been in a widely-publicized beef with. Although West says he tried to rectify the situation, both artists were ultimately left off the Views song. Additionally, he mentioned in the same rant that there will never be a Watch The Throne 2 due to the conflict between streaming services. West is part-owner of the Jay Z-owned Tidal service.
While you have to feel for Kanye’s passion for the art and the unwillingness to lose himself in the political side of things, as long as he’s part owner of one of the streaming outlets, he’s going to be part of the problem. It is interesting, though, to hear that a Watch The Throne 2 will never happen when both artists are owners of the same service – it makes you wonder what kind of drama might unfold with the impending Kanye West and Drake collaboration record, considering Drake’s good relationship with Apple. Either way, it’s an unfortunate mess no matter what, but things can’t change unless the artists do first.
