Kanye West is back with his former manager, who the Chicago native is currently working with to put together an international tour.
On Monday (March 11), Billboard confirmed that John Monopoly is back in the fold after his split from Ye more than a decade ago. He was previously a major part of the rapper and producer’s early career, discovering him in the ’90s and working as his manager for many years alongside Gee Roberson and Kyambo “Hip Hop” Joshua.
According to the publication, he had slowly started making his way back into the camp over the last few years, and his re-entry but was officially confirmed over the weekend as Kanye “showered John with praise and recalled their history” during his stop in Los Angeles for a Vultures listening events with Ty Dolla $ign.
The pair are reportedly working on a world tour that will feature “full production and performances” unlike the listening events Ye and Ty have been hosting.
As previously reported, Kanye has been running into issues as he plots a concert series for his latest music.
According to HITS Daily Double, the duo have been leveraging the success of the listening experiences (which has had stops in Chicago, New York, Paris, Milan and more) to try and convince major players like AEG and Live Nation that a tour would be a runaway success, though both companies have reportedly turned down the offer given the Yeezy boss’ history of antisemitism.
If said world tour does indeed come to fruition, it will be Kanye West’s first trek since the Saint Pablo Tour in 2016.
In other news, Ye and Kim Kardashian’s daughter North West has announced her debut album, with a title that’s inspired by her dad’s breakthrough project.
At the Vultures 2 listening event in Phoenix last week, she stood next to her father at the center of the stage as she told the crowd about her plan.
“I’ve been working on an album and it is called Elementary School Dropout,” the 10-year-old said to a roar from the crowd.
The name is, of course, a nod to Kanye’s 2004 landmark debut, The College Dropout.
The reveal came shortly after North made her music debut the Vultures 1 cut “Talking.” The track peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard Hot 100, making her one of the youngest ever artists to appear on the tally.