André 3000 Condemns Leak of Unreleased Kanye Collaboration Amidst Feud with Drake

The shelved Kanye and André 3000 collaboration was played by Drake during a guest mix on SiriusXM's Sound 42 last week.

André 3000 was not a fan of his unreleased Kanye West collaboration surfacing over the weekend.

In a statement shared through a representative, the elusive rapper detailed the creation of "Life of The Party," revealed why the track was left off of the (presumably final) 27-song tracklist for DONDA, and condemned its leak during an unending dispute between West and Drake, who aired the song during a guest mix for SiriusXM's Sound 42 on Friday, September 3rd.

"I was inspired by his idea to make a musical tribute to [Kanye's] 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, " 3 Stacks admits in the statement before explaining how West's intention of releasing a "clean" version without the original for reference "would not work."

Elsewhere in the statement, 3000 expresses his discomfort in being caught up in a feud between two artists he admires. "It’s unfortunate that it was released in this way and two artists that I love are going back and forth," 3000 says, going on to claim he would have loved to have been one of the artists with overlapping features on DONDA and Certified Lover Boy. "I just want to work people that inspire me," 3000 concludes, listing off Kendrick Lamar, JAY-Z, Tyler, The Creator, and Lil Baby as artists he hopes to work with down the line.

André 3000 features have become increasingly rare over the years. In 2020, the rapper appeared on Goodie Mob's first album in seven years. 3000 also turned up as a cameo on Anderson .Paak's Ventura and James Blake's Assume Form in 2019.

Read André 3000's full statement on "Life of The Party" below.

"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.

The track I received and wrote to didn’t have the diss verse on it and we were hoping to make a more focused offering for the Donda album but I guess things happen like they are supposed to. 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."