The artist formerly known as Kanye West says he and Jay-Z fought over a line in his “Jail” verse referencing Ye’s affinity for the red ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.
In a since-deleted post shared on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, April 20, Ye brought up his last collaboration with Hov, which appeared on the 2021 album Donda. “Why did Jay Z have to say ‘no red hat’ on Jail,” he wrote. “That shit tore me to my soul. We fought about it and he told me either leave that line on there or take my verse off. Me wearing the red hat was the most stand out example of me going against ‘the program.’ Do you guys think he was instructed to say that?”
“Jail” was a triumphant reunion between the two Watch the Throne collaborators, who had grown apart in the years since the album. In Jay-Z’s verse, he referenced Ye’s embrace of Donald Trump and the ‘MAGA’ culture. “Hol’ up, Donda, I’m with your baby when I touch back road / Told him, ‘Stop all of that red cap, we goin’ home,'” Hov rapped. “This might be the return of the Throne / Hova and Yeezus, like Moses and Jesus.”
It ultimately wasn’t the return of the Throne, and if anything, Ye’s politics have gotten substantially worse since then. Around 2021, he was praising Donald Trump and arguing against reproductive rights for women, while now he’s declared himself a Nazi.
In his many rants on social media in recent months, Ye has repeatedly spoken about his relationship with Jay-Z. “I obviously hate Jay Z,” he wrote earlier this month. Despite hating his former close collaborator, he also apologized for comments he made about Hov and his family.
