If you’re reading this, you probably haven’t heard Kanye West’s long-awaited 10th studio album Donda given its underwent three missed release dates. It’s been pushed back indefinitely while the multi-hyphenate tinkers away as he lives out of a tiny room in Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium like hip-hop's phantom of the opera. 

West’s career is full of questionable escapades and broken promises. Yet, no matter how many times he’s played in the faces of his fanbase, they continue come back for more, even selling out stadiums and such. 

1. Donald Trump's Bestie

It seems like just yesterday when real estate magnate and alleged slumlord Donald Trump began a 2016 presidential bid that would eventually lead to the most divisive presidential term in American history. But a year into a fraught Trump presidency, West apparently liked what he saw.

In October of 2018, he visited the White House to sing the former commander-in-chief's praises while wearing his infamous “Make America Great Again" hat, an emblematic accessory worn by white fascists as a battle cry.

“You know, they tried to scare me to not wear this hat – my own friends. But this hat, it gives me – it gives me power, in a way. You know, my dad and my mom separated, so I didn’t have a lot of male energy in my home. And also, I’m married to a family that – (laughs) – you know, not a lot of male energy going on,” West said according to USA Today. 

It was enough to raise eyebrows, but clearly not enough for all of his fans to consider long-term cancelation.

2. Slavery As A "Choice"

2018 was a busy year for West to give his unique take on racial politics while aligning with far right talking points. That year, he rolled into TMZ to say to drop a dangerous, bomb-shell take about Black history on nationally televised gossip vehicle TMZ. 

“When you hear about slavery for 400 years…For 400 years? That sounds like a choice. You were there for 400 years and it’s all of y’all. It’s like we’re mentally imprisoned,” said West as Blavity previously reported. 

He was lovingly checked by a then relatively unknown Van Lathan, who perfectly articulated what the Black caucus had been thinking. 

"I actually don't think you're thinking anything. I think what you're doing right now is actually the absence of thought. You're entitled to your opinion, you're entitled to believe whatever you want, but there is fact and real world, real-life consequence to everything that you just said," Lathan said.  

"While you are making music and being an artist and living the life that you've earned by being a genius, the rest of us in society have to deal with these threats to our lives. We have to deal with the marginalization that has come from the 400 years of slavery that you said — for our people — was a choice!" he concluded. 

3. Pastelle Clothing Line

West, a talented visual artist and designer in his own right, actually had a fashion line way before Yeezy. The much hyped offering, dubbed Pastelle, was set to release in 2009 until its Los Angeles office mysteriously closed and the product samples never materialized for public sale. Some believe that the infamous Taylor Swift interruption caused him to take a step away from the spotlight and the clothing line went up in smoke. 

4. "Donda"

West's most recent elusive album, Donda, was actually announced in a hail of tweets last year. Last July, West fans waited patiently but the album never materialized despite a track list and cover art premier.

The Donda project reemerged last month, a year after his initial announcement, when he threw a surprise listening event for the project in Atlanta on Aug. 5. The album appeared for pre-sale on Apple Music but was eventually pushed back to Aug. 13, a deadline that was also unmet. 

At present, it is alleged that he is lingering around Mercedes Benz stadium.

West even held several listening events for the album, the most recent for which, he sold half of the tickets despite the album teases. 

5. "Jesus Is King"

West actually just came off the heels of a fraught release with his ninth studio album Jesus Is King. The album was originally announced for a September 27, 2019, release but it was pushed back to the 29th without much explanation. But, the album didn’t arrive. He then threw his fans into a frenzy when a midnight Oct. 25 release date was announced. Fans stayed up but the only thing they got was a lack of sleep. It was released later in the day, instead. 

6. Announced But Unreleased Albums

Though the self-proclaimed genius and prolific business man has a history of delayed releases, he also has an entire discography that’s been announced but never released. To date, West has 10 announced albums that have all gone ghost: Wolves, Yeezus 2, Cruel Winter, Turbo Grafx 16, Love Everyone, Yandhi, So Help Me God, The College Dropout (original version), Good Ass Job and Watch the Throne 2. 

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