Kanye West 'Brave Enough' to Collaborate with Diddy Post-Trial

Kanye West is reportedly planning to work with Sean "Diddy" Combs on new music, despite the latter's recent federal conviction.

"Ye is brave enough to touch a hot [rod like] Diddy right now. I don't think any other artists would," a source close to West told Page Six. The source added that "a song would be the best way to communicate a change," and said to "be on the lookout."

Combs, 55, was convicted on two counts involving the transportation of women for prostitution, and acquitted of weightier allegations, including sex trafficking and racketeering. He could receive up to 20 years in prison, and is to be sentenced on July 8.

From Prison Call to Studio Release

In March, West previewed a track featuring Combs that was recorded during a phone call from jail at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, where Combs was being held ahead of his trial. A source close to Combs said he was unaware the call was being recorded and believed West was calling to check in on his kids.

In the recording, Combs warned West, "You be careful out there 'cause they definitely trying to end us. They can't do it and they ain't gonna do it. I'm going to beat this s**t and get next to you."

A longtime Ye collaborator said both men have turned to music in difficult moments. "Music was a salvation for him, Diddy, like it was for Ye," they told Page Six.

King Combs and North West Join the Mix

Combs' trial has also sparked new music from within his own family.

His 27-year-old son, Christian "King" Combs, teamed up with West for Never Stop, a seven-track EP released on June 27. The project includes a track called "Diddy Free," which opens with the line, "N***as ain't going to sleep till we see Diddy free."

On the same track, King raps, "Look, when s**t get sus', they try to play the victim," and adds, "F**k the world, critics, and the witness / Face clean, they tryna dirt the image."

West's12-year-old daughter North West, whom he shares with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, also appears on the EP's "Lonely Road," a reworked version of their earlier track. "Comin' on my own for a long time / Lonely roads still go to sunshine," North sings, before delivering, "Surrounded by fake friends I don't even like."

The EP credits list Ye as the sole producer and composer of the project, with King Combs writing most of the lyrics.

West previously accused Kardashian of attempting to block North's involvement. In a since-deleted post, he shared an alleged text from Kardashian stating she "sent paper work over so [North] wouldn't be in the Diddy song to protect her."

Outside of the studio, West has continued to support Combs. In February, he posted, "FREE PUFF... PUFF WE LOVE YOU" on X. He also attended Diddy's court hearing in New York City on June 13.

Tags

Kanye West, Diddy, Sean Combs