Kanye West Is Working on a Concept Car, Apparently
Kanye West has tried his hand at everything from music to fashion design. Now he wants to build a car.
Famous rapper and shoe magnate Kanye West is now associated with an automotive project, with the announcement of the Donda Foam Vehicle concept car, as reported by Newsbreak.
As with most Donda projects, the Foam Vehicle is a mysterious one. The only available image is a side-view drawing. Much of the vehicle is windowless, sans the very front, and there are huge wheels front and rear. The stance has a heavy positive rake.
The overall shape recalls AMC's AM Van concept of the 1970s. The jacked-up stance and diagonal cutoff at the rear match nicely between the two designs. AMC were kind enough to include windows, however. It's also reminiscent of the futuristic Brubaker Box, a fiberglass van based on VW underpinnings from the 1970s.
Designer Steven Smith has been appointed as Head of Donda Industrial Design to pursue the project. Smith is primarily known for his work on sneakers. His portfolio includes the New Balance 574 and Adidas Artillery, as well as the Boost 700 shoe from West's own YEEZY line. The Donda press release also credits Smith with experience in working with sporting goods and military electronics.
The release indicates the vehicle will be manufactured in the United States. It's led outlets like HighSnobiety to speculate the vehicle in the drawing could be manufactured by Tesla, based solely on the fact that West and Elon Musk are apparently friendly.
The name itself raises questions as to the construction of the vehicle. Foam would be a highly unique choice for an automobile body, being softer than the usual composites, aluminum, and steel. It might just be a name, though. "Donda" itself is West's late mother's name, and also titled the rapper's tenth and eleventh studio albums.
West is by no means the first rapper to dive into the automotive realm. Will.i.am famously revealed a concept car with AMG earlier this year, building upon his work with custom DeLoreans in the past.
Whether the Donda Foam Vehicle ever enters production remains a vexed question. Some of West's non-musical ventures have been highly successful, from sneakers to clothing. Others, such as a dome-shaped housing project, have been less so.
Building a car is hard. Let's see whether or not the troubled rapper can bring this one to fruition.
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