Kanye West and Big Sean have publicly reunited after years of tension, sharing the stage at Soldier Field in Chicago for a surprise performance that signaled one of hip-hop’s most prominent artist-and-mentor feuds may finally be behind them.

During the first night of Ye’s two-show hometown run on Sept. 3, the Chicago rapper surprised the crowd by bringing out Sean, his former G.O.O.D. Music protégé, for a run through songs from an era when the two were among the label’s most closely associated artists.

“Had to bring my homie from the D out,” Ye told the crowd before Sean emerged onto the massive globe-shaped stage.

The pair performed their 2012 collaboration “Clique” before Sean delivered his 2014 hit “I Don’t Fuck With You.” They were then joined by 2 Chainz for “Mercy,” another centerpiece of G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer era.

But it was what happened between the songs that made the appearance more than another surprise guest performance.

“Chi-Town, I love you forever,” Sean told the crowd. Turning his attention toward his former mentor, he added, “Ye, I love you, bro, and I appreciate you.”

“Love you, fam,” Ye responded.

The exchange marked a dramatic public shift in a relationship that had deteriorated into one of G.O.O.D. Music’s most visible fallouts.

From G.O.O.D. Music to a Public Falling-Out

Ye signed Big Sean to G.O.O.D. Music in 2007, years before the Detroit rapper became a mainstream star. Sean remained associated with the label for roughly 14 years, releasing major projects and collaborating extensively with Ye and other members of the G.O.O.D. Music roster.

Their relationship publicly deteriorated in 2021.

During a widely discussed appearance on Drink Champs, Ye criticized Sean for not supporting his 2020 presidential campaign and said signing the Detroit rapper was among the worst things he had done.

Sean responded shortly afterward, saying he still had love for Ye and appreciated the opportunities their relationship had created, while sharply criticizing the comments Ye made about him. Sean also publicly raised financial grievances connected to his years with G.O.O.D. Music.

The relationship remained strained publicly in the years that followed. In 2024, the tension resurfaced when a person claiming to be a Ye fan leaked material from Sean’s then-unreleased album after interpreting one of the Detroit rapper’s freestyles as a shot at Ye.

Against that history, seeing the two artists standing together at Soldier Field carried considerably more weight than an ordinary concert cameo.

A Reunion Built Around Their Shared History

The song selection made the moment particularly nostalgic.

“Clique” and “Mercy” both date to the 2012 Cruel Summer period, when G.O.O.D. Music operated as one of hip-hop’s most recognizable collectives. Sean’s appearance effectively transported the Chicago crowd back to the height of his partnership with Ye before the relationship fractured years later.

Sean then performing “I Don’t Fuck With You” alongside his former mentor added an unintended layer of irony to the reunion.

The performance was also notable because of how long it had been since the two were seen together on a stage in this capacity. Contemporary coverage described the Soldier Field appearance as their first performance together in years and a public reconciliation following the fallout that erupted in 2021.

There was no lengthy speech addressing their disagreements and neither artist used the moment to publicly revisit the specifics of their dispute.

Instead, the reconciliation played out through the performance itself: Ye calling Sean his “homie,” Sean expressing his love and appreciation for Ye, and the two performing the records that helped define their years together.

Ye’s Chicago Homecoming Brings Out More Familiar Faces

Big Sean was one of several major guests Ye brought onto the Soldier Field stage during the Sept. 3 show.

2 Chainz joined Ye and Sean for “Mercy” before performing “Birthday Song,” while Future later appeared for “Keep It Burnin” and “F**k Up Some Commas.” Chicago rapper Twista also joined Ye for performances of “Overnight Celebrity” and “Slow Jamz.”

The concert was the first of two sold-out Soldier Field shows and marked Ye’s first hometown performance since his 2021 Donda listening event.

For Big Sean and Ye, however, the night carried another layer of history.

Nearly five years after their disagreements became public, the former label partners stood together again in front of a Chicago stadium crowd, performing the records they created during G.O.O.D. Music’s peak and openly exchanging words of affection.

Neither artist has issued a detailed statement explaining whether every disagreement between them has been resolved. But after years of public distance, their Soldier Field reunion provided the clearest indication yet that the relationship has entered a very different chapter.