Kanye West's Academy Under Fire After Father Claims He Can't Locate Son

BY Erika Marie 23.9K Views
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Kanye West
Donald Dillingham claims he hasn't heard from his 16-year-old star athlete son Robert Dillingham in 21 days after teen left N.C. for Donda Academy.

Southern California will soon have a new school thanks to Kanye West and before it has launched, Donda Academy is at the center of controversy. In his post-Donda phase, West has not only been dealing with his divorce from Kim Kardashian, but he has reportedly been busy squaring away the details of his new kindergarten through 12th-grade academy.

Hollywood Unlocked reports that the school has already secured admission from teens like Zion Cruz, Jakhi Howard, and Jalen Hooks, and they also have their eye on Robert Dillingham, a 16-year-old star athlete at Combine Academy in North Carolina. Last month, the school's basketball coach revealed that Robert would not be returning.

Today (October 13), Robert's father Donald Dillingham claimed that he has not heard from Robert in 21 days since the teen visited Donda Academy. Donald said that he hasn't given his son permission to move from North Carolina to California to attend the school, and an audio of a phone conversation has been released. In it, Donald called Donda Academy looking for answers and the person on the line told him that they were informed not to speak with him.

Hollywood Unlocked reports:

Donald said after not hearing from his son, he eventually found out about his apparent move with Kanye on TV! It was also brought to his attention that Kanye had previously contacted the boy directly and [allegedly] pressured him to come to his academy. Kanye reportedly FaceTimed Robert and asked “are you coming here or are you going to let it go?” referring to the opportunity.

Robert's mother reportedly hasn't been responding to Donald's questions and he alleged that Kanye paid her for their son's attendance. Donald reportedly has joint custody of Robert and has consistently been supportive of the teen's budding basketball career. A trainer named Rico Grier reportedly befriended the family and allegedly was the person who flew with Robert to California. Donald continues to seek information about his son.

Listen to the phone call Donald had with Donda Academy below.

[via]


About The Author
Since 2019, Erika Marie has worked as a journalist for HotNewHipHop, covering music, film, television, art, fashion, politics, and all things regarding entertainment. With 20 years in the industry under her belt, Erika Marie moved from a writer on the graveyard shift at HNHH to becoming a Features Editor, highlighting long-form content and interviews with some of Hip Hop’s biggest stars. She has had the pleasure of sitting down with artists and personalities like DJ Jazzy Jeff, Salt ’N Pepa, Nick Cannon, Rah Digga, Rakim, Rapsody, Ari Lennox, Jacquees, Roxanne Shante, Yo-Yo, Sean Paul, Raven Symoné, Queen Naija, Ryan Destiny, DreamDoll, DaniLeigh, Sean Kingston, Reginae Carter, Jason Lee, Kamaiyah, Rome Flynn, Zonnique, Fantasia, and Just Blaze—just to name a few. In addition to one-on-one chats with influential public figures, Erika Marie also covers content connected to the culture. She’s attended and covered the BET Awards as well as private listening parties, the Rolling Loud festival, and other events that emphasize established and rising talents. Detroit-born and Long Beach (CA)-raised, Erika Marie has eclectic music taste that often helps direct the interests she focuses on here at HNHH. She finds it necessary to report on cultural conversations with respect and honor those on the mic and the hardworking teams that help get them there. Moreover, as an advocate for women, Erika Marie pays particular attention to the impact of femcees. She sits down with rising rappers for HNHH—like Big Jade, Kali, Rubi Rose, Armani Caesar, Amy Luciani, and Omerettà—to gain their perspectives on a fast-paced industry.

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