Entertainment Music Kanye West's Collaborator Vory Says 'Donda' Rapper Is Taking a Year Off: 'He Doesn't Want to Talk' Kanye West is "battling his own s–––," rapper Vory said as he explained why Kim Kardashian's estranged husband was not attending his album launch party By Leah Simpson Leah Simpson Instagram Twitter Weekend Editor, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on June 7, 2022 08:40PM EDT Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: getty (2) Kanye West's Donda album collaborator, rapper Vory, says West is taking some time away from music. Explaining why West, 44, was not attending Vory's Lost Souls album release party, the 24-year-old suggested to Complex the fashion star is taking some time away from music while "battling his own s—." A representative for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment. "I was just talking to [Kanye] today. We've been talking through my best friend who's also his assistant, because he hasn't been wanting to talk to anybody," Vory told the outlet. Vory. Scott Dudelson/Getty Kanye West and Chaney Jones Break Up After Five Months of Dating: Report "He's taking a year off, and he was like, 'Damn, you think Vory is going to be mad at me if I don't go to his release party?' And I was like, 'Nah, you're straight, bro.' " "He's battling his own s—. That's my dog, I learned a lot from him," Vory added about West. Vory released his album Lost Souls last Friday and the 17-track project features a track in collaboration with West. The song, titled "Daylight" was produced by West, E. Vax, Ojivolta and 88-Keys. Kanye West. Ronald Martinez/Getty Chaney Jones Congratulates Kanye West on His Grammy Wins: 'So Proud' The rapper was signed to Meek Mill's Dream Chasers Records in 2020 and featured on West's Donda album but the collaboration that features on Lost Souls didn't make it to the final cut of Donda. "I was originally featured on Donda five times," he told Complex. "And [Kanye] was just like, 'Bruh, we damn near got an EP on this thing.' So I guess his team decided that three times was enough." Kanye West and Chaney Jones. Ronald Martinez/Getty Vory's comments were published as news broke that West had split with his girlfriend of five months Chaney Jones. The father of four children with ex Kim Kardashian and Jones reportedly broke it off after a trip to Japan, according to TMZ. It's unclear who initiated the reported split. Jones, who is a model, has deleted all trace of West from her Instagram account and has left only two snaps of herself behind for followers. The pair have not commented on the split. RELATED VIDEO: Kim Kardashian Says She Hopes to Marry Again amid Kanye West Divorce: '4th Time's the Charm The pair were first linked in February and he appeared to confirm the romance by commenting on her post where she congratulated him on his Grammy Award win and accompanied it with an emoji of a black heart. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The model late showed off what appeared to be a tattoo of his new legal name, Ye.