Both men were in attendance Wednesday night for the premiere of "The Greatest Lie Ever Sold: George Floyd and the Rise of BLM." The event was held at the Woolworth Theater, and while arrivals were supposed to start around 6:30 PM local time, Ye didn't show for more than 2 hours after the scheduled slot ... posing for pics on the carpet with Ray and Kid Rock.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us it was Candace who worked to get both Kanye and Ray J there in an attempt to scorn Kim Kardashian.

It was earlier this week when Candace leaked an old voicemail from Kim to Ray J -- who was dating Whitney Houston at the time -- in which Kim called Whitney an "Old hag."

Kim has remained silent for weeks, even as Kanye wore his "White Lives Matter" shirt to both his Yeezy Show and North's basketball game. He's also had his social media accounts suspended for antisemitic remarks -- and JP Morgan Chase Bank has also allegedly cut ties with Ye's multi-billion-dollar Yeezy brand.