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Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, claims that his 2022 album Donda 2 is being taken down from streaming services due to an ongoing financial dispute with its producers. The album, which was initially released exclusively through his $200 Stem Player device on February 23, 2022, was made available on platforms like Spotify, Tidal, and YouTube Music under the artist name Donda on April 29, 2025.
Ye claimed the following day that the album's producers planned to take down the same as they claimed they had not received payments and did not authorize its release.
On X (formerly Twitter), Ye posted multiple times that DeAndre "Free" Maiden had a request to collect $3 million for producing music on the project. Through text message screenshots, Ye showed evidence that Maiden made two claims to him- first, he denied granting permission for beat use, and second, he outlined legal proceedings in progress.
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Kanye West's Donda 2 producers demand payment
On April 30, 2025, Ye also posted a screenshot of a text message from Maiden, which read, "We did not & do not consent to the usage of any of our work for Donda 2 or any Ye project!" The message then read that lawyers are working to have the album removed from streaming platforms.
Donda 2 was originally released on February 22, 2022, exclusively through Ye's Stem Player, a $200 device that allows users to manipulate individual elements of songs. This unconventional release strategy was part of Ye's effort to bypass traditional music industry models and retain greater control over his work, as reported by Variety.
Early in 2022, Kanye announced that Future would become executive producer for Donda 2, which was their initial joint full album production. The unfinished version of 530 surfaced on Vultures 2 following its initial release, according to HipHopDX.
In a surprising move, the album was uploaded to major streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube Music, and Tidal under the artist name Donda on April 29, 2025. However, the release was short-lived due to the ongoing dispute with producers.
Despite the controversy, Kanye West expressed a desire to resolve the issue amicably. In a subsequent post on X, he stated, "I want to work this out" and mentioned his interest in collaborating with Soulja Boy again.
In addition to his current music plans, Kanye West expressed his desire to release albums at a rate of one album per month. Kanye West declared his independence during his recent Twitch livestream chat with N3on.
"This is 100% independent. We in our own studios, our own producers."
Kanye has encountered previous legal problems involving nonpayment of work. The event production company Phantom Labs sued Kanye West in July 2022 for $7.1 million in unpaid fees, which included Donda 2 listening event work. In May 2023, Kanye West reached a settlement agreement with musician Marshall Jefferson about the unauthorized sample usage in Donda 2.
Although the album continues to play on certain platforms at present, the ongoing dispute may lead to total removal from all platforms.
