Over three years after its exclusive Stem Player release, Ye finally dropped DONDA 2 on streaming services on April 29 (under a page titled “DONDA” not his official account).
The 18-track project arrived with some updates: a new song called “Mr. Miyagi” featuring Future and Playboi Carti, and the removal of his collab with The Game. Still, he kept the original artwork — and yes, Kim Kardashian’s vocals on “SciFi” are still there, despite their ongoing legal and personal drama.
But just hours later, reports broke that the project might be taken down — and now we know why (it appears to still be available on Spotify, YouTube, and iTunes, depending on your region).
Ye vs. the producers
That same day, Ye took to X to post a screenshot of a text allegedly from longtime collaborator DeAndre “Free” Maiden, accusing him of using beats without permission. The message claimed producers BoogzDaBeast and Brian “AllDay” Miller weren’t paid — or even asked — before their work was included on the release.
“Broken Road” and “530” were two tracks specifically mentioned in the text, which made it clear: this isn’t a sample clearance issue — it’s a full-on unpaid producer situation.
Let’s not forget: Boogz has been working with Ye since he was a teen, and Brian’s been in Ye’s orbit since The College Dropout days. This isn’t some random drama — these are longtime collaborators now allegedly gearing up for legal smoke.
Just a day before DONDA 2’s release, Ye claimed it was fully indie, telling streamer N3on, “This is 100% independent. We in our own studios, our own producers.”
Despite Ye now wanting to “make things right,” it looks like the producers are going to take legal action against the project.
It’s unclear how long the project will remain available in certain regions but this is nothing new, clearances and sample issues have impacted every Ye release in the last few years. Fans are just hoping for music that drops without being removed. The way things are going, we might need to check the court docket before we check the tracklist.
