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Kanye West, or Ye as he now goes by, is back in hot water — and no, it’s not because of another explosive Twitter rant. This time, the drama’s about his music. His much-hyped album Donda 2 has finally seen the light of day after years of teasing, but it’s already surrounded by controversy — and it’s not the kind fans were hoping for.
The latest issue? Ye’s own producers are accusing him of not paying them. And they’re not staying quiet about it. According to Ye himself, DeAndre “Free” Maiden — who manages two of the album’s producers, Jahmal Gwin and Brian Miller — is demanding that Ye cough up the cash for eight songs featured on the album. The amount? A jaw-dropping $3 million.
Free Maiden has allegedly threatened to pull Donda 2 from streaming platforms altogether if the bill isn’t settled soon. That means if fans want to hear it, they might want to grab it while they can — because it could vanish any day now.
Ye didn’t take the accusations lightly. In a public post, he fired back at his former collaborators, claiming he was the one who originally taught them how to make beats. “Free Maiden tried to charge me three million dollars for beats made by people I showed how to make beats,” he ranted. He repeated, “They tried to charge me $3 million USD,” clearly still fuming.
The album itself has had a rocky road. Ye originally planned to release Donda 2 exclusively on his custom-made Stem Player device, but that rollout didn’t exactly take off. Now, even its availability on regular streaming platforms is under threat.
This is just the latest in a string of controversies surrounding the rapper. Ye has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons lately — from questionable red carpet appearances with his wife Bianca Censori to a barrage of offensive and egotistical social media posts.
His marriage to Censori has reportedly hit a rough patch following these public outbursts. On top of that, Ye recently reignited tensions with ex-wife Kim Kardashian over including their daughter in one of his songs — a track that also controversially features Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently facing serious legal troubles and is behind bars.
And in perhaps the most disturbing twist, Ye recently faced widespread condemnation for praising Hitler on social media — an act that’s drawn sharp backlash from fans and public figures alike.
All in all, Kanye’s latest album drop has turned into another chaotic chapter in the rapper’s unpredictable saga. Whether Donda 2 will survive the storm — or disappear entirely — is still up in the air.