Kanye West has claimed that his label’s parent company, Universal Music Group, released his new album ‘DONDA’ without his approval.
The 27-track album, which arrived after multiple delays and three high-profile listening events, features the likes of JAY-Z, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, Lil Baby, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Pusha T and more.
However, West has now taken to social to media to claim that Universal, the parent company for Def Jam Recordings and West’s own G.O.O.D. Music imprint, put the album out without his approval.
“Universal put my album out without my approval,” he posted on Instagram, before adding that the company allegedly “blocked” ‘Jail, Pt. 2’, his controversial new collaborative track that features DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, from being on ‘DONDA’.
When ‘DONDA’ first dropped, ‘Jail, Pt. 2’ was showing on streaming platforms but it was coming up as “unavailable” to play. As of this evening, the track is now available to listen to.
Hours before the ‘DONDA’ dropped, West took to social media to share a pair of text message screenshots that appeared to show his manager Bu Thiam informing him that DaBaby’s manager wasn’t giving clearance for the ‘Rockstar’ rapper’s verse on ‘Jail, Pt.2’ to be used.
During the verse, DaBaby addresses the recent controversy surrounding the homophobic comments he made while at Rolling Loud festival. His on-stage remarks were widely condemned and led to his appearances at numerous festivals being cancelled.
“I said one thing they ain’t like, threw me out like they ain’t care for me/ Threw me out like I’m garbage, huh?/ And that food that y’all took off my table/ You know that feed my daughters, huh? (Mmm)/ But I ain’t really mad, ’cause when I look at it/ I’m getting them snakes up out my grass,” DaBaby raps on the track.
The song, which was first previewed during West’s latest ‘DONDA’ listening event in Chicago and saw DaBaby appear alongside West and Marilyn Manson, seemed to be a different version from the track that was played during West’s two previous listening events for the album, which initially featured JAY-Z.
It has since been revealed that the version featuring DaBaby is a remix called ‘Jail, Pt. 2’; it also features Manson on the hook.
NME has reached out to Universal for comment.
One of the other main talking points about ‘DONDA’ has been Ye’s sample of Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ on ‘Believe What I Say’.
West originally sampled Hill on 2004’s ‘All Falls Down’ from ‘The College Dropout’, then repurposing her song ‘Mystery Of Iniquity’.
One fan called ‘Believe What I Say’ “the Mona Lisa of the album” and a “summer banger,” while another said the sample “did wonders”.
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