A three-year-old Kanye West album, “Donda 2,” appeared on streaming services for the first time late Tuesday night, marking his first release on Spotify since last summer as the rapper has increasingly embraced Nazi rhetoric, though the album doesn’t appear under the rapper’s name.

“Donda 2” appeared on Spotify overnight under the artist name “Donda,” not West. (Photo by ROBYN … More BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

AFP via Getty Images

Key Facts

“Donda 2” now appears on multiple streaming platforms, including Spotify, YouTube Music and Tidal, and it is also available on iTunes, where it ranks No. 4 on the album sales chart.

The album is available under the artist name “Donda”—West’s mother’s name, which is also the namesake of his 2021 album “Donda”—not under West’s name, though it’s unclear why.

On Wednesday morning, West posted a screenshot on X of texts appearing to show producers on the album complaining about the album’s release, and accusing West of owing them money, including “Boogz”—likely referring to producer BoogzDaBeast—also alleging their lawyers are working on taking the album down.

West released the album to streaming platforms while on a livestream with the popular streamer Sneako and far-right streamer Nick Fuentes, who has spread antisemitic conspiracy theories and once dined with West and President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.

West, who has previously said “streams are fake and the French and Jewish record labels treat artists like prostitutes,” has strayed from streaming platforms in recent years and initially made “Donda 2” available only on a music playing device he co-developed called the “Stem Player,” which frustrated fans for its $200 price tag.

Forbes has reached out to Spotify for comment.

Why Is “donda 2” On Streaming Services?

West, who released an album “Bully” exclusively on his X account last month, posted in now-deleted tweets that he would return to working on “Donda 2” next. The version of “Donda 2” available on streaming services has minor differences from the original album, including several renamed tracks and multiple new songs. Some of the songs on “Donda 2” deal with West’s relationship with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, who he was in the middle of a divorce with when the album was first released. The updated version of the album still contains an excerpt from Kardashian’s monologue from when she hosted “Saturday Night Live,” in which she says: “I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he is the richest Black man in America. A talented, legit genius who gave me four incredible kids.” In recent weeks, West has repeatedly attacked Kardashian on X and accused her of “taking” his children, while claiming he never wanted to have kids with her.

West’s Recent Nazi Rhetoric And Incest Allegation

West’s recent music releases have arrived amid a period of erratic behavior for the rapper, who frequently posts and deletes rants on social media, many of which are explicit and contain various slurs and Nazi rhetoric. West previously posted an album cover to his project “Bully” on X, which was just a swastika against a black background. Last week, in a series of tweets, West pleaded for custody of his children and claimed he had an incestuous relationship with a male cousin when he was a child. West has also recently stirred controversy by attacking Jay-Z and Beyoncé’s children and targeting rapper Playboi Carti, who responded in a post: “YE STFU,” which was liked more than 777,000 times. In February, West wore a swastika T-shirt in public and made antisemitic posts, including: “I LOVE HITLER NOW WHAT B*****ES,” “Hitler was sooooo fresh” and “IM A NAZI.” In a lawsuit from a former Yeezy staffer filed in February, the complaint accused West of comparing himself to Hitler and calling himself a Nazi while allegedly subjecting the employee to harassment and religious discrimination. The rapper’s renewed controversies follow his antisemitic remarks in 2022, which ended his business relationship with Adidas and prompted his fall from billionaire status.

Further Reading

Does Ye’s Trolling No Longer Work? Attacks On Jay-Z, Beyoncé And Others Go Largely Ignored (Forbes)

Kanye West Sued By Ex-Yeezy Staffer For Comparing Himself To Hitler, Calling Himself A Nazi (Forbes)