Yeezy has been both acclaimed and criticised for pushing the limits with his art and opinions – and has done so once again with his new album Donda 2.
Kanye West, whose name was legally changed to Ye, held a Donda 2 listening party on Tuesday with online audiences waiting for more than two hours before the “Donda Experience Performance” began.
The artist, 44, also announced on Instagram that his 13th studio album will not be available to stream on popular platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal but only through his Stem Player.
Here’s how to listen to Donda 2 and what to expect now it’s finally available.
When will it be released?
Fans expected the album to be released Tuesday 22 February but have been left in wait after the “Praise God” rapper failed to launch online or on Stem Player.
Wednesday 23 February saw the release of four titles with twelve additional tracks added today.
The follow up to his 2021 LP has reached a current total of 16 songs.
Kanye West’s Stem Player website has added the remaining Donda 2 songs for download 👀🔥 pic.twitter.com/sN0HQ15wfe
— STRAPPED! | Hip-Hop/Rap News (@STRAPPEDUS) February 25, 2022
How can I listen?
You can purchase a Stem Player device through the dedicated page for $200 (£148), and is currently available in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It’s the MP3 player-esque device that can separate elements of a track while listening; the four ‘stems’ of voice, bass, beat and music samples, which can be played individually or all together.
Kanye with a @stemplayer success update pic.twitter.com/IJmkxgRN2z
— Watching the Throne (@KanyePodcast) February 20, 2022
Donda 2 comes pre-loaded on the album, but users can also load it up with their own creations. For a full rundown of how to use it, and other frequently asked questions, head to stemplayer.com.
What tracks are on the album?
Ye released a handwritten tracklist on Instagram, with the first track titled “Security”.
The first four titles released were “True Love”, “Get Lost”, “Louis Bags”, and “First Time In a Long Time”.
Today 12 additional tracks were updated on the Stem Player site with only two remaining songs from the Miami listening party (“I’m Finna Love Me” and “Mr. Miyagi”) still missing from the album.
Who will feature on the album?
Future serves as the executive producer on this album, confirmed after West’s announcement on Instagram and a podcast appearance of ex-girlfriend Julia Fox where she said the pair were working on “f***ing insane” music.
New tracks include XXXTenacion’s posthumous features “True Love” and “Selfish”, pre-released “City of Gods” with Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys and “Lord Lift Me Up” that does not feature West at all, sung by Houston rapper Vory (formerly King Vory).
Other samples included US Vice President Kamala Harris’s voice saying “We did it, Joe” on a track with Jack Harlow and a snippet of Kim Kardashian’s SNL monologue: “So, when I divorced him, you have to know it came down to just one thing: his personality!”
