Artist Kanye West’s 11 studio album Donda 2 exclusively on West’s own Stem Player service. Released on February 23, 2022 with 4 songs on the platform. Donda 2 became the most pirated album worldwide in 2022 due to its exclusivity.

Kanye’s background for this project has been controversial due to the artist’s recent action including a rivalry with comedian and actor Pete Davidson pertaining to ex-wife Kim Kardashian. With social media bashes and random outbursts on Instagram, this has brought a different shine of light that has not been well received from the media.

With the release of the album on only Kanye’s own service, fans of the rapper have become disgruntled with the output of music even with prominent featured rappers such as Future, Travis Scott, XXXTentacion and the Migos.

With the Donda 2 event airing in Miami Florida, this was the first hearing on the album besides the leading two singles. The vocals and new music has enticed fans for more but the uncertainty of the finished product and outcome is in the air. “Hearing the event from the live stream made me want more music,” says Jason, a Kanye Fan.

The current state of Kanye’s celebrity status and mental health has come out to be very different in context compared to other outbursts. The harassment of Kim and the children has been very dark on Kanye’s career.

“What do we make, then, of a half-baked song like “Happy,” one of the 16 tracks from his new album, Donda 2, that have been released in the past week via the $200 Ye-branded Donda Stem Player?” says Piasecki, a reporter for HighsNobiety. Many have brought attention to an album that costs $200 just for unfinished songs. Was it worth the cost for not a fully finished product that is made by a famous artist.

This has not been the first time an album has been kept from fans. Kanye famously delayed the Life of Pablo 531 days with an initial announcement in 2013, being released in 2016. Bewildering the fans is nothing new, the fanbase deals with delays on almost every album to date.

The direction of this new Kanye Era has been wild from the listening events to social media shouting matches with rival celebrities taking Kanye’s own family. With the attention of Kanye’s action being placed publicly, Kanye’s family has been faced with lots of unneeded craziness but not without its own controversial turn.

With Kim being one of the most famous celebrities on earth, the impact of Kim’s social media is immense due to the amount of influence that is provided on the Instagram account.

“I love Ye and his music but he has just been out of pocket recently, I don’t think anyone has any idea what he is doing,” says Jeffery, an avid Kanye listener. The fanbase is in the dark for now, but with small hints and abstract Instagram posts. The instances of randomness and calling out famous people has the media going in different directions to side with each part of the West family divided.

The change in Kanye’s actions and the controversy surrounding this album has divided many people including Kanye’s own family and fans.