Featured Image Credit: Alamy/stemplayer.com
Topics: Kanye West, Music, Celebrity
Isobel Pankhurst
Never one to shy away from controversy, Kanye West is now facing anger from a large number of his fans over the release of his new album.
As fans await Donda 2, the highly anticipated sequel to last year's Donda, West took to Instagram to announce that it will be available exclusively on his product the Stem Player - which costs £200 ($200 in the US).
West claims this will help free artists from an 'oppressive system'.
He wrote: "Donda 2 will only be available on my own platform, the Stem Player. Not on Apple Amazon Spotify or YouTube.
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"Today artists get just 12 percent of the money the industry makes. It’s time to free music from this oppressive system."
Many were not buying this explanation and suggested it sounds more like a cash grab than a statement about musicians' rights.
Some fans ever took to Twitter to complain, saying that instead they'll just pirate the new music.
"I am not spending $200 for Donda 2. I'll find that s*** online," one user posted.
Many others seemed to agree.
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One suggested that the album will be quite successful on file-sharing website MEGA, while another suggested streaming it on Pornhub.
West appeared to respond to the backlash in another Instagram post.
He wrote: "After 10 albums after being under 10 contracts. I turned down a hundred million dollar Apple deal.
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"No one can pay me to be disrespected.
"Tech companies made music practically free so if you don’t do merch sneakers and tours you don’t eat."
West also references Jay-Z, who seems have distanced himself from the rapper in recent years, saying: "Jay Z made Tidal and fake media attacked him."
This is far from the first time West's Instagram posts have made headlines of late.
Recently he took to Instagram to attack comedian Pete Davidson who is dating West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian.
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Since his split with Kardashian, West has taken to social media many times to express his displeasure with the situation, including questions over access to his children and advocating for them not to be on social media.
West has also posted screenshots of texts from Kardashian - a move which West also received a fair amount of backlash for.