Kanye West claims his new album was released 'without my approval'


Kanye West's new album is finally out — much, apparently, to his chagrin.
The rapper's 10th studio album, Donda, was released on Sunday following multiple delays and three listening parties. But hours after it dropped, West surprisingly took to Instagram to claim he didn't give approval for it to be released.
"Universal put my album out without my approval," West claimed, referring to Universal Music Group. He also claimed "they blocked" one of the songs "from being on the album." That song, "Jail pt 2," wasn't initially available on Donda when it was released, but it has since been added, according to Variety.
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West provided no other information about his claim that the album was released without approval, but Variety cited sources at Universal as calling this assertion "preposterous."
Donda was previously expected to be released in July, but the album's debut was postponed multiple times as West continued to hold listening parties for it. The most recent listening party occurred on Thursday in Chicago, and West drew criticism after he was joined by Marilyn Manson, who has been accused of sexual abuse, and DaBaby, who has been under fire for homophobic comments. Despite these controversies, Manson and DaBaby are both featured on the song "Jail pt 2."
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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
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