Posted by Kanye West has maintained a stranglehold on digital streaming platforms, in particular Spotify, despite a finished version of Donda 2 not materializing on his $200 Stem Player. With the dual hype of his Netflix documentary jeen-yuhs and Donda 2 in full swing, the enigmatic mogul has sat atop the mountain for most-streamed artists on Spotify for two consecutive days.
According to Chart Data, Ye has been the go-to artist on the platform as fans not only revisit the glory days of The College Dropout and Late Registration but also select songs from the original Donda release Ye performed during his Miami listening event on February 22.
.@kanyewest was the #1 most streamed artist on US Spotify on February 26.
— chart data (@chartdata) February 27, 2022
The particulars behind Ye’s dominance on Spotify come after he repeatedly told fans Donda 2 wouldn’t be available on traditional streaming platforms and had turned down a $100 million deal from Apple to host the album exclusively on their platform.
Following the recent Donda 2 listening experience, individual songs began to be added to the Stem Player website beginning with “Security,” “Pablo” featuring Future and Travis Scott, “Broken Road” featuring Don Toliver and “We Did It Kid” featuring Baby Keem and Migos.
Days later, 16 additional songs were added to the player, with “Keep It Burning” the lone song added (although that wasn’t performed during the Miami event).
The concept of the Stem Player, originally introduced with his Donda album, is giving fans the ability to remove or add specific elements of songs. The constant updates to tracks echoes an idea Ye had with 2016’s The Life of Pablo in crafting a “living album” where songs are frequently tinkered with and there are no “finished” versions due to Ye’s creative desire to establish whatever sound he chooses.