Why on Earth would Kanye West think releasing his latest album DONDA 2 on a $200 Stem Player most people don’t have, is a good idea? The second act of his three-act Netflix docuseries Jeen-Yuhs might have some clues as to why.
Before we go into the past, let’s first grasp the future West is forcing us to follow. Originally released on August 25, 2021, the Stem Player is an audio device allowing users to tinker with songs in unprecedented manners. Named after the individual audio tracks that make up all the song recordings you love—“stems”—the disc-shaped device allows users to adjust the volumes of the vocals, bass, melodies, and drums via touch-sensitive light sliders. (If you wanted to hear West ramble on about beating up Pete Davidson on West’s song “Eazy,” you’d simply have to press on the vocal light slider to mute out the others.)
The device also allows people to upload music to the Stem Player by plugging their player into their computer and uploading their music to StemPlayer.com, where presumably West will also make DONDA 2 available for Stem Player owners.
It initially shipped pre-loaded with DONDA, but West shattered the musical paradigm with the release of DONDA 2 by eschewing traditional digital service providers like Spotify and Apple Music and choosing to release the album on the Stem Player exclusively. The Stem Player gives West complete control over when he releases his music—yet West managed to disappoint fans by not releasing the album at midnight on February 22 as he promised.
But, he still plans for his Stem Player to be a disc-shaped middle finger to the music industry. “Today, artists get just 12% of the money the industry makes,” West wrote on Instagram announcing the DONDA 2 release. “It’s time to free music from this oppressive system. It’s time to take control and build our own.”
Courtesy of Netflix
The Stem Player may have entered the world in 2021, but it more than likely lived in West’s heart since 2002, the year most of the second act of his three-act Jeen-Yuhs docuseries chronicles.
For more than an hour of the 98-minute episode titled “PURPOSE,” West stretches himself thin to get enough attention from his label Roc-A-Fella Records for them to want to put out his debut album. He records The College Dropout track “Slow Jamz” at Jamie Foxx’s home studio because Roc-A-Fella wouldn’t give him a budget for recording. He vociferously lamented about having to spend $33,000 of his own money to shoot the music video for “Through The Wire,” the song that launched his career. West had to rely on its co-director Chike Ozah to give West and his team access to MTV’s equipment at its New York City headquarters after-hours to edit the video that would change his life. For a control freak who updated his 2016 album The Life of Pablo like a Google doc for over a month after its release, the Stem Player finally gives West the control over his music he tirelessly fought for from his label in Jeen-Yuhs.
Courtesy of Netflix
Outside of almost losing his life in a car crash, West’s most significant impediment in Jeen-Yuhs is the lack of funding from his label. West could’ve self-funded his entire debut album with the $2.2 million he told his Instagram followers he made in three days of selling 10,000 Stem Players. In Jeen-Yuhs, his “Through The Wire” music video is depicted as the culmination of nearly a year of traveling across the country and humbling himself to call in favors, all so his label could take him serious enough as an artist to release his album. He could’ve got The College Dropout directly to his fans whenever he wanted with the Stem Player. Ultimately, West struggled to be recognized as both a producer and an artist in Jeen-Yuhs. It’s nearly impossible not to appreciate his dual talents when picking apart his music is central to how the Stem Player allows you to listen to it.
His ambition does come at a cost. In a screenshot of a text message conversation West shared on Instagram on February 18, he’s informed Apple Music no longer wanted to do a sponsorship deal, presumably tied to the release of DODNA 2. In the post’s caption, the rebellious rapper revealed the sponsorship deal was worth $100 million.
But, for a billionaire with enough disposable income to turn a sporting arena into a home studio to make DONDA, making a 20-year dream of his come true is more than worth it.
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