Kanye West has returned to his tinkering ways, removing Chris Brown’s voice from one track and making several other alleged modifications to Donda.
On Monday, September 27th, the upgraded version of Donda became available on streaming sites, with more improvements coming on Tuesday, September 28th. The most significant change appears to be Brown’s absence from “New Again,” however West also appears to have left Kenyan artist KayCyy off “Keep My Spirit Alive.”
A spokesman for West did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.
It’s probable that West’s decision to dismiss Brown was as much a creative as it was a personal one: Brown, apparently dissatisfied with the little role he played in Donda, called West a “whole hoe” in an Instagram Story that was shortly removed but extensively screenshotted. Brown subsequently released — but immediately removed — the whole length of his Donda contribution on Instagram, along with the remark, “The verse/chorus I mysteriously didn’t do!” in an equally audacious move.
Instead of Brown’s vocals, the Sunday Service Choir now sings the hook on “New Again.” Brown’s representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Rolling Stone.
With the exception of the alterations to “New Again” and “Keep My Spirit Alive,” West appears to have only tweaked the album’s mix. Check out a new video from the popular West podcast, “Watching the Throne,” for a more in-depth look at those changes.
