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Kanye West Releases Lost Album ‘Donda 2' to Streaming Services

Kanye West Releases Lost Album ‘Donda 2' to Streaming Services

Yahoo30-04-2025

Kanye West has released his lost album 'Donda 2' after he revealed on a livestream that he was planning to drop the record today.
The roots for 'Donda 2' date back to early 2022, when the rapper posted on Instagram that the sequel to his 2021 album would arrive that February and be executive produced by Future. The album was only released on Stem Player, forgoing traditional streaming services, and some songs from the project were reconfigured for artists including Fivio Foreign and the Game.
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The current version of 'Donda 2,' released on Tuesday evening to YouTube Music and Tidal, features 18 songs, many of which appeared on the original iteration. The lot of the songs appear to be the same, some with different names, and Future cameos on several tracks including 'Happy' and 'Mr. Miyagi.' '5:30,' which was included on West's 'Vultures 2' album with Ty Dolla Sign, also pops up on the tracklist.
Jack Harlow features on the track 'Louie Bag,' while Sean Leon cameos on 'SCIFI.' West's ex-wife Kim Kardashian can also be heard on 'SCIFI,' saying, 'I married the best rapper of all time. Not only that, he's the richest Black man in America. A talented, legit genius who gave me four talented, incredible kids.'
Amid his unhinged rants on X, West has been prolific, sharing various songs on social media and flash-releasing his most recent album 'Bully.' He dropped 'Bully' in March in the form of various short films that featured his song Saint West in a wrestling ring using a mallet to fend off YOH, Toru Yano, Tiger Mask and El Desperado. The videos swiftly disappeared from social media, leaving the future of 'Bully' and its official release in limbo.
Also unclear: If 'Donda 2' will be released to streaming services at large, or will remain on the ones they appeared. On a livestream earlier today, West said that he was eager to release the project and would update mixes later.
Listen to 'Donda 2' on YouTube Music and Tidal.
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There Hasn't Been A James Bond Console Game Since 2012, And After Hearing About Barbara Broccoli's Restrictions, I Can Understand Why
There Hasn't Been A James Bond Console Game Since 2012, And After Hearing About Barbara Broccoli's Restrictions, I Can Understand Why

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There Hasn't Been A James Bond Console Game Since 2012, And After Hearing About Barbara Broccoli's Restrictions, I Can Understand Why

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. As a James Bond fan, I will always raise my martini to the stewardship that Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson brought to the world of 007. While their selective nature has prevented things like spinoffs from taking flight, I hadn't realized how much of an effect that approach had on the world of Bond video games. So the fact that we have neither a new film or video game to speak for on the 2025 movie schedule is something that becomes a lot more understandable. During an appearance for the Grit podcast, former CEO of Activision-Blizzard Bobby Kotick made a pretty huge claim that I think we can all get behind. Citing Goldeneye 64 as 'what actually sold the N64,' he talked about a project that was supposed to succeed Rare and Nintendo's watershed tie-in video game. But as he began to lay out in his story, Kotick's frustrations sounded both familiar and understandable: We made a sequel, and it was a challenging thing to make, because Barbara Broccoli did not really want anything that was violence. And she didn't really want guns in the games. … We struggled with being able to actually get something done, that would be great. But I thought that making a Goldeneye sequel was a great idea. Let's all take a moment to breathe, and not shout at the top of our lungs about how a James Bond video game kind of needs gun play to be a somewhat accurate depiction of the character. I mean this is as odd as Nintendo's Goldeneye 64 request to have all the enemies you 'killed' during the game shown recovering in a hospital. Also, now that this restriction has come to light, the existence of 007 Racing kind of makes even more sense. Though the partnership with Activision as the license holder for the franchise's video game output seems a bit weird when keeping this in mind - especially with where gaming was going as Daniel Craig's James Bond movies were in theaters. Activision was nurturing Commander Bond's digital adventures around the same time the Call of Duty series was gaining popularity. One would think this would be the perfect handshake between skillset and licensing. But even with that stock in trade, Bobby Kotick still understood Barbara Broccoli's viewpoint, as seen in these continued comments on the matter: What I'll tell you is that she and her brother are great custodians for the IP, and I understood where she was coming from. She's like, 'You have kids that are gonna play it. So I don't want guns. Can you do something other than guns?', and I was like, 'No, because the expectation is gonna be the original Goldeneye. That's what we have to do.' I presume that this 'failed sequel' was eventually pivoted into one of Mr. Craig's limited video game outings, Goldeneye Reloaded. Which, frankly, is only outweighed in weirdness by 007 Legends - as both games tried to remake previous non-Craig pictures with the man himself in the lead. But things are about to get weirder, so please save your voices. . Before Activision had its moment in the digital sun, EA Games had the license for James Bond video games - which led to some brilliant efforts, like the ever collectible game Everything or Nothing. So having that company's former Chief Creative Officer Bing Gordon on hand for this conversation gave us all even more context behind these particular woes. Gordon and Bobby Kotick both compared notes at this point in the conversation. 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While there have been more combat-limited titles, like the mobile game Cypher 007, we've seen a gaming drought the likes of which has never experienced. For Bing Gordon, that's even more understandable, as like it or not, his citation of fans knowing guns in Goldeneye like gear heads know the cars in their favorite racing games is 100% correct. I could see this as another reason why EON Productions has ceded creative control over James Bond to Amazon-MGM Studios. Between trying to get James Bond 26 off the ground and a developing video game set to tell a new origin story for 007, the pressures of maintaining the brand must have become quite intense. So while I'll without question miss EON Productions' command of the James Bond narrative, I'm also excited that producers Amy Pascal and David Heyman may have some more fun with video game projects, while acting as the 00-gatekeepers. 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A New 007 Lawsuit Setback Has Taken Shape, And I'm Afraid This Could Delay Bond 26 Indefinitely (Again)
A New 007 Lawsuit Setback Has Taken Shape, And I'm Afraid This Could Delay Bond 26 Indefinitely (Again)

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A New 007 Lawsuit Setback Has Taken Shape, And I'm Afraid This Could Delay Bond 26 Indefinitely (Again)

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Though we're not seeing much movement from the 007 series on the 2025 movie schedule, there are still some pretty major pieces in play that have kept James Bond 26 on everyone's mind. Unfortunately, one of those developments was a 007 lawsuit posing 'mortal danger' to the franchise at large. Through a new update on the matter, it appears that a swift resolution isn't in the cards any time soon - and the result could be an indefinite pause on what seemed to be an ambitious start to the next era of Bond. Per reporting from The Guardian, the legal case brought forth by property Josef Kleindienst has seen a request from Danjaq, LLC to delay proceedings in the name of building a stronger case to maintain key trademarks. More specifically, the James Bond name, the catchphrase that makes great use of said moniker, and the 00-designation are on the line. As Kleindienst claims that UK and EU copyright law allows those signature elements to be examined 'after five years of 'non-use,'' this is a pretty big deal. Danjaq, LLC is the corporate entity is a vital player in all things 007, as it both co-owns the James Bond copyright (with Amazon-MGM Studios), as well as oversees the merchandising (with EON Productions.) Admittedly Amazon-MGM's supposed plans for Bond 26 feel stymied by this legal action. That, in turn, leaves me with a feeling we could see yet another chapter in the history of James Bond delays. Can you even imagine a movie where James Bond can't even use his name to introduce himself? Failing that, there's no number to fall back on; which already caused some confusion in No Time to Die's reassignment of 007 to Nomi (Lashana Lynch). The potential loss of these trademarks could be the greatest legal hiccup in Bond history since the rights battle over SPECTRE. That gave us some interesting substitutes like Quantum, but also yielded the infamous Never Say Never Again. Even in that case, James Bond was able to use his name, albeit with some stipulations. Not calling an obvious stand in for Blofeld by his name is one thing, but not being able to call James Bond by his own name is a greater disaster. That basically leaves you with something akin to The Simpsons' classic Bond parody (or rather Bont parody) shown below: For a legacy franchise that's trying to move forward into a new chapter, this feels like a nightmare. Without this challenge being handled once and for all, it's assumed that Amazon-MGM Studios and its producing team of Amy Pascal and David Heyman can't truly move forward on a new film. Also, this could be a devastating blow to IO Interactive's Project 007 video game, which is currently in development. But on the bright side, if the team behind an aborted unofficial remake of For Your Eyes Only with Ryan Reynolds still wants in, there may be a way forward... provided they use a different name, of course. As the potential record-setting 007 gap between No Time to Die's 2021 release and Bond 26 continues, the fate of Commander Bond once more hangs in the balance of business deals. So if anyone wants to join me over at the saddest martini bar known as the '007 Waiting Room,' feel free. Though depending on how these legal challenges shake out, we may need to change the name out of safety. How about 'The Tuxedo Room?'

After Seeing The 007: First Light Trailer, I Have Even More Faith In The Amazon-MGM Era Of James Bond
After Seeing The 007: First Light Trailer, I Have Even More Faith In The Amazon-MGM Era Of James Bond

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After Seeing The 007: First Light Trailer, I Have Even More Faith In The Amazon-MGM Era Of James Bond

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The 2025 movie schedule has been a pretty rough time to be a 007 fan. With Amazon-MGM's creative control deal putting them in the driver's seat for the road ahead, and those recent Bond copyright issues threatening to derail Bond 26's rumored production/release schedule, no one knows when or how James Bond will return. It's the perfect time for something like the announcement trailer for IO Interactive's 007 First Light to hit, and if the movies are given this much care, I'm even more optimistic about the future. Revealing the first public look at what was once called Project 007, that reel has taken the first steps into this modern stand alone prequel. Per reporting out of PlayStation's official blog, here's what to expect from young James: This is Bond as you've never seen him before — the youngest Bond fans have ever met. In 007 First Light, at only 26 years old, he isn't the fully fledged 007 you know from the tux-and-martini days but a man with sharp instincts, sometimes reckless, who is still learning when to fight, when to bluff, and when to disappear into the shadows. Now unless we've discarded Charlie Higson's Young Bond books, this 007 First Light claim is absolutely true. But putting that nitpick aside, we'll be seeing James Bond grabbing the spotlight after showing his pattern of risky behavior that goes against rules and regulations. What's more, Amazon-MGM Studios has collaborated with IO Interactive on First Light's story. With all respect to the good people at EON Productions, it looks like previous James Bond game restrictions are now officially out the window. Gunplay is definitely on the table here, as are car chases, Roger Moore-style pick-up lines, and a new version of the On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme I need an MP3 of at once. We're going to see young James Bond 'earn the number,' as the game's tagline states. It's a refreshingly modern looking take that's reminiscent of when Casino Royale rebooted the Bond legacy in 2006. Despite sounding like a more modern reinvention that discards the past, there are a lot of classic references throughout 007 First Light. The Alpha build footage shows us a chess game similar to the one in From Russia with Love, Bond wearing a jacket styled like the one in Dr. No, and various outfits and locations that nod to every era of James Bond movies. Mixing those two halves together in the way that First Light has is key to making a good James Bond story - no matter what medium it's in. So if this is the first inkling of what Amazon-MGM's reign will give audience in James Bond 26, consider my ticket already bought. 007 First Light doesn't have a release date, but is scheduled to be released at some point in 2026. Let's just hope this title and Grand Theft Auto VI stay clear out of each other's way, so as not to collapse the internet, massive world economies and countless relationships in their wake.

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