Slipknot star Corey Taylor calls Kanye West a ‘f***ing moron’ for charging fans £150 for Donda 2 album
‘Donda 2’ can only be downloaded on Stem Player
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Slipknot star Corey Taylor has criticised Kanye West for making fans pay $200 (£150) to listen to his new album Donda 2.
West’s latest album – which was released on 23 February – is not available on streaming services including Apple Music and Spotify. Instead, fans have to purchase a Stem Player for £150 in order to listen to the album.
A Stem Player is a handheld personal music player that allows users to listen to and easily remix music. The gadget was released in 2021 and was created by West and Alex Klein, founder of the gadget company Kano.
The rapper’s choice to release Donda 2 solely on Stem Player was heavily denounced, with many people arguing that it made his music inaccessible to listeners.
Slipknot’s lead vocalist Taylor has added to the criticism, telling Metro: “It’s like releasing all the parts for a car and sending them to people’s houses and going there, you got a free car, now you’ve got to figure out how to build the goddamn thing.”
He continued: “You’re assuming that the audience has the access and same technology that you have but you’re a f***ing moron for doing that.
“Are you serious? It doesn’t work that way. The thinking that that’s a smart thing to do just shows you how convoluted and off the f***ing property Kanye West really is.”
Taylor also addressed the price point of Stem Player, adding: “People can’t afford their f***ing apartments for f***s sake. It’s not right.”
He went on to call the decision “pompous and ridiculous”, adding that Slipknot would be “demonised” for a move like that.
“But I guarantee people are looking at him like he’s a genius, and it’s like for f***s sake, pull your head out of your a**, put it on CDs and just f***ing give it to people,” said Taylor.
The musician’s new album CMFB Sides was released on 25 February and is available to buy and stream on Spotify and Apple Music.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments