Ye has another enemy to worry about. His former manager, Free Maiden, held nothing back when addressing his accusations of extorting the artist formerly known as Kanye West.
“Ye, as former brothers, you going to social media is weak as hell when you’re wrong,” he told AllHipHop. This was about the Chicago producer claiming Maiden charged him $3 million for Donda 2 beats that were allegedly made by people he taught how to produce, and the allegation that Maiden was going to take the LP off of streaming.
He continued, “You had a chance to address and handle our outstanding issues and speak as men […] You chose to run, duck, hide, and continuously steal our sh*t! Why you think you have the right to continue to steal from us and monetize the work is very slum landlordish. Get on the phone like a man.” Maiden represents Boogz and Brian Allday, producers who contributed to eight songs on Donda 2 but allegedly were never paid; he told AllHipHop that Ye was privy to the fact they were seeking compensation, but put the music out anyway without paying.
“I’ve purposely kept our dispute quiet,” Free Maiden added. “I believe in keeping family business family business. If I was a lame, which I’m not, I coulda been outted his slumlord a** ways. […] This man has been stealing for years, but I always protected him. I’ve saved Ye nine figures in attempted lawsuits alone in the past. Gloves off now.”
Maiden’s ire is especially salient given how much else he has done for Ye’s career. He first discovered the eclectic producer, guided him into the music industry, introduced him to JAY-Z, and ran his label and publishing company. He was also the executive producer for jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy, the documentary made about West on Netflix.
Maiden’s qualms with West aren’t unprecedented either. In December 2024, multiple producers on Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 revealed that they hadn’t been paid. “We have clients who’ve produced music on the Vultures album(s) and have still not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released,” music attorney Bob Celestin told Billboard. “We have clients who’ve produced music on the Vultures album(s) and have still not been paid for their services even though both albums have been released.”
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