Mike Dean has been one of the oldest collaborators of Ye, aka Kanye West. From the early days of mixing classic albums like 'The College Dropout' and 'Late Registration' to producing chart-topping hits on 'Graduation' and 'Donda', Dean has played a crucial role in the Yeezy mogul's journey in the hip-hop world. However, after Ye launched into a series of anti-Semitic rants a few years ago, Dean chose to distance himself from the award-winning rapper, much like a good portion of the industry. And it seems that the tension is still brewing somewhere.

Ye recently announced his new album titled 'Bully' and debuted the song ‘Beauty and the Beast’, rapping over an instrumental background, during his listening event at China’s Wuyuan River Stadium. This was Ye’s first concert in China in 16 years. After the announcement, former collaborator Mike Dean jumped into the comments section of an Instagram post, saying that ‘Beauty and the Beast’ is a “Donda leftover".  

At the China show, Ye also shared a new version of ‘530,’ a track from 'Vultures 2', which fans believe is a complete version since it features a second verse. While Ye did not give the audience any hints about when the 'Bully' album might drop, if it follows the same path as the two 'Vultures' projects, it is sure to encounter its fair share of delays. Still, Dean’s remark has sparked quite a conversation among Ye’s fanbase.

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Fans wasted no time taking to X after Mike Dean’s “leftover” remark, which they perceived as a slight against the Grammy-winning rapper.

While Ye and Mike Dean are not as close as they used to be, the music producer gave a shoutout to one of Ye’s classics earlier this year. Dean took the stage in São Paulo with 'Father Stretch My Hands' from Ye’s seventh album, 'The Life of Pablo', which he co-produced along with Rick Rubin and Noah Goldstein. So, it is hard to tell if Dean’s comment was a jab or just stating the facts, and fans were kind of confused too. 

Many fans said it was not what Dean said but how he said it that felt like a diss aimed towards Ye. 

As for the third volume of 'Vultures', Ye's collaborator shared an update earlier this month. While on a live Instagram session, Ty Dolla $ign shared a message that had fans going wild with screenshots. “V3 bouta rip heads off,” he said. However, it is yet to be seen how long it will take for Ye to drop the third volume of his 'Vultures' trilogy and whether it will come before or after ‘Bully'.

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What do you think about Mike Dean's comment about Ye's 'Beauty and the Beast'? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!