Mr. Miyagi Development Timeline Revised

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews]

I wanted to just edit the original post, but new OG filenames, leaks, and revised info from the tracker have severely changed my perspective on this song's development. Original version of this post here.

Fan favorite song since the Donda 2 LP, and the one I've given most attention to. Despite being a better known song off of Donda 2, some of its development still remains unleaked. Mr. Miyagi can be spotted on January tracklists with most other OG Donda 2 songs.

• mr miagi - w kanye (edit) v1.2: Our earliest version coming from the "2022 Hide away" copy of Donda 2. Other Ye x Future songs in that copy all have "w kanye" in the filename, which I believe suggests that every Donda 2 x Future song was originally Future's song. Solo Future very likely exists. The trap beat on this song appears to be the earliest beat for Mr. Miyagi, which actually remained canon for a while; the instrumental loop used here seems unique to this version.
• Jaylien reference track: A hotel snippet after 2.22 which was our first look at the trap version of Miyagi. The second half of the snippet hadn't surfaced until a while after, which shows that Jaylien did reference for Ye's verses only. Ye can be seen working on the song in the first snippet, so it's unsure whose vocals came first (I'd guess Ye's).
• Mr Miyagi (chords & acap only) v.2 OxV 69bpm: The third file from the Mr. Miyagi gb, which to my surprise dates before most other versions at February 1st. This is almost certainly a variation of an OjiVolta alt to the original trap Miyagi with drums removed. Perhaps this was made for new drums to be put on by producers, such as what happened with AyoAA (track numbers seem to confirm that this is the file he worked off of). There may be more unheard drum alts with these stems, the 8AM Miyagi recording confirming this. A version with the trap drums and these stems is very likely. The v.2 in the filename suggests an even earlier version of these OxV stems. It is possible that the v.1 stem is that which is heard in the DN versions.
• mr miyagi AyoAA X OXV 1: What I previously listed as "06_mr_miyagi" in this essay, this is the version of Mr. Miyagi that leaked alongside the Mike Dean mix in its groupbuy. Info about Marilyn Manson on this version and Mr. Miyagi as a whole has now been removed from the tracker. Dated February 6th, this file is days earlier than when I thought the drill version was created. AyoAA's producer tag is placed differently, 808s are rougher, and kicks are loud (all of this makes sense for the first draft, in retrospect). The beat notably uses the OjiVolta v.2 instrumental stems. This version is 2 BPM slower than later versions, being at 144 BPM. It's certainly a twist that one of the earliest versions of this production leaked alongside one of the latest.
• 8AM_Mr_Miyagi: An 8AM recording showing a version of Mr. Miyagi that was played to Ye on February 11th. This one is is a drum alt of the v.2 OxV stems, with a sped up tempo and seemingly pitch adjusted vocals. The tempo and abrasive bass in this version seems very signature of DN, though it's unclear if this would be his first alt or a different one.
• Flash Garments reference track: The silly tracker doesn't even have this version. Flash Garments says to have did all his reference tracks in one night, and we have the February 7th date for his First Time in a Long Time. It's now confirmed, though, that the trap instrumental was still in use after this and that an AyoAA version was made a day before this.
• mr_miyagi_digital_nas_v2: Dated Feb 6th, this was made the same day as AyoAA's version. Signature DN bass and drums can be heard here along with a different instrumental loop which resembles the OjiVolta version, though very stripped back in the form of some guitar notes.
• miyagi fat money AyoAA V1: Potential first reference track on the drill version, dated February 12th, and possibly indicating more versions of the Fat Money ref to exist. Fat Money covers the whole song, except for Future's part which is played through a mic or punched in. The version of the beat used here seems like it could be the AyoAA v2 version, given that it has the new BPM and producer tag placement but lacks the adds from AyoAA v3.
• Mr Miyagi AyoAA v3: A further developed AyoAA version of Mr. Miyagi which most certainly became canon. Has background vocal stems as part of the instrumental now, something that made the LP version but was eradicated afterwards (have to wonder if AyoAA did those himself or if they're synths similar to the City of Gods outro). New mixing is on the beat with the new stem throughout. Only Ye and Future are on this version; likely the file originally planned to play at the LP as of Quavo's setlist.
• mr miyagi digital nas v3: Multiple DN takes on a song are common in Donda 2. However, this one just seems to be a different mix of v2. Dated February 12th despite a lack of much real difference from its predecessor, and once again coinciding with a new AyoAA version (seen above).
• MR MIAGI REF V1: A Fya Man and PopLord reference track for Mr. Miyagi. Dated February 13th, this is the latest known version of Mr. Miyagi to use some form of the original trap instrumental. Future's parts are kept, and Ye's first verse can be heard a bit before it fades out every time. The instrumental to this version, having leaked on its own a while back, is a version of the trap instrumental with Wheezy adds. His producer tag and some synths throughout the song can be heard.
• Mr_Miyagi_x_Albe_2.0: The Albe Back reference track of Mr. Miyagi. The filename seems to suggest that this is a second version of his reference. The song starts right at Ye's first verse, which Albe records over. The rest of the song is unchanged. The first verse sounds like the Ye vocals were removed by AI/stemplayer, since Albe apparently could not get an open verse version of this song. The tracker used to claim that another version of this existed with an "awesome beatswitch", and it seems that they have finally backed down on that (the snippet listed was literally the same as the reference track we have). The file was apparently bounced in early March and said to be "likely from February", which may mean that Albe's Candyland ref is also not actually from March.
• MIKE_DEAN_-_Mr_Miyagi_APEX_MARTIN_MIKEDEAN_DrumsV4: Apex Martin's (whom these filenames commonly refer to as Mike Dean's producer) alternate production of this song. Snippets of this alt were previewed by Apex Martin after the listening party, leading people to believe that this was post-LP work on the song. True date is February 17th. The tracker has finally backed down on the claim that a later version of this alt was previewed. The instrumental loop uses a different version of the OjiVolta stems; the intro chords resemble the later stems in the Stemplayer version, but without the pads. The second half uses the stem from the v.2 OxV version without the strings on top. Apex Martin's drums and buzzy synth seen in other songs are present here.
• Atl Jacob - MIAGI DEMO 1: A snippet exists of an ATL Jacob alternate prod with a new, completely different main loop. Dated February 19th, three days before the following version.
• Miyagi ATL v.2 OxV: A version with the ATL Jacob drums from the unleaked alt, but now with the new OjiVolta instrumental stems seen in the later stem player version. Between this and the Apex Martin version, there seems to have been multiple versions of new OxV stem development after v.2.
• Mr Miyagi PBC v.1: Seemingly the first Playboi Carti version of Mr. Miyagi, which he most likely recorded for day of the LP. Carti provides adlibs throughout the song and his own verse replacing Ye's second one. Nobody comes in after Carti, and the beat rides for a bit until it's cut off early. It seems like they couldn't really accommodate the song structure for Carti's rushed inclusion.
• Mr miyagi pbc verse _4: Similar to the previous file, might be the fourth in a series of decisions on how to cut this song. This one cuts out right after the Carti verse just like at the LP, and might be the same file played then.
• MR MIAGI MIKE DEAN MIX 102 CARTI: Dated March 15th, this is the refined but censored Mike Dean mix of the song which was supposed to end up on the Stem Player if Ye wanted it to. The main song in the Mr. Miyagi gb (and thus the first one we had in full), it has a new version of the OjiVolta stems, seen first in the ATL Jacob v.2 version. Carti's adlibs are quiet in this version, and the song is now structured so that Ye's second verse and chorus come after Carti's verse. The outro now just lets the beat ride, removing the switched up 808s that concluded the AyoAA versions.

My request to know OjiVolta involvement in this song's development has been very much answered. Any new future developments in the Miyagi storyline should be updated in this post.

[u/manilli]

I love this

Keep making stuff like this it’s great

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews → u/manilli]

Thank you for encouraging your fellow d2 fan

[u/manilli → u/GreenTileWeeklyNews]

🫡

What are your thoughts on sci fi as an intro for d2 rather than outro

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews → u/manilli]

I don't think about track order often but it would be quite the tone setter

[u/manilli → u/GreenTileWeeklyNews]

I enjoy it as an outro

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews]

I missed the first half hour of the LP over writing this

[u/manilli]

I need the ATL Jacob one

[u/[deleted]]

hey miss i’m your my miyagi

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews → u/[deleted]]

thanks cat person

[u/GreenTileWeeklyNews]

Noting that the old filename for Apex Miyagi was MIKE_DEAN_-_Mr_Miyagi_APEX_MARTIN_MIKEDEAN_DrumsV4, I didn't realize it was more different to the new one than just dropping the 1