After months of waiting, Kanye West has officially released the highly anticipated Donda. While the Chicago rapper previewed this album several times via large scale listening events, fans still didn’t know what to expect once the album actually dropped on streaming platforms. These listening events revealed that Donda would potentially be Kanye’s longest project by a mile. Furthermore, the list of features on this new project was nearly never-ending.
In each listening event, Donda seemed to change, with certain songs removed and certain features removed, but others added. It was speculated that the album may release on the same day as Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, September 3rd. However, when fans least expected it, Donda was released on the morning of Sunday, August 29th. Nevertheless, fans are rapidly reacting to this unexpected news, and the time for reviewing this massive album is upon us.
Before diving in and listening to Ye’s latest project, it must be noted that this album is incredibly long. Including 27 songs, Donda is about an hour and 50 minutes long. This is easily West’s longest project by a mile, and it is a harsh contrast from his previous 11 song, 27 minute release. With an album of this length, one can only imagine the amount of features that make up this project. Including the voices of Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, Jay-Z, Lil Baby, Playboi Carti, Young Thug, The Weeknd, and so many more, Donda has the music industry’s biggest names on every song.
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Kanye West Packs Donda With Numerous Exciting Moments
While it is still impossible to fully process this massive project, there are some songs that shine through immediately. The second track, “Jail,” features soaring auto tuned vocals from Ye. The instrumental remains minimal with a big, distorted bass progression. As the song progresses, Jay-Z makes a monumental appearance. For the first time in years, the two collaborators appear on the same song. Jay-Z hints at the return of the throne, which is a lyric that has fans of both rappers beyond excited.
“Hurricane” features piercing vocals from The Weeknd paired with huge spiritual chorus moments. The production on this track is a highlight, with a church choir clashing against The Weeknd’s vocals and then suddenly cutting as Tesfaye finishes his first vocal passage.
“No Child Left Behind” is a special track that fans have already heard. This song sounds heavenly with synth chords intertwining and reacting with a steadily repeated bassline. Kanye West repeats the line, “He’s done miracles on me”, referring to God and religion as a whole. This line can sum up the theme of this album, as Kanye reflects on his relationship with religion. Ye goes through struggles that challenge his faith, but as the album progresses, his faith is only reaffirmed.
For Every Handful of High Moments, ‘Donda’ Presents Another Low
In addition to so many incredible moments, this project has a few “head-scratch” moments as well. While Ye jam packed this record with features, he definitely could’ve afforded to cut a few songs and features. For example, the song “Jail pt 2” includes a feature from DaBaby, who recently received criticism for his reckless comments regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Further, this song also gives co-writing credit to Marilyn Manson who has been accused by multiple women of physical and mental abuse. While some songs on Donda might just miss the mark, this song is particularly striking. These are people Ye shouldn’t associate with, and these people definitely don’t deserve the platform that a Donda feature provides.
Further, it appears that Universal Music Group released the album without Ye’s approval. This might lead to legal action from either the artist or label in the future, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Kanye Enters A New Era Following The Release of Donda
Ultimately, Donda is an incredible project that deserves the attention that it is receiving. After a long and successful career, Kanye West pulls inspiration from all of his previous projects and brings these thoughts and ideas forth in many tracks. This album includes the pop flavors of his Graduation era, and the minimal yet abrasive production of Yeezus. If you are a fan of any Kanye era, you will find at least a handful of tracks to love on this album.
While there is definitely a lot of fat to trim on this project, most of it remains interesting and consistent. Without knowing what the rest of this year looks like, one thing is certain: Donda is one of the most notable albums of the year. It packs so much material into one project, with so many interesting and thought-provoking moments. Kanye has entered a new era, and his fans are more than ready for it.
Streamn ‘Donda’ By Kanye West
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