Donda (2021) – Kanye West

G.O.O.D./Def Jam (2021)

A reformed record, a “gospel record”, several delays, and three listening events later, Donda arrived in fans’ laps at the brink of September. The record anticipated by Kanye West fans for three years made its long awaited debut with much controversy and frustration.

Not long after Kanye West’s 2016 record, The Life of Pablo, there were already sights on what was next for Ye. We got a taste of some new music in 2018 with the Wyoming Sessions EP-album hybrids Ye and Kids See Ghosts (the latter with Kid Cudi). Not long after, talk of Kanye’s ninth (considering Ye as his eighth) album began to surface on the internet. Whispers of a project named Yandhi were mentioned on social media like a magical force waiting to be awoken.

Ultimately, Yandhi didn’t come to fruition. While the project in its entirety didn’t see the light of day, it’s legacy lived on through online leaks and repurposed tracks on Kanye’s gospel-ish Jesus is King. Now, Yandhi lives on through Donda. At the same time, Jesus is King continues its path also on Donda.

Indeed, Donda is the result of combining the album structure of Yandhi with the musical and thematic direction of Jesus is King. Like Yandhi, Donda is a feature heavy album that showcases Kanye’s production talent while allowing feature artists to thrive. Like Jesus is King, Kanye reflects on his faith (what faith and how deep it is, is quite open to interpretation) and personal struggles. Throughout the record, there are the themes of redemption, relying on God, and Kanye’s experience of going through his highly publicized divorce with Kim Kardashian.

While named after Kanye’s mother and supposedly a tribute to her, the album lacks much dedication to her aside from the opener “Donda Chant” and the 15th track “Donda”. On the surface, it may seem like Donda is a record about Kanye’s mother, but in truth, Kanye explores his grief way more on 808s & Heartbreak. Donda ultimately is about Kanye West, and why shouldn’t it be? When the music is about himself, Kanye West is at his Kanye Best.

The theme of crisis and turmoil, and how he overcomes it with faith is present on some of the best tracks of the record. Take “Hurricane” for example. The track formerly named “80 Degrees” for Yandhi is about how Kanye turns to God to overcome the hardships he encounters. The 808s and organ synth led production creates a dark, but uplifting atmosphere for The Weeknd, Lil Baby, and Kanye to work off of to great effect. The way the 808s leave in the last hook, but return assertively accentuate the dark vibe of the track. The Weeknd and Lil Baby’s contributions are up to par and they deliver the goods as you’d expect them to.

The same subject is explored again on “Keep My Spirit Alive” with Griselda members Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine. Again, we hear about the role of their faith in overcoming crises. This track takes on a more dreamy vibe with the organ synths left airy and round. It’s different stylistically to “Hurricane”, but thematically the same. “Keep My Spirit Alive” is another highlight off the album and the only thing that leaves me slightly disappointed is how short Conway’s verse is—the dude definitely deserves more than 8 bars.

The best tracks on the record are definitely the more subtle and melancholy tracks because they are where the record’s almost omnipresent organ synths truly flourish. The organ synths combined with minimal drums (usually in the form of simple 808s) or the absence of drums creates a simple, but ethereal sound. Like “Hurricane” and “Keep My Spirit Alive”, the tracks “Jesus Lord”, “Come to Life” (the organ later replaced by piano), and “No Child Left Behind” are major high points on the record.

Ignoring the meaningful but skippable Larry Hoover Jr. outro, “Jesus Lord” is a super strong narrative track. The production doesn’t overcomplicate itself, which is especially important for the second longest (longest if you discount “pt 2”). Here, Jay Electronica cements his elite feature verse ability, and definitely is the best feature on the record. Electronica’s flow is so nasty and his bars are surgical. It’s easy to see how he’s made a career off of features.

The rare moments Kanye moves away from gospel-inspired production on Donda, he successfully delivers engaging tracks. “Off The Grid” nails the drill genre for one of the few upbeat bangers on the album. We also get a fire Fivio Foreign verse that really overshadows Kanye’s, and most definitely Playboi Carti’s contributions. Kanye takes it back to the Graduation era with a hint of The Life of Pablo on the super bouncy “Believe What I Say”. Kanye samples the iconic Lauryn Hill for a super fun and dancey tune. “Believe What I Say” breaks things up well near the middle of Donda with its contrasting style to the rest of the record.

While there aren’t many bad tracks on Donda, one that stands out as awful is “Tell The Vision” with its disrespectful posthumous Pop Smoke feature. The Pop Smoke vocals and drum track sound like Kanye used his phone to record another phone playing a voice note of Pop Smoke and some Ableton drums. Dear God. Then, an ominous, but crystal clear piano loop was added. Spooky. You leave this track asking one question: what the fuck is this song? Rest in peace Pop Smoke. They did you dirty.

Despite being the propreantepenultimate (Google that one!) track on the record, Donda practically ends at “No Child Left Behind”. The familiar organ synths on this song make it feel very cinematic as if the credits are rolling on the record. This feeling is at its apex during the instrumental outro.

It would’ve been perfect for “No Child Left Behind” to be the closer for Donda, but Kanye decided he needed to tack on four “pt 2” tracks to make Donda a quasi-deluxe version of itself. For an artist without any solo projects with deluxe versions, Kanye flirts with the idea here. These non-bonus-bonus tracks range from annoyed groans at worst to “this is way too long” at best, and all of them are arguably unnecessary. Adding Marilyn Manson and DaBaby to an already mediocre track, “Jail”, comes with poor taste. While The Lox’s verses on “Jesus Lord pt 2” are actually quite good, there’s no reason to not simply skip to their part on a track that clocks in at 11 minutes and 30 seconds. As for “Ok Ok pt 2” and “Junya pt 2”—forgettable.

While three years isn’t an extraordinary wait for a Kanye West project at this point in his discography, the past three years of teases, leaks, and pump fakes have dragged on. In the age of leaks and constant new music, and in the world of Kanye West perfectionism, three years felt like a decade.

With such a long waiting period that included multiple delays and pushed back release dates, the inevitable question is: was Donda worth the wait? Truthfully, no. That’s not to say Donda is a bad record by any means. In a vacuum, Donda is a great record. It unfortunately suffers from the hype and anticipation that surrounded it leading up to the release. Part of this is due to fans’ heightened expectations when it comes to Kanye West. Part of this is due to Kanye West himself.

The stories of Kanye’s perfectionism slowing down and delaying the album process of Donda are widely known. From the production team literally bunkering in Mercedes Benz Stadium to what many interpret as cries for help and rescuing from Mike Dean. The world just wanted this album released. The lockdown nature of the last days of the album process would’ve been fine if it were not for the teases that were the three listening events. After all, Kanye’s magnum opus, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was mostly recorded in a Honolulu studio with similar strict rules. The listening events tarnished the already present excitement for Donda more than it generated excitement. Even post-release, Kanye has continued to tinker with Donda, having replaced KayCyy and Chris Brown’s parts with his own on “Keep My Spirit Alive” and “New Again”, respectively.

For an album with few bad songs, but a handful of “meh” songs, it shouldn’t be seen as bad as it is. But considering the hope there was for the tenth Kanye West album, the bad songs feel terrible, and the “meh” songs feel bad. Ultimately, Donda will go down in history as failing to live up to the expectations set by both Kanye West and his fans. With the fast moving nature of music today, most people will pull a handful of their favourite tracks off Donda and discard the rest, which is a shame. Shame that such a thematically and structurally beautiful record is marred by the circumstances surrounding it.

Favourite tracks: Off The Grid, Hurricane, Praise God, Believe What I Say, Moon, Heaven and Hell, Keep My Spirit Alive, Jesus Lord, Come to Life, No Child Left Behind