Why is it that every time Kanye drops an album media and listeners alike are always looking to add to his redemption arc? The man never left, and he sure did come with a strong uppercut as a reminder that he is one of the greatest to ever walk into a studio. I’m going to give no introduction because if you don’t know who Kanye West is you’re living under a rock. Donda is Kanye West’s tenth official studio album and his first solo project 2019’s Jesus Is King (which may not really be solo but whatever). This album is the middle ground between Gospel music and contemporary Hip-Hop. The album Donda is named after & dedicated to Kanye’s mother who passed back in 2007. Donda is Kanye’s most personal & reflective work since 808s & Heartbreak a year after his Mother passed. Kanye has rapped and been very outspoken about his Mother’s impact on him throughout his career and his life. This album reminds me a lot of The Life of Pablo because of the rollout and how sporadic it sounds as a body of work, but Kanye still always finds a way to make it sound cohesive. Donda has many themes such as Kanye's Mothers’ passing, his relationship with God, his divorce and Kanye shows vulnerability through all those things.
From the very first track, “Donda Chant”, it is like a son lost looking for his Mom. I’m not one to talk about what I dislike about music, but I was expecting a more polished album from Kanye and his team. Especially aftert several delays, some of the mixes on Donda are very rough on the ears and the production doesn’t feel as full as it should be. For example on the very first actual track "Jail", the guitars are harsh and it doesn’t sound good at all. The choir on "New Again" is almost ear piercing, and there are times throughout the album where I hear a crackling in the track. Regardless, I still love it and the first half of the album is absolutely terrific. Kanye always brings the best out of his features, with as many as thirty-two being named on Donda,. Kanye delivers a legendary hook and Jay-Z glides on his verse for “Jail”. The Weeknd and Lil Baby are in perfect harmony on “Hurricane”. The amount of pressure Kanye applied with drums on “Off The Grid” was astounding. Playboi Carti was the ideal choice for that feature, and Kanye seamlessly switching the beat to a drill beat halfway through the song is genius. Fivio Foreign delivers his best verse and his longest verse. “Ok Ok” is so contagiously energetic and I love what Lil Yachty did for that track. Although, throughout the first half of the album, I feel like I lost Kanye in the crowd of features. Kanye’s presence on the first ten songs is felt but the overall contribution to the track isn’t A++ and doesn’t bring the same energy as the features. On the second half of the album, the music becomes a little less sporadic and sounds more sentimental even though it takes a few tracks to find that feeling. The second half feels more personal and gives more introspective into Kanye’s life the past few years. The features continue to roll but not as many. Don Tolliver and Kid Cudi help Kanye create one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve ever heard called “Moon”. Griselda and KayCyy make “Keep My Spirit Alive” a true deep cut. I’m surprised Westside Gunn’s adlibs worked so well with Kanye’s drums. As I mentioned earlier, there are many tracks that don’t feel as full or even complete. “Jesus Lord” had potential to be Kanye’s next “Runaway”. My only complaint is that you can only take so much of the same loop for an eight minute long song. There isn’t any evolution or climax of the track unfortunately. Kanye spits a beautiful verse about his Mother and his battle with suicidal thoughts. Jay Electronica’s inclusion was a surprise, but his verse was to be expected in terms of subject matter. “Lord I Need You” is Kanye finding closure about his divorce and trying to reminisce about all the positives that came with his marriage and eventually the separation. “Pure Souls” has got to be my favorite song, Roddy Ricch was a terrific inclusion. The synths do work on this track, especially the ones that have a descending chord progression behind the main synths. Kanye and Roddy created a certified hood classic, both go into detail about the challenges they faced since becoming successful. I love how groovy this song is. Shenseea sings a beautiful outro on “Pure Souls” as well. If you’re still doubting Kanye’s ability as a vocalist, listen to “Come To Life”. Kanye’s cadence mixed with the synths and piano make the hairs on my arms stand up. “Come To Life” is Kanye longing for another life while singing about how important his kids are and regretting his wrongs. The last track before the part twos is “No Child Left Behind”, this track first debuted in the Beats commercial for the Olympics with Sha’Carri Richardson. When I first seen the commercial, I noticed the symbolism with the lyrics and had a great feeling about what this album would eventually turn out to be. This outro to the album left me with tears in my eyes and was the perfect way to close it out. There is so much to potentially unpack with this song, and there are only a total of 31 words used between Vory & Kanye West. Overall, Donda has its peaks and valleys. It feels thoughtful but it also doesn’t necessarily piece together the perfect puzzle. This album will be talked about for years, the rollout is something that we have never seen before. I grew up listening to Kanye and I can say I'm personally happy with the product itself especially after a few years of questionable decisions in music from Kanye. Rest in peace Donda West, and stream Donda. It'll be another long wait before we hear from Ye again. Check out the "Come To Life" video below.
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