Kanye West - donda
By Nora Kelliher
I can name only one artist who would actively choose to live in a sports stadium to finish an album and that person is Kanye West. From listening parties where Kanye was literally lit on fire to claims that Universal Music released Donda without his approval, the album rollout can be described as anything but ordinary. But then again, this is Kanye we’re talking about.
Kanye West’s long awaited Donda was released this past August 29th after multiple postponements from the original July 24, 2020 drop date. His 10th solo project honors his late mother Donda West who had played a profound role in her son’s life. As a 27-track album clocking in at 1 hour and 49 minutes, Donda is an intimidating listen for casual Kanye fans but welcomed by those disappointed at his recent tendency for short projects. West’s past two albums have not made it past the 30 minute mark, with Jesus is King (2019) and Ye (2018) only spanning 27 and 24 minutes respectively.
There seems to be a recent trend in hip-hop of quantity over quality, with many rappers releasing 20 plus track albums and deluxe versions with additional songs. While I wouldn’t describe the majority of the songs on Donda as filler, the album is far from cohesive in terms of production. The wide sound range, including rock, drill, trap, and gospel, sometimes results in awkward transitions between songs, although a benefit of this sound mixture is that it allows for a variety of listeners to find parts of Donda they enjoy.
The opener, “Donda Chant”, repeats Donda West’s name upwards of 50 times in an almost meditative manner. Kanye then abruptly transitions into rock riffs with the welcome return of Jay-Z in “Jail”. West has done rap-rock before in his collaboration album with Kid Cudi and it’s a sound that suits him. The following song, “God Breathed”, alternates between chaos reminiscent of Yeezus (2013) and gospel like that of Jesus is King (2019). While most of the features are recognizable names, I hadn't heard of Vory before and enjoyed his vocals on this song.
West moves from “God Breathed”, which fades out with a beautiful choir, to one of my favorite songs on the album, “Off The Grid”. The heavy drill beat perfectly suits its features Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign. Fivio’s lengthy verse is amongst the most impressive rapping on Donda as he balances religious references with confident boasts. Kanye matches the energy of the song and raps on the same drill beat, although I could’ve gone without the lines “they playin’ soccer in my backyard, I think I see Messi”.
Kanye continues to showcase his powerhouse of artists in the following songs. “Hurricane'' includes both a chorus from the Weeknd and a Lil Baby verse, two artists I never thought I’d hear on the same song and actually enjoy it. “Praise God”, which opens with a vocal recording of Donda West, features Travis Scott and Baby Keem adding to the album’s gospel message.
The beginning half of Donda is solid in terms of mainstream playability, partly due to its more subdued gospel sound and its high-profile featured artists. West’s choice of features highlights his ability to recognize an artist’s strengths and play to them. He includes multiple generations of rappers, from Jay-Z to Lil Yachty, and gives up-and-coming artists their space on the album. He knows what beats will let an artist shine. However, at times Donda seems to place more emphasis on its features rather than the man behind the album. By catering beats to notable rappers, West’s verses are sometimes overshadowed. Perhaps Kanye didn’t want to be the main focus on Donda and had a greater goal of celebrating his mother and embracing Christianity. The 20-odd features provide different perspectives on religion and allow for a more accessible gospel theme than if it were solely Kanye spreading his beliefs.
The latter half of Donda leans more heavily on West and a gospel sound. While some may be tired of West’s preaching, he has always included religion in his music, even in his first album, The College Dropout (2004), with the hit song “Jesus Walks”. Kanye has substantially increased his outspoken support for Christianity since 2019, even winning a Grammy for best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Jesus is King (2019). It’s important to note that Donda West provided Kanye with a religious upbringing as she was a devout Catholic. An album made in her honor would be incomplete without religion. Although the gospel aspect sometimes feels half-hearted, it’s remarkable to see West’s dedication to Christianity. Few rappers could fuse gospel with rap and generate as much hype for an album as Kanye. Another influence of religion and his late mother is the lack of cursing on Donda, which leads to gaps in verses where swear words were blanked out.
The title track “Donda” is the most direct homage to his mother. A sample of a speech in which Donda West speaks about Kanye in an almost sermon-like manner results in a powerful song that highlights a mother’s love. I respect Mrs. West and I know she would be proud of her son for devoting an entire album to her and Christianity. “Jesus Lord”, running almost 9 minutes long, serves as a confessional for Kanye. He raps about the effect of his mother’s passing on him, drug addiction, emotional damage, and the path to healing. Kanye continues his introspection on “Lord I Need You”, “Pure Souls”, and “Come to Life”, as he analyzes his relationship with Kim Kardashian and discusses spiritual growth. “No Child Left Behind” then acts as a beautiful end to the album with Kanye repeating “He’s done miracles on me”.
Donda explores a variety of themes, including religion, forgiveness, relationships with family, and mental health. As a Kanye fan, I feel blessed to have a longer project from him that includes production like that of his earlier albums. While some songs are forgettable, there are enough gems that make Donda worth listening to.