Kanye Finally Does It: “Donda”
By Colin Udall
“Donda, Donda, Donda.” These are the lines that opened Kanye West’s new album, while fans unexpectedly awoke to its release on August 29, 2021, just over a year after it was initially supposed to drop. Prior to release, the album saw three genuine and complete “live listening sessions” with fans; however, each time the album did not release alongside them. As a result, social media hype began to grow, slowly creating what appeared to be unrealistic expectations. But how close could this album possibly be to these expectations?
Donda’s Album Cover
“Donda” has an extensive tracklist, 27 total listed songs with four of those being “pt 2” additions to previous tracks. The album opens with a seemingly random “Donda Chant,” as Syleena Johnson speaks the name Donda into the microphone 58 times at different intervals. Besides it being an obvious act of Kanye simply being Kanye, there is another, less obvious meaning— that the sounds deeply resemble a heartbeat. In fact, they mirror the heartbeat of Kanye’s late mother, Donda, who was extremely influential in Kanye’s later life and works. The track, while seemingly silly, feels now personal and eulogistic.
The following sound that comes out of this album is one that is clearly influenced by Kanye’s last work, “Jesus is King.” However, “Donda” uses gospel influence in a way that hits and compliments the music at hand, rather than over saturating it. The overall sound is angelic and powerful, “No Child Left Behind” being a prime example of this. While it doesn’t feel like it's entirely dedicated to his mother, it also doesn’t seem to disgrace her in any way, which creates a weird feeling after finishing the album. The album isn’t entirely focused, but it ultimately produces a sonically strong sound.
Photo from Wikipedia Commons
While all the songs are strong in their own way, the inclusion of “pt 2” editions to four of the tracks feels inflated. “Jail pt 2” was notoriously left off the album upon release after troubles with featured rapper, DaBaby. The track, now on the album, feels useless. It could have been the only version of “Jail” or left off completely, and it feels the same as the other four tracks with extended editions. It needlessly brings a 24 song tracklist to a 27 one.
“Donda” is good and there is no doubting that, yet it also feels clunky and long. Though, Kanye West cannot be entirely blamed for these criticisms after he posted that Universal Music Group published his album early without his consent. Given another week or two, this album could have been fully polished, making a great album an iconic one. The most unfortunate fate Kanye’s album could face was a powerful and strong record just short of greatness.