For a renewed Christian, Kanye West doesn’t appear to think much about sin or repentance.
His long-awaited and year-late Donda album finally hit streaming services on Sunday (August 29) and presents Kanye resurrected from the ashes of cancel culture and judgmental constraints. The album and multiple arena listening parties proceeding it were an exercise in theatrics, the performance of a rebirth, ultimately sabotaged by his desire to make headlines rather than hits.
It appears Kanye envisions himself on some grand trajectory, a biblical battle against accountability, doubters and naysayers. He trusts in a holy plan but does little to ensure his own actions match his preaching. He uses religion as a shield to criticism and critical insight. Instead of owning his mistakes, he champions them as byproducts of his genius.
Even though Donda is less caked in overt faith than its Gospel predecessor Jesus Is King, those themes are still undetachable from the work, or at least they are in theory. In reality, little on the album relates to a genuine exploration of faith besides its aesthetic presentation. Nor does it encapsulate the trauma of losing his mother, which clearly still weighs immensely over him. The guests on Donda may prop-up the project, yet the majority of their verses do little to embolden the album’s intended purpose.
Kanye’s religious plight paints him less as a man of God and more of a God amongst men. He’s unwilling to accept Christianity’s core tenet of original sin. On “Jesus Lord” Kanye raps, “Man, it’s hard to be an angel when you’re surrounded by demons.” His unwillingness to even consider interrogating his own behavior leaves much of Donda feeling like sermons from a false prophet.
The disconnect between the Chicago G.O.A.T’s desired outcome and how it exists in reality leaves Donda floating in a place of limbo, an amorphic shape with nothing much to really say. The highest moments (“Off The Grid,” “Hurricane,” “Moon,” “Junya Pt. 2”) are dulled due to the album’s hefty but mostly tepid 27-song tracklist.
The lack of sequencing allows for a “make your own album” experience, pushed further by the release of his Donda Stem player. But while interesting in theory, these explorations come across as nothing more than apathy. Kanye may have beef with Drake, but Donda reads like Drake’s More Life for Christians.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1cs5_A5_ao
Kanye creates the mirage of intimacy and vulnerability through the album’s largely excellent features. From Lil Durk’s mourning of his late brother DThang on “Jonah” to Fivio Foreign’s verse-of-the-year contender on “Off The Grid,” where he raps about perspectives he gained while in jail, the featured artists dig deep into their pain, with some reaching heights unseen before. Kanye, acting as a priest in a confession box, succeeds in pulling heavy, often traumatic subject matter from his peers, giving the album the appearance of substance without taking any risks himself.
Sometimes the guests aren’t good. JAY-Z delivers one of the worst verses of his career on “Jail,” sounding like Kanye awoke him from a nap and asked him for some quick bars in 30 minutes or less: “God in my cell, that’s my celly/Made in the image of God, that’s a selfie,” as if 9-year-old Blue Ivy ghostwrote his verse (and we have no viable proof she didn’t).
The production is the most honest component of Donda. While Kanye’s lyrics superficially explore heavy themes of grief and growth, his beats still offer glimpses of vulnerability. The growling 808 drums of “God Breathed” sounds like thunder on top of Mount Zion. The layered organs on “Hurricane” could soundtrack the ascent to the heavens. “No Child Left Behind” features some of Kanye’s most haunting and mournful production, highlighting the cavernous hole in his life once filled by his mother.
The album features excellent improvements to Kanye’s singing abilities, like on the gorgeous “24,” but it seems the trade off is some of the weakest bars of his career. His verses sound unfinished and haphazard, littered with lazy pop culture references and corny quips. “Please don’t ask again, who’s up in the van?/They my only fans,” he raps in an awkward falsetto on “Remote Control.” On “New Again,” he spits Dr. Seuss quality lines: “I, I lived a hundred lives, uh/So that mean I had a hundred wives/And I am just simply high off life for the hundredth time.”
There are times where Kanye recaptures the magic of his golden years. He holds his own on “Ok Ok,” rapping about being abandoned in the midst of numerous controversies and personal life implosions. “Believe What I Say” radiates vintage Ye, flipping a sample of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)” to juxtapose his bars about staying sane in the celebrity lifestyle.
But there just isn’t enough good here to look past the flaws. The final result is a collection of songs with little binding energy other than a vague Gospel through line, which runs across the tracklist — chaotic like The Life Of Pablo but devoid of the magic.
Kanye is as much a soul musician as he is a rapper. He’s explored those bluesy sensibilities in different ways over the course of his career — from the digital crooning of 808s & Heartbreak to the post-modern masterpiece that is TLOP. But Donda is one of Kanye’s most soulless albums and finds him succumbing to his own insecurities, relying too heavily on his A&R skills and losing track of his ultimate vision: paying tribute to his mother, forgiving himself for his transgressions and finally accepting his grief.
But like so many things Kanye nowadays, maybe it was all a smoke screen for performance art and to sell merch.
Let’s face the facts – the best Kanye albums are the ones he has made using samples. Once he turned to compose music by himself, its quality has dropped. Bye
Let’s face the facts – the best Kanye albums are the ones he has made using samples. Once he turned to compose music by himself, its quality has dropped. Bye
If you can eliminate songs to make it a 5, then it’s a 5 dog. A work of art that envisions a new rap zeitgeist. Name a more artistic rap album for real.
Beautiful piece of garbage
If you can eliminate songs to make it a 5, then it’s a 5 dog. A work of art that envisions a new rap zeitgeist. Name a more artistic rap album for real.
For artists like Kanye, he’s competing with himself and his earlier shit we all loved. Keep my spirit alive, Believe what I say, Off the Grid and Junya can stand with anything he’s ever done, so this isn’t complete trash, but there’s definitely trash moments…
“little on the album relates to a genuine exploration of faith besides its aesthetic presentation”
THE WHOLE ALBUM RELATES TO A GENUINE EXPLORATION OF FAITH…
IT IS THE SOUNDTRACK OF EXPLORATION OF FAITH.
Is for the senses, Is for the spiritual body, not for the brain. Eccentric music with great groundness, Is humble and ambitious in Equal parts. Just saying
Ye delayed and delayed to still have an ok record? Smh miss the days of MBDTF and GOOD Fridays….this ain’t it Ye….
No profanity? Just plain old Kanye!
The album that I listened to makes it pretty clear the Kanye is aware of the trappings of religion and how it allows us all to sin and then ask for forgiveness. He paints a pretty accurate picture of a person who spends a great deal of time thinking about his imperfections. We all should know the hardest place to look is in the mirror.
Musically, I would ask, what is out their that even compares? It sound is innovative and fresh. Well thought out and fit the theme of each song well. I believe the album is sequenced well. Not lazy or called in like many albums these days that get more positive feedback.
I think this album is a hell of a lot to take in and multiple listens are needed, which doesn’t fit well in today’s throw away society. In the same vein as Pink Floyd’s the Wall or Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear it needs time and energy to pull apart. With that said, I disagree with this being a cash grab for merch. If so, Kanye really put a lot of energy into a album to sell tee shirts. I am pretty sure he can do that just fine without a album. Yeezy’s sell out within hours every time he puts a new style out.
Why didn’t you post this review on the main page? You usually post ALL reviews on the main page. I only found it by accident.
4/5
Hey, making a point here that your comment review was allowed and not blocked at all. I found it after scrolling through.
Why did you guys erase my review????
You should also fire it on your main page, it’s hidden away.
you tried two make a deal like a german executive
Maybe in pop music terms this album is good enough but fuck pop music. For me this album is not it. I still love Kanye of course but I am not into this soft faith + 1 thang thangs. Only things I liked on this was the Griselda song without the hook, the crazy 24 arrangement and the Come to Life piano kinda felt like it was composed for a movie theme. Everything else wack. It is what it is.
Album is as much of a joke as the idea of god is. You’re an absolute idiot if you believe in something without any evidence
The evidence is all around you genius.
There are several accounts that support Jesus’s existence. Read “The Case for Christ” for more evidence.
This album was horrendous are you people crazy?!?!
Album of the year so far…
Very disappointed with this project. I really wanted it to be good after all the time spent on the production. Better than Ye but worse than the others
Yup, overhyped trash for the new generation of god only knows what the fuck they identify as. And them arena cop outs were attended by the donkeys with severe fomo. The features especially made this album unbearable. Next year it’ll be in 25 cent bin along with Drake new album.
Yup, overhyped trash for the new generation of god only knows what the fuck they identify as. And them arena cop outs were attended by the donkeys with severe fomo. The features especially made this album unbearable. Next year it’ll be in 25 cent bin along with Drake new album. Bumass site wouldn’t let me rate this trash so 0/10
This album made yeezus feel like illmatic.
IMO Yeezus is slept on and went hard.
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Here’s what I know…you guys hate the fact that he mentions Jesus in his raps while at the same time giving the middle finger to mainstream cancel culture and that has modern liberal who when they hear the word GOD cringe bc they don’t want a life that tells them what doing they’re doing is inherently wrong….you guys are soo predictable including this lame ass excuse of a writer. You guys will not win…the light will overcome…blm…lbgqt (or w.e the fk it is)..science cultists will fail and perish!! Y’all some evil filth who sold your soul to the highest bidder!
Lol, Ok man
Classic
Kinda wondering if Ye and Drizzy are done. Donda and CLB weren’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination but they definitely don’t make you feel like they are at the pinnacle of the game. Reminds me when it was Ye’s Graduation was vs 50 Cent’s Curtis. I really thought 50 Cent would get Ye in sales and Ye would have the better record. When Ye smashed 50 in both it was the end for Curtis. Now I feel CLB is vs Donda and no one will care later on. Kendrick will put out a better album than both this month and there have been a bunch of MUCH better projects this year by other artists.
Tyler’s album had a lot of replay value…. CLB and Donda… not so much
Jay’s verse was good. Irrelevant review.
Total trash!
Not his best work but better than Ye and Jesus is King
That shit deserves a 2.1
Little Simz came out the same day as CLB, which was just a few days after Donda. Little Simz album better than both of the megastars.
facts!
you cant front on jays verse…god in my cell (not a jail cell but a biological cell) thats my celly (a reference to a phone, again not a jail cell) made in the image of god thats my selfie (saying he’s a god and using the phone reference).
how the hell is that a weak bar?? he wrote decoded for guys like you yet you still can’t catch up!
We get what the bar means, it’s just bad man. Especially coming from JAY-Z.
One good track out of 100 ain’t too shabby for this black magat.
This review is cringe city, #disregard
Cringe city in this review. Bias city too. This album is def more than a 3.1 lol it’s return to form for Ye. Few bad features could’ve been edited out. And if I hear some cornball rave about Fivio’s verse again, I’m going to lose it.
I didn’t mean to post a duplicate, but I’ll add more context about cringe city. The production on this album alone warrants a 4.
Should’ve just released the instrumentals…this is garbage
Your review couldn’t be more biased. So much for journalism… sounded more like a prosecutor than a writer smh. Album was great and he didn’t stray from Christian principles at least from what I deciphered.
This album def sucks but this sites lack of hip hop knowledge and need to try to fit in with every new trend makes this article even more bs. Justin hunts ruined this site and u perpetuate his foolishness
Care to explain?
Block my comment again .clowns
This is a really well-written review. It made me think. You need more content like this. Well done. Best review of Donda I’ve read anywhere. Personally I give the album a 5, I feel there is almost no filler, you have to give all the tracks time to click. But I see where the reviewer is coming from still
Thank you! I’m sure he appreciates that considering how many great writers wrote reviews for this album. We worked very hard on this, trust me.
Dude just called The Life of Pablo a “post-modern masterpiece”. Kill yourself. 0/5
Another man’s opinion effects you so much that want him to die? I’m pretty sure you’re the one with the problem kid.
I give it a 4/5 but gonna put a 5 to offset the hate
This album is wack as shit 1.5/5 graduation was his best work before he fell off
Good album but not perfect at all. Couple flaws and no need to include a jail pt2 but glad he kept the Lox on there. Good album but Kanye could have done much better imo
a lot of good tracks
Wack album
All tracks are wack
This weirdo is probably the most overrated musician of the last 50 years (post Elvis, another overrated, bloated bore). He only a “genius” in his own mind and the mind of dummies who wouldn’t know real genius if it slapped ‘em in the face. He got way too much money way too fast and realized he was able to do a lot of stupid sh*t wit it that normal people can’t do so he could stay in the news and grabbing headlines. But what a f*ckin clown….and a disgrace to the hip hop heavy weights who helped get him that platform in the first place,
I had high hopes for this album and i tried hard to love it but i’m just not crazy about it, i like that we got some of the “Old Kanye” back and the production was nice but none of the songs turned out to be a mega hit for me, 27 songs was too many..
A fuckn masterpiece
There’s no 0.
Donda still slaps to this day
I honestly didnt like this review….this album is amazing. Kanye really brought out the best of most of his guests. I’ve come to really like the album with repeated listens. It feels less bloated the more you listen to it.
Obviously the person writing this review has not listen to the album for what it is and is letting things outside of the music affect and cloud up the music itself. Being judgemental of the person that they perceive Kanye to be like most they let everything not music involving Kanye to completely overshadow the brilliance that Kanye brings to music DONDA has been at the tip of my playlist since it dropped and the Deluxe is quickly growing on me as I had to get use to the new track order…. #Classic #Masterpiece 10 out of 5!!!
it is not a classic but the whole project is dope. i’m not a fan of ye but he done give us a very good album.