Pictured above: Kanye West performs songs from ‘Donda’ during a listening event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Courtesy of Getty Images
By Michael Alden
While bloated and seemingly unfinished, Donda’s highs are remarkable enough to remind Kanye West fans of his brilliance.
Spanning over 27 songs with a length of 1 hour and 49 minutes, the album is a showcase of West’s greatest strengths as an artist, as well as his biggest flaws.
In honor of his late mother Donda West, Kanye’s intentions are clear from the intro track “Donda Chant” featuring R&B artist Syleena Johnson. The 52-second track is comprised of Johnson repeating the word “Donda” in different tones. The scattered wording is indicative of what the listener can expect over the next 26 tracks, a handful of which are destined to become classic songs in West’s discography.
Versions of “Hurricane” have circulated around the internet since 2018, with the final album version featuring The Weeknd and Lil Baby. West knows how to bring out the best in his guest artists, and “Hurricane” is no different. The Weeknd’s signature R&B coo is put to excellent use in the hook, “See this in 3D, all lights out for me/All lights out for me/Lightning strikes the beach.” Lil Baby continues to master his flow and emotional delivery with lines like “Yeah, walkin’ on the bridge, I threw my sins over the deep end. Sippin’ ’til my stomach hurt, this month I done lost three friends.”
Jay-Z’s appearance on “Jail” is a welcome return to the era of Watch the Throne when the two artists’ brotherly bond seemed strongest. While the track itself is somewhat of a party anthem in the vein of “Fourfiveseconds” and isn’t ideally suited for an artist of Jay’s caliber, he nonetheless delivers a masterful verse with direct honesty in lines like “Hol’ up, Donda, I’m with your baby when I touch back road. Told him, ‘Stop all of that red cap, we goin’ home.’” West’s hook “Guess who’s going to jail tonight?” and delivery complements Jay’s verse well, but a verse of his own is sorely missed.
“Junya” follows the party anthem formula of “Jail” and is bound to reverberate around college parties across the country this fall. A tribute to Japanese fashion designer Junya Watanabe, it’s hard not to bob your head, regardless of the shallow lyricism.
Right from the start, “Moon” is a beautiful piece of music. West barely makes an appearance, leaving the spotlight on Don Toliver’s calming voice that echoes the hook “I wanna go to the moon, don’t leave so soon. How could I get through?” Just when the album’s length starts to rear its head, “Moon” grounds the listener with its innovative sound.
The chill-inducing track “Donda” features an audio clip of Donda West addressing Chicago State University in October of 2007. Donda references Kanye’s cultural impact with the lines, “The man I describe in the introduction as being so decidedly different, my son. And what made thе project extra special to me is I got a chance to share not only what he has meant to me, but what he has meant to a generation.” The immense pride she had for her son echoes throughout the speech.
“Jesus Lord” features West at his most vulnerable. Directly addressing his mother, he raps, “Mama, you was the life of the party. I swear you brought life to the party. When you lost your life, it took the life out of the party.” He continues, “And if I talk to Christ, can I bring my mother back to life? And if I die tonight, will I see her in the afterlife?” The pain in his voice is heart-wrenching; raw emotion fully displayed on the world stage.
West is known for mixing sincerity with arrogance in his lyrics — perhaps most apparent on “Lord I Need You” in a verse directed at his former partner Kim Kardashian. “You had a Benz at sixteen, I could barely afford a Audi. How you gon’ try to say sometimes it’s not about me?” West raps. The chorus concludes with, “I give up on doin’ things my way.” West seems closer to conquering his ego than ever before.
Unfortunately, the album features more filler tracks than any other West album to date. “Believe What I Say” is generic and uninspired, sounding like a throwaway track from Graduation.
“24” is directly from the “Jesus is King” playbook. It’s repetitive, boring and poorly implements the Sunday Service Choir.
While catchy, “Remote Control” is perhaps the biggest eye-roller of the album. Silly lyrics overshadow moments of promising production that end up leading nowhere.
The religious overtones on Donda are frequent and often ill-placed. They don’t detract from the project per se, but any listener expecting a dramatic shift from Kanye’s religious reckoning will likely be disappointed. The entire album is censored, pulling the audience out of the listening experience.
As an album, Donda succeeds more often than it fails. While fans will surely have much to say about its length, cohesiveness and production choices, it’s hard to imagine even the most casual West fan won’t find a lot to love in this album.
It is said there is no stronger bond than that of a mother and child. As a tribute to West’s mother, the album is also a self-fulfilling tribute to himself. In listening to the album, it’s impossible to ignore the influence Donda West had on her son in life and in death.
Mothers often encourage their child to simply “be yourself.” With Donda, West is himself.
