Music Moose

Rapper, fashion designer, business mogul, politician and visionary Kanye west embarks on his 10th album, entitled ‘DONDA’. Although fans were sceptical that the album would ever come to fruition because of the unreleased ‘Yandhi’, DONDA certainly had fans on the edge due to inconsistent release dates and three stadium listening parties, to which Kanye’s team promised the album would be released. Kanye’s discography is much like himself; bipolar. Kanye’s turbulent lifestyle has always been reflected in his art, from being ‘The College Dropout’ to the self-proclaimed ‘Yeezus’, DONDA follows Kanye on his latest journey. The album follows suit with his prior release ‘Jesus Is King’ but with a more refined sound and more secular elements. The album pays tribute to Kanye’s greatest inspiration, his mother Dr Donda West. DONDA is 108 minutes and 49 minutes of Kanye’s gospel as we join him on his latest endeavour featuring a star-studded line-up of artists and producers.

With the album boasting 27 tracks; Kanye’s longest project to date, there was always bound to be a divide amongst fans and critics on the level of quality. But with that being said ‘DONDA’ is a mixed bag full of gems for every type of Kanye fan. It’s clear that Kanye is one of music greatest A&R’s, as he always makes the most of his features; DONDA certainly exemplifies that. The features on the album serve as one of the projects strong suits. Tracks such as ‘Off the grid’ finds Playboi Carti and New Yorker Fivio Foreign collaborate on one of the albums most surprising song. The fourth track finds Carti doing his usual sound over an alternative trap instrumental until the drill beat-switch and Fivio provides his best verse to date. Fivio surprised many with his more lyrical and less swag-rap flow whilst mentioning his past trials and tribulations being overcome by the grace of God.

The fifth track ‘Hurricane’ was first previewed in 2018 during the launch of ‘Yandhi’ but three years later found its way onto DONDA with a huge revamp. The trap drums fused with church organs culminated with The Weeknd’s voice are a match made in heaven (pun intended).

Another strong feature is found on ‘Praise God’ featuring G.O.O.D music label-mate Travis Scott and newcomer Baby Keem. Keem’s verse was the talk of the town during the first listening party and it is rightly deserved. He reminded many of what his cousin, Kendrick Lamar would’ve sounded like on DONDA.

Kanye didn’t forget about his older fans who are less inclined to melodies and geared towards ‘bars’. ‘Keep My Spirit Alive’ features Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, Royce da 5’9” and Kanye trade bars over a more traditional hip-hop production. Kanye’s decision to take into consideration the different generations within his fan base further the positives of the album.

Production on Kanye West albums has always been solid despite Kanye’s decline since 2010. Kanye’s decision to host his three listening parties in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Chicago’s Soldier Field make perfect sense when listening to ‘Jail’. The electric guitar solo looped throughout the song give a grand feel. Especially after Jay-z’s additions to the record.

Jonah is another production highlight, the track serves as a tribute to Jonah Ware who was shot and killed last year. The reversed synths, raw 808’s alongside Texas vocalist Vory and Chicago native Lil Durk add more depth to the track, as all artist share their vulnerability and struggles despite their riches. The production on ‘Junya’ draws inspiration from Pi’erre Bourne but with a strong gospel presence. The track’s mood and feel are comparable to a church congregation as Kanye raps “we going dummi, we going Donda”.  The samples on DONDA remain solid throughout, especially on ‘Believe What I say’, Lauryn Hill vocals were made to be sampled by one of music best producers. ‘Remote Control’ featuring Young Thug display Kanye’s ear for good production as the two artists float off in their hovercraft “down the path”.

2019’s Jesus is King’s maybe Kanye’s most lacklustre project production-wise but ‘DONDA’ manages to exceed expectations when considering the beautiful arrangements of ‘Come to Life’. The dramatic piano’s featured are comparable to Beethoven’s symphonies. Kanye’s love for Disney and film created the perfect outro for the rappers turbulent life.

Much like Jesus is King, throughout DONDA there have been several religious elements tied to the album from its structure to the choice of instrumentation. Most notably the lyrics on the album being entwined to biblical verses. Jay-z’s references to John 8:7 on ‘Jail’, show Kanye has been meticulous with the message spread on the album. At face value, the song is another great collaboration between Kanye and Jay-z, but in all actuality, ‘Jail’ is a metaphor for hell. Kanye croons “I got priors”, which suggest that we are sinners despite our pure intentions. ‘Hurricane’ finds The Weeknd belt “I can walk on water” which encapsulates the feeling of being uplifted by Christ. Even Lil Baby adds “Walking over the bridge I threw my sins over the deep end”. All artists onboard DONDA incorporate their faith within their verses.

Furthermore, the albums church influence is apparent. ‘24’ operate as hymns as the Sunday Service Choir chant “dear lord make it all right” and “save me”. DONDA is almost structured like a Sunday mass. ‘New Again’ featuring Chris Brown follows suit of Kanye’s Sunday mass and is comparable to taking holy communion as we repent for our sins. Similarly, the  Roddy Ricch and Shenseea led ‘Pure Souls’ is another example of Kanye taking us to his Sunday mass.

However, despite the positives, there is much criticism of DONDA. ‘God Breathed’ and ‘OK OK’ were poor ideas that should’ve not made the final album cut. The minimalist production and stagnant progression hurt the overall experience of the album and its fluidity. Lil Yatchy’s verse was very underwhelming and out of place, which leads me to question Kanye’s decision to include the rapper on the album. In addition, the inclusion of ‘pt.2’ for four of the album songs is ultimately filler and not necessary, which dilutes the overall quality of the album. Kanye at this point in his career should not be unsure of what features he should keep on the album. Adding on to the last point, Pop Smoke’s vocals being used on ‘Tell the vision’ further reiterate the lowlights of DONDA. As a fan of Kanye, I wish the album would’ve had more Kanye, but this time around the rapper has taken a back seat and let his features spread his message. This is not a bad thing but Kanye is the star of the show. When we did hear Kanye sometimes it felt lacklustre as ‘Jesus Lord’ had the right sentiments but came off as a stream of consciousness in regards to his questions on Christianity.

All in all, DONDA is a cinematic experience where Kanye is presenting fans to his play. The album is more of a soundtrack than a studio LP, hence it’s 27 track-listing. All features used on the album helped facilitate Kanye’s ideas to come to fruition. Overall the album shows Kanye’s new chapter and his love for God. However, Kanye has managed to find the perfect blend between his rebirth and the ‘Old-Kanye’. Paying closely to Kanye’s career and seeing his progression from the brazen ego-maniac on ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ and hearing his redemption on ‘Lord I Need You’ show the growth and maturity Kanye has gained since then.