Donda.

Donda. Donda. Donda. Donda. Donda is the tenth studio album from hit rapper Kanye West. Through what I believe is the final album to Kanye’s character growth. Donda is full of surprises, let-downs, and what seemed to be a hopeful future to a then-divorced Kanye West. After listening to Donda in 2021 I could never see Kanye release vultures. But here we are. But I don’t want to ruin this review with Vultures, also another thing is, I’ll be referring to the original Donda and not Donda Deluxe because that’s such a really head-scratching record. Boasting 27 tracks, this review is gonna be a doozie.

Donda Chant

Donda. Donda. Donda. A solid album intro very clever. I give this a Donda out of DONDA.

Jail

To its brash instrumentals, to Kanye’s singing, this song is incredibly unexpected. The mixing on this track is slightly painful sometimes because the autotune on Kanye is a little out of whack. The lyrics are incredibly solid but there weren’t any lyrics that really pushed its head out. It sometimes gets a little ear-rapey because of how brash the instrumentals are. And the EQ placed on Kanye’s vocals sometimes just make it a high pitched murky mess. Jay-Z. I mean hes ok. Hearing Jay-Z on a Kanye track post- Watch The Throne feels so eerie but its nice. I guess Donda is all about finding retribution so maybe it makes sense for Jay-Z to feature. Jail at times is a little jarring and a slow mess but the ending slaps. The drums are great as it highlights the normal trap beat structure but with more rudimentary drums. Jail is a solid 7.

God Breathed

Sample is so bad. Lyrics are so bad. It’s a bit out of whack but fits the themes of Donda. It lowkey feels like a left over Yeezus stem but ehh. God Breathed is an unlistenable 2.

Hurricane

The Weeknd honestly hard carries this track. Kanye’s rapping is probably on the weaker side of this track. I know people are going to be upset by this but like damn I expected more. I enjoy the Yandhi version of Hurricane more, but I can still appreciate Donda’s version as its more mature, dark, and fits the pain of Donda. Hurricane is a strong 8.

Praise God

Travis Scott. PlayBoi Carti. Kanye West. A 9.

Disclaimer: Junya and Jonah are lowkey stinkers. They aren’t bad songs but theyre just forgettable. They honestly just dilute the album and make the record weaker. For Kanye to be so meticulous with the track lists of previous albums, Donda just feels like a mess of unfinished thoughts and ideas. Donda would honestly be a 10 if Kanye just cut out half of the bullshit songs and strengthened the more complete songs.

Ok Ok

Now this is music I like. Donda to me feels like an album of survival. Hearing Kanye rapping at this magnitude. Tackling themes of alienation and backstabbing its so impressive. He’s in so much pain and its incredible to see the type of music that comes from this pain. The chorus is banging and one of the rare times where I enjoy Kanye’s rap-singing. Ok Ok is a strong 8.

Believe What I say

Honestly just a good groove. I think this is one of the least creative tracks on the album but still enjoyable. Sampling Doo-Wop, it really elevates the song and brings some groove into Donda. The chorus is very fun, and the rapping is cool. Believe What I Say is a strong 9.

24

If we just ignored the first half of the track and focus on the second half I would give it a 7. This track just feels incredibly unfinished and at times the mixing is just incredibly jarring. Even the rapping seems unfinished. What seems to be just infested with weird spaces where lyrics are supposed to be 24 is just disappointing. I can see the vision and the plan for this track. Just like.. I don’t know… finish the track? 24 is a rough 4.

Remote Control

The only good part of the song is the drums. I really don’t like this song. The singing is stinky and the lyrics are just nothing burgers with a side of French cries. The rapping makes this song slightly more enjoyable but its just so dead. The Glob-glob sample at the end is so fucking funny. So I have to give this a 100/1

Moon

My second favourite track of the album, Moon is atmospheric. My soul elevates when listening to this track. Don Toliver and Kid Cudi are the duo I never knew I needed. Moon is a 10.

Heaven and Hell

How the fuck is this the next track after Moon. Fuck me. Heaven and Hell is a 2. Its slightly better than carnival.

Donda

A 10.

Keep My Spirit Alive

This is the half where Donda gets good. Its soulful, its raw, its painful. An 8. The choir synths is so beautiful.

Pure Souls

My favourite track on the album, Pure Souls is a 9. The lyrics are empowering with my favourite being:

“It aint how it used to be, This the new me, so get used to me”

He knows that life can never return how it used to be so he can only move forward through his music and lyrics. And this new style of music, a somber tone mixed with religion was a Kanye that inspired and moved. The chorus elevates these themes and the girl at the end (I don’t know her name) just makes my body elevate.

Come To Life

Probably one of Kanye’s most raw songs, Come To Life is moving. The lyrics dive deep into Kanye’s marriage, but the lyrics also question our existence. Lyrics that stand out are

“I don’t want to die alone”

“I get mad when she gone, sad when she gone, mad when she home.”

He knows he can’t be happy with her, but he knows he’s in pain without her. Its so sad and empowering, seeing Kanye transition to this type of music but it’s an important change that closes Kanye’s road to redemption. The piano at the end of the track brings more hope to the track and transitions this pain to a state of hopefulness. It dives deep into Kanye understanding his pain and using it to open himself up to the world and a new era of him.

“They cannot define me”

A perfect 10.

No Child Left Behind

The definitive end to Donda and metaphorically the end to Kanye. Its beautiful. A strong 9.

Closing thoughts: Donda is arguably one of Kanye’s most emotional albums. He’s in so much pain and being hounded with so many conflicting thoughts, Donda allows him to get it out to the world and show his pain. Also being one of Kanye’s largest albums, Donda is plagued by unfinished tracks, lazy mixing, and overall, just incredibly empty. However, on the other hand, you have perfectly mastered tracks, filled with emotion, and story. Donda’s state reflects onto Kanye’s mental health at the time but that can’t be a good enough excuse for me to give this album an incredibly high score. If I didn’t factor in all those poorly made tracks, I would give Donda a 10. Unfortunately, I do have to factor in those barely listenable tracks and therefore have to give Donda a strong 6.