DONDA: ALBUM REVIEW
I wasn’t even surprised when Kanye West blasted “GD Anthem” on stage with Marylin Manson, to thousands of mostly white fans in Soldier Field during his third live stream of DONDA. In the last decade, Kanye has taken surprise away from me. The specter of Kanye West as a person has eclipsed his musical output. It has become impossible to separate art from the artist, so listening to Kanye’s music has meant engaging with his celebrity. Fortunately, his newest album DONDA flips this script and channels the magic of Kanye’s genius. DONDA is a stunning listen that pushes the boundaries of his previous work. Through DONDA, we get to experience Kanye’s divine inspiration, as we hear him search for meaning in his sadness while using God as his vehicle.
Over the past few months, DONDA has come to life right in front of our eyes. Kanye hosted listening sessions where he streamed unfinished versions of the project to fans, he kept Twitter and Reddit users active with a steady stream of leaks, and finally, Kanye carefully curated his public appearances to fit the album rollout. This release strategy highlighted the iterative nature of the project: even songs like “Hurricane,” which have been in progress for years, feel like they could change at absolutely any time. This feeling of continual change allows the listener into Kanye’s world, an ever-evolving whirlwind that activates the imagination.
Musically, DONDA directly builds off of the ideas Kanye began exploring on Jesus Is King. The project heavily features gospel choirs and Kanye alternates between rapping and singing. He is still clearly making music for the Lord and the project is built to express the connection they share. But, while Jesus is King was an extremely messy and personal pursuit, on DONDA, Kanye opens up his connection with God to the listener. Through this connection, Kanye explores loss in his life.
Kanye spends much of DONDA tackling the end of his relationship with Kim Kardashian and the death of his mother. Surprisingly, Kanye stays very guarded when discussing both subjects. While there are hard-hitting lines like, “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 majority of the project is more restrained. It’s clear that even in private conversations with God, Kanye struggles to cope with loss. On tracks like “Off the Grid,” we hear anger that seems completely unresolved. It’s as if these songs offer Kanye his only avenue to vent his emotions, but do not lead him towards any conclusion.
On DONDA, Kanye has finally begun to master the gospel-rap sound that he first hinted at in 2016. The track “No Child Left Behind” features organ synths that reach towards the heavens as Ye proclaims, “He’s done miracles for me.” The track “24” is essentially a gospel track in the vein of Marvin Sapp. Kanye’s vocals sound the cleanest they ever have in his career as he directs the choir. These tracks highlight the command Ye now has over this sound and the immense ability he has to change the direction of a track with his voice.
Looking at this album as a cohesive body of work leads to disappointment, but collectively, the album shows so much beauty that the sloppy sequencing can be excused. Many tracks on this album introduce a gospel-tinged beauty to music that you can’t hear in many other places today. Take a track like “Jesus Lord” for example: what other artist is willing to release a 9-minute track with an outro from Larry Hoover Jr.?
DONDA is like every album Kanye has released since his mother’s death; it is full of imperfections and restless energy. Although it may not be Kanye’s magnum opus, it is the first step forward we have seen Kanye take in a long time. DONDA represents everything we want from an aging rap star, and I think it will age incredibly well when placed into the broader context of his career.