DONDA: A DISCUSSION

Hey y'all, Pez here. DONDA is, finally, on the menu today.

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Sonically, this album exists in a dimension between his "Jesus is King", "YEEZUS", "Late Registration", and "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy" sounds. The production is atmospheric and grandiose. There are songs like "Jail", "Come to Life", "Moon" or "No Child Left Behind" that gives you a sense of empowerment and spiritual ascension. Perhaps these elements complement his revamped lifestyle in Christianity and were intentionally done. The Sunday Service Choir's presence on this album helps elevate a lot of the songs and brings them to life. Their vocal range makes songs like "Jail" or "24" heart-wrenching songs for the listener, but with songs like "Praise God", their low pitched tempo crooning influences the ominous atmosphere of the song; a very ironic notion being the song was called "Praise God". If you weren't a fan of the religious tones of his previous works like "Jesus is King", this may be a negative critique.

One thing to note about this album is that this is a direct product of the fusion of the Gospel and Hip Hop genres. Kanye has used Gospel undertones in his past bodies of works, but on this record, the Gospel instrumentation is very prominent alongside the biblical lyricism throughout the album. Songs like "Jesus Lord", "Jail", and "Come to Life" are adequate examples of this. The usage of the organs, pianos, Sunday Service Choir, drums, and tambourine are sprinkled like Paprika over a lot of songs. However, this may be overbearing for non-religious listeners.

Another instrument that was implemented effectively on this album was electronic synths. Ever since "My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy", the usage of synths have been influenced in the genre of Hip Hop as newer generational artists continued to adopt them in their songs. Synths were strongly mixed on "Come to Life" by legendary mixer, Mike Dean. He was the man that used synths and electric guitar combinations on "My Beautiful Dark Twister Fantasy". From then on, he'd continue to use the combination on later projects from Kanye and other artists. Its usage on "Come to Life" is emotional and nostalgic for fans of Kanye's past music as Kanye sings about being free.

Sometimes, simple things can be just as impactful as multifaceted things. With only a few notes, "No Child Left Behind" has easily risen to become one of Kanye's most recognized songs. The song resembles that of the resurrection or ascension of Christ and his mother, Mary [Mother of God]. Personally, the song is orchestrated like Christ is resurrecting from death or The Virgin Mary is ascending into Heaven. Kanye draws upon this during his second Livestream listening party for this album where he physically ascends into the sky as the song plays. This could be a biblical reference to the two examples or it could be interpreted like Kanye has finally accepted being able to live with the passing of his Mother through his relationship with Christ. Thus, he is reborn new again. This would be a probable conclusion as earlier in the record, he struggles with her death and ponders how to see her again [i.e. "Moon", "Jesus Lord"].

A big strength of Kanye's music comes from whom he collaborates with on his songs. The artist placements on "DONDA" were masterfully placed as Kanye was able to let the features shine without carrying him to the finish line, which was something that Drake's "Certified Loverboy" record struggled with. On some songs, Kanye's presence was secondary and on others, his presence was adaptive on a competitive scale [i.e. "Off The Grid", "Jesus Lord", "Remote Control", "New Again"]. A common critique amongst the community, at the moment, is that Kanye's presence on a handful of songs were passenger seat-like. Personally, I prefer that decision because it gives his features room to breathe and his production skills room to breathe as well. The lyrical aspect of this album is a combination of emotive storytelling and religious references or imagery. Again, the amount of religious content can be draining for listeners but also refreshing for others. For example, Jay-Z used biblical references to compare himself and Ye to Moses and Jesus on "Jail" as well as comfort Ye's mother in Heaven. On "Jesus Lord", Kanye showcases his storytelling MC skills discussing the emotional changes and manic episodes with his mental health [bipolar disorder], his memories of his mother, conversing with Christ through prayer, and an allegory involving a family member taking the life of another over revenge. For fans who enjoy lyricism with atmospheric content, this song is a must-listen.

Overall, I think fans will be satiated with the level of effort and emotional investment that this record showcases. The album feels very cohesive and well put together. A very consistent critique from the "YE" and "Jesus is King" records was that they sounded rigid, rushed, and incomplete. This could be representative of his Bi-Polar Disorder as a common symptom involves a "flight of ideas" which makes it highly difficult to stay focused on one idea. The production across the album is intricate as it feels like you can hear each instrument play its role in the songs like cogs turning in a machine. There's a lot to appreciate with this album whether it be for its lyrical content from Kanye and his guests or the selection of instruments used to amplify his central theme. This album showcases that Kanye is always evolving his music with every record. In addition, it shows that he's not afraid of taking risks whether that be with the genres he wears, the artists he collaborates with, or the lyrical content he douses himself in. Despite the criticisms, there's something to appreciate when listening to this album. In the end, this album will sit beautifully on his discography with his other critically acclaimed albums; an album worthy of surpassing his previous bodies of work.

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