Donda
by Kanye West
User Score
6.5

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3155 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 2,070 out of 3155
  2. Mixed: 161 out of 3155
  3. Negative: 924 out of 3155
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  1. bl_nk
    Sep 4, 2021
    6
    Bloated and in desperate need of an edit. I ended up with 13 tracks kept out of 27.

    Glimmers of what made Kanye compelling will shine through on tracks like "Hurricane", "Moon", "No Child Left Behind, but thematically, Kanye's narcissism-presented-as-religiosity is suffocating. Some of the production is beautiful, but I can't remember a single bar, it's all church camp rap. Curses are    Bloated and in desperate need of an edit. I ended up with 13 tracks kept out of 27.

    Glimmers of what made Kanye compelling will shine through on tracks like "Hurricane", "Moon", "No Child Left Behind, but thematically, Kanye's narcissism-presented-as-religiosity is suffocating. Some of the production is beautiful, but I can't remember a single bar, it's all church camp rap. Curses are edited out, but references to gang violence etc. are included, as well as contributions from notable creeps in the music industry such as Manson. It's morally inconsistent, and (frankly) massively obnoxious.

    You get the sense that Kanye thinks he has nothing to learn from anyone else in the room because he's such a "genius" that every fart is gold, and in many ways this album is his reality check.    … Expand
  2. musikman91307
    Aug 30, 2021
    6
    It has its moments with songs like Jesus Lord, God Breathed & Moon but ultimately it's too long, feature-heavy, and unfocused. Donda deserved better than this.
  3. destinyfan1
    Sep 4, 2021
    6
    An album with really high heights and really low lows.(With some average tracks)
    The album starts of strong (donda chant song of the year).But already weakens off at praise god with a meh travis verse and awful keem verse. Jonah picks it up a bit .But im not so crazy with the beat tbh.Ok ok and junya are just afwul tracks .What made kanye think to bring lil yachty on this album is beyond    An album with really high heights and really low lows.(With some average tracks)
    The album starts of strong (donda chant song of the year).But already weakens off at praise god with a meh travis verse and awful keem verse. Jonah picks it up a bit .But im not so crazy with the beat tbh.Ok ok and junya are just afwul tracks .What made kanye think to bring lil yachty on this album is beyond me.But don't get me wrong it's not only bad because of lil yeachty.The beat is generic and kanye probably brings one of his weakest performances on this song.Rooga was ok.After that we get a couple of mediocre songs wich i did get the appeal of but just didn't land with me.Remote control was also pretty bad lmao.Then tha album pciks up heavy again with moon.Probably my 2nd favorite track outside of off the grid.I also LOVE keep my spirit alive with a killer chorus and verses.
    jesus lord it needed a switch up(get it?).Great track tbh but it's samy after 8 minutes.Then ffs the album drops again in quality.Probably the most inconsistent album in have heard in years.Kanye should have never made the album 28 tracks long.The pt2 tracks were cool but i liked the part 1 tracks more.(except for ok ok were part 2 is slightly better).Then it ends good with the last 3 tracks(not oncluding the pt 2 tracks).
    If kanye simply took the best 14 tracks of this album it would have been one of the best albums ever like not even kidding.Just the ammount of meh tracks on here made this album just ok ok.

    top 5 tracks:
    -off the grid
    -moon
    -jail
    -hurricane
    -keep my spirit alive
    least favorite:
    -tell the vision
    -ok ok
    -new again
    -remote control
    -junya    … Expand
  4. CSA
    Sep 4, 2021
    6
    Sorry, but unfortunately, this sounds like some new artist tryin' to sound like Kanye making his first songs and putting them all out at once without even selecting the ones which actually worth being on an album... Some of the songs sounded unfinished, some of the beats sound like they are undone, it feels they can't drop somehow and the entire song feels like made over a intro part ofSorry, but unfortunately, this sounds like some new artist tryin' to sound like Kanye making his first songs and putting them all out at once without even selecting the ones which actually worth being on an album... Some of the songs sounded unfinished, some of the beats sound like they are undone, it feels they can't drop somehow and the entire song feels like made over a intro part of the instrumental. So many filler tracks. Sure Kanye showed some signs of his talent on this one too but overall, it was luckluster.… Expand
  5. SebastianSaxton
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    A Kanye album was once groundbreaking good. A masterpiece in a hole. A lot has happened since dark twisted fantasy and Donda sounds just like a collection of songs. Some good some not that interesting. To me it’s really missing what he used to be so good at - direction. The last part of the album is way more interesting to me than the first. Gotta respect the good songs and that’s why I’mA Kanye album was once groundbreaking good. A masterpiece in a hole. A lot has happened since dark twisted fantasy and Donda sounds just like a collection of songs. Some good some not that interesting. To me it’s really missing what he used to be so good at - direction. The last part of the album is way more interesting to me than the first. Gotta respect the good songs and that’s why I’m not rating lower. There really are good songs. Some. I actually thought it would be a concept album dedicated to his mom. Sorry to hear that doesn’t really seem to be the case. Instead it seems like an album about his ego. His media-stunts and so on. Without any regrets.… Expand
  6. rocnado
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    To me, every song gives off the same vibe. There are no “oh damn” stand out moments. It feels like I could drop any 10 songs on the album and not be butt hurt. A couple of the songs are worth adding to your “go to playlist” but I wouldn’t pick any of the best songs on this album over any of the decent songs on his other albums. I don’t think time will save this album either, mostly becauseTo me, every song gives off the same vibe. There are no “oh damn” stand out moments. It feels like I could drop any 10 songs on the album and not be butt hurt. A couple of the songs are worth adding to your “go to playlist” but I wouldn’t pick any of the best songs on this album over any of the decent songs on his other albums. I don’t think time will save this album either, mostly because the beats sound like mash ups of his other albums, and less like brand new sounding beats like 808s or yeezus. Overall the album feels like he threw everything at the wall to see what sticks, half the songs have collectively created a puddle on the floor. And to all those babies giving the album either a 0 or a 10, grow up.… Expand
  7. JoePapaReviews
    Nov 21, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Don't expect it to be rap because it really ain't it's gospel music at most. There are tracks which were great from the start like Jail and Off The Grid (Praise God is good but quite annoying) and then the awful tracks like Tell The Vision which was unfinished and still is poorly made and should've been cut from the original release. The deluxe version was alright but ordered different. Life Of The Party was phenomenal but should've been on the original release.… Expand
  8. Mobina1
    Sep 10, 2021
    6
    An average album for "Kanye West" imo. 27 songs in an album is just boring. I was waiting for the album to end. btw it isn't that bad to get 0 from Independent lol
  9. gibson2488
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    This album could have been an 8, 9 or 10, because so many of the songs sound amazing. But the album is 27 SONGS LONG and 1 song is 11 MINUTES. The album is super bloated and because a that I can't give it anything higher than a 6
  10. ReviewThangs
    Sep 17, 2021
    6
    Absolutely bloated, there are moments in there I enjoyed but I can't find them again after repeated listens because so much of it is just boring. Sounds wise, there's nothing new or exciting here that Kanye hasn't done before, sounds kinda similar to Life of Pablo just way less inspired.

    If he managed to trim it or label it as a Disc 1 and Bonus Disc maybe you could make an argument    Absolutely bloated, there are moments in there I enjoyed but I can't find them again after repeated listens because so much of it is just boring. Sounds wise, there's nothing new or exciting here that Kanye hasn't done before, sounds kinda similar to Life of Pablo just way less inspired.

    If he managed to trim it or label it as a Disc 1 and Bonus Disc maybe you could make an argument that it's the best of the last 3 albums, which isn't really saying much.

    The album art too...

    Kanye was never the best lyrcist but still made even his dumbest lines work. His production was always where he was years ahead of his contemporaries but here it's just boring.
    I even somewhat enjoyed his last album shortly because it was at least unique for him despite the fact that it did not hold up on repeated listens. This can't even annoy me, which is the worst part, it's just bland and inoffensive.    … Expand
  11. Junkiest
    Sep 18, 2021
    6
    A wise man once said “This is not album of the year, this is album of the life.”
  12. asdf123k
    Sep 18, 2021
    6
    This album had some trash songs, it's bloated, misconceived, and executed poorly. That aside, no one else could make it.
  13. flrnkrllr
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    Such a weird project.
    First of all it is waaaaaayyy too long, it becomes tedious to listen to after a while, which takes away from the really great highs the album offers. Scrap 6 to 10 songs, get the album down to 1hr15. Due to the length the album feels incoherent and is incredibly prone to weird moments of disappointment. Like did this half-assed track have to follow those incredible    Such a weird project.
    First of all it is waaaaaayyy too long, it becomes tedious to listen to after a while, which takes away from the really great highs the album offers. Scrap 6 to 10 songs, get the album down to 1hr15. Due to the length the album feels incoherent and is incredibly prone to weird moments of disappointment. Like did this half-assed track have to follow those incredible previous ones (Junya contends for the worst song of the year). “Jesus Lord” is one of the best tracks Kanye ever made. It’s kind of the “Runaway” moment, it is so stellar and overshadows everything on Donda. Also please appreciate 24, my personal favorite, thats what the whole album should be like. Please do not proudly claim the greatness of donda when u hated on Jesus is king, yall hypebeasts suck the enjoyment outta everything. Donda is mid overall. Could’ve been worse though.
    Regarding the features: many of them are stunning and fit really well, but it is just too much. It takes away from Kanye, sometimes they absolutely are not supposed to be on a kinda gospel album (sorry Pop Smoke). “    … Expand
  14. kolbert
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    In itself, the way this album was promoted was phenomenal, it's just that we were too expecting something extraordinary. A few songs I don't like (e.g. Hurricane, Come to Life, Remote Control), but there are also songs that I liked immediately (e.g. Jail, 24, Moon). I was a bit disappointed, however, I think this is a reasonably good album in terms of performance.
  15. DeciusB
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    You could cut at least 10 of these tracks and be left with a great album….
  16. AshF87
    Aug 30, 2021
    6
    So this is coming from someone that loves Kanye but more so Kanye 2004-2010. Ever since then the albums have been downhill for me with only a few good songs on them (whereas previously it was almost every song on each album). Like other recent albums from Ye, only a few tracks on here are good, the following is a list of songs I enjoyed and will continue to listen to:
    Hurricane Heaven and    So this is coming from someone that loves Kanye but more so Kanye 2004-2010. Ever since then the albums have been downhill for me with only a few good songs on them (whereas previously it was almost every song on each album). Like other recent albums from Ye, only a few tracks on here are good, the following is a list of songs I enjoyed and will continue to listen to:
    Hurricane Heaven and Hell
    Believe What I Say
    Jonah
    Keep My Spirit Alive
    Aside from these I found the other tracks to be over produced and boring or un-relatable.    … Expand
  17. Josua1
    Aug 30, 2021
    6
    Come to life hurricane off the grid praise God heaven and hell donda keep my spirit alive new again lord I need you are all great
  18. Neil_dubs
    Aug 31, 2021
    6
    It’s good, not great. In dire need of editing. There’s a classic 10 to 12 song album buried in the 27 songs Kanye gave us. But editing concerns aside, there are SO many beautiful moments. It’s like watching a gorgeously shot 4 hour movie with virtually no plot. All in all, it’s an enjoyable yet exhausting listen. I would place it up there with the best of the “New Kanye” era (post Yeezus),It’s good, not great. In dire need of editing. There’s a classic 10 to 12 song album buried in the 27 songs Kanye gave us. But editing concerns aside, there are SO many beautiful moments. It’s like watching a gorgeously shot 4 hour movie with virtually no plot. All in all, it’s an enjoyable yet exhausting listen. I would place it up there with the best of the “New Kanye” era (post Yeezus), but don’t think it cracks the top 5 of Kanye’s discography.… Expand
  19. hausofhonza
    Aug 31, 2021
    6
    This album is like a new journey for Kanye. It kinda has a gospel vibe, but far from being a hit on the radio.
  20. MarkW
    Sep 1, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Donda:
    West has a collection of lyrically strong bars, impressive features, some solid melodies, and a couple of great songs. (Moon, Believe What I Say, Hurricane, and Hurricane being the best) but those elements don’t comprise all 108 minutes of Donda. Instead, much of the run time is consumed by tracks that were left far too barren. Songs like “No Child Left Behind” and “God Breathed” drag on with no meaningful musical progression for what feels like an eternity. Even stronger tracks like “Jail” suffer from these shortcomings. Additionally, many of West’s pieces feel incomplete as the instrumental elements frequently leave a sense that there simply isn’t enough here to be listening to.
    Often one gets the sense that there’s a strong start to a song that refuses to develop and go anywhere. The painfully static quality of most of the songs on the album only emphasizes how bloated this album really is. The few moments where Kanye fills the listeners ear with a true volume of sound mark the incredible highs of this album. But they are few and far between.
    Kanye’s greatest hits are defined by their dynamic sound that layers on itself as the song goes on to fill the ear with a tidal wave of music. (Black Skinhead, Gold Digger, Heartless, Homecoming, POWER, Heard em Say, etc.) But unfortunately most of Donda feels like we are stuck at low tide for five minutes straight. The ones that show some musical movement clearly separate themselves from the the rest of the pack. But there’s simply not enough to go around.
    The new Kanye wants to focus on a more reflective message rather than filling up a club playlist with bangers, and that’s alright. But the message doesn’t have to come at the cost of making the tracks exciting and engaging. And while most of the songs have some redeeming quality to them, they still mainly feel incomplete and unpolished. West’s latest work loses points for its excessive run time, lack of polish, and a small knock for the lack of his own presence on the album (less than half of the lyrics are his own), but most unforgivably, the unyielding empty sound nearly each song holds. Donda quite literally sounds like a shell of his former self. 6/10.    … Expand
  21. WarudoDZ
    May 18, 2022
    6
    Good Album , greatest tracks but to long (27 song) he did remove the part2 , Tell the vision et junya and this is a great 8 but now is is a 7
  22. arc55
    Sep 4, 2021
    6
    I see too many people saying this album is either AOTY or complete garbage, let's be honest it is neither, I think the album is way too long and on the second listen a lot of songs got pretty boring once the excitement wore off. Still, it has an interesting and slightly unfinished production with a few bangers like Hurricane, and Jail.
  23. ninodanes
    Sep 21, 2021
    6
    overrally a good & not exceptional project from Kanye. the production & sound as expected of Kanye stands out in this album. of course there are highlights from the body of work but however too many features & the number of tracks make the album sound a bit saturated & lack of a certain direction altogether.
  24. MESSA21
    Dec 3, 2021
    6
    While this album has some good and even great tracks, West made it way too bloated to keep my attention through out the record. Tracks like Off the Grid, Jesus Lord, Moon, Jail, Praise God is what I wish Jesus is King was like. But tracks like Tell the Vision and all the Part 2's just seem like a waste of time. I enjoyed it but I'm not gonna sit down and this 2+ Hour album likely ever again
  25. aftergiowhore
    Nov 4, 2021
    6
    Though I'd call the album 'mid' for Kanye's standards but it very much does have some songs which you could consider to be career highlights.
  26. maelton
    Nov 23, 2021
    6
    I understand it's art and all, but honestly the album itself was kind of boring to me
  27. sodovich
    Dec 25, 2021
    6
    The max I can give is a 6. It has some good songs like "Hurricane" (best track) and "Moon", but overall lacks personality and the Kanye West that we are used to.
  28. Fuerstenberg
    Jan 20, 2022
    6
    A 108 minute roller coaster ride with a chaotic mix of good hip hop beats, gospel choirs and church organs. Kanye processes a lot and opens up like never before. Traded as album of the year before its release, "Donda" is almost forgettable after 5 months of listening.

    The bottom line is that Kanye's tenth album has its highlights, but only a few of the 27 songs really convinced me. And    A 108 minute roller coaster ride with a chaotic mix of good hip hop beats, gospel choirs and church organs. Kanye processes a lot and opens up like never before. Traded as album of the year before its release, "Donda" is almost forgettable after 5 months of listening.

    The bottom line is that Kanye's tenth album has its highlights, but only a few of the 27 songs really convinced me. And even the impressive feature guest list doesn't lead to a better rating than 6 out of 10.

    My favorites:
    "Off the Grid"
    "Hurricane"
    "Jail"
    "Jonah"
    "Moon"

    ~ Fürstenberg
    January 20, 2022    … Expand
  29. garfield7081
    Jun 25, 2022
    6
    still waiting for kanye to make an actual rap album again

    best song: praise god

    worst song: tell the vision
  30. themusicreview
    Apr 6, 2022
    6
    Donda is an insanely good output of consistent and awe inspiring music created from a man who has had some missteps in his recent production. The 27 tracks and more have proven to be an unrelenting force of gospel, psychedlic, trap and drill music bound in a historically long and marathon like slog which actually feels shorter than it really is.

    Donda is poetic and it feels like the    Donda is an insanely good output of consistent and awe inspiring music created from a man who has had some missteps in his recent production. The 27 tracks and more have proven to be an unrelenting force of gospel, psychedlic, trap and drill music bound in a historically long and marathon like slog which actually feels shorter than it really is.

    Donda is poetic and it feels like the magnum opus of a man who's had an up and down career path. There's flight and trajectory in songs like Moon, Off The Grid, Praise God, Jail, Come To Life, Junya, God Breathed and 24 where levitation and gravitation toward the Higher Self and Higher God comes to full fruition. It is a spiritual discovery and the climax of a man who is still searching for Jesus or God or anything that he comes close to.

    I believe Donda is an album that will age like fine wine, its sounds being so futuristic and minimal, the hollow sounds and landscape of solar like territory does well in a radio scene of repetitive hype rap or dull hooks. This is more than refreshing, it's an album of power and a stance against devilish material and also a moralistic choice to create art which stands in faith and strength despite public judgment. I come to full admiration for an artist who is able to create songs which compel light in times of personal struggle and his divorce comes to full investigation here as songs also reflect his recovering mental health.

    I hope Kanye improves on his editing and makes his album more tight to create a personal experience. It is outlandish and sometimes does feel too long with the part 2's. However this still earns a 10/10 because the highs do hit high. Moon is his best record in 5 years and Off The Grid is his entry into drill which Kanye has him rapping for his life like he's off his laziness. It is his best record since My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and critics have failed to realise the depth and spiritual recovery uncovered in this jewel. It is healthy Kanye, a sane Kanye and a Kanye seeking repentance and change, if they can't accept that then it means they're just bitter against an antagonistic image of Kanye portrayed by media.

    You must be able to separate art from the artist and Donda has sounds which will prove in five years to be like the Christian Yeezus, wait and see. Incredible stuff, solid sounds and a incredible list of young features hungry, energizing a focused Kanye to become the soldier he once was. Prayers up for sure, Donda is a gem.    … Expand
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
53

Mixed or average reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 19
  3. Negative: 1 out of 19
  1. musicOMH.com
    Sep 3, 2021
    60
    Though this isn’t a complete comeback, frustrated Kanye fans certainly have more grounds for optimism after this record than they did before it.
    Read full review
  2. AllMusic
    Sep 2, 2021
    60
    Donda isn't without its highlights, but taken as a whole, it's both confused and confusing.
    Read full review
  3. HipHopDX
    Sep 2, 2021
    62
    There are times where Kanye recaptures the magic of his golden years. ... But there just isn’t enough good here to look past the flaws. The final result is a collection of songs with little binding energy other than a vague Gospel through line, which runs across the tracklist — chaotic like The Life Of Pablo but devoid of the magic.
    Read full review
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