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. Boospy
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The beats are really good and this album has very few skips. Those skips for me are Jesus Lord, and the Pop Smoke interlude. The interlude can be sort of revived if an explicit version of the album is released, as the lack of the swearing on that song sounds pretty weird. But other than that the songs range from Really Good to Absolutely amazing. Overall a very good album with a couple of skips.… Expand
  2. Natey
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Amazing album, despite the polemic collaborations, it's truly amazing, Kanye showed the world once again his unique sound, and his brilliant lyrics, Jail, Jesus is lord are masterpieces
  3. tallycritics
    Aug 31, 2021
    9
    A solid 9. Daria 10 se não fosse pela versão extended, unica boa é Jesus Lord pt 2 que poderia ser apenas ela no lugar de Jesus Lord. As demais da extended são dispensáveis principalmente Jail pt 2 que é absolutamente terrível e vem logo depois de No Child Left Behind o que é uma blasfêmia, entendo que ele fez pela ordem que está na versão normal porém odeio igual. Tiraria Lil Yachty de OkA solid 9. Daria 10 se não fosse pela versão extended, unica boa é Jesus Lord pt 2 que poderia ser apenas ela no lugar de Jesus Lord. As demais da extended são dispensáveis principalmente Jail pt 2 que é absolutamente terrível e vem logo depois de No Child Left Behind o que é uma blasfêmia, entendo que ele fez pela ordem que está na versão normal porém odeio igual. Tiraria Lil Yachty de Ok Ok pois ficou meio off the beat, tiraria Shenseea de Pure Souls porque ficou uma musica grande sem necessidade e tiraria Tell The Vision também. Talvez mudar a ordem de algumas musicas para a transição fluir melhor. Fora isso apenas críticas positivas. Muito bem produzido como sempre, Kanye West um dos melhores produtores do mundo. Quero mencionar especialmente Hurricane, botar The Weeknd nessa foi genial. No Child Left Behind foi uma musica perfeita para finalizar essa obra de arte. Adorei as listening party achei muito conceitual tudo e inovador. Fico muito feliz com Jail porque sei o quanto Kanye gosta de Jay Z. Queria dizer que o album é ótimo e Donda estaria muito satisfeita com a homenagem (mesmo contendo feats do comando vermelho).… Expand
  4. zakolisty
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    great rollout and you can see how he was making this album better from listening party to release, i think it's not half done and long song endings are just ye thing. you can feel how your feelings change through listening
  5. donomess
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    A very solid album. Good variety of songs ranging from trap, gospel, and even a more pop-styled song. Very good features and production. Some very beautiful songs in there.

    Salty halsey fans please stop complaining a better album is getting more traction than your favorite artist's. Let the people who despise Kanye as a person hate, they're the ones missing out on a wonderful album.
  6. JeffBezos
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    This album is a really good collection of songs that I think is worth a listen, My favorite songs off of this album are Believe What I Say, Pure Souls, New Again, Come to Life, Junya, Remote Control and many more,
    God Breathed sounds cinematic
    The only weak part about this album is track "Tell The Vision" but other than that this is a great album, Kanye is a misunderstood and overhated    This album is a really good collection of songs that I think is worth a listen, My favorite songs off of this album are Believe What I Say, Pure Souls, New Again, Come to Life, Junya, Remote Control and many more,
    God Breathed sounds cinematic
    The only weak part about this album is track "Tell The Vision" but other than that this is a great album, Kanye is a misunderstood and overhated figure in the music industry due to his past controversies and it paints him in a bad light because of that, When in reality it's not a true reflection of what type of a person he is.    … Expand
  7. Quentin_Dot
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    One of the greatest album made by Kanye West. The production is impeccable. Featurings such as the Weeknd, Travis scott and Playboy Carti for example are really good. The mix of gospel and hip-hop makes the album almost perfect. Weak point: an album a little too long and sometimes repetitive but overall very good. I highly recommend it.
  8. Jummel47
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Fantastic album with an equally amazing rollout that was fun and entertaining. I was worried about the final product since the hype behind this was so massive, but I am not disappointed at all. I’ve been listening to it for a few hours now and I just can’t get enough. The only thing for me is how it’s censored. Now I don’t mind no cussing at all, but I really wish they didn’t swear in theFantastic album with an equally amazing rollout that was fun and entertaining. I was worried about the final product since the hype behind this was so massive, but I am not disappointed at all. I’ve been listening to it for a few hours now and I just can’t get enough. The only thing for me is how it’s censored. Now I don’t mind no cussing at all, but I really wish they didn’t swear in the first place if it’s gotta be censored. But at the end of the day it really isn’t a big deal. Great album, really give it a listen before giving it a rating just based off of your feelings for Mr. West himself.… Expand
  9. camekemem
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Very strong album. Very few misses on the album, but when it hits, it really hits. Songs like Come To Life will go down as one of my favorites of all time. Most of these negative reviews are coming from Drake fans anyway
  10. Romnan
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Really beautiful album, I have a couple minor complaints which takes away one point but it's still beautiful.
  11. EmiCh
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A work superior to the previous one, with better lyrics, a more solid concept. One of the best versions of Kanye in recent years.… Expand
  12. Kozabyte
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Really good album, almost every song is a hit, some songs go really hard while others are calm adding variety to the album. Censoring and the track "Tell The Vision" are disappointing though.
  13. bitty
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Incredible production, fire features and some of ye's best verses in years (off the grid). Yes it's long, self-indulgent and filled with religious overtones but Kanye somehow pulls it off. He's the only one making music like this at the moment and tbh don't know anyone else that would be able to pull it off. Ye has come out of a period in the wilderness to put together a top 3 album.
  14. rodrigoher
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Una joya, sin duda Kanye nos sorprende cada que lanza un nuevo álbum, el álbum está muy bien estructurado, la mayoría de las canciones son excelentes, las demás son buenas, puedo destacar entre las mejores, a mi gusto, Heaven and hell, Hurricane, Moon, Believie What i say, entre itras, en conclusión una gran obra, disfrutabke si eres oyente casuak,, claro si lo escuchas sin prejuiciosUna joya, sin duda Kanye nos sorprende cada que lanza un nuevo álbum, el álbum está muy bien estructurado, la mayoría de las canciones son excelentes, las demás son buenas, puedo destacar entre las mejores, a mi gusto, Heaven and hell, Hurricane, Moon, Believie What i say, entre itras, en conclusión una gran obra, disfrutabke si eres oyente casuak,, claro si lo escuchas sin prejuicios maliciosos, y oara los seguidores de Kanye, simplemente perfecto y lo que se tenía esperado dezde hace años, gran álbum de un gran artista… Expand
  15. Jacobbeck
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    Wonderful. Ethereal at times. Gorgeous production. The long wait was worth it. Cool to see how he fostered community and featured many rappers in unique ways.
  16. Jorge_J
    Aug 29, 2021
    9
    There’s a few filler tracks but the bangers are some of the best Kanye of the last 10 years
  17. Sanic3029
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    To be completely honest. Probably his best work. It’s like TLOP and yeezus just turned into a peanut butter and jelly sandwich loaded with msg. Amazing album. Probably the worst opening though
  18. kanyefan98
    Aug 31, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Amaizing album. Not his best work but definetly one his better ones. Some of the tracks make me feel something I've never felt before. Astonishing.… Expand
  19. bbatran
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Not his best album, but definitively his best material in some years. Album is kind of bloated, but has a lot of gems. Definitively the best album released in 2021 so far (in terms of Hip-Hop at least). Very introspective, emotional and funny at times.

    Not a 10/10 album, but I don't understand people giving it a 0. That's just stupid.
  20. cwaldie1
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Grows on you and eventually becomes a daily part of your life. Bangers and ballads galore
  21. Bruhbruhbruhh
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Tough to tell where this ranks among his best albums but that should tell you all you need to know: that he is back to his top form and this is some of his best work. The "god" angle he shoehorns into each song can be and frankly IS a bit annoying depending where you come down on religion but I'm not sure it takes enough away from it to keep this out of my music rotation this summer and beyond.
  22. hsch
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Everyone that gave this album worse than a 7 is simply a mad drake fan who can barely wipe their own ass let alone listen to music.
  23. LucasJones12
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Donda is a new approach to rap for Kanye West, almost telling a story as his rebirth into Christianity. The album features several different musical themes, starting with a more upbeat feel towards the beginning where more gospel themes appear in the later album. Although Kanye was no lyrical mastermind, the instrumentals more than made of for what he lacked in verses. The features areDonda is a new approach to rap for Kanye West, almost telling a story as his rebirth into Christianity. The album features several different musical themes, starting with a more upbeat feel towards the beginning where more gospel themes appear in the later album. Although Kanye was no lyrical mastermind, the instrumentals more than made of for what he lacked in verses. The features are also heavy on this album, with only a few names on the list underperforming.… Expand
  24. pedrxhp
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    just don't know why so many trolls man, literally one of the best albums of this year
  25. cg11t
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Kanye experiments with the sound of ambient music, which is new to his repertoire. He brings his usual knack for full album storytelling to the death, mourning, and acceptance of his mother's death. It is without a doubt that this album will grow and the meanings behind some of the decisions will become more evident over time. Some of Kanye's best qualities are on full display. Some ofKanye experiments with the sound of ambient music, which is new to his repertoire. He brings his usual knack for full album storytelling to the death, mourning, and acceptance of his mother's death. It is without a doubt that this album will grow and the meanings behind some of the decisions will become more evident over time. Some of Kanye's best qualities are on full display. Some of these being great production, clever and sometimes funny wordplay, and getting the absolute best out of his feature artists. Kanye gets very personal, emotional, and vulnerable. He also gets many of his features to do the same. He finally delivers some songs that fans have known about and anticipated for a year and sometimes more.

    Like many of the more recent Kanye albums, he can be often sporadic and all over the place. But that is who he is. That is the Kanye West of today and it is authentic. Some of the production, while sounding good, can be a bit rough around the edges. This has been a staple of Kanye's more recent work as well. I feel in a way, this album is the culmination of the Yeezy era we have been seeing starting with The Life of Pablo. It is a very long album, clocking in at an hour and 48 minutes if you include the four alternate versions of songs on the album. While it is very long, I wouldn't say there are really any songs worth skipping apart from Tell the Vision which is essentially an interlude. The choice to make the whole album censored is something that may change in the future but isn't surprising from Mr. West. It is a bit strange that he wouldn't have his features and himself rerecord new lines so the censorship isn't as noticeable. It doesn't ruin any of the songs, except Tell the Vision which was already a skippable track. I would prefer an uncensored version in the future.

    My personal favorite quality of the album is the soundscape and setting of the album. This is reflected in the listening parties with different scopes. Much of this album is undertoned by the sound of organs in the background. This gives the feeling of being in a void or desolate place. In the first listening party, Kanye walked around a desolate stage with nothing in "his world" so to speak. In the second listening party, he is enclosed in a single room surrounded by blackness and sometimes faceless people. In the third, he is back at his childhood home, but it is taken from its original spot and once again placed in the middle of a barren wasteland. he is now surrounded by people from his past life. Sinners, covered in black as well as Kanye.

    My only complaints are that, while no individual song is skip-worthy, it can be daunting to listen to the whole thing in one listen. Because of its length, this will be an album that people will either love or hate. Overall, there are also songs for people looking for different things. For people looking for upbeat bangers, there is Praise God, Junya, Heaven and Hell, Pure Souls, Jail, and the incredible Off the Grid. For people looking for more somber or chill songs, there is Hurricane, Jonah, Believe What I Say, 24, and No Child Left Behind. If you just want to cry, then there is Moon, Jesus Lord, Lord I Need You, and Come to Life. In a few years, this album will be remembered as a classic in true Kanye West fashion.    … Expand
  26. Tpitts987
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Donda is a culmination of various Kanye styles: JIK, TLOP, and yeezus. It is not his old school style of MBDTF that many will swear by as the only good version of Kanye. However a new style of music must be evaluated separately. This music cannot be reviewed solely on depth of lyrics or strength of production. One must listen to the track without any prejudice and take it all in. WithDonda is a culmination of various Kanye styles: JIK, TLOP, and yeezus. It is not his old school style of MBDTF that many will swear by as the only good version of Kanye. However a new style of music must be evaluated separately. This music cannot be reviewed solely on depth of lyrics or strength of production. One must listen to the track without any prejudice and take it all in. With this in mind there are many tracks including come to life, no child left behind, moon, and 24 that have left me at a loss of words simply by the movement of the music and melodies. Some would call hurricane, junya pt. 2, remote control, and new again repetitive but after a few listen one can realize that the reason for the chorus is so that the listeners can easily catch on and shout the lyrics. The all around category include songs such as jail, Jesus lord pt. 2, pure souls, keep my spirit alive, lord I need you, off the grid, and praise God hold replay ability and are songs for most settings and also include lyrics that makes one think on one verse for the rest of the song. The only reason this is a nine and not a 10 we’re the oddly placed percussion on many of the songs. Basic kick bases that don’t add much to the song or a lack of classical drums that would add greatly to the atmosphere of some songs. Also it would’ve been a little more complete if there was at least one song that relied heavily on lyrics where Kanye thought out a vision for the song and took a lot of time writing introspective lyrics. However, the overall “vibe” or atmosphere of the album is one that I continue to listen to over and over again.… Expand
  27. joshualagunasss
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Ye realmente ha viajado al año 3021 para producir este álbum y regresó al presente para lanzarlo. Una obra de arte de inicio a fin. Considero que, a pesar de lo largo del álbum, West nos dio realmente todo lo que buscaba expresar. Definitivamente van con MBDTF y TLOP como mi sagrada trinidad kanyista.
  28. Alexxp27
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    Great album it was released without kanyes permission so obviously not fully finished, but with like the life of Pablo he can continue to improve the album
  29. Gunsun
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    It really is a very good album, Kanye and Mike Dean's production management make it undoubtedly the best album so far this year, all the media impact makes it striking. The only negative point is the duration but the rest is perfect. I feel like it's a mix between Yeezus and The college Dropout.
  30. KaijuuU
    Aug 30, 2021
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Creo que es Justo un refrescante regreso para Kanye, no es un trabajo anticuado y en ciertos aspectos se siente innovador… 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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