Donda (Deluxe) Review

Kanye West’s 12th album was nothing short of spectacular. Dropping the deluxe version of his most recent album Donda on November 7th, 2021. After initially dropping the album on August 29th, 2021, West dropped four more new songs on the deluxe version. Highlighted by the addition of the song “Life Of The Party” featuring one of the most renowned rappers of all time, André 3000, many fans were excited to hear the released version as the song was previously leaked. “Life Of The Party” did not overshadow an amazing album from start to finish. Donda (Deluxe) is an album I have not stopped listening to since the moment it came out.

The album has insane replay value because of the amazing production, great lyrics, and amazing features. West did an amazing job with mixing a unique sound of rapping and singing with a gospel sort of twist. There is no released explicit version of the album, and I think it is better that way. The mixing of its unique sounds is, to me, what makes it special. Some of my personal favorite songs are the following: “Life Of The Party”, “Believe What I Say”, “Off The Grid”, and “Remote Control 2”. All of these songs to me represent the array of sounds on the album. The amazing sample of Lauryn Hill on “Believe What I Say” and the overall vibe was very catchy and upbeat. West’s range on this album is impressive as we get the upbeat vibes, then on the track “Donda” we, as listeners, get a taste of the late Donda West, who was Kanye’s mother and the inspiration behind the name of this album. On this song we hear a vulnerable Kanye West with parts that include talking from Donda West. To go along with the amazing sound range, the features were incredible; highlighted by Fivio Foreign, Vory, Conway the Machine, Westside Gunn, The Weeknd, Baby Keem, Don Toliver, Kid Cudi, and André 3000. These features show how an artist can recruit some of the top artists in the game from all genres and have it sound well.

West dropped another masterpiece with Donda (Deluxe) — one of the best albums of the year in my opinion, probably in my top three. I suggest everyone listen to this album. I give it an 8/10. My only complaint is that there are a bit too many tracks on this album, but I understand why they are on the tracklist. Overall an amazing album.

Review By Mike Griffith

Picture courtesy of Aurélien Papa via pixaybay.com