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. Goose69
    Sep 3, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Album has a lot of ups and downs that bring you into ye’S life after his mother’s passing. There’s songs like “come to life” that brings this amazing melodies and a piercing ye, creating these ideas that can come to life to save ye from himself. ultimately he can’t have those ideas save him… for example yeezy. He’s saying he wanted it to be an escape but he couldn’t. It’s a negative. BUT the song title is a positive he’s saying he’s finally coming to life and being reborn without these ideas… Expand
  2. CDOGG15
    Sep 3, 2021
    10
    A masterpiece in music and live performance that will only get better in time, if this is Kanye West’s final album it is the perfect way to end the musical career of the greatest artist of our time
  3. tudorcelstan
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    I would rate this album an 8. But the amount of reviews lowering their score because of the Marilyn Manson and DaBaby controversy astonishes me, so here’s an extra 2 points to compensate for their nonsense. Moments like the entirety of Remote Control, the beat of God Breathed, Tell the Vision and all the part twos make this album truly imperfect, but most negative critiques saying eitherI would rate this album an 8. But the amount of reviews lowering their score because of the Marilyn Manson and DaBaby controversy astonishes me, so here’s an extra 2 points to compensate for their nonsense. Moments like the entirety of Remote Control, the beat of God Breathed, Tell the Vision and all the part twos make this album truly imperfect, but most negative critiques saying either that it’s messy or that it isn’t diverse enough which are complete opposites proves me that some of you are just searching for reasons to hate on Kanye, and he’s not the one to avoid giving you these reasons. But you have to see past your opinion of the man in order to witness the epic, faith-discovering nature of this album, the integration of techniques that he explored and perfected throughout his career, the unitary creepy atmosphere, the mourning gloomy aesthetics that dominate the album, the theme of trust in God in the middle of a sea of personal and mental turbulence. Doesn’t matter if you’re a christian or not. The message of this album is powerfull and Kanye is pretty transparent on this one. Donda is well balanced stylistically as opposed to many of his previous works which were all over the place. I love this one, even though I do not consider it necessarily better than The Life of Pablo.… Expand
  4. essaplayer
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Dobry album kocham go essa essa kanye król jebać leszcza drake. Kanye jest
  5. Digital5lav3
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Even at the age of 44 kanye continues to release tracks full of youth and vigor. This album is full on experimental and chaotic at times but thats what makes it a kanye album.
  6. rwalkington
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and IAmazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the album Amazing very creative and I loved every second of the albumrhejdjdje… Expand
  7. florianfjelle
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    wonderful album all the way trough, with off the grid being my new favorite kanye track
  8. Axelrodriguez23
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Niceee álbum ye, un gran álbum y con gran potencial en el, lanzado inesperadamente, ojalá tuviera un mejor racking pero es grandioso las 27 canciones
  9. KandiceP
    Sep 4, 2021
    3
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Not my cup of tea. It sounds like the same song over and over again. Plus it’s full of gospel.… Expand
  10. 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.
  11. Willtat
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Very good very I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I. I I I. I I I I I I I I. I the the they the the the the the the three r the the the meadow was so nice I got the green one for utopia so I got the one that was in my room so it looks good but it’s still not good for utopia lol oh well my sister is king of earth earth king king earth earth moon moon and moon earth moon andVery good very I I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I I I. I I I. I I I I I I I I. I the the they the the the the the the three r the the the meadow was so nice I got the green one for utopia so I got the one that was in my room so it looks good but it’s still not good for utopia lol oh well my sister is king of earth earth king king earth earth moon moon and moon earth moon and earth earth king moon earth moon and earth earth moon and max earth moon and earth earth king moon moon and earth earth king earth… Expand
  12. byjusthis
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Just the best album I've ever heard in my life. Definitely one of the best albums of all Kanye West's carreer.
  13. Musiclove90
    Sep 4, 2021
    0
    This has to be the worst album ye has released. It’s all over the place and a whole mess. He has definitely gone downhill. Overhyped album that was a huge letdown.
  14. stormzafrir
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    this album hits! its exactly what jik shouldve been. the amazing lyrics and features make every song on this album an experience to listen to. my only issue with the album is that its a bit too long. with a runtime of almost 2 hours, its the longest kanye album by far. Otherwise, i love this album and it is one of kanyes best!
  15. UnbiasedMusic
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    I would give this record an 8 just for how catchy almost all the songs are, and how great the subtle linear storytelling is of a man who still feels the loss of his mother, but is desperate to move on and feel some closure all while balancing a well thought out tribute to her in the process. Kanye is not afraid to take risks and in my opinion, they absolutely pay off with a classicI would give this record an 8 just for how catchy almost all the songs are, and how great the subtle linear storytelling is of a man who still feels the loss of his mother, but is desperate to move on and feel some closure all while balancing a well thought out tribute to her in the process. Kanye is not afraid to take risks and in my opinion, they absolutely pay off with a classic sounding record that will only age better with time. I give it a 10 because of all the Drake fan's reviews bombing it, if you want a unique listening experience give this record a go with an open mind.… Expand
  16. Aces18
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    Album of a life time.
    Very good features. And some of ye's best rapping since mbdtf.
    reminds me of his last 7 albums combined
  17. AIN16
    Sep 4, 2021
    10
    The way the mc made the project that so emotional and magnificently sad , he talked about his momma and other artists were just spiritually talking to the late Donda , like what Jay did ( Donda i’m with your baby ) etc , donda would've been proud if she was here today to wetness her boy and see how much he grown Donda is just different as we all know Kanye always led the music industry heThe way the mc made the project that so emotional and magnificently sad , he talked about his momma and other artists were just spiritually talking to the late Donda , like what Jay did ( Donda i’m with your baby ) etc , donda would've been proud if she was here today to wetness her boy and see how much he grown Donda is just different as we all know Kanye always led the music industry he did it with 808,And heartbreak he also did yeezus so he always been a leader… Expand
  18. dondaisgood
    Sep 5, 2021
    10
    stop overhating on this album it's good and it has some good production on it
  19. AR1995
    Sep 5, 2021
    2
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A painfully sharp contrast to the classic albums released a decade ago that made Kanye who he is today.… Expand
  20. MarloParlo
    Sep 5, 2021
    1
    Only 4/27 songs were good honestly. Couldn’t get through majority of the album. He has not evolved at all.
  21. Jregisgonzalez
    Sep 5, 2021
    10
    I thought this album was a masterpiece. Flawed but it's ok because a masterpiece can be flawed, nothing in this world is flawless. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with from beginning to end. How the album starts off strong with guitar beats and dark synths and eventually gets lighter as we close the album, with beautiful pianos playing in the background of songs like come to life. TheI thought this album was a masterpiece. Flawed but it's ok because a masterpiece can be flawed, nothing in this world is flawless. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster with from beginning to end. How the album starts off strong with guitar beats and dark synths and eventually gets lighter as we close the album, with beautiful pianos playing in the background of songs like come to life. The features on this album were amazing to listen to, the subject matter they rapped about matched the theme of the album. It felt like an album about someone's spiritual journey and recent divorce. I also especially loved how kanyes flows were so different in each song. The production and quality of each track was grand and felt like a movie. This album is a beautiful and I can see people appreciated it more in the years to come.… Expand
  22. rapstan
    Sep 5, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Did not enjoy this album. Kanye was carried by the features. This album does not touch his earlier work in terms of quality. It was an extensive album in terms of length but I didn’t hear anything that makes me want to listen for the full duration. Unfortunately, Kanye has well and truly fell off.… Expand
  23. emmettd
    Sep 5, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Masterpiece. Kanye continues to prove why he is the greatest. Not a single miss, ignoring Tell The Vision… Expand
  24. Alexander808s
    Sep 5, 2021
    10
    Great tribute to his late mother, Kanye really knows how to get the best of the artists featured in the album, he's really the greatest to ever do it.
  25. zappos5344
    Sep 5, 2021
    10
    The album slaps. Another bonafide masterpiece!

    This is all that really needs to be said but there is a minimum character limit so...
  26. Therildill
    Sep 6, 2021
    8
    Best Kanye album we have received since Pablo. Production was amazing only set backs are a few uninteresting tracks and a whole lot of good ones
  27. marsonearth
    Sep 6, 2021
    10
    Kanye's power has always lied in not only his production, but his ability to get a talented group of people together, bring out the best of them, and create a memorable body of work. Donda does just that. You will hear less of Kanye's voice in this album than Pablo or his Graduation trilogy and it can seem like his features carry the album, but I don't think that diminishes the potency ofKanye's power has always lied in not only his production, but his ability to get a talented group of people together, bring out the best of them, and create a memorable body of work. Donda does just that. You will hear less of Kanye's voice in this album than Pablo or his Graduation trilogy and it can seem like his features carry the album, but I don't think that diminishes the potency of this album at all. Kanye's voice does come to the surface in moments like in Jesus Lord and Come to Life. The songs are just really good and the verses from his features are great. For the most part, none of the songs sound the same. It's truly one long ride. My favorite feature was from Jay Electronica.

    My favorite songs were: Off the Grid, Jail, Praise God, Moon, Jesus Lord, Come to Life(should've been the outro)    … Expand
  28. Yeetgiver
    Sep 8, 2021
    9
    I think its a great project. We see some of kanyes best singing. Some of his best producing. I think there are the classic couple silly cringy kanye bars so its not a 10. But this is an amazing album
  29. ManuelBing
    Sep 17, 2021
    0
    ShiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiIt in my opinion
  30. braiz02
    Oct 10, 2021
    0
    DONDA Kanye West has a reputation of releasing the most well produced albums in the music industry, he is labeled a ‘perfectionist’ as he spends around 300-500 hours producing each song. Kanye has stated that he has superpowers, how he uses these superpowers by expressing himself in a unique and diverse way, denting the world through his art. Kanye is a one of a kind artist as he dedicatesDONDA Kanye West has a reputation of releasing the most well produced albums in the music industry, he is labeled a ‘perfectionist’ as he spends around 300-500 hours producing each song. Kanye has stated that he has superpowers, how he uses these superpowers by expressing himself in a unique and diverse way, denting the world through his art. Kanye is a one of a kind artist as he dedicates his life to expressing himself and creating art that is ahead of his time influencing generations. His 10th studio album “DONDA” is the defining factor of how the use of his superpowers separates him from any other artist. Most artists by the time they release their 10th album (that is if they get there) they lose touch of the sound they have created, and are not as successful as their original sound. Yet Kanye through the decades he has been producing music he continues to surprise the world, as he is a pokemon who just continues to evolve. His idiosyncratic sound of unique lyrics, — that really make you feel what he is feeling— layers of beats that give a dramatic feel to his songs, are all tied into how his superpowers inspire his art and give us candy for our ears. His mother was his best friend as he grew up fatherless, honoring her he dedicated this album for her, with deep meaningful lyrics, soulful sounds, and expressing genuine emotions through his superpowers, Kanye shocks the world with yet another illustrious album.
    The album “DONDA” starts off just how you expect it, with something you have never heard of before. Kanye recorded his mothers final heart beats and made it a song named “Donda Chant '' where a female voice states his mothers name at the pace of her last heartbeats “Donda '' 58 times in honor of the age she passed away (His mother passed away during a plastic surgery procedure, where Kanye felt blamed for because she got the surgery due to the pressure of his sons limelight). Giving a deeper meaning to the album, with many religious references/preaches, as 8 of the 27 songs have religious titles. The song “Jesus Lord” helps explain what he is trying to do with the religious references as he states “ If I talk to Christ, can I bring my mother back to life?”, demonstrating how he uses these religious energy in hopes to bring him and his mother closer together. Kanye has been using a choir since his second studio album “Late Registration” which was his mothers favorite album, emphasizing in their synchronized melodic vocals that add a soulful effect to the many layers he has within his songs. In this album he brings the choir back in honor of his mother, with songs like “Heaven and Hell” where the soulful choir chants deepens the feeling of the song making it feel like you are on top of the world, just how Kanye portrays to feel at times. He also honors his mom once again by producing a song that samples his mothers favorite artist, Lauryn Hill. The song “Believe What I Say” is sampled from Lauryn Hills song “Doo Wop (That Thing)” , a very upbeat song that puts a smile on your face regardless of where you are. Kanye is able to express his superpowers by creating songs that will unite him and his mom in a very talentedly unique way.
    There are times in this album where Kanye is not only praising god but where he compares himself to god—but I think that is just his superpowers talking— almost because he knows that his mother is with god, and by comparing himself to God it will bring him closer to his mother. The song “Off The Grid” is one of those songs where you get the godlike comparisons as the song has many layers varying from a deep bass, featured vocals, and lyrics such as “I got this God power, that’s my leverages” referring how his superpowers that help him express himself in a incomparable artistic level, tying him closer to his mother. Jail is the second song of the album and has a feature from Jay-Z who has not worked with Kanye since 2016. Kanye West is known for bringing the most out of any artist he works with through the use of his superpowers, but in his songs he usually outshines them with his lyrical flows, for the song Jail that wasn’t the case. Jay-Z’s verse introduced the deep, heavy, meaningfulness of the album with lyrics like “Made in the Imagine of God, that’s a selfie” where even Jay-Z is expressing his superpowers and is setting the godlike tone that was projected throughout the album. Or lyrics like “Hova and Yeezus, like Moses and Jesus” where Jay-Z is referring to him and Kanye to biblical characters, illustrating the image of god-like figures whose talents together are powerful. '    … Expand
  31. YEEZYFLESHLIGHT
    Oct 13, 2021
    10
    INCOMINGGGG! AOTY anyone who says otherwise is racist, sorry i dont make the rules.
  32. DequanJdfh
    Oct 31, 2021
    0
    Even worse than the boring, preachy Jesus album. Kanye doesn’t know how to make good music anymore. I don’t know what happened to him. He fell off and will never recover
  33. JakobJuul
    Nov 13, 2021
    9
    Amazingly well crafted. Only critique is that some parts may be a little unnecessary.
  34. Voidtoker
    Dec 2, 2022
    0
    **** this Nazi. Knew he was absolute **** when he interrupted Taylor Swift. IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS MOMENT and for all you dumb ****s to realize who this **** is.
  35. tombradygoat
    Nov 23, 2022
    0
    what the heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellll is this **** my expectations were low but holy ****
  36. todaywasagooday
    Dec 1, 2022
    0
    Let's be honest guys, this album is **** I didn't like anything about it. Kanye has lost it.
  37. man_critic
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    This is a masterwork of emotions and beautiful sonics. It's a long album but damn, it doesn't feel long. His best work since MBDTF and Yeezus. Highly recommended.
  38. 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
  39. kid247
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    It just doesn’t cut it. It feels like the spectacle heading up to the album release was all he was really going for abs the listener is left confused. Only stans trying to make this album seen better than it really is
  40. TheDonSalfiti
    Sep 10, 2021
    7
    God, Kanye, where do I begin. This album was so pivotal to dissuade those voices in the media that you had 'past your prime', a 'tortured soul that has too much fame', a literal Icarus of our times, the man who flew to close to meta objectionalism.

    Dondas, intro, was at best an ear sore that didn't quite set me up for the album, at worst a harrowing subjection to what it might be like    God, Kanye, where do I begin. This album was so pivotal to dissuade those voices in the media that you had 'past your prime', a 'tortured soul that has too much fame', a literal Icarus of our times, the man who flew to close to meta objectionalism.

    Dondas, intro, was at best an ear sore that didn't quite set me up for the album, at worst a harrowing subjection to what it might be like to suffer some form of schizophrenia, internal voices screaming out the name of your late mother. I see the objective, but it did nothing but set me in a 'bad ear mood' for the album. The being said the album, as a whole, served some serious songs that delivered not just some traditional Kanye (God Breathed/Off the Grid) but also some of the Gospel Kanye we have come to love, kinda?

    The like of Jay-Z retained on the album was a god send (amongst the news he had been dropped for DaBaby), but to that point, it taints the effectiveness of one of the best tracks 'Jail' having co-writer credits to the (currently) alleged sex offender Marilyn Manson - down as Brian Warner in the credits - somehow keeps the song from being my fav, as much as I am able to 'separate the art from the artist' my issue isn't with Manson, per say, but with Ye's decision to have him on the album. However this could be accredited to the song being written long before the untimely news of Manson discursions.

    By the Second Act of the Album, I place that around the titled track Donda, we see Ye shift gear, it is at this point I feel the album become bloated. It begins to shift its 3/4 minute length tracks to 6 plus. A decision I feel that could of been two separate albums.

    Tracks that stuck out as exceptional songs were, Jail, Jonah, Junya, Moon, Remote Control (yes even with that sample) and Ok Ok. Honestly that whole middle section of the album is where Donda really shone.

    In the end, however, for me, Yeezy manages to strike the vein of his genius on a few of his tracks, arching back to a Ye I haven't heard in a long time, and for that, I feel this album is a return to throne. A scorched, over produced at times, inflated egotistical showcase of an album, but then again, this is Kanye we are talking about, did we expect anything less?    … Expand
  41. WalissonOliver
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    I'm not sure if I hated this because I kept comparing it to his other work, but it's really bad. I guess we can call it an album?
  42. timmytime
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    Easily Kanye's weakest album, and I'm a Stan. I don't think he's made anything truly great since Yeezus, but at least his other albums since then haven't been so bloated.

    Sparse production, repetitive lyrics. A few sparks of Kanye's creativity but this really isn't a good album.
  43. Clap4Everything
    Aug 30, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Kanye West - DONDA - ALBUM REVIEW

    If you take all the bad parts of "Yeezus" and mash them together with some of the better sounding parts of "T.L.O P" ....

    Then take that. ..

    stuff it through a "Jesus is King" filter and drag it on for nearly 2 hours.....

    You have DONDA.

    With very few gems scattered among a huge amount of filler...this is NOT the definitive Ye comeback album we all wanted. 5/10    … Expand
  44. Eddann123
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    Pésimo, sobre producido y muy cargado, mucho relleno, la misma propuesta de siempre, Kanye viene entregando lo mismo desde 2013...
  45. bfoore90
    Sep 3, 2021
    5
    An album full of incredible highs and the lowest of lows. Donda is excruciatingly long due to needless filer and lacks the structure of previous releases
  46. danhoney
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    Album far short of the artist that Kanye West proved to be. Definitely sometimes I think this is just a passing outburst and that soon he will be aware of making good music again.
  47. ParticleWave
    Sep 8, 2021
    1
    Pretentious, uninspired, auto-tuned fluff. Hopefully this will be the nail in the coffin for 10-15 tears of crap hip hop albums.
  48. a7xmatta7x
    Sep 5, 2021
    9
    Album is a huge grower. While I wasn’t sold on it at first, the more I’ve listened, the more it continues to grow. This is easily some of Kanye’s most beautiful and best work in a long time. It’s not a perfect album, but it’s damn near close.
  49. LatinCritic13
    Aug 30, 2021
    5
    There's no way in hell that Ye can be a Priest after this. I know Kanye misses his Mom but needs mental psychiatric help. And his latest album is a mess but at the same time it sounds pretty good too on a technical sound standpoint..
  50. Rajjah06
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    A had to do this !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  51. brianjoseph98
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    This album gets better and better with every listen. There is serious grown and he has clearly come a long way since Ye and Jesus is King. Clearly Kanye is healing and finding therapy in the music. People clearly cannot understand the artistic genius that is Kanye West. It goes beyond lyrics. Ye is one of the rarer artists who produces with heavy involvement in addition to writing andThis album gets better and better with every listen. There is serious grown and he has clearly come a long way since Ye and Jesus is King. Clearly Kanye is healing and finding therapy in the music. People clearly cannot understand the artistic genius that is Kanye West. It goes beyond lyrics. Ye is one of the rarer artists who produces with heavy involvement in addition to writing and providing vocals. None of what he puts out comes from a filing cabinet in a record label's vault. This album is a work of art and one of his best in years. Truly a sleeper album and undoubtedly those who are hating on it today will be fans down the line talking that "it grew on me" nonsense. I'll be waiting.… Expand
  52. longneck
    Aug 31, 2021
    9
    What JIK should have been, Donda > TLOP imho. I wasn't keen on the first listen through, but a lot of the tracks really grew on me.

    This is going to be seen as a classic in 5 years from now. Sure it's a bit overwhelming and all over the place, but you gotta love an artist who is releasing music not for radio hits but because it's what their feeling. This album comes off as authentic, a    What JIK should have been, Donda > TLOP imho. I wasn't keen on the first listen through, but a lot of the tracks really grew on me.

    This is going to be seen as a classic in 5 years from now. Sure it's a bit overwhelming and all over the place, but you gotta love an artist who is releasing music not for radio hits but because it's what their feeling. This album comes off as authentic, a increasingly rare thing in hip hop.    … Expand
  53. 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.
  54. franemilio
    Sep 4, 2021
    3
    This album shows exactly what Kanye West is about: innovation, master production and controversial lyrics subjects. Each track has its unique sense of originality and this ilustrates well why West is always one step ahead of the industry. Donda may sound strang at a first listening, maybe even boring, but the project gets better as you give it more listenings. It is just like a good wine:This album shows exactly what Kanye West is about: innovation, master production and controversial lyrics subjects. Each track has its unique sense of originality and this ilustrates well why West is always one step ahead of the industry. Donda may sound strang at a first listening, maybe even boring, but the project gets better as you give it more listenings. It is just like a good wine: open it, let it breath for a while and only then you can enjoy it… Expand
  55. longlifeartpop
    Aug 30, 2021
    7
    Such a great album, great lyrics but dababy is disgusting

    Kanye ended that local white snake.
  56. edff
    Sep 4, 2021
    7
    Overall it’s a cool album not great, but not bad either. The highs are amazing, and the production is great but there are too many songs and some filler that brings the album down
  57. ParkingPandas
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    Most of the critic reviews are a complete joke. Why is Trump even mentioned in the first paragraph of most of these reviews? Also if Kanye didn't bring out Manson and DaBaby I'm sure the critic reviews would be different.
  58. Kitchenjedi
    Aug 31, 2021
    8
    This album seems to be all of his album's sounds into one album. Musically this album is great. This is better that 90% of the hip hop albums released in the past years.
  59. arostislavna
    Oct 30, 2022
    8
    A very solid gospel rap album, yes there are some weak tracks, and it's a bit silly that it's a clean album for the sake of being an all black cover without a parental advisory logo... but it works.
  60. devgre
    Sep 2, 2021
    8
    Although the project is lacking in focus and shrouded in drama, it is also one of the most insightful and refreshing projects to come to hip-hop in years.
  61. 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
  62. JudgementalDude
    Sep 2, 2021
    9
    Amazing album, Kanye was on his A-Game. A bit bloated, but its heavenly at the same time.
  63. snmcfadden
    Sep 5, 2021
    1
    utter crap, kanye needs to go back to his roots and understand what made him good to begin with because he has been getting worse and worse for a long time now
  64. LInscoeJ
    Sep 3, 2021
    9
    Another incredibly strong album from Kanye, his most personal yet, very heavy in places but worth investing the time
  65. 0kajetan
    Aug 30, 2021
    8
    Not free from mix blemishes, problems with vocals or unnecessary tracks, but "Donda" contains some of West's best material. While Manson being on the record is inexcusable, it doesn't change the facts that the music on the album is simply of very high quality. I hope for some further improvement, but even without it - amazing listen.
  66. Crownelius
    Aug 30, 2021
    2
    A production without a cover and songs that do not cite contributions. Is this his way of making it look conceptual and revolutionary? It's just tacky, ugly and malicious. There's no ̶t̶r̶u̶m̶p̶ card, the music has never sounded so poorly contrived. If he didn't plan on taking a award out of Swift's hand, he might plan on stealing her marketing ideas.
  67. BlackMantaTV
    Aug 30, 2021
    8
    I enjoyed it, it's theme is mostly cohesive and it is what Jesus is King should be. Maybe a top5 Kanye album
  68. joe_m6
    Nov 11, 2021
    3
    I wouldn't call myself a fan but I **** with Life of Pablo so I gave Donda a chance. Listening to it wasn't a bad experience, I just felt like moving on from it about halfway in. Jail pt. 2 was the only post-Moon song that didn't feel repetitive or churchy. I felt like he was compensating for all the features by adding in all the outtakes from his previous LP. don't get me wrong, theI wouldn't call myself a fan but I **** with Life of Pablo so I gave Donda a chance. Listening to it wasn't a bad experience, I just felt like moving on from it about halfway in. Jail pt. 2 was the only post-Moon song that didn't feel repetitive or churchy. I felt like he was compensating for all the features by adding in all the outtakes from his previous LP. don't get me wrong, the features were all good (none of them like Monster-level iconic but still memorable), but it was weird to not see any credits for such a feature-heavy album… Expand
  69. JIATNSA
    Sep 1, 2021
    7
    It's too long as a whole album but for the songs themselves are (for the most part) actually quite good.
  70. leobartowski
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    This album is so boring and monotone. Such a waste of time. I couldn't hear nothing worst than this.
  71. 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
  72. hieubqt1711
    Nov 13, 2021
    0
    So boring and excessively long. Donda leaves a sour taste that no number of good beats, gospel choirs, or church organs will cleanse. Zero stars.
  73. leonehenrique
    Sep 2, 2021
    0
    People go on and on about their political views and then decide to support this man. It is completely different to judge the art from awful people when their art doesn't reflect the awful people they are. It is not the case here. Independent said it best.
  74. iamachmad75
    Sep 20, 2021
    0
    Dondaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa i’m so sorry because your narcissu son gave you his worst album ever after your name.
  75. gaelicum
    Aug 31, 2021
    8
    Top 3 Kanye Albums. Maybe it's too long but a great album. I like it too much. Haters gonna hate
  76. Elliottheeskimo
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    This metacritic rating is wayyy too low. Such a great and atmospheric album
  77. rusikpupsik
    Aug 31, 2021
    4
    After all the hype that Kanye West did, I was expecting a **** job showing how to make music. On the one hand, the songs sound cool. Also pleases a large number of other performers. On the other hand, Kanye is still singing religious songs, which, firstly, got sick, because I listened to his albums not because of praising Jesus, and secondly, it does not give an opportunity to swear,After all the hype that Kanye West did, I was expecting a **** job showing how to make music. On the one hand, the songs sound cool. Also pleases a large number of other performers. On the other hand, Kanye is still singing religious songs, which, firstly, got sick, because I listened to his albums not because of praising Jesus, and secondly, it does not give an opportunity to swear, which is why some of the songs are censored. Further, the cool sound is present only from 2 to 5 songs, as well as 10 and 18, after which there are songs consisting of 2 to 4 instruments, and at the end you already start to feel sick from the organ, kick from 808 and claps. Besides, I don't understand the jokes, like the end of "Remote Control" and the whole song "Tell The Vision", which I consider to be the worst song on the album and in Kanye's entire discography. Well, the cherry on top is supposedly the second parts of the songs at the end of the album, which are actually remixes with other artists. There was no problem if the songs were originally labeled as remixes, but we are presented with this as a continuation of these songs, which means new songs, not the same ones. Ultimately, Donda is the same JESUS ​​IS KING, only under a different sauce that you don't understand at first, then you like it, and in the end you realize that it's the same thing. The main problem with this album is the excitement that has developed around it. After all, when you put on whole performances of your album, which you haven't even finished, and show the audience how you run into other artists, then the expectations from your work are higher than ever, and you had to justify them. Top 3 songs: 1. Off The Grid 2. Jail 3. Believe What I say… Expand
  78. For
    Sep 3, 2021
    7
    Features some of the best songs of the year, great to see Kanye and Jay-Z back together again as well. However this album suffers from a serious length issue. Some songs could be taken out, tell the vision wasn’t even finished. Underneath this 27 song montage is a much superior and laser focused 15 track album.
  79. Dubtray
    Aug 31, 2021
    7
    At best a Top 5 Kanye West album. Sadly the album is over cluttered with unnecessary fillers that didnt really do anything. Still though, there are some musically insane productions on this collection of songs that give you the feeling they came from Prime 2010 Kanye!
  80. All_ButTrU4
    Sep 3, 2021
    2
    Regardless of the controversial and grievously chosen features(you already know who i mean) it still offers nothing. It reaches for meaning and falls flat. Even the best song "jail" feels bogged down and under done. It feels like an overthought effort dependent on hype. Post J.I.K kanye hasn't recovered the groundbreaking talent of his peak performances. A disappointing release thatRegardless of the controversial and grievously chosen features(you already know who i mean) it still offers nothing. It reaches for meaning and falls flat. Even the best song "jail" feels bogged down and under done. It feels like an overthought effort dependent on hype. Post J.I.K kanye hasn't recovered the groundbreaking talent of his peak performances. A disappointing release that would've benefited from time… Expand
  81. EllisEverett
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    what's this album about? what's this album about? what's this album about? what's this album about?
  82. emanucaslb
    Sep 5, 2021
    0
    I’m torn when it comes to “Donda”, and as of writing I still haven’t given a score. Like I said, there are some of Kanye’s best songs here that I’ll probably be playing long after the heat has past. But there are also plenty of songs that I’ll never listen to again, maybe more so than the ones I loved, and I can’t just ignore them. I’m less worried about the state of Kanye’s creativityI’m torn when it comes to “Donda”, and as of writing I still haven’t given a score. Like I said, there are some of Kanye’s best songs here that I’ll probably be playing long after the heat has past. But there are also plenty of songs that I’ll never listen to again, maybe more so than the ones I loved, and I can’t just ignore them. I’m less worried about the state of Kanye’s creativity after this record compared to “Jesus Is King”, but with every messy record and just as messy album rollout I’ve become less and less invested on every next move that West is making. It’s frustrating seeing him being capable of making something great like right alongside something completely forgettable or even straight up bad, but “Donda” continues to be a display of Kanye West’s unfocused creativity… Expand
  83. ArthurLynch88
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    What is this trash, baby? Go pray to your jebus for some inspiration next time
  84. clem666
    Dec 24, 2021
    5
    Wow. Hard to rate since 'Donda' is to me literally Ye's both worst and probably best material.

    What I found underwhelming was the overall repetitiveness of songs, especially 'Jail', the unlistenable 'Donda Chant', 'God Breathed', 'Ok Ok', 'Junya', the end of '24' and the awful and umpteenth version of 'Tell the Vision' trying to revive the guts of late Pop Smoke. Add this to the four    Wow. Hard to rate since 'Donda' is to me literally Ye's both worst and probably best material.

    What I found underwhelming was the overall repetitiveness of songs, especially 'Jail', the unlistenable 'Donda Chant', 'God Breathed', 'Ok Ok', 'Junya', the end of '24' and the awful and umpteenth version of 'Tell the Vision' trying to revive the guts of late Pop Smoke. Add this to the four 'part 2' tracks and you get an album based on very similar beats and compositions. Ye had the quite bright idea to invoke numerous fellow artists and friends on this record. However there are many tracks in which he seems to be invited on rather than be the obvious primary artist. In this case it is hard to love this material since Ye appears to be only one of its component. I mean, I'm not far from hating Playboi Carti and he's featured twice (or even three times counting 'Junya part 2'). He took way too much space in my opinion for me to really enjoy some of the consistent parts of 'Donda'.

    However I can't deny the fact that some artists did embellish the experience. Jay Electronica is fantastic on 'Jesus Lord', Kid Cudi is great on 'Moon' as Travis Scott and Baby Keem are more than welcome on 'Praise God'. Each artist delivered an interesting piece of oneself in order to craft and contribute to Ye's massive project.

    On his side, Ye gathered a surprising amount of producers. But he still got us confused with all these release dates, the terrible communication surrounding 'Donda' and all the drama. Ye's punchlines vary between awesome and totally dull (just remember the notable 'Dustin he a Hoffman'). Anyway, I'm glad this album came out, because I really doubted it would. Still a messy, uneven and chaotic release. In conclusion I love the tracks I originally liked and I hate songs I simply disliked at first listen. 'Donda Deluxe', even if it brought some great tracks, got us more confused than possible.    … Expand
  85. Encantat
    Sep 2, 2021
    0
    Extremamente superestimado, fui ouvir esperando ser um álbum no mínimo coeso e me decepcionei
  86. jeocastillo
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    Music for hedgefund bros indeed. Pure garbage with criminaIs as features. Kanye’s worst album
  87. YoussefNasar
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    Donda is a masterpiece, after several delays and drama over the last year, i can say that the album came out perfect with some great productions and features.
  88. brennonavy
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
  89. Juamorera
    Aug 30, 2021
    10
    Un saludo a cringe musical xdxdxdxddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd
  90. M7md1989
    Sep 3, 2021
    0
    Kanye said that universal released this album without his approval, and sure enough it does sound incomplete and no where near as good as his earlier projects.
  91. Manuel1234
    Sep 2, 2021
    0
    It's just a bad album, I didn't like it at all. Including that it is basic, and too long for what it offers us, he should have left it at 0 songs, and never put out this album.
  92. Derrck
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. A huge mess. There are any connection between 27 songs, definitely the worst album… Expand
  93. Jjgonzalez1005
    Aug 31, 2021
    10
    DONDA is an absolute masterpiece and here's why. Firstly, it captures the stages of grief Kanye has expressed while dealing with his mothers' death. Second, once again Kanye brings the best out of the features, to the extent where a couple of them have one of if not the best verse of their career so far. Thirdly, Kanye consolidates his position as a GOAT in the industry by being able toDONDA is an absolute masterpiece and here's why. Firstly, it captures the stages of grief Kanye has expressed while dealing with his mothers' death. Second, once again Kanye brings the best out of the features, to the extent where a couple of them have one of if not the best verse of their career so far. Thirdly, Kanye consolidates his position as a GOAT in the industry by being able to excel in different genres of music (rap, drill, pop, gospel, to mention a few present in DONDA). Finally, DONDA reflects how Kanye disregards everything the media and general public tries to "cancel". He finds the best out of artists like DaBaby and Marilyn Manson, which have definitely acted very wrongly in the past. However, he disregards it at he knows their artistic potential (aiming to pardon everyone and get them closer to God). And by the way, this is MY opinion. I still have mixed feelings about these two on the album, but I've tried to ignore their actions and focus on their ART.… Expand
  94. Loilax
    Sep 16, 2021
    0
    Why is this piece of trash was ever released! I’m so ashamed to used to like your music, now I’m on team Drake!
  95. Ali9841
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    Way too long. Nobody needs all 27 of this songs. Most of them feel like filler tracks. And envolving people like Manson didn't help sell it to me. A reflection of how and why Kanye is slowly becoming irrelevant in the music industry
  96. inastorm
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    That are no words in the english language that can properly describe how awful this music made me feel.
  97. DiogoDelGrant
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    pure trash, i'm not surprised at this release its purpose was to raise awareness towards these sort of people
  98. Born2Lose
    Aug 30, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Ew, creo que Ed Sheeran se esfuerza más en su música y aún así es sheet … Expand
  99. Minni
    Nov 26, 2021
    0
    Worst album. Poor beats, poor music, poor voice & poor lyrics. Had high expectation because of his earlier good work. He. Should retire from industry.
  100. Alteregoss
    Aug 31, 2021
    0
    a psychopath may work out an good album but kanye the lunatic will never. pure sh*t.
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Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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