Kanye Says 'Here, Damn!' and Finally Releases 'Donda'

It’s finally here.

After changing the release date fifty-leven times, having all kinds of listening parties (in a pandemic, no less), going through far too many ski masks and bulletproof vests to count, beefin’ with Drake and doing whatever the hell this was with Kim Kardashian West despite the fact that they’re divorcing, Kanye West finally released his 10th studio album, Donda, on Sunday morning.

Pitchfork reports that JAY-Z, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi, Lil Baby, The Lox, Young Thug and Pop Smoke are among the album’s myriad contributors. According to Complex Music, Donda shot to the top of the iTunes chart less than 90 minutes after it became available for download.

Twitter is obviously the absolute last place anyone should go for a nuanced opinion on anything, but it’s the voice of the people, I guess.

Some of the early reactions from Bird App users have ranged from euphoric joy that their long and painful summer of waiting for the album is over to abject disgust over its mid-ness. For example:

I personally wasn’t checking for Donda at all this summer, due to the fact that West hasn’t released a quality project in years and also because of the whole slavery thing, and for the Trump thing and the presidential candidacy thing.

But while writing this post, I listened to a few of the tracks on the 26 (!!!) song listing and honestly … it’s not terrible. It’s far from his best work, but listenable.

The production is mostly computer noises and riffs from a Wurlitzer organ that you’d hear during church when the pastor is really feeling the Holy Ghost, and that works for the most part. The “Chipmunk Soul”-style samples that West built his brand on are very much missed, though.

I’ll let you be your own judge and listen for yourself. Or don’t listen, which is completely understandable. Just be glad this saga is over. For now, at least.