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Donda (album)

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Donda
Solid black.svg
Album cover as it appears on Apple Music
Studio album by
Kanye West
ReleasedAugust 27, 2021[1]
Recorded
  • September 2018
  • October 2019 – August 2021
Studio
Label
Producer
Kanye West chronology
Jesus Is Born
(2019) 		Donda
(2021)
Alternative artwork
Cover art adaption of a Louise Bourgeois drawing from her series Les têtes bleues et les femmes rouges
Cover art adaption of a Louise Bourgeois drawing from her series Les têtes bleues et les femmes rouges

Donda is the upcoming tenth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It is named after West's late mother, Donda West. The album is scheduled to be released to digital download and streaming through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings.

The album was initially set to be released on July 24, 2020, but was later delayed indefinitely. Multiple sources, including Def Jam, announced a July 23, 2021 release date; the album remained unreleased on that date. Release dates between August 6 and August 15 were speculated, including being listed on the music services iTunes and Apple Music.[3][4][5] These dates were later revised to August 20,[6] and later changed again to August 27,[7] with the latter date also announced by West's manager, Bu Thiam.[8]

The album is expected to contain guest appearances by the Weeknd and Lil Baby.

Background and marketing

Initial cover art for Donda, shared by West in July 2020
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Cinematographer Arthur Jafa prematurely revealed the project in a conversation with fashion designer Michèle Lamy during an Instagram Live stream on May 25, 2020. Jafa indicated that he was working on video material with West for a single from a "forthcoming album" titled God's Country.[9] On June 26, 2020, following the announcement of a collaboration between West's fashion company Yeezy and clothing retailer Gap, West launched the #WestDayEver promotional campaign on Twitter to announce different projects throughout the day. One of the projects was a music video for "Wash Us in the Blood", directed by Jafa, which was released four days later following a teaser on Twitter in which West officially announced the album, at that point still titled God's Country.[10][11] On July 13, West shared a snippet on Twitter of a song from the album, titled "Donda", which featured a spoken word introduction by his late mother and was accompanied by a short video featuring assorted clips of West, among others.

On July 18, West announced the title had been changed to Donda in honor of his late mother, Donda West; three days later, West stated the album would be accompanied by a film. West's mother is also the namesake of his creative content company. West announced a July 24 release date, which he eventually missed. On July 25, 2020, West tweeted an image of the album cover,[12] which was eventually scrapped in favor of an adaption of a red Louise Bourgeois drawing from her series Les têtes bleues et les femmes rouges, which translates as The Blue Heads and the Red Women.[13] On September 26, West released a 39-second snippet of a track titled "Believe What I Say" on his Twitter account. On October 16, West released a song titled "Nah Nah Nah", calling it his presidential campaign's theme song. On November 13, West released a remix of "Nah Nah Nah" featuring rappers DaBaby and 2 Chainz; notably, the verses were censored, presumably due to West's stated aversion to profanity following his recommitment to Christianity. Both the original song and its remix feature various references to his presidential run. On November 23, rapper Consequence expressed enthusiasm about the album, describing it as "fire".[14]

On March 7, 2021, Cyhi the Prynce stated in an interview with VladTV that West had once again begun working on his upcoming album amid his divorce with Kim Kardashian.[15] On July 17, Consequence posted a video of West in the studio with Tyler, the Creator on Instagram. The caption of the post suggested a late 2021 album release.[16]

On July 19, 2021, American rapper and friend of West Pusha T announced on Instagram that West would be holding a listening event for the album on July 22 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.[17] The following day Beats Electronics premiered a commercial during game six of the 2021 NBA Finals featuring athlete Sha'Carri Richardson, edited and scored by West using the track "No Child Left Behind". French producer Gesaffelstein later stated that he produced the song, which featured Cory Henry playing the organ. Immediately following the commercial's debut, Def Jam Recordings confirmed the album's July 23 release date and revealed that the listening event in Atlanta would be globally livestreamed on Apple Music.[18] The album ultimately remained unreleased on that date.

West's representatives had confirmed an August 6 release date,[19][20] It was later announced that the album would be released early on August 6, 2021, by a Beats by Dre commercial and on West's Apple Music livestream.[21][22] On August 5, a preorder for the album was launched on iTunes, revealing it to have 24 tracks, along with a release date of August 7, 2021, which was later revised to August 13, 2021.[23][24] Apple Music showed the release date to be August 15, which was later changed to August 20.[24][6] Fans of West had an input in the making of the second track "Hurricane", with producer Mike Dean conducting a poll on Discord. The poll asked whether the fans would prefer the old version of the song, the new version featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby as heard at the listening party, or a blend of the two. The latter option won, but it is unclear whether the poll will affect the final version.[25]

During the album's listening parties, guest appearances were revealed including Pusha T, The World Famous Tony Williams, Don Toliver, Lil Baby, The Weeknd, Rooga, Baby Keem, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Playboi Carti, Lil Durk, Vory, Fivio Foreign, Kid Cudi, Young Thug, 070 Shake, Chris Brown, Roddy Ricch, Conway the Machine, KayCyy, Westside Gunn, Jadakiss, Jay Electronica, Sheek Louch, Styles P, Pop Smoke, Francis and the Lights, Jay-Z, and the Sunday Service Choir.[26]

Recording and promotion

See also: Jesus Is King
Invite to the second listening party for the album at Mercedes-Benz Stadium

In March 2020, West recorded new music in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, before returning to Wyoming with his family due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[27] That same month, Pusha T stated in a Discord interview that he had been recording with West recently.[28] Pusha T was planning to meet with West on March 16, 2020, to finish up a project, but cited "flights slowing down" due to COVID travel restrictions as the reason for a delay.[28]

Listening parties

Following the listening party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 21, 2021, West had taken up temporary residence in one of the stadium's locker rooms, converting it into a recording studio to finish the recording and mixing with Mike Dean.[29][30][31] Videos and photos posted to social media also showed featured artists Playboi Carti and 2 Chainz recording vocals in the locker room a day before the listening party.[32][33][34][35] Jay-Z also allegedly recorded his verse only 4 hours before the listening party.[36]

A second listening party for the album at Mercedes-Benz Stadium took place on August 5, 2021.[20][37][38] On July 22, West's Kids See Ghosts cohort Kid Cudi had tweeted that he would not be appearing on Donda.[39] However, after the August 5 listening party revealed Cudi singing on two tracks (tentatively titled "Moon" and "Remote Control", alongside Don Toliver and Young Thug respectively), Cudi took to Twitter to clarify the confusion: "I wasnt on Donda when I tweeted that I wasnt. Ye hit me the followin week and we made it work. Realest nigga alive. No need to lie to kick it. Hope u guys enjoy!!"[40]

On August 18, 2021, West announced a third listening party for the album scheduled for August 26, 2021, at Soldier Field in Chicago.[41] It was subsequently announced by West's manager that the album would be released the day after the listening party on August 27.[7] It is speculated that the performance will include a replica of West's childhood home.

Track listing

Donda track listing[42]
No.TitleLength
2."Hurricane" (featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby)4:02

Other confirmed tracks

References

  1. ^ "Kanye West's manager confirms 'DONDA' will be released after Chicago listening event". NME. August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  2. ^ Naidoo, Alicia (July 27, 2021). "Inside Kanye West's 'therapy' ranch where 'Donda' came to life [photos]". The South African. Retrieved July 28, 2021.
  3. ^ "Kanye West's 'Donda' album to be released on Friday, new song previewed in Beats advertisement". NME. July 21, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  4. ^ "Kanye West to Release Donda This Friday". Spin. July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  5. ^ "Kanye West's "Donda" gets new release date". NME. August 6, 2021. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Moore, Sam (August 13, 2021). "Kanye West's delayed album 'DONDA' gets new projected release date". NME. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Jones, Damian (August 20, 2021). "Kanye West's manager confirms 'DONDA' will be released after Chicago listening event". NME. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  8. ^ "Kanye West's manager confirms 'DONDA' will be released after Chicago listening event". NME. August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  9. ^ GQ staff (May 25, 2020). "Kanye West Is Working On A New Album Titled 'God's Country'". GQ Australia. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020.CS1 maint: uses authors parameter (link)
  10. ^ West, Kanye [@kanyewest] (June 26, 2020). "#WestDayEver announcement" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 26, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Twitter.
  11. ^ West, Kanye [@kanyewest] (June 29, 2020). "Kanye West Arthur Jafa Project 02 Wash US In The Blood From The Forthcoming Album God's Country Today Still #WestDayEver" (Tweet). Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved June 29, 2020 – via Twitter.
  12. ^ ye [@kanyewest] (July 25, 2020). "DONDA ALBM CVR t.co/Wb9Ql1mSri" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 20, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  13. ^ [1] 2021 Album Cover Arts
  14. ^ Marie, Erika (November 23, 2020). "Consequence Calls Kanye West's "Donda" Album "Fire": "We're Gonna Score"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  15. ^ "Kanye West Reportedly Working 'Donda' Album Again". Hypebeast. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  16. ^ "Consequence on Instagram". July 17, 2021 – via Instagram.
  17. ^ King Push [@PUSHA_T] (July 19, 2021). "t.co/tduu5rQTaS" (Tweet). Archived from the original on July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
  18. ^ Nast, Condé (July 20, 2021). "Kanye West Releasing New Album Donda This Week, Previews New Song: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  19. ^ Aswad, Jem (July 26, 2021). "Kanye West Rep 'Confirms' Aug. 6 Release Date for 'Donda' Album, For What That's Worth". Variety. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b "Kanye West Bringing 'Donda' Party Back To Atlanta, But Needs New Twist". TMZ. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  21. ^ Run to Glory - Sha'Carri Richardson & Kanye West & Dr. Dre | Beats Studio Buds. Beats by Dre. August 5, 2021. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  22. ^ Yoo, Noah (August 5, 2021). "Kanye West Is "Finishing" New Album Donda on Apple Music Livestream". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  23. ^ Callas, Brad (August 7, 2021). "Kanye West's 'Donda' Receives New Release Date on Apple Music". Complex. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  24. ^ Jump up to: a b Aubrey, Elizabeth (August 7, 2021). "Kanye West's 'Donda' gets new release date". NME. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  25. ^ https://www.complex.com/music/west-sub-ever-discord-kanye-west-donda
  26. ^ Ihaza, Jeff (August 6, 2021). "Kanye West's 'Donda': Everything We Know About New Album". Rolling Stone.
  27. ^ Christina Binkley (March 25, 2020). "The Creation and the Myth of Kanye West". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  28. ^ Jump up to: a b Trace William Cowen (March 24, 2020). "Pusha-T Talks Working on 3 New Projects, Collabing With Madlib, and More in Discord AMA". Complex. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  29. ^ "Kanye West Is Reportedly Living In The Stadium Where His 'Donda' Livestream Took Place". Junkee. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  30. ^ "Kanye West Living In MB Stadium ...To Finish 'DONDA' Album!!!". TMZ. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  31. ^ "Kanye West living in Atlanta stadium to work on new album". AP NEWS. July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "We Still Don't Know What's on Kanye's Mind". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  33. ^ "'2 Chainz Seen Recording Music For Kanye At Mercedes-Benz Stadium". worldwideentertainmenttv.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  34. ^ "Kanye West Partially Shares "DONDA" Tracklist". hotnewhiphop.com. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  35. ^ "Kanye West teases 'Donda' tracklist". Revolt. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  36. ^ Young Guru (July 22, 2021). "HOV did the verse today!!!! At 4pm". Twitter. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  37. ^ "Kanye West reportedly hosting second 'DONDA' listening event in Atlanta". NME. July 31, 2021. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  38. ^ "'Kanye West Presents the Donda Album Release' Event Date Officially Confirmed". Complex. Retrieved July 31, 2021.
  39. ^ Cudi, Kid [@KidCudi] (July 22, 2021). "I am not. Sorry" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  40. ^ Cudi, Kid [@KidCudi] (August 6, 2021). "I wasnt on Donda when I tweeted that I wasnt. Ye hit me the followin week and we made it work. Realest nigga alive. No need to lie to kick it. Hope u guys enjoy!!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ Moore, Sam (August 18, 2021). "Kanye West confirms his next 'DONDA' listening event in Chicago". NME. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  42. ^ West, Kanye (August 13, 2021). "Donda". Retrieved August 14, 2021 – via Apple Music (US).
  43. ^ Atkinson, Katie (July 20, 2021). "Kanye West Reveals 'Donda' Release Date, Previews New Song in Sha'Carri Richardson Beats by Dre Ad". Billboard.
  44. ^ Powell, Karlie (July 22, 2021). "New 'DONDA' Track by Kanye West Produced by Gesaffelstein, "No Child Left Behind" [PREVIEW]". Your EDM.
  45. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Rinder, Grant (August 9, 2021). "11 Ways Kanye West's Donda Album Has Already Changed". GQ.
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