Kanye West’s Long-Awaited ‘Donda’ Garners Mixed Reviews - Forbes

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Topline

Kanye West’s highly-anticipated 10th studio album Donda was released on streaming platforms without warning Sunday after the rapper repeatedly pushed back the drop date, but some music critics who reviewed the album Monday have judged the project as “half-baked” and “dull” compared to West’s earlier albums, despite the chaotic release.

Key Facts

On Monday afternoon, Donda had an overall score of 52% from critics according to an amalgamation of reviews from MetaCritic, putting the album on track to be West’s most critically-panned album.

West made headlines last week when it was revealed Donda would feature singer Marilyn Manson, who was accused of being abusive by several ex-partners in February and rapper DaBaby, who was removed from multiple music festival lineups after going on a homophobic rant during a performance in July.

However, the controversy didn’t translate into compelling listening, Washington Post critic Chris Richards wrote, characterizing their contributions as “pretty gross, yet totally unsurprising, and ultimately not even frustrating enough to be halfway interesting.”

The Guardian’s Thomas Hobbs wrote that for all the chaos leading up to Donda’s release, “there is a nagging sense the spectacle has overshadowed the actual music.”

Critics still agreed Donda shows that West is “still capable of emotionally stirring music,” as the Wall Street Journal’s Mark Richardson wrote, with the tracks “Believe What I Say” featuring Lauryn Hill and “Jail” with West’s once-frequent collaborator Jay Z standing out as critic favorites.

The album was also criticized for its length, and with 27 tracks and nearly two hours of play time, The Telegraph’s Ed Power compared the album to “a sermon that goes on too long,” a reference to West’s many allusions to God and religion on Donda.

Contra

Despite the mixed reviews from critics, Donda is dominating the music charts. Tracks from the album made up six of the top 10 most-streamed Spotify songs on Monday, and the entire album from Donda charted on Apple Music’s list of most-streamed songs in the U.S., with Donda’s 27 songs charting 33rd or above. Donda’s first-week sales look to be on track to have West claim the spot for the most first-week sales so far this year, a title currently held by Olivia Rodrigo.

Big Number

$1.8 billion. That’s how much West is worth, according to a Forbes estimate. Most of his wealth comes from his ultra-successful Yeezy sneaker line.

Key Background

West said Sunday that his record label Universal dropped Donda without his approval. Universal did not immediately respond to a Forbes request for comment. West was slated to release the album months ago, but pushed back the drop date as he continued to tweak the album and hold massive, in-person listening parties. During one party last week, West brought Manson and DaBaby onstage, a controversial move in light of Manson being accused of being abusive by several ex-partners in Feburary and DaBaby having gone on a homophobic rant during a performance in July.