Albums
Donda
On Kanye West’s 10th studio album Donda, he enlists Syleena Johnson, who begins the album with a meditation on his late mother, whose name titles the project. West loops her voice and changes its rhythms, but retains a calming pulse throughout. It’s a throughline that West tries to harness throughout the project, which finds him melding the gospel impulses of 2019’s Jesus is King with the electro-thrash of his fan favorite, 2013’s Yeezus. As always with West, the album features a smorgasbord of collaborators, including The Weeknd, Lil Yachty, Travis Scott, JAŸ-Z, Playboi Carti, Lil Baby, and more. It’s at times unrelentingly experimental, at others shooting for the top of the pop charts. Always, though, Kanye aims to keep that core peace that emanates from the “Donda Chant” opening. The album touches on many of West’s pet sonic themes, making it uniquely suited as a primer for his one-of-a-kind methods.