Kanye West's 'Donda' Shows His Deeper Faith Walk
(REVIEW) After much anticipation, Kanye West’s tenth studio album, “Donda,” released Aug. 29 and racked up 60 million streams on Apple Music in its first 24 hours.
The typical question remains: Is Kanye a genius, or is he crazy?
Some lucky super fans caught the “Donda” songs at listening events in both Georgia and Chicago before the album dropped. The latest listening event in Chicago attracted a crowd of an estimated 40,000 people.
The album is named after Kanye’s mother, who passed away on Nov. 10, 2007, after surgery.
It’s a long album, with 27 songs and a runtime of an hour and 48 minutes. In comparison, his album “Jesus is King” only had 11 songs for a total of 27 minutes of music.
“Donda'' also has an impressive list of artists collaborating with Kanye: Jay Z, Chris Brown, Kid Cudi, the Weeknd, DaBaby and Marilyn Manson are a few. Kanye faced some criticism for bringing Manson and DaBaby on stage during the listening party in Chicago — Manson is accused of sexual assault, and DaBaby faces accusations of being anti-gay.
“Donda'' is a continuation of the Christian themes in “Jesus is King.” Re-listening to the previous album reminds me of a newly saved Christian who just wants to share their faith with songs uplifting God, like “Selah'' and “Every Hour.”
But “Donda” seems a bit more mature and grips on to walking out one’s faith amid trials and tribulations. This isn't a surprise considering Kanye’s recent divorce from Kim Kardashian and struggles with mental illness over the past year during a pandemic.
Some fans may find Kanye’s references to hearing from angels and demons in “God Breathed” to be a sign of mental illness, while Christians of certain theological bents will relate to his story. At other times, Kanye talks about battling his demons, even a demon in “dark liquor,” using spiritual language to refer to mental challenges and addiction and relating them to the supernatural.
In “Hurricane'' Kanye reveals that he had an affair during his marriage. In February, Kim filed for divorce.
“Lord I Need You” seems to reference his struggle with his family:
God got us, baby, God got the children.
The devil run the playground, but God own the building.
Time and space is a luxury.
But you came here to show that you still in love with me.
In the mellow song “Moon,” lyrics seem to describe emotional struggles:
Angels, they say I'm not ever weak, such a lonely moment.
Heaven knows I might never sleep, trouble in my soul.
Hey, I've been prayin', life can be drainin', oh.
Hey, we were late, tryna keep haulin' on.
I'm ashamed and yet, what I will see, ain't nobody knows, so I go.
In “New Again,” Kanye raps about the repentance of sins that he seems to struggle with continually.
I repent for everything I'm going to do again!
Most insane out-of-body experience.
And I repent for everything I'ma do again (I accept Him).
And I repent for everything I'ma do again.
In “24,” the lyrics “I know you’re alive, God’s not finished” hit hard when you realize that God Is still a presence in the silence.
Pitchfork noted, with a point of contention, how Christianity seems to affect every creative aspect of “Donda.” That is the point: When you come to faith, Jesus engulfs every part of your life. However, it's understandable how fans who haven’t seen this side of Kanye or are not used to his faith are taken aback.
This new fire does inspire some great lyrics and beats for his music that even secular audiences appreciate, though.
New York Times writer Jon Caramanica wrote in his review, “West remains capable of orchestrating impressive pop music.”
Caramanica continues:
“Hurricane,” with sweet vocals from the Weeknd, is disarmingly pretty. “Junya” pulses with church organ and SoundCloud rap puckishness. “Believe What I Say,” which samples Lauryn Hill — one of the few times you hear a woman’s voice on this album — is among the easeful songs West has made in a decade.
Kanye’s religious creativity may be a point of contention, but some fans of “Donda” believe his faith, combined with his attitude of not having anybody to please, makes it a great Christian album.
Sometimes Christians are taught that being a follower of Jesus is easy and everything should be great, but the good book promises problems. Still, even in the valley, we walk and stand by God.
As I enjoyed this album and listened, I was reminded of James 1:12:
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Princess Jones is a writer based in New York City. She was previously an editorial clerk at the New York Post and interned for Religion Unplugged and the New York Amsterdam News. She is an alumna of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee and of the NYC Semester in Journalism at The King’s College in New York City.