Donda (styled DONDA) is a creative content company founded by American rapper and fashion designer

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

. The company was named after West's mother,

Donda West Donda C. West ( Williams; July 12, 1949 – November 10, 2007) was an American professor and chair of Chicago State University's Department of English, Communications, Media and Theater. She was the mother of rapper Ye, better known as Kanye We ...

, and shares the name with his tenth studio album, released in 2021.

History

West announced the company on January 5, 2012, via a series of Twitter posts. In his announcement, West proclaimed that the company would "pick up where

Steve Jobs Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...

left off"; Donda would operate as "a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers in a creative space to bounce their dreams and ideas" with the "goal to make products and experiences that people want and can afford." The announcement garnered widespread media attention, including coverage by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', ''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'', ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'', and ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' magazine, which proclaimed the company's announcement the first major

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

moment of 2012.

Culture

West was secretive about the company's operations, maintaining neither an official website nor a social media presence. In stating Donda's creative philosophy, West articulated the need to "put creatives in a room together with like minds" in order to "simplify and aesthetically improve everything we see, taste, touch, and feel". Contemporary critics have noted the consistent minimalistic aesthetic exhibited throughout Donda creative projects. Continuing a trend consistent in previous Kanye West projects, an additional hallmark of Donda projects has been

multi-disciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

collaboration, often featuring prominent contributions from major figures in various creative fields. Prominent examples include painter

George Condo George Condo (born 1957) is an American visual artist who works in painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. He lives and works in New York City. Early life Condo was born in Concord, New Hampshire. He studied art history and music ...

, photographer Luis Tarin, video artist/film director

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

, performance artist

Vanessa Beecroft Vanessa Beecroft (born April 25, 1969) is an Italian-born American contemporary performance artist; she also works with photography, video art, sculpture, and painting. Many of her works have made use of professional models, sometimes in large nu ...

, artist Wes Lang, stage designer

Es Devlin Esmeralda "Es" Devlin (; born 24 September 1971) is an English artist and stage designer who works in a range of media, often mapping light and projected film onto kinetic sculptural forms. Early life Devlin was born in Kingston upon Thames, ...

, audio/visual designer Jadis Mercado, artist/sculptor

Takashi Murakami is a Japanese contemporary artist. He works in fine arts media (such as painting and sculpture) as well as commercial (such as fashion, merchandise, and animation) and is known for blurring the line between high and low arts as well as co ae ...

, photographer Jackie Nickerson, fashion designer

Riccardo Tisci Riccardo Tisci (; born 1974) is an Italian fashion designer. He studied in Italy at the Design Istituto d’Arte Applicata in Cantù until the age of 17, and then graduated from London's Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in 1999. In ...

, and fashion house Maison Martin Margiela.

Projects

Film

On May 23, 2012, Donda debuted its inaugural creative project, a film entitled '' Cruel Summer'', as part of the

2012 Cannes Film Festival The 65th Cannes Film Festival was held from 16 to 27 May 2012. Italian film director Nanni Moretti was the President of the Jury for the main competition and British actor Tim Roth was the President of the Jury for the Un Certain Regard section. ...

. The film is a seven-screen surround vision experience. ''Cruel Summer'' was shot using a specialized camera rig, which allowed the directors to capture multiple angles simultaneously. The film, developed in collaboration with the

Doha Film Institute Doha Film Institute (DFI) is a nonprofit cultural organisation established in 2010 by Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani to support the growth of the Qatari film community and to provide funding and international networking oppo ...

, design firm 2x4 and architecture firm OMA, was presented in a specially designed theater—christened "Surround Vision"—featuring seven screens which surrounded the audience. On March 7, 2015, West debuted a collaborative short film with director

entitled ''All Day/I Feel Like That''. The film premiered at the

Fondation Louis Vuitton The Louis Vuitton Foundation (French: ''Fondation d'entreprise Louis-Vuitton''), previously Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation (''Fondation Louis-Vuitton pour la création''), is a French art museum and cultural center sponsored by the group LV ...

in Paris, France, followed by its American debut at the

Los Angeles County Museum of Art The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) is an art museum located on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile, Los Angeles, California, Miracle Mile vicinity of Los Angeles. LACMA is on Museum Row, adjacent to the La Brea Tar Pits (George C. Pa ...

in July 2015.

Album/singles art

Donda provided packaging design for the following albums and singles: *

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

, "

Watch the Throne ''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the re ...

", released on August 8, 2011. *Kanye West,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

and 2 Chainz, "

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

", released on April 3, 2012. *Kanye West,

Chief Keef Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...

, Pusha T, Big Sean and

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

, " I Don't Like (Remix)", released on May 1, 2012. *

Meek Mill Robert Rihmeek Williams (born May 6, 1987), known professionally as Meek Mill, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he embarked on his music career as a battle rapper, and later formed a short-lived rap group, ...

featuring Big Sean, "

Burn A burn is an injury to skin, or other tissues, caused by heat, cold, electricity, chemicals, friction, or ultraviolet radiation (like sunburn). Most burns are due to heat from hot liquids (called scalding), solids, or fire. Burns occur mainl ...

", released on May 4, 2012. *Pusha T and Kanye West, "

New God Flow "New God Flow" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Pusha T. It was released as the third single from the compilation album '' Cruel Summer'' (2012), a collaboration between members of their record label GOOD Music. Produced by West, Anth ...

", released on July 12, 2012. *2 Chainz, ''

Based on a T.R.U. Story ''Based on a T.R.U. Story'' is the debut studio album by American rapper 2 Chainz. It was released on August 14, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from fellow rappers Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Drake, Nicki Minaj and P ...

'', released on August 12, 2012 *Kanye West, Jay Z and

, "

Clique A clique ( AusE, CanE, or ), in the social sciences, is a group of individuals who interact with one another and share similar interests. Interacting with cliques is part of normative social development regardless of gender, ethnicity, or popular ...

", released on September 6, 2012. *

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

, '' Cruel Summer'', released on September 14, 2012. *

, "Pain", released on October 8, 2012. * 2 Chainz, " I'm Different", released on November 8, 2012. *

featuring

Popcaan Andrae Hugh Sutherland (born 19 July 1988), known professionally as Popcaan, is a Jamaican singer. In 2008, Popcaan joined Vybz Kartel's Gaza Music Empire. In 2010, he released his breakthrough international hit "Clarks" with Kartel, an ode t ...

and Travi$ Scott, "Blocka", released on December 5, 2012. *

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, " Love Me", released on January 18, 2013. *

, '' Wrath of Caine'' mixtape, released on January 28, 2013. *

, " Millions", released on January 29, 2013. *

, ''

I Am Not a Human Being II ''I Am Not a Human Being II'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on March 26, 2013, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records.Recording sessions took place during 2006 to 2012, wi ...

'', released on March 26, 2013. *Pusha T, "

Numbers on the Boards "Numbers on the Boards" is a song by American rapper Pusha T from his debut studio album ''My Name Is My Name'' (2013). It was produced by Don Cannon, Kanye West and 88-Keys. On May 10, 2013, the song was officially released as the album's second ...

", released on May 10, 2013. *

, ''

Yeezus ''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...

'', released on June 18, 2013. * Pusha T featuring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

, "

Sweet Serenade "Sweet Serenade" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Pusha T from his debut studio album ''My Name Is My Name'' (2013). "Sweet Serenade" features vocals from American singer Chris Brown, with Hip hop production, production by Swizz Beat ...

", released on September 4, 2013. * 2 Chainz, '' B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time'', released on September 10, 2013. *

, ''

My Name Is My Name ''My Name Is My Name'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Pusha T. It was released on October 8, 2013, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. While leading up to the album's announcement, Pusha T released the mixtape ''Fear of God'' and ...

'', released on October 7, 2013. * Pusha T, " Lunch Money", released on November 18, 2014. *

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

, ''

The Pinkprint ''The Pinkprint'' is the third studio album by rapper Nicki Minaj, released on December 15, 2014, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Republic Records. Minaj co-executive-produced the album alongside Birdman, Lil Wayne and Rona ...

'', released on December 15, 2014. *

, " Only One", released on January 1, 2015. *

, "

Dark Sky Paradise ''Dark Sky Paradise'' is the third studio album by American rapper Big Sean. It was released on February 24, 2015, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Kanye West, E-40, Chris Brown, Ty Dolla Sign, ...

", released on February 24, 2015. *

, " All Day", released on March 2, 2015. *

Vic Mensa Vic (; es, Vic or Pancracio Celdrán (2004). Diccionario de topónimos españoles y sus gentilicios (5ª edición). Madrid: Espasa Calpe. p. 843. ISBN 978-84-670-3054-9. «Vic o Vich (viquense, vigitano, vigatán, ausense, ausetano, ausonense): ...

, "U Mad", released on April 10, 2015. *

Tyga Michael Ray Nguyen-StevensonMicheal Ray Stevenson ...

, '' The Gold Album: 18th Dynasty'', released on June 23, 2015. * Pusha T, "Untouchable", released on November 12, 2015. * Pusha T, "M.F.T.R", released on December 8, 2015. * Pusha T, "Crutches, Crosses, Caskets", released on December 11, 2015. * Pusha T, '' King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude'', released on December 18, 2015. * Kanye West, " Real Friends", released on January 8, 2016. * Kanye West featuring

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his Progressive rap, progressive musical styles and Social consciousness, socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most infl ...

, "No More Parties In LA", released on January 18, 2016. * Kanye West, "30 Hours", released on February 12, 2016. * Kanye West,

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeezy, ...

, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott,

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

Quavo Quavious Keyate Marshall (born April 2, 1991), known professionally as Quavo (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He is best known as the co-founder and former frontman of hip hop group Migos. Quavo is the uncle of late fellow Migos m ...

and

Desiigner Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...

, "

Champions A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the Victory, victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and w ...

", released on June 12, 2016.

Music videos

* "

Black Skinhead "Black Skinhead" (also stylized as "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD") is a song by American rapper Kanye West, from his sixth studio album '' Yeezus'' (2013). It was produced by West and Daft Punk. The song's lyrics center on racial tensions and the crumbli ...

" (Directed by Nick Knight), released on July 22, 2013. * " Beware" (Directed by Matthew Williams), released on August 16, 2013. * " Bound 2" (Directed by Nick Knight), released on November 16, 2013. * " Only One" (Directed by

Spike Jonze Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television. Jonze began his ca ...

, Concept by

), released on January 29, 2015.

Print

* ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' "GOOD Music: New Religion" cover story and article, printed on July 23, 2012. * Kanye West and

Adidas Originals Adidas Originals (often stylized as adidas Originals) is a brand of a line of casual and sportswear created by German multinational corporation Adidas. It consists of a heritage line, specializing in athletic shoes, t-shirts, jackets, bags, ...

- Season One zine. Photography by Jackie Nickerson. Released on March 11, 2015. *

Kim Kardashian West Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

- ''

Selfish Selfishness is being concerned excessively or exclusively, for oneself or one's own advantage, pleasure, or welfare, regardless of others. Selfishness is the opposite of altruism or selflessness; and has also been contrasted (as by C. S. Lewis) w ...

'' - published on May 5, 2015. * Rich Wilkerson Jr., ''Sandcastle Kings: Meeting Jesus in a Spiritually Bankrupt World'' cover art, published on November 10, 2015.

Stage design

* Kanye West - "Surround Vision" Concert, debuted at Revel Atlantic City on December 28, 2012. * Kanye West -

The Yeezus Tour The Yeezus Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West in support of West's sixth solo studio album, '' Yeezus'' (2013). The venture served as West's first solo concert tour in five years. Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest, Travis S ...

, debuted at Key Arena, Seattle, WA on October 19, 2013. * Kanye West - " All Day", debuted at the

Brit Awards The BRIT Awards (often simply called the BRITs) are the British Phonographic Industry's annual popular music awards. The name was originally a shortened form of "British", "Britain", or "Britannia" (in the early days the awards were sponsored ...

, February 25, 2015. * Kanye West - "Surround Vision" benefit concert, debuted at

on March 6, 2015. New Slaves projection

Marketing

Prominent marketing projects include: * Worldwide " New Slaves" guerrilla projection campaign. * ''Yeezus'' "Please Add Graffiti" advertising project. * '' American Psycho'' homage short film, starring

Scott Disick Scott Michael Disick (born May 26, 1983) is an American media personality and socialite. He is most famous for starring as a main cast member on ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and its spinoffs. Disick's popularity on ''Keeping Up with the ...

and

Jonathan Cheban Foodgod (born Jonathan Cheban; 21 February 1974) is an American reality television personality, entrepreneur and former publicist. He has made appearances on the show ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' and its spinoffs. Early life Cheban was b ...

. Released June 17, 2013. * " The Canyons" trailer remix, released August 2, 2015. * Kanye West and Adidas Originals - Season One rollout & invitation campaign. February 13, 2015.Marcus, Ezra
Kanye West Sends Out Mysterious New York Fashion Week Invites
, 11 February 2012,

Radio.com Audacy, previously known as Radio.com, is a free broadcast and Internet radio platform owned by the namesake company Audacy, Inc. (formerly known as Entercom). The Audacy platform functions as a music recommender system and is the national umbr ...

, retrieved 4 August 2015.

References

External links

''Complex'': The Complete History of Donda's Work So Far

High Snobiety: Ten of the Best Donda Projects

* ttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/03/roc-nation-good-music_n_4892635.html/ Jay Z's Roc Nation To Manage Kanye West Donda Music {{Kanye West American companies established in 2012 Kanye West Design companies of the United States Design companies established in 2012 American artist groups and collectives