''Donda 2'' is an album by American rapper
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 ...
. Although unfinished, it was exclusively released on the
Stem Player, with four songs made available on February 23, 2022, and additional songs later included in updates, the first of which were added the following day. West began the recording and production of the album in early January 2022, continuing into the next month. It was preceded by the singles "
Eazy" and "
City of Gods
"City of Gods" is a song by American rappers Fivio Foreign and Kanye West and American singer Alicia Keys. It was released as the lead single from Fivio's debut studio album ''B.I.B.L.E.'' and the second single from West's album, '' Donda 2''. On ...
", released in January and February 2022, respectively; both of them charted inside the top 50 of the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100.
West held "Kanye West: Donda Experience Performance", an accompanying performance, showcasing songs from the first iteration, at
LoanDepot Park
LoanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana about west of Downtown Miami. Const ...
on February 22, 2022, selling out 47
IMAX theaters across the United States. The "V2.22.22 Miami"
version of the album received mixed reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
, who criticized its subject matter,
song structure
Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...
s, and lack of identifiable concept. Some were more negative towards West's vocals, though a few critics complimented certain elements of the production. Because of its exclusive Stem Player release, the album was heavily
pirated
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
in February 2022 with
emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use pe ...
s of the device shared online, and ''
Billboard'' deemed the album ineligible for its
albums charts citing precedented "bundling" rules; the album did not debut on other
record charts of the world either.
Background and recording
In an interview with ''
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 ...
'' on January 3, 2022,
Victor Victor Worldwide CEO
Steven Victor exclusively told the website that West had begun working on a sequel to his tenth studio album ''
Donda
''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...
'' (2021), entitled ''Donda 2''.
Victor later told the magazine that it is "coming sooner than you think", explaining: "The procession is starting and it's not stopping." On January 27, 2022, West captioned an
Instagram photo of his childhood home in flames with a date of February 22 along with the title ''Donda 2'', also mentioning fellow rapper
Future will serve the role of executive producer.
He had worked with Future in the past, featuring on his
single "
I Won
"I Won" is a song by American rapper Future featuring fellow American rapper Kanye West. The song was released on April 8, 2014, as the fifth single from the former's second studio album, '' Honest'' (2014). The song features Future and West ra ...
" (2014).
Most publications took this as an announcement of the album's release date,
though it went unreleased on the date.
Producer BoogzDaBeast revealed that even though hundreds of songs were recorded during the sessions for the first ''Donda'' album, the tracks recorded for ''Donda 2'' were all new songs made after the announcement of the ''Donda 2'' listening event.
Producer
Digital Nas
Nasir Pemberton known professionally as Digital Nas or DN, is a Grammy-nominated American record producer, singer & songwriter. He initially began producing for underground artists and later rose to prominence for his work with Kanye West on his ...
revealed that for ''Donda 2'', West instructed him to make the songs sound "more monk-like" and to "simplify the tracks", and if they are "not able to be played at a funeral, childbirth, graduation, a wedding", then inclusion on the album is not appropriate.
In late January 2022, the producer stated that singer
Marilyn Manson was recording for ''Donda 2'' daily in the studio. Marilyn Manson had previously contributed to ''Donda'' and for the sequel, Digital Nas opened up that West does not want the singer to "play rap beats", desiring for him "to play what he makes" and then West would work on parts of his work.
Digital Nas compared the creative process to that of West's sixth studio album ''
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, ...
'' (2013), also saying that some of the producers who contributed to the album were working on ''Donda 2''.
On February 17, 2022, West announced that ''Donda 2'' will not be available on any commercial streaming services and will be exclusive to his
Stem Player audio device, priced at , which was previously released with ''Donda''.
He explained that his motive is how artists "get just 12% of the money the industry makes" when their music is available on the platforms, calling for a time for freedom from "this oppressive system".
According to West, he made around $2.2 million from purchases of the Stem Player within 24 hours of the announcement, having sold over 8,000 copies. However, West making the album only available on the device led to criticism from his fans. As a result of the rapper's decision,
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple trees are cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, where its wild ancestor, ' ...
reportedly pulled their $2 million sponsorship deal with him, as they were scheduled to stream the accompanying concert. In a series of Instagram posts, West declared that he had turned down a $100 million deal with the company. The first batch of songs that were played at the Miami listening event on February 22, 2022–which were added to the device on February 24–contained half-mumbled reference tracks and incomplete songs; West continued finishing the album during February. The co-inventor of the Stem Player tweeted that official ''Donda 2'' songs are available and always updated via the device, adding that "anywhere else, you're not getting the vision or the latest versions", insinuating that West plans to update the album as he had done previously with ''
The Life of Pablo
''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...
'' and ''Donda'' in 2016 and 2021, respectively.
Music and themes
''Donda 2'' is a
hip hop album.
The album was described in multiple reviews as seeming unfinished, with Alphonse Pierre, writing for ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'', viewing it as a "undercooked" album posing as an "ever-changing art piece" that may remain incomplete.
A production style that incorporates "see-sawing
synth
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
patterns" was observed 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 ...
'' journalist
Alexis Petridis in his review of the album, who also commented that there is a lack of focus, seeing certain songs as resembling
demos.
According to ''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
'' writer Matthew Ritchie, large stretches of the production demonstrate West's "attention to detail" that creates a background for songs.
West delves into relationship problems between himself and
Kim Kardashian
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 s ...
on ''Donda 2'', particularly discussing their divorce.
Thematically, this topic drew comparisons to West's fourth studio album ''
808s & Heartbreak
''808s & Heartbreak'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 24, 2008, having been recorded earlier that year in September and October at Glenwood Studi ...
'' (2008) from numerous writers.
He goes into detail about the divorce, focusing on his many emotions and insecurities.
West directs insults towards comedian
Pete Davidson
Peter Michael Davidson (born November 16, 1993) is an American comedian and actor. He was a cast member of the NBC late-night sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) for eight seasons, running from 2014 to 2022.
Davidson's ...
, who became Kardashian's new partner.
West also addresses his family's concerns, disregarding them.
The rapper conveys a bitter and self-pitying style, seeking the sympathy of others, while showing a lack of both happiness and empathy.
Songs
![Pete Davidson 201802](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Pete_Davidson_201802.png)
The album's opening track, "
True Love", contains a drum break shared with West's 2010 single "
Runaway" that samples "The Basement" by
Pete Rock & CL Smooth
Pete Rock & CL Smooth were a hip hop duo from Mount Vernon, New York. They made their debut with their 1991 EP, '' All Souled Out'' and followed that with their 1992 LP '' Mecca and the Soul Brother''.
Career
1991–1994: The Golden Age
As a p ...
.
A posthumous feature from rapper
XXXTentacion
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...
is included at the beginning, singing about lost love.
On the track, West laments the childcare arrangements brought about in the wake of his divorce.
West also references XXXTentacion's son Geykume during the second chorus, as he reminds both his and the late rapper's children of their respective fathers' love for them. "Broken Road" is a
ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...
featuring rapper
Don Toliver
Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles " No Idea" and " After Party", from his de ...
, in which West delivers introspection and declares his freedom.
"Get Lost" sees West singing
a cappella with
Auto-Tune
Auto-Tune (or autotune) is an audio processor introduced in 1996 by American company Antares Audio Technologies. Auto-Tune uses a proprietary device to measure and alter pitch in vocal and instrumental music recording and performances.
Auto-Tu ...
heavily applied to his voice, recalling varying memories of his marriage to Kardashian.
"Too Easy" features
electronic
Electronic may refer to:
*Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor
* ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal
*Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device
*Electronic co ...
elements and contains a
mantra
A mantra ( Pali: ''manta'') or mantram (मन्त्रम्) is a sacred utterance, a numinous sound, a syllable, word or phonemes, or group of words in Sanskrit, Pali and other languages believed by practitioners to have religious, ...
by West, who uses the vocal technique as he champions self love.
The rapper references his then-budding relationship with actress Julia Fox on "Flowers" and alludes to both his birthday gift for her and his
Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, thr ...
present for his ex-wife
Kim Kardashian
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 s ...
.
On June 29, 2022, West was sued by
Marshall Jefferson
Marshall Julius Jefferson (born September 19, 1959) is an American musician, working in the house music subgenres of Chicago house and deep house.
Biography
Sometimes known as the father of house music, Jefferson was originally a record produce ...
for allegedly sampling his song "Move Your Body" without permission in "Flowers". West angrily threatens to fight Davidson on the noisy and aggressive track "Security", proclaiming that he "ain't got enough security for this".
"We Did It Kid" includes guest vocals from
Baby Keem
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape ''Di ...
, and the
Migos and features lyrics about friendship over a
brass
Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
trap beat.
"Pablo" is an energetic track with a fast-moving beat and a hook from fellow rapper
Travis Scott, while Future also contributes a verse.
"Louie Bags" is a tribute to designer
Virgil Abloh
Virgil Abloh (; September 30, 1980 – November 28, 2021) was an American fashion designer and entrepreneur. He was the artistic director of Louis Vuitton's menswear collection beginning in 2018, and was given increased creative responsibilitie ...
, a friend of West's.
West states on the minimally-produced electronic-backed track that he stopped buying Abloh's
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French high-end luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ranging from luxury bags and leather ...
bags after his death in 2021.
The track ends with a verse performed by
Jack Harlow
Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in ...
. "Happy" opens with a verse from Future, preceding three verses from West, who conveys his sadness as he repeatedly pleads: "Do I look happy to you?"
"Sci Fi" features lush orchestral production and begins with a monologue from Kardashian's 2021 appearance on ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
'', in which she applauds West's achievements.
Lyrically, West tells the story of their divorce.
"Selfish" is a minimal ballad that posthumously features XXXTentacion, with West analyzing how his flaws led to the divorce.
"Lord Lift Me Up" has an orchestral style and consists solely of vocals from
Vory
Tavoris Javon Hollins Jr. (born August 17, 1997), known professionally as Vory (formerly King Vory), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He won a Grammy for his work on The Carters' '' Everything Is Love'' and has released several solo ...
.
"
City of Gods
"City of Gods" is a song by American rappers Fivio Foreign and Kanye West and American singer Alicia Keys. It was released as the lead single from Fivio's debut studio album ''B.I.B.L.E.'' and the second single from West's album, '' Donda 2''. On ...
" is a
Brooklyn drill styled track serves as an ode to New York City from West, fellow rapper
Fivio Foreign
Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
, and singer
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
.
"First Time in a Long Time" embraces new beginnings and features a guest verse from
Soulja Boy. On West and fellow rapper
the Game's collaboration "
Eazy", the former disses Davidson, threatening to "beat
isass."
The song "Mr. Miyagi", featuring Future and
Playboi Carti
Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Carter was initially signed to local underground label Awful Records prior to signing with ASAP Mob's AWGE Label under Interscope ...
, was played at the ''Donda 2'' listening event, but has yet to be officially released. It leaked online in November 2022.
As of January 1, 2023, Mr. Miyagi, a famous Donda 2 song, has officially been scrapped by Kanye himself, and is not releasing anytime soon. Other Donda 2 leaks might have already been scrapped.
Promotion and release
![Stem Player](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/Stem_Player.png)
On January 15, 2022, "Eazy" was made available as a
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
exclusive, one day before it was released as the first single from ''Donda 2''.
The song entered the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 49, alongside peaking at number 32 on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
.
A
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
for "Eazy" was released on March 3, 2022, featuring West kidnapping a clay-version of Davidson that he goes on to bury.
On February 11, "City of Gods" was released as the second single from the album. The song charted at number 46 on the Hot 100, while it reached number 58 on the UK Singles Chart.
On May 27, 2022, the song "True Love" got an official release on streaming services. It was also included on XXXTentacion's "Look At Me: The Album". The song peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 upon its debut at number 22, and on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B chart at number 5. On March 8, 2022, alongside an update to the Stem Player website that allowed users who'd purchased the Stem Player to stream songs from ''Donda 2'' without having to connect their Stem Player devices to their computers (thereby allowing music to be streamed from the site like a traditional music streaming service), the songs ''Pablo'' and ''Security'' were made available to stream for all (even those without a Stem Player), likely as additional singles for ''Donda 2'', with these versions having updated mixes. These free versions of both songs were later taken down from the site, with the only streamable versions of the songs remaining the ones that could be streamed with the rest of the album.
A total of 22 songs were announced via a track list for ''Donda 2'' posted by West to his Instagram account on February 18, 2022.
On February 23, four songs, entitled "Security", "Pablo", "Broken Road", and "We Did It Kid", were released to owners of the Stem Player via the player's website.
Another 12 songs were added the following day as part of an update labeled "V2.22.22 Miami".
However, one of the 12 additional songs released, entitled "Keep It Burning", was removed from the Stem Player website and replaced with a stadium version of "True Love", which was then later replaced with "Eazy".
A finished version of the song "
Keep It Burning" would instead later be released on Future's album, ''
I Never Liked You''.
''Donda 2''
leaked online shortly after release and was heavily
pirated
Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...
. The album was one of the most pirated albums on
1337x
1337x is a website that provides a directory of torrent files and magnet links used for peer-to-peer file sharing through the BitTorrent protocol. According to the TorrentFreak news blog, 1337x is the second most popular torrent website as of 202 ...
and
the Pirate Bay
The Pirate Bay (sometimes abbreviated as TPB) is an online index of digital content of entertainment media and software. Founded in 2003 by Swedish think tank Piratbyrån, The Pirate Bay allows visitors to search, download, and contribute ma ...
in February 2022. It also led to the piracy of the Stem Player website, since the song stems and remixing tools were available on
emulator
In computing, an emulator is hardware or software that enables one computer system (called the ''host'') to behave like another computer system (called the ''guest''). An emulator typically enables the host system to run software or use pe ...
s.
''Donda 2'' is not eligible to enter any
''Billboard'' charts per the rules on releases sold with merchandise, as it is exclusive to the Stem Player service. During his performance at
Rolling Loud
Rolling Loud is an international hip hop music festival held in the United States, Europe, Australia and Canada. Established in 2015, it is "one of the biggest rap-only festivals in the world" according to ''Complex'', while '' Billboard'' called ...
music festival in July 2022, Digital Nas suggested that a finished version of the album would be released later that year.
In January 2023, in light of West’s
antisemitic remarks,
Kano Computing, the manufacturer of the Stem Player, announced that their collaboration with West has ended, and that the Donda Stem Player would be discontinued after they sold through the remaining stock of 5,000 units. At the same time, Kano announced a new variant of the Stem Player developed in collaboration with
Ghostface Killah
Dennis Coles (born May 9, 1970), better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapper and a member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the aftermath of ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 C ...
that would not include ''Donda 2'' or any other content from West.
Events
On February 7, 2022, a private listening party was held for ''Donda 2'' at Nobu Malibu, where
Travis Scott and fellow rappers
Offset,
French Montana,
Yung Lean Yung may refer to:
* Yung (surname), Chinese surname
* Yung Joc, (born Jasiel Robinson in 1983), an American rapper
* Yung Wun, (born James Carlton Anderson in 1982), an American rapper
* Yung Berg, (born Christian Ward in 1985), an American rappe ...
, and
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
, as well as model
Kendall Jenner, were in attendance. Six days later, West announced a public concert entitled "Kanye West: Donda Experience Performance" for the album at
LoanDepot Park
LoanDepot Park is a retractable roof stadium located in Miami, Florida. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Miami Marlins. It is located on on the site of the former Miami Orange Bowl in Little Havana about west of Downtown Miami. Const ...
in
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
on February 22. Tickets for the concert were first made available on February 14, 2022, six days before ones for
IMAX presentations went on sale.
On February 21, 2022, it was announced that the concert would be
live-streamed
Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
in IMAX theaters across 15 cities in the United States at 9p.m.
ET. In response to popular demand, IMAX subsequently expanded the live-stream to 60 theaters across the US for the one-night only event on February 22. Simultaneously with the screening, the event was live-streamed on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
and West's Stem Player service.
It sold out 47 of the 60 theaters, grossing around $313,582 for IMAX. The performance was set to begin at 8p.m. ET, though started nearly 3 hours late at 10:45 p.m. West was joined by numerous guests, such as Marilyn Manson and DaBaby–both of whom appeared at the first listening event for ''Donda''–as well as Fivio Foreign, Keys, and
Jack Harlow
Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in ...
. Celebrities in attendance included
French Montana,
Elon Musk
Elon Reeve Musk ( ; born June 28, 1971) is a business magnate and investor. He is the founder, CEO and chief engineer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO and product architect of Tesla, Inc.; owner and CEO of Twitter, Inc.; founder of The ...
, and
Diddy. West experienced multiple microphone problems and audio glitches while performing, to which he reacted during a performance of "
Jail pt 2" by throwing his microphone on the floor. The rapper later revealed to Sasha A. Berg and Esther Coco Berg that he had been made "to write the word 'performance'" in the event's title, despite intending the event as a work of
performance art
Performance art is an artwork or art exhibition created through actions executed by the artist or other participants. It may be witnessed live or through documentation, spontaneously developed or written, and is traditionally presented to a pu ...
.
His frustration with this reduction of the event's concept led alongside other reactions to him throwing the microphone he was given, saying he began questioning why he was performing.
Critical reception
The ''"V2.22.22 Miami"''
version of ''Donda 2'' was met with mixed reviews with critics describing the album as unfinished and lazy compared to West's previous releases.
Jeff Ihaza of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' called the album a "confounding" project that is brought down by West's fixation on "controlling one's narrative", deriding the lyrical content, guest appearances, and the lack of a clear concept, despite praising certain vocals.
''
Slate''s Jack Hamilton wrote off its "aimless"
song structure
Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common forms include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus form, ternary form, strophic form, and ...
s and "fake-deep" lyricism, also feeling let down by the "half-hearted" production that has its best-inspired moments "drowned in a sea of repetitive, spaced-out bloat".
Ludovic Hunter-Tilney, writing in the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Ni ...
'', found ''Donda 2'' "repetitious and lacklustre", disclosing "serious deficiencies" in West's creativity, but picked "Security" as a highlight.
Reviewing the album for ''The Guardian'', Alexis Petridis disapproved of its lack of thematic focus, unfinished production and the lyrical content for its "tedious barbs at his estranged wife", but admitted some portions briefly showed "the authentically brilliant producer" West is capable of being.
''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'' critic
Neil McCormick
Neil McCormick (born 31 March 1961) is a British music journalist, author and broadcaster. He has been Chief Music Critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' since 1996, and presented a music interview show for Vintage TV in the UK, Neil McCormick's Nee ...
regarded ''Donda 2'' as the weakest album of West's career, seeing West assume a "sullen, self-pitying and bitter" persona—"vindictive sniping and whiney self-pity". McCormick criticized the album's song structures and repetitive rhymes, as well as the auto-tuned vocals, even though he liked some of the accompanying beats.
Underscoring its "sluggish" energy and "undermining" production, Steven Loftin from ''
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' felt the album is "nothing particularly revelatory", discussing the expected, repetitive themes, though moderately gave credit to the production.
''Pitchfork'' Alphonse Pierre defined ''Donda 2'' as a "crudely unfinished dump of songs" camouflaged by the Stem Player's technological spectacle. He described the songs as "lackluster" and "undercooked", displaying "a cool moment or two" but mostly amorphous.
Few reviews were marginally favorable. Alexandra Pauly of ''
Highsnobiety'' wrote lukewarm comments, describing the album as a divorce record that "boasts all the hallmarks" of an artist experiencing "post-nuptial proceedings". Pauly was dissatisfied with how ''Donda 2'' lacks the sincerity exuded by other divorce albums, saying it "reeks of
heego" that appeals to West's fan base.
Ritchie of ''HipHopDX'' opined that West's hyper-focus on his current drama has resulted in ''Donda 2'', "a double-edged sword"—musically cohesive but with underdeveloped ideas.
Commercial performance
''Donda 2'' was not eligible for entry on the
''Billboard'' charts, such as the
''Billboard'' 200, since "it is not available apart from the purchase of one of
est's$200-plus Stem Player devices." ''
Billboard'' asserted on March 4, 2022, that attaching a new album to a physical device counts as "bundling"—a practice the organization deemed invalid in 2020 and implemented a rule to disregard such tactics from being counted as record sales. West celebrated the album's expulsion from the charts via his Instagram account, writing "Big win for the kid. We can no longer be counted or judged. We make my own systems. We set our own value aaaand ''
ic' yesterday's price is not todays price baaaaabeeeee ''
ic' !!!!!". ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' journalist Chris Willman reported that West has sold 39,500 Stem Players as of February 18, 2022, according to the rapper's claims. Willman noted that the player has been available since October 2021.
Track listing
Track listing according to Stem Player API.
Credits for "True Love", "City of Gods" and "Eazy" are adapted from
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
* signifies a co-producer
* signifies an additional producer
Uncredited features
* "True Love" and "Selfish" feature vocals by
XXXTentacion
Jahseh Dwayne Ricardo Onfroy (January 23, 1998 – June 18, 2018), known professionally as XXXTentacion, was an American rapper and singer-songwriter. Though a controversial figure due to his widely publicized legal troubles, XXXTentacion ga ...
.
* "Broken Road" features vocals by
Don Toliver
Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles " No Idea" and " After Party", from his de ...
.
* "We Did It Kid" features vocals by
Baby Keem
Hykeem Jamaal Carter Jr. (born October 22, 2000), known professionally as Baby Keem, is an American rapper and record producer. He initially gained major recognition following the release of his single "Orange Soda", from his second mixtape ''Di ...
and
Migos.
* "Pablo" features vocals by
Future and
Travis Scott.
* "Louie Bags" features vocals by
Jack Harlow
Jackman Thomas Harlow (born March 13, 1998) is an American rapper from Louisville, Kentucky. He started his career in 2015 and released several EPs and mixtapes before he was signed to Don Cannon and DJ Drama's record label Generation Now in ...
.
* "Happy" features vocals by
Future.
* "Sci Fi" features vocals by
Sean Leon.
* "Lord Lift Me Up" features vocals by
Vory
Tavoris Javon Hollins Jr. (born August 17, 1997), known professionally as Vory (formerly King Vory), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He won a Grammy for his work on The Carters' '' Everything Is Love'' and has released several solo ...
.
* "City of Gods" features vocals by
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...
,
Fivio Foreign
Maxie Lee Ryles III (born March 29, 1990), known by his stage name Fivio Foreign, is an American rapper from New York. He rose to fame in 2019 with his single "Big Drip", which spawned a remix with rappers Lil Baby and Quavo. He is signed to fel ...
and
Playboi Carti
Jordan Terrell Carter (born September 13, 1996), known professionally as Playboi Carti, is an American rapper. Carter was initially signed to local underground label Awful Records prior to signing with ASAP Mob's AWGE Label under Interscope ...
.
* "First Time in a Long Time" features vocals by
Soulja Boy.
* "Eazy" features vocals by
the Game.
Samples
* "Security" samples "Wanna Trap" by
Mica Levi
Mica Levi (; b. 28 February 1987), also known by their stage name Micachu, is an English singer, songwriter, composer and producer. Levi is classically trained and since 2008 has released experimental pop music with their band Good Sad Happy B ...
.
* "Louie Bags" features an excerpt of a telephone call made by
Kamala Harris
Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th vice president of the United States. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well ...
.
* "Sci Fi" features an excerpt of a monologue by
Kim Kardashian
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 s ...
from ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...
''.
* "Eazy" samples "
Eazy-Duz-It
''Eazy-Duz-It'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Eazy-E. It was released on November 23, 1988, by Ruthless Records and Priority Records. The album charted on two different charts and went 2× Platinum in the United States despite ver ...
" by
Eazy-E.
Notes
Notes
References
{{Kanye West
2022 albums
Kanye West albums
Albums in memory of deceased persons
Albums produced by Kanye West
Self-released albums
Sequel albums
Unfinished albums