Donda 2: Kanye West and his alluring mess
Sometimes it'll sound like the work of a genius, and sometimes it'll sound like the ramblings of a madman. If you're familiar with Kanye, that won't surprise you at all. That madman is a genius, and that genius is almost completely nuts
As much as we all like to pretend that we don't like the drama of watching an iconic figure slowly descend into the depths of insanity, Donda 2 cannot easily be discussed without the drama attached to it.
It's no secret that Kanye West and his former wife, smarter-than-you-think celebrity Kim Kardashian, are going through a very turbulent separation, and he expresses a lot of that in his new record, albeit in a very victimised tone. His hatred for Kardashian's new partner, 'The King of Staten Island' and SNL star Pete Davidson, is apparent.
I'm a Kanye West fan and I hate Pete Davidson, and his smug expression, almost as much as Kanye does. But the record is unfair in its portrayals of all parties involved. Going forward I'll focus more on my opinions of the record musically and artistically instead of all the drama attached to it.
There are some interesting wordplays when taking a closer look at Donda 2's lyrics, and Kanye expresses a lot about what he's going through. But there was nothing that particularly stood out. The words aren't interesting enough to keep one engaged, especially if you listen to the album before reading about the drama.
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Kanye's got some great punch sometimes, it's a lot more obvious in songs from his previous records. Songs like 'BLKK SKKKN HEAD' demonstrate that he is capable of punch, and his flow in songs like 'Monster' display that it is something he is competent in.
'Heartless' has got a pretty great melody, especially when you consider it was created by the same man who butchered 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on stage by singing it in a way that insults the word melody itself.
The featured artists were all alright, but there was nothing groundbreaking or extraordinary about them.
Kanye's voice though, what a rollercoaster. He is notorious for his last-minute recordings, but he takes it to a whole new level this time.
It feels like he recorded everything in a single take, the quality of delivery is inconsistent. Sometimes it'll sound like the work of a genius, and sometimes it'll sound like the ramblings of a madman. If you're familiar with Kanye, that won't surprise you at all.
That madman is a genius, and that genius is almost completely nuts.
Kanye is a great producer. He uses lots of unique sounds, great instruments and percussion. This is honestly what he's best at and he's aware of that. The mixes are great and even when they're experimental, they're not experimental enough to distract you from the song itself. The mixing and production are done very well.
Overall Donda 2 leaves you with mixed feelings. It is not a perfect album by any means, but if you're a fan of Kanye, it is definitely worth checking out.
