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| Released | August 29, 2021 | |||
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Donda is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on August 29, 2021. The album features a broad range of guest performances from artists, including The Weeknd, Jay-Z, Marilyn Manson, Kid Cudi, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, Baby Keem, Playboi Carti, Jay Electronica, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Roddy Ricch, Ty Dolla Sign, Fivio Foreign, Lil Durk, Pop Smoke, the Lox, Shenseea, Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and Young Thug, among others; as well as vocals from Chris Brown were also included prior to the album being updated. Its deluxe version features guest vocals from André 3000, Tyler, the Creator, and KayCyy. West himself, as well as BoogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz, Mike Dean, and Ojivolta primarily helmed the album's production. West recorded much of the material at multiple locations in the summer of 2021, including Bighorn Mountain Ranch in Wyoming and Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The initial version of Donda was initially set for release on July 24, 2020, under the title of God's Country, but experienced multiple delays and continuous alterations to its songs and tracklist prior to its final release. The album's style has been described as an amalgamation of hip hop, gospel, progressive rap, and pop, and incorporates elements of trap and drill. It is both minimalist and maximalist, with darker lyrical content and production in comparison to West's prior efforts, in addition to a reduced use of drums and complete absence of profanity. Themes explored include the convergence of West's Christian faith, righteousness, West's estrangement from his then-wife Kim Kardashian, and his late mother Donda West, to whom the album's namesake is dedicated.
Upon its release, West accused Universal Music Group of having released Donda without his approval, which the label denied. "Hurricane" was released as its lead single in September 2021, and was followed by both "Believe What I Say" and "Off the Grid" in November. The album polarized and divided music critics, particularly for its cohesiveness. Some noted an improvement from West's previous album and praised the composition, though numerous reviewers criticized the long runtime. Nonetheless, Donda was named by several publications as among the best albums of 2021, and became a nominee for both Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 64th Grammy Awards, while "Jail" and "Hurricane" won for Best Rap Song and Best Melodic Rap Performance, respectively.
Donda initially scored the most first-day streams for an album in 2021 on both Apple Music and Spotify. It stood as West's tenth consecutive number one release on the US Billboard 200, tying the record set by Eminem. It reached the summit in 18 other regions including France, Australia, and the United Kingdom, becoming West's first number-one album in the former country. It has platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and received gold certification in Canada and New Zealand by Music Canada (MC) and Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), respectively. The appearances of DaBaby and Marilyn Manson generated controversy amongst audiences as a result of the allegations against them of homophobia and sexual abuse respectively. In October 2021, the Stem Player was issued, allowing users to remix the songs and adding new ones; this service was later discontinued the following year. The deluxe edition was released on November 14 and contained three additional songs, as well as two extended versions of songs already present on the album.