Whether it’s in a car, at home, or before an afternoon run, Kanye West’s latest release “Donda” has been streamed over one billion times since it’s release on August 29, 2021. Named after his late mother Dr. Donda C, West has outdone himself yet again with this album, his fastest growing to date.

The first song on the album was a chant Ye’s late mothers name sung by Syleena Johnson. West’s mother had unfortunately passed away due to heart failure on November 5, 2007. People did not fully understand the backstory behind the song made jokes about it, thinking that because Kanye is such a spontaneous writer, it was a song with no meaning. This couldn’t be any further from the truth.

 The album itself came to life as West stayed in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in a windowless room to write his ideas and create his music. His dedication to this album is something to think about. Would you stay in a small box room for weeks to finish a final project for school? One thing for sure is that Kanye West is a marketing genius by sending out minimum clues for when this album was going to be released.

Kanye held three listening events in two of the biggest arenas in the country, then showed up late to his own listening party. He charged 50 dollars for chicken tenders and then frolicked about and did push-ups across the stage. Many people were upset about this because of the misleading information Kanye put out while promoting “Donda.” When the album finally dropped, however, it did not disappoint. 

Of the 32 songs on the deluxe album, six are top hits, including “Hurricane,” “Moon,” “Off The Grid.” The deep and engaging album gives listeners a chance to sit down and hear what Kanye West has to say about topics such as divorce, family, and faith.

  “When I first listened to the album, I thought it was awful, ” senior Madison Trout said, “[but] as I sat down and listened to some of the lyrics, I knew I had to add this to my playlist.”

Many other students at Southern Lehigh had similar feelings. 

“The way Kanye was so chaotically organized in this album said a lot about who he is as a writer,” senior Christian Pickell said. 

I couldn’t agree more. 

A personal favorite from the album would be “Pure Souls,” a song with a softer, uplifting tone. In this particular song, being spiritually aware, West states “Jesus saved my soul.”

My overall rating for this album would be a 9/10 with no major flaws. I think Kanye did a great job delivering the message of love being used as a force that moves everything forward and into a new phase. Who knows what he will do next.