Donda 2

Donda 2
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 23–25, 2022
RecordedJanuary–February 2022
Length46:45
LabelSelf-released
Kanye West chronology
Donda
(2021)
Donda 2
(2022)
Singles from Donda 2
  1. "City of Gods"
    Released: February 11, 2022

Donda 2 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was made available exclusively through West's Stem Player service, with the first four tracks being released on February 23, 2022, and 12 more tracks added in an update the following day. West began the ongoing recording and production of the album in early January 2022. An accompanying concert entitled "Kanye West: Donda Experience Performance", showcasing songs from the first iteration, was held by West at LoanDepot Park on February 22, 2022, selling out 47 IMAX theatres across the United States.

The album received mixed to negative reviews from music critics, who often criticized its subject matter, production, and lack of nuance. Some were negative towards West's vocals, though a few complimented certain elements of its production. "City of Gods" was released as the album's first single on February 11, 2022. Because of its exclusive Stem Player release, Donda 2 became the world's most pirated album in February 2022, with emulators of the device shared online.

Background and recording

In an interview with Complex on January 4, 2022, record executive and CEO of Victor Victor Worldwide Steven Victor exclusively told the website that West had begun working on a sequel to his tenth studio album Donda (2021), entitled Donda 2.[1] Victor later told the magazine that it is "coming sooner than you think", explaining: "The procession is starting and it's not stopping." [2] On January 27, 2022, West announced via an Instagram post that the album would be released on February 22, also mentioning that fellow rapper Future will serve the role of executive producer. He had worked with Future in the past, featuring on his single "I Won" (2014).[3]

Producer Digital Nas 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.[4] 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.[5] Digital Nas compared the creative process to that of West's sixth studio album Yeezus (2013), also saying that some of the producers who contributed to the album were working on Donda 2.[5]

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, which was previously released with Donda.[6] 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".[6] 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.[7] As a result of West making the album only available on the device, Apple reportedly pulled their $2 million sponsorship deal with him, as they were scheduled to stream the accompanying concert.[8] In a series of Instagram posts, West declared that he had turned down a $100 million deal with the company.[9] 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 has been finishing the album during February. Stem Player co-inventor Alex Klein 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 and Donda in 2016 and 2021, respectively.[10][11]

Music and songs

Donda 2 was described in reviews as seeming unfinished, with a distinct musical style that incorporates "mournful, see-sawing synth patterns" being observed.[12][13][14] West delves into relationship problems between himself and Kim Kardashian, focusing on their divorce.[13][15] The album's opening track, "True Love", features rapper XXXTentacion singing about lost love at the beginning.[13] Throughout the track, West complains about childcare arrangements, including criticizing his children for wearing Nike trainers instead of his own Yeezy brand.[12][13]

Release and promotion

Invite to the "Donda Experience Performance", held at LoanDepot Park in Miami

On January 28, 2022, West uploaded a picture to his Instagram account of a reconstruction of his former childhood home in flames, announcing Donda 2 along with a 2.22.22 date, as well as rapper Future serving as the executive producer.[16] Most publications took this as an announcement of the album's release date,[6][17] though it went unreleased on the date.[18] 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, and Drake, as well as model Kendall Jenner, were in attendance.[19] Four days later, "City of Gods" was released by West, Fivio Foreign, and Alicia Keys as the first single from Donda 2.[20][21] The song charted at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while it reached number 58 on the UK Singles Chart.[22][23]

On February 13, 2022, West announced a public concert entitled "Kanye West: Donda Experience Performance" for Donda 2 at LoanDepot Park in Miami 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.[17][24] On February 21, 2022, it was announced that the concert would be livestreamed in IMAX theatres across 15 cities in the United States at 9p.m. ET.[25] In response to popular demand, IMAX subsequently expanded the livestream to 60 theatres across the US for the one-night only event on February 22.[26] Simultaneously with the screening, the event was livestreamed on YouTube and West's Stem Player service.[18] It sold out 47 of the 60 theatres, grossing around $313,582 for IMAX.[27] The performance was set to begin at 8p.m. ET, though started nearly 3 hours late at 10:45p.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. Celebrities in attendance included French Montana, Elon Musk, and Diddy.[28] 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.[29]

A total of 22 songs were announced via a tracklist for the album posted by West to his Instagram account on February 18, 2022.[30] On February 23, four songs, entitled "Security", "Pablo", "Broken Road", and "We Did It Kid", were released to owners of the Stem Player audio device via the player's website.[31] Another 12 songs were added the following day as part of an update labeled "V2.22.22 Miami".[32] 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".[32][33]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Daily Telegraph[13]
The Guardian[12]
The Line of Best Fit4/10[15]
Pitchfork4.3/10[34]

Donda 2 was met with mixed to negative reviews from music critics. Reviewing the album's February 25 iteration for The Guardian, music journalist 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 parts of the album briefly showed "the authentically brilliant producer" West is capable of being.[12] The Daily Telegraph critic Neil McCormick regarded the same version as the weakest album of West's career, seeing West assume a "sullen, self-pitying and bitter" persona—"vindictive sniping and whiney self-pity".[13] McCormick criticized the album's song structures, repetitive rhymes, and the auto-tuned vocals as well.[13] Underscoring its "sluggish" energy and "undermining" production, Steven Loftin from The Line of Best Fit felt the album was "nothing particularly revelatory", discussing the expected, repetitive themes.[15] Alexandra Pauly of Highsnobiety gave the album a lukewarm review, describing it as a divorce album chronicling his highly publicized split from Kim Kardashian. Pauly was dissatisfied with how Donda 2 lacks the sincerity that other divorce albums exude, saying it "reeks of [the] ego".[35]

Due to Donda 2 being a Stem Player exclusive, it leaked online shortly after release and was heavily pirated. The album dethroned Avril Lavigne's seventh album Love Sux as the most pirated record worldwide in February 2022, topping the charts of websites such as 1337x and The Pirate Bay. It also led to the piracy of the Stem Player website, as the song stems and remixing tools were available on emulators.[36][37]

Track listing

Track listing as of February 25, 2022, according to Stem Player website.[33]

Donda 2 track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."True Love"  3:17
2."Broken Road"  1:40
3."Get Lost"  2:35
4."Too Easy"  2:58
5."Flowers"  2:51
6."Security"  2:16
7."We Did It Kid"  2:48
8."Pablo"  2:34
9."Louie Bags"  3:13
10."Happy"  4:45
11."Sci Fi"  4:00
12."Selfish"  1:39
13."Lord Lift Me Up"  2:09
14."City of Gods"
4:16
15."First Time in a Long Time"  3:04
16."True Love (Stadium Version)"  2:40
Total length:46:45

Uncredited features

Samples

See also

References

  1. ^ Price, Joe (January 4, 2022). "Exclusive: Ye Has Started Working on 'Donda 2,' Says Steven Victor". Complex. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  2. ^ Rose, Jordan (January 24, 2022). "Steven Victor Details NIGO Album, Pusha-T Teases 'Album of the Year'". Complex. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  3. ^ Jones, Marcus (January 27, 2022). "Kanye West shares Donda 2 release date, Future is executive producer". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  4. ^ Grow, Kory (January 28, 2022). "Kanye West Wants 'Donda 2' Played at 'Births, Graduations, Weddings, and Funerals'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Grow, Kory (January 31, 2022). "Accused Rapist Marilyn Manson Working With Kanye West 'Every Day' on New Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c Minsker, Evan (February 17, 2022). "Kanye West Says New Album Donda 2 Won't Stream, Will Only Be Available on His Stem Player". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Lavin, Will (February 19, 2022). "Kanye West says he's raked in over $2.2million in Stem Player sales in 24hrs". NME. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (February 19, 2022). "Apple reportedly pulls $2million sponsorship deal with Kanye West". NME. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  9. ^ Erikkson, Viktor (February 22, 2022). "Kanye West 'Turned Down $100m' From Apple Music". Macworld. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  10. ^ Eric Skelton, Jessica McKinney, Andre Gee (February 24, 2022). "We Listened to the First Four 'Donda 2' Songs on Kanye's Stem Player—Here's What We Thought". Complex. Retrieved February 25, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  11. ^ Skelton, Eric (February 25, 2022). "Kanye West Is Carrying Out His 'Living Breathing Album' Dreams". Complex. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  12. ^ a b c d Petridis, Alexis (February 25, 2022). "Ye: Donda 2 review – desultory soundtrack for a social media circus". The Guardian. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g McCormick, Neil (February 27, 2022). "Donda 2 review: Kanye West's weak divorce album is the work of a deeply unhappy man". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 27, 2022. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  14. ^ Daly, Rhian (February 28, 2022). "'Donda 2': why Kanye West's ego is scuppering these half-baked songs". NME. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c Loftin, Steven (February 26, 2022). "Kanye West - Donda 2 | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  16. ^ ANI (January 28, 2022). "Kanye West announces 'Donda 2' album release date". Asian News International. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Blake, Cole (February 12, 2022). "Kanye West Announces 'Donda 2' Live Performance In Miami". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  18. ^ a b Minsker, Evan; Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (February 22, 2022). "Kanye West Premiered New Album Donda 2 at Miami Event: Here's What Happened". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  19. ^ William Cowen, Trace (February 9, 2022). "Kanye West's 'Donda 2' Event Festivities Reportedly Included Travis Scott, Drake, and Kim Kardashian 'Lookalike'". Complex. Retrieved February 11, 2022.
  20. ^ Brandle, Lards (February 11, 2022). "Kanye West, Fivio Foreign and Alicia Keys Drop 'City of Gods'". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  21. ^ Brown, Pheezy (February 23, 2022). "Kanye West's 'Donda 2' Live Listening Event Brings Out The Stars". Vibe. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  22. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  23. ^ "Fivio Foreign/Ye/Alicia Keys | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  24. ^ "Kanye West to Hold 'Donda Experience Performance' in Miami (Updated)". Complex. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  25. ^ Hartzog, Oscar (February 21, 2022). "Kanye West 'Donda 2' Listening Party to Play in IMAX Theaters: Here's Where to Find Tickets". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  26. ^ Mendelsohn, Jon (February 22, 2022). "IMAX Expands Streaming of Kanye West's 'Donda' Concert to Sixty Locations". Collider. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  27. ^ Goldsmith, Jill (February 23, 2022). "Imax Grosses $300K From Kanye West, Wires Theaters For Live Events". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 26, 2022.
  28. ^ Roiz, Jessica (February 23, 2022). "Kanye West's 'Donda 2' Event: Things You Didn't See in the Livestream". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  29. ^ Hirwani, Peony (February 23, 2022). "Kanye West throws his microphone during Donda 2 live event amid sound issues". The Independent. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  30. ^ Moore, Sam (February 18, 2022). "Kanye West reveals tracklist for 'Donda 2'". NME. Retrieved February 18, 2022.
  31. ^ "Songs From Kanye West's 'Donda 2' Are Starting to Be Released". Complex. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  32. ^ a b "Kanye West Releases New Album Donda 2 on Stem Player". Pitchfork. February 25, 2022. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Stem Player". Stem Player. Retrieved February 25, 2022.
  34. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (March 2, 2022). "Donda 2 (V2.22.22 Miami)". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Pauly, Alexandra (February 26, 2022). "Ye's 'Donda 2': A Divorce Album for Bros". Highsnobiety. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  36. ^ Van der Sar, Ernesto (February 28, 2022). "Kanye West's Exclusive 'Donda 2' Release Triggers Piracy Craze". TorrentFreak. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  37. ^ Malt, Andy (February 28, 2022). "Kanye West's Donda 2 tops the (piracy) charts". Complete Music Update. Retrieved March 1, 2022.

External links

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