Donda

Donda is the tenth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, as his final release with the label. The album features a wide range of guest performances from artists including Westside Gunn, the Weeknd, Don Toliver, Conway the Machine, Vory, DaBaby, Jay-Z, Marilyn Manson, Kid Cudi, Ty Dolla Sign, Travis Scott, Lil Yachty, the Lox, Baby Keem, Playboi Carti, Jay Electronica, the Wrldfms Tony Williams, Lil Baby, Rooga, Roddy Ricch, Shenseea, Fivio Foreign, Lil Durk, Pop Smoke and Young Thug, among others; vocals from Chris Brown were also included prior to the album being updated. A deluxe edition was released on November 14, 2021 and featured guest vocals from André 3000, Tyler, the Creator, and KayCyy. West, B0ogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz, Mike Dean, and Ojivolta primarily helmed the albums 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 tracks and the tracklist prior to its final release. The album's style has been described variously as 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, the album's namesake whom its release is dedicated to.

Upon its release, West accused Universal Music Group of having released Donda without his approval, which the label denied. "Hurricane" was released as the 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 work and praised the composition, though numerous reviewers criticized the long runtime. Regardless, Donda was named by several publications as one of 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" both 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 chart-topper on the US Billboard 200, tying the record set by Eminem. It reached the summit in 18 other regions, including Australia, France, and United Kingdom, becoming West's first number-one album in the second country. The album has been certified platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), alongside being awarded the certification and a gold one in Canada and New Zealand by Music Canada (MC) and Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ), respectively. The appearances from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson created considerable controversy amongst audiences as a result of their separate allegations of homophobia and sexual abuse. In October 2021, the Stem Player was issued, allowing users to remix the songs and adding new ones, while a deluxe edition was released on November 14.