Donda 2 (V2.22.22) / Kanye West / February 24, 2022
- Joshua Yoo
- Mar 16, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Oct 22, 2022
As if the circumstances surrounding Kanye West couldn’t get any more complicated than they already were, the arrival of a second album installment in the Donda series has coincided with even greater social media antics, music release controversy, and extremely public dramatics regarding the divorce of his now ex-wife. Released exclusively on the Stem Player, ‘Donda 2 (V2.22.22)’ is a chaotic, emotionally despondent, and wholly incompletely project, almost mirroring the circumstances it was conceived from.
Expectedly, there are moments and flashes of interesting concepts, inventive production, and top-shape guest features scattered sparsely throughout the tracklist, as Kanye still demonstrates the core of his artistry to a certain extent. But it becomes increasingly difficult to engage with or even recall these moments on the record because of the sheer brevity and incomplete state of so many of these songs and ideas. Tracks such as “Broken Road” or “Selfish”, for example, fail to capitalize on their genuinely promising hooks, with verses from Kanye that need far more substance and polish.
And in a more holistic view of the album, there are far more unfinished tracks with bizarre and questionable arrangement choices in comparison. Instrumentals on “Flowers” and “Too Easy” are prime examples of the cluttered, jarring production that is neither forward-thinking nor enjoyable in practically any sense. The guise of this record being a work-in-progress can’t hide objectionable inclusions such as these and other tracks that hardly make a compelling case even if they received more time and effort in the near future.
The fact that this album has come out this unfleshed and undeveloped makes its exclusive release on the Stem Player an even sharper sting for listeners. Even the unfounded promises of future updates or revamps doesn’t cover certain fundamental faults at the project’s core, and thus it’s hard to see much excitement for the continual development of ‘Donda 2’.
Highlight(s): We Did It Kid, Pablo, City Of Gods
Lowlight(s): Flowers, Security, Too Easy, Happy, Get Lost
SCORE: 3/10
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