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Post by The Escapist on Jul 21, 2021 4:42:59 GMT -5
New Kanye album confirmed* for this Friday. DONDA, named after his mother. Rumoured to be a dark and personal album of around twelve tracks and 40-45 minutes. That would make it the first full-length album he's done since The Life of Pablo. Will have to be a strong album to bounce back from the mess that was Jesus is King, but snippets that have been played sounded promising - most importantly, it seems like an album that has been in the works for more than a few months, not cobbled together during what you might imagine as a period of manic high. It's hard to discuss Kanye without delving into his mental health, so I'll just say that I hope for his sake more than the music's that this is an album made in a time of mental stability and peace.
Part of the track "No Child Left Behind" was shown in a Nike advert the other day:
*lol
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Post by The Escapist on Jul 22, 2021 21:48:30 GMT -5
 Honestly have no idea how Kanye went from albums like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to this. It's literally not even finished. It's not that the songs are bad, it's that they're not songs. They're hardly even demos - all about a minute long, with verses mumbled because he hasn't figured out the lyrics yet. After a year's delay. This is the same artist who put together a run of classic albums that lasted a decade. The man behind The College Dropout and Yeezus. And the best you can hope for is that all of his talent just decided to abandon him one day, because the alternative is that his mental health is deteriorating in such a way that he feels compelled to release things that are blatantly just sketches of ideas. At this point it feels like Kanye got lost somewhere along the way and now he's never coming back. What used to be... |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Jul 22, 2021 22:54:25 GMT -5
Honestly have no idea how Kanye went from albums like My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to this. It's literally not even finished. It's not that the songs are bad, it's that they're not songs. They're hardly even demos - all about a minute long, with verses mumbled because he hasn't figured out the lyrics yet. After a year's delay. This is the same artist who put together a run of classic albums that lasted a decade. The man behind The College Dropout and Yeezus. And the best you can hope for is that all of his talent just decided to abandon him one day, because the alternative is that his mental health is deteriorating in such a way that he feels compelled to release things that are blatantly just sketches of ideas. At this point it feels like Kanye got lost somewhere along the way and now he's never coming back. What used to be... Another Victim................. |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Jul 23, 2021 7:45:38 GMT -5
I wish it was that, to be honest. Take Nas. Or Paul McCartney. Or any other legendary figure who's music isn't on the same level that it used to be - you're okay with knowing they'll never touch their classic material, you just hope to enjoy their new albums well enough even if the songs aren't on the same iconic level as before. They're still songs, they're still proper albums, just that the lightning in the bottle isn't quite the same anymore. This is different - this is a man who's made some of the most perfectly constructed albums of the century going in front of 70k people to sing blatantly unfinished songs about his family leaving him. It feels baffling, sad, confusing. Who is around him? Who is letting him go ahead with these things? On a music level, the only hope is that some of the songs he played earlier in the week come back with completed versions of the songs he played last night. Life of the Party sounded utterly gorgeous, didn't even get a play: 0:16 I’m not sure what you call it, mental illness could be it but Kanye has been pulling this shit for 6-7 years now. Promises an album. Says it’ll be out at midnight. Does a huge arena premier listening party then doesn’t release anything at all. We had a bet at work last night about if Donda actually drops today. Nobody was dumb enough to say yes. |
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Post by The Escapist on Jul 23, 2021 8:18:09 GMT -5
I’m not sure what you call it, mental illness could be it but Kanye has been pulling this shit for 6-7 years now. Promises an album. Says it’ll be out at midnight. Does a huge arena premier listening party then doesn’t release anything at all. We had a bet at work last night about if Donda actually drops today. Nobody was dumb enough to say yes. I was talking about it with a mate this morning, I think it's a combination of factors: his seemingly intensifying bi-polar, unstable life situation, no-one around to tell him "no", streaming era meaning no pressure to actually finish and turn over albums to the label, and just a genuine lack of interest in music. Feels like he spends 90% of his time on the Yeezy brand and when he has a rush of energy, cobbles together an album of demos that no-one tells him is nowhere near ready for release. It still goes #1, he makes another few million off some shoes, and everything just continues with diminishing returns. At this point, the Kanye that made songs like Runaway and New Slaves feels lost forever. Can't see a way back from the top of that mountain, all you can hope for is that things work out in his personal life and still has people in his circle with his best interests at heart. |
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Post by glider on Jul 23, 2021 9:06:54 GMT -5
I’m not sure what you call it, mental illness could be it but Kanye has been pulling this shit for 6-7 years now. Promises an album. Says it’ll be out at midnight. Does a huge arena premier listening party then doesn’t release anything at all. We had a bet at work last night about if Donda actually drops today. Nobody was dumb enough to say yes. Feels like he spends 90% of his time on the Yeezy brand and when he has a rush of energy, cobbles together an album of demos that no-one tells him is nowhere near ready for release. It still goes #1, he makes another few million off some shoes, and everything just continues with diminishing returns. There's your answer. |
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Post by Manualex on Jul 23, 2021 17:47:12 GMT -5
Kanye needs help. When Noel said about Radiohead farting into a lightbulb and then releasing it and everyone would be nuts about it I feel that Kanye has reached that point. Why would you half ass something with your mothers name?
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Post by matt on Jul 24, 2021 8:39:27 GMT -5
Can't say I know anything about his music, I am so illiterate when it comes to hip-hop music that I'm not sure what is the good stuff and what is the bad stuff. There's a few things I like with his music though, and there's always a selection box of good sounds coming from it which makes me intrigued by him.
But he himself fascinates me. I watched that Apple documentary with Zane Lowe and he's such a fascinating artist. He's operating on another level entirely and once every generation you will find a genius who really does straddle the line between genius and insanity. And all the great artists do it. Pop music is so lacking in these characters and he's such a rarity for that. If the new album is indeed utter shite and lambasted, then that kind of fascinates me even more. It's the same thought process with a creative individual going into uncharted territory in their mindset and making some kind of discovery. Now and then, that risk and unknown quantity will pull up stinkers, but you wouldn't have it any other way with them surely? Proper genius.
He's a visionary, I'd love to see him produce some other artist more palatable to my tastes and genres.
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Post by Lennon2217 on Jul 24, 2021 12:52:54 GMT -5
Moved to August Sixth. I doubt it. From what I've been told by an apparent ITK, Kanye had a pretty much finished album ready to go that the label were happy with. But when the album was announced, Kanye decided that he basically wanted to make a whole new album from scratch in the last few days - which is most of what we heard the other night. The question now is whether the next two weeks are spent on Album 2 (which will likely get scrapped if so) or on going back to the original DONDA, or on amalgamating the two. That's why we saw Kanye with such long tracklist boards - they were two albums. Life of the Party, Welcome to my Life, DONDA, from the original record. And the likes of Remote and the Jay-Z song that had been cobbled together. His typical next move. Did this crap with Pablo too. It was promised. Delayed and delayed. Same with every one of his albums since 2013. He’s got more unreleased announced albums then actual albums at this point. |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Aug 7, 2021 17:46:57 GMT -5
I’m still waiting for “Turbo Grafx 16” to drop.
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Post by The Escapist on Aug 7, 2021 18:10:54 GMT -5
So, update on this. Two weeks after that initial shambles of a show, Kanye did ANOTHER album unveiling in the same stadium, this time with almost all the songs performed and a lot of extra work to the songs we heard... And it's much better! Some of the songs are beautiful. Jesus Lord made me cry. First listen, just cried - that's happened maybe three other times in my life. The verse where he talks about his mother dying and it taking the life out of the party with that hypnotic beat in the background was too much. Other songs like the gothic MOON Interlude had new verses, and overall the beats were a lot more polished. There are still some pretty poor songs, like Remote and Junya, but on the whole it's progressed a lot and there's a kind of droning, spacious pain to the whole vibe of the record. But of course, it's Kanye. It didn't come out. It's like we're observing the process of him making the album - he literally has producers on Twitter asking fans which versions of songs they prefer. And to be honest, I'm glad. It's still not quite there. The first show was a mess, 30% of an album. This was good, maybe 70% of one. I want him to take another couple of weeks and carry it over the line. There was a song we hadn't heard before called "Heaven or Hell" that has one of the most insane drops I've ever heard - it sounds like being dragged into the afterlife against your will by an army of ghosts. But the lyrics weren't finished, he was just mumbling ideas over the beat, and it ended far too soon. Finish it, make it a monster. So, as long as he doesn't scrap it or ruin everything last minute, we're headed for a good album. And the ending of the show where Kanye (likely a stunt double but shush) was levitated out of the stadium to the sound of heavenly organs was one of the most iconic things I've seen. Like matt says, no-one else operates quite like this:  |
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Post by glider on Aug 10, 2021 18:42:06 GMT -5
I understand he's hesitant to rush this one out because it has his mother's namesake and alot of emotional themes. Seriously though, there's a feature on every single track with them taking up the majority of the vocals?
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Post by The Escapist on Aug 10, 2021 19:03:34 GMT -5
I understand he's hesitant to rush this one out because it has his mother's namesake and alot of emotional themes. Seriously though, there's a feature on every single track with them taking up the majority of the vocals? Features on every track isn't unusual at this level of hip-hop, certainly not for a "creative architect" type like Kanye. Twisted Fantasy and Pablo, two of his best albums, were both pretty much like that - but having said that, he hasn't quite found the balance so far on DONDA. It's a bit more "Humanz" than "Demon Days", if you get me. Needs a bit more of the creative at the centre on show. I hope he adds a few more verses of his own. All the finished verses he's done have been pretty good. But there's some songs, like Praise God, that basically have no Kanye presence beyond the production and him rapping the hook. |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Aug 11, 2021 0:26:33 GMT -5
I understand he's hesitant to rush this one out because it has his mother's namesake and alot of emotional themes. Seriously though, there's a feature on every single track with them taking up the majority of the vocals? Don’t feel bad for Kanye. He does this to himself. He announced this album. He lined up a listening launch party event 2 weeks ago promising the album out the following day. Didn’t happen. Just like it didn’t happen last week when he promised it again. We’ve been down this road with Kanye for pretty much every album since 2016. Here is an idea, don’t announce an album until it’s……done. |
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Post by The Escapist on Aug 25, 2021 11:46:36 GMT -5
Alright, here we go again! Third listening party supposed to be coming tomorrow, in Chicago, where a careful reconstruction of the house that Kanye grew up in has been built at the Soldier Fields Stadium. The next twist in the tale (apart from the boring Drake beef) is that Kanye will be releasing a technology apparently named a "DONDA player" that allows listeners to customise songs plus their mix to their own liking. Apparently you'll also be able to plug your own stems into it for an easy mixing system, as well. Here he is showing it off on Follow God:
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Post by RocketMan on Aug 27, 2021 14:36:07 GMT -5
Marilyn Manson and dababy up there with him. Defended Bill Cosby, went to the White House supporting Trump. Is this what happens when you used to be married to a kardashian? Just tries everything to get attention
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Post by Lennon2217 on Aug 27, 2021 15:25:00 GMT -5
Marilyn Manson and dababy up there with him. Defended Bill Cosby, went to the White House supporting Trump. Is this what happens when you used to be married to a kardashian? Just tries everything to get attention Yeah that stream got weird fast. Plus Kimmy Bear showed up. I guess. Jesus Lord………what a tune! |
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Post by The Escapist on Aug 27, 2021 15:37:26 GMT -5
Third version was a mixed bag. Some definite improvements - new verses, more Kanye, mumbled lyrics finished, some good new songs. But also some baffling choices. Jay-Z taken off Jail for...Dababy? Kid Cudi taken off the gorgeous MOON Interlude. Weird sound effects added to tracks that were fine without them. I think it's becoming clear that there is a fantastic album in there, with some tracks already incredible, but the best version is probably gonna made by people stitching the good ideas and cutting the bad ones rather than being delivered straight onto streaming itself. Having a woman abuser present on a reconstruction of his mother's house is, of course, a horrible decision that shows off everything terrible about his personality.
My tracklist:
1. South Carolina (V2)
2. Praise God (V1)
3. Off the Grid (V3)
4. Hurricane (Blend)
5. (MOON Interlude) [V2]
6. Jesus Lord [V2]
7. God Breathed on This [V2]
8. Shoulder to Lean On [V2]
9. Okay, I'm Not Okay [V3]
10. Heaven or Hell [V3]
11. Wash Us in the Blood [V1]
12. Come to Life [V3]
13. Lord I Need You [V3]
14. No Child Left Behind [V2]
15. Guess Who's Going to Jail Tonight? [V2]
But songs like Never Abandon Your Family and Pure Souls have a lot of potential, too.
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Post by glider on Aug 27, 2021 16:16:40 GMT -5
Third version was a mixed bag. Some definite improvements - new verses, more Kanye, mumbled lyrics finished, some good new songs. But also some baffling choices. Jay-Z taken off Jail for...Dababy? Kid Cudi taken off the gorgeous MOON Interlude. Weird sound effects added to tracks that were fine without them. I think it's becoming clear that there is a fantastic album in there, with some tracks already incredible, but the best version is probably gonna made by people stitching the good ideas and cutting the bad ones rather than being delivered straight onto streaming itself. Having a woman abuser present on a reconstruction of his mother's house is, of course, a horrible decision that shows off everything terrible about his personality. My tracklist: 1. South Carolina (V2) 2. Praise God (V1) 3. Off the Grid (V3) 4. Hurricane (Blend) 5. (MOON Interlude) [V2] 6. Jesus Lord [V2] 7. God Breathed on This [V2] 8. Shoulder to Lean On [V2] 9. Okay, I'm Not Okay [V3] 10. Heaven or Hell [V3] 11. Wash Us in the Blood [V1] 12. Come to Life [V3] 13. Lord I Need You [V3] 14. No Child Left Behind [V2] 15. Guess Who's Going to Jail Tonight? [V2] But songs like Never Abandon Your Family and Pure Souls have a lot of potential, too. All the features will be on the final album. Bet on it. These shows are a cinematic experience and major revenue stream for him in a time where actual Hollywood productions are struggling to get people in theaters. I feel there'll be two more listening parties, both with different mixes and hosts of changes - all with enough cumulative feedback to deliver. I have trouble believing he is going to release a song like Come to Life alongside Remote sampling a meme instead of Cudi. |
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Post by glider on Aug 27, 2021 16:30:46 GMT -5
Marilyn Manson and dababy up there with him. Defended Bill Cosby, went to the White House supporting Trump. Is this what happens when you used to be married to a kardashian? Just tries everything to get attention Yeah that stream got weird fast. Plus Kimmy Bear showed up. I guess. Jesus Lord………what a tune! Come to Life is 🔥 |
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Post by Lennon2217 on Aug 29, 2021 9:18:14 GMT -5
DONDA DROPPED
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Post by The Crimson Rambler on Aug 29, 2021 11:00:47 GMT -5
Gave it a once through - Seemed reasonable, but it's definitely not for me. 26 songs. Yeesh. 'Jail', 'Jesus Lord', 'Come To Life' and 'No Child Left Behind' were some of the better ones.
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Post by glider on Aug 29, 2021 20:52:06 GMT -5
Third version was a mixed bag. Some definite improvements - new verses, more Kanye, mumbled lyrics finished, some good new songs. But also some baffling choices. Jay-Z taken off Jail for...Dababy? Kid Cudi taken off the gorgeous MOON Interlude. Weird sound effects added to tracks that were fine without them. I think it's becoming clear that there is a fantastic album in there, with some tracks already incredible, but the best version is probably gonna made by people stitching the good ideas and cutting the bad ones rather than being delivered straight onto streaming itself. Having a woman abuser present on a reconstruction of his mother's house is, of course, a horrible decision that shows off everything terrible about his personality. My tracklist: 1. South Carolina (V2) 2. Praise God (V1) 3. Off the Grid (V3) 4. Hurricane (Blend) 5. (MOON Interlude) [V2] 6. Jesus Lord [V2] 7. God Breathed on This [V2] 8. Shoulder to Lean On [V2] 9. Okay, I'm Not Okay [V3] 10. Heaven or Hell [V3] 11. Wash Us in the Blood [V1] 12. Come to Life [V3] 13. Lord I Need You [V3] 14. No Child Left Behind [V2] 15. Guess Who's Going to Jail Tonight? [V2] But songs like Never Abandon Your Family and Pure Souls have a lot of potential, too. All the features will be on the final album. Bet on it. I feel there'll be two more listening parties, both with different mixes and hosts of changes - all with enough cumulative feedback to deliver. I have trouble believing he is going to release a song like Come to Life alongside Remote sampling a meme instead of Cudi. Well I was almost right 🤷♂️ - kept the features but no LP4 (thankfully). |
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Post by glider on Sept 28, 2021 11:05:56 GMT -5
Looks like Kanye is up to some update shenanigans again.
9-28-21 Patch notes (Donda Ver. 1.1)
- KayCyy hook on 'Keep My Spirit Alive' removed, Kanye hook added
- Chris Brown removed from 'New Again', Kanye and choir added
- Heavier bass on 'Junya'
- Clearer mix of 'Heaven and Hell'
- Clearer mix of 'Come To Life'
If you're on Apple Music, you should have two Donda albums showing now. For some reason the updated version is unlisted from Spotify but can be found from a link (check Reddit). I'm assuming the original release will be removed soon.
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Post by funhouse on Oct 18, 2021 14:19:44 GMT -5
Kanye West has now been spotted in both of the two Swedish towns where my dad grew up. Was caught today ordering a Chicken Tasty at a McDonald's in fucking Trollhättan, and in 2016 he visited the original IKEA store in Älmhult, population less than ten thousand.
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Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5
Nov 4, 2024 5:04:30 GMT -5