Donda 2 – Kanye West ★★

Year	Album	Artist	Stars	Score	Genre
2022	Donda 2	Kanye West	★★	47	Hip-Hop

Who knows if what was released on February 22, 2022, was the final product that fans will listen to when Kanye West eventually decides to release Donda 2 on steaming. But, at least for now, it seems like Kanye may have listened to some of the criticism thrown at Donda last year — an overlong tracklist with big highlights but too many repeated lyrics, scattered ideas and occasional over-the-top production without a punch —  and tried to make a few adjustments. 

The deuce is much more streamlined and concise than the original, and the quality of tracks is more consistent top to bottom. Unfortunately though, that level of consistency is pretty middling, and Kanye doesn’t have nearly as many dynamic swings as he’s usually known for.

Most songs are …  fine. While he definitely has a few bad moments in there — his lyrics on “Security” and “Louie Bags” are particularly lazy — some songs like “Happy,” “We Did It Kid” and  “Pablo” kind of go hard, as do the album’s two promotional singles “City of God” and “Eazy.” Infact, a lot of the beats here are cool — “Louie Bags,” “Too Easy,” “Flowers,” and “Security” all sound interesting. 

But Kanye’s vocals almost feel like they were just tacked on at the last minute, and his obsession with his fame and status and the narrative around him as an artist is tiresome both on the record and in the real world. Additionally, the overall darker, more centered vibe of the album compared to the odd but uplifting moments on Donda 1 limit the tracks’ potential to really stand out. 

With Kanye, especially in his later years, you’ll still get something cool and something that shows off his musical genius, but it’ll be mixed with something that sounds stupid, lazy and unfinished. In Donda 2‘s case, without the power of tracks like “Off The Grid,” or “Hurricane,” or “Keep My Spirit Alive” to really make those beautiful moments shine, the album feels more like a deliberate collection of B Sides and after thoughts instead of a grand statement.

To experience the few interesting moments on here, it’s not worth the effort it’ll take to find a good bootleg copy, it’s not worth the money it would take to find an authentic version of the music, and it’s not worth the internal guilt you’ll feel listening to mediocre songs from a person who hasn’t been on his best behavior for some time.