On Feb. 23, Ye, commonly known as Kanye West, dropped his new album, “Donda 2”— only available to stream on his newest device, the $200 Stem Player. Controversy began to swirl as soon as Ye announced on Feb. 18 that the album would only be available on the Stem Player, since this is not the first time Ye has asked fans to pay a fee to stream a new release. His 2016 album, “The Life of Pablo,” was initially released exclusively on Jay Z’s streaming service, TIDAL. After fans paid $10 to use the service, the album moved onto other platforms, leading to a lawsuit from fan Justin Baker-Rhett, against Ye for claiming it would be available exclusively through TIDAL.
Not trusting that “Donda 2” would never be on other platforms and not in a position to shell out $200 to listen, I scoured the internet and was able to procure it.
Since I already knew the first single from the album, “City of Gods,” the 14th track which features Alicia Keys and Fivio Foreign, I didn’t have high hopes for the rest of the album. The track feels like an attempt to replicate the modern New York anthem, “Empire State of Mind” by Jay Z which also features Keys, as Keys once again belts out lyrics relating to New York City. There was also talk on social media that Kanye was trying to one-up the late Pop Smoke as Fivio Foreign raps during the song “Pop was the king of New York, now I’m … in charge.”
According to the tracklist on Genius, the opening track is “True Love,” featuring XXXTentacion. This came as a surprise to hear it as the opener, as it includes a posthumous feature, but it may be a let down for fans who decide to buy the Stem Player since it’s not a strong opener. The track also brings nothing new to the table besides the surprise that it’s one of two songs XXXTentacion is featured on, the second being “Selfish,” the 12th track on the album. The song opens with the meme reference, “I gotta put me first, Lucious,” which Ye continues to refer to throughout the rest of the short, 1 minute 40 second song.
A few of the songs such as “Flowers” and “We Did it Kid,” which features Migos, stuck out to me as the best; though the beat in “Flowers” starts slow and doesn’t pick up until the 40 second mark. The lyrics also consist of little more than a repetitive complaint from Ye rapping “Balenciaga for all your friends Hermès for the argument.” It doesn’t take long for the beat to get boring and Kanye’s complaints to get tiring.
I can only hope that the $200 from each album sale goes towards Kim Kardashian’s personal security budget as Ye saves the majority of his complaints for “Security,” the sixth track on the album.
The track heavily alludes to his relationship with Kim Kardashian, including threatening comments about her security and family. Ye continuously raps “I put your security at risk” and “Never take the family picture off the fridge, Never stand between a man and his kids, Y’all ain’t got enough security for this.” It’s shocking and uncomfortable to listen to.
Though, the album is not all threats, as the second track, “Broken Road,” seems like an apology as Ye fills the song with metaphors such as “Love is a vision of being a virgin again” and “What does it mean to find your soul? Pay the toll on a broken road.”
The album is filled with metaphors for love and pain, and it is heavily implied that it’s about Ye and Kardashian’s marriage and divorce. The complaints about their family and pleas for love expose how obvious it is that Ye wants Kardashian back in his life. Although at times it’s confusing whether he wants her back or wishes it never happened.
‘Donda 2’ is a reflection of Ye’s search for hope, love and understanding during a dark moment of his life, especially after Kardashian filed to become legally single in December.
The album is a let down with its repetitive lyrics and general beats. For me, “Donda 2” doesn’t add much to the discography of Kanye West. Although you get immediate access to the full album with the Stem Player, paying $200 doesn’t seem worth it. If you’re not willing to pay now, you’re better off waiting for “Donda 2” to inevitably be released on other platforms.