Understanding DONDA

Go to https://skl.sh/volksgeist08211 and first 1,000 will get a 1 month FREE trial of Skillshare! Watch this video on Nebula: https://nebula.app/videos/volksgeist-understanding-donda http://instagram.com/volks.geist Donda is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. 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. It features guest vocals from the Sunday Service Choir, Jay-Z, Playboi Carti, Vory, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, the Weeknd, Vory, DaBaby, and Marilyn Manson; vocals from Chris Brown were also included prior to the album being updated. West, BoogzDaBeast, Dem Jointz, Mike Dean, and Ojivolta primarily helmed its production. The album was initially set for release in July 2020 under the title of God's Country, but experienced multiple delays. Its first public listening event was held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on July 22, 2021, followed by a second event there on August 5 that set a record for the biggest Apple Music livestream. The third and final listening event was conducted at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 26, 2021. The album is primarily a hip hop, gospel, progressive rap, and pop record that features elements of numerous other genres, including trap and drill. It is both minimalist and maximalist, with darker lyrical content and the reduced use of drums in comparison to West's prior efforts. Themes explored include religion, Kanye's divorce from Kim Kardashian, and Donda West, whose forename is used for the title. Upon its release, Kanye 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 received mixed reviews from music critics, who were mostly divided towards its cohesiveness. Some noted an improvement from West's previous work and praised the composition, though numerous reviewers criticized the long runtime. Donda is a nominee for both Album of the Year and Best Rap Album at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, while "Jail" and "Hurricane" have been nominated 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 10th 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 the United Kingdom, becoming West's first number-one album in the second country. The album has been certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), alongside being awarded the certification and a platinum one in New Zealand and Canada by Recorded Music NZ (RMNZ) and Music Canada (MC), respectively. As a result of their separate allegations of homophobia and sexual abuse, the appearances from DaBaby and Marilyn Manson created controversy amongst audiences. In October 2021, the Donda Stem Player was issued, allowing users to remix the songs and adding new ones, while a deluxe edition was released on November 14. The album's sequel, Donda 2 is scheduled to be released on February 22, 2022. chapters 00:00 Intro 00:20 Backstory of Donda 04:08 Part 1: The Themes of Donda 07:50 Part 2: The Spirit of Collaboration 10:40 Part 3: The Meaning of Donda 12:34: Sponsor + Outro #donda #kanye #volksgeist #donda2

Added 7 Apr 2026