Kanye West finally dropped his long-awaited 10th studio album, “Donda,” this past Sunday, after nearly three years since he released his last album. The album is about and dedicated to his mother, Donda West, who died nearly 14 years ago. This album will take you on a roller coaster of gospel, slow music and upbeat rap all in the span of a whopping 27 songs. 

West is considered one of the greatest, if not the greatest, rapper of all time. Throughout his career, West’s fanbase has grown with each album release, meaning millions of people were anxiously awaiting this new album. However, there was one problem; West kept teasing the release. 

West held three listening parties before actually dropping the album to build up suspense and confusion. The first listening party was held at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 23 with 42,000 fans in attendance. It was called “Countdown to Donda” where West played an unfinished version of the album. There were rumors that West would drop the album on the same day, although it never ended up happening, which left fans upset and wanting more.

It was then speculated that the album would drop on Aug. 5. The day before, West had his second listening party at the same place and played a more complete version of his album. Kanye’s fans stayed up until midnight to see if he would drop the album, but they were left disappointed again when it never dropped. Nearly a month later, Kanye had his third and final listening party at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 26, a mere 20 minutes from where he grew up.

At that point, most of his fans were getting tired of the album teasing. After the final listening party was said and done, West randomly dropped the long-awaited “Donda” at 5 a.m. on Aug. 29. I was shocked to wake up to see Donda on streaming services and listened to it right away. Let me tell you, it was definitely worth the wait. 

Many people were bothered by all the hype around the album. Some of West’s fans said the album was a letdown and didn’t live up to the buildup. However, after listening to the songs “Ok Ok,” “Moon,” “No Child Left Behind” and “Hurricane,” it is very hard not to like the album due to the mix of melodies. 

The song “Ok Ok,” featuring Lil Yachty and Rooga, is about different rappers copying West, and he calls out some of them, saying that they copy his style and don’t stand out from the rest. The flow is amazing, and you won’t be able to stop bopping your head to the beat of the song. Additionally, the song “Moon,” featuring Don Toliver and Kid Cudi, is a melodic masterpiece and is a top-three song in the album.

The song “Hurricane” featuring Lil Baby and The Weekend is debatably one the best songs on the album. This song has been around for three years because it was part of another song called “80 Degrees.” West used the original “80 Degrees” and put it in the intro of his new song. Finally, it was edited and released in “Donda.”

Lastly, the track “No Child Left Behind” is the best and proper closing song to the album. It’s a mix of gospel and harmony and includes West showing he’s a singer too, not just a rapper. This was the most anticipated song of the album because a snippet of the song was released on social media prior to the full album release. 

You may think that West is crazy. You may think he’s cruel for teasing us fans so much. Nonetheless, this is not the first time he has done this, and since he is one of the best rappers ever, he should be allowed to do it. If you don’t believe me, go take a listen for yourself. You won’t regret it.