Kanye West's "Donda" livestream: predictably lacklustre, surprisingly lonely
Five years after embracing imprecision with "The Life of Pablo," the superstar now simply appears to be phoning it in.
VANCOUVER – In 2016, Kanye West took the stage at Madison Square Garden to debut what was then his new album, The Life of Pablo. Presented alongside his Yeezy Season 3 collection, the highly anticipated follow up to 2014’s acerbic anti-hero study, Yeezus, found Kanye eschewing the album-oriented perfectionism of his early career, in favour of something less precise. This looser approach was reflected in the event which saw a smiling, satisfied Kanye cueing up songs on a laptop, as close collaborators like Kid Cudi, Pusha T, Chance the Rapper and A$AP Rocky danced and sang on the floor around him. In the stands sat Kim and the rest of the Kardashian family. It felt like anyone Kanye had ever crossed paths with was in attendance. It felt like full blown celebration.
Five years later, however, a lot has changed
Last night, me and several thousand others tuned into the livestream unveiling of West’s tenth studio album, Donda. Named after the iconoclastic rapper’s beloved late mother, and coming just months after Kim Kardashian officially filed for divorce, fans wary of West’s output following his alt-right heel-turn wondered if the release might signal a return to the soul-sampling, Bush shaming, Kanye West of old. Unfortunately that wasn’t the case. Indeed, the event was simply more of the same old sloppy bullshit we’ve come to expect from West in recent years.
After an almost 2 hour delay, the rapper took the stage at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium wearing a mask and a Thriller red YZY Gap Round Jacket. But while the outfit harkened back to two of his most artistically prosperous periods (the maximalist pop of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, the identity shattering Yeezus), what followed was a meandering re-hash of mid career ‘Ye. Gospel keys and bland trap beats mixed with half-baked mumble raps and atonal singing. On several occasions, West was outshined by his supporting cast, who bore the unfortunate task of reminding listeners what proficient rapping sounds like. At the same time, the inclusion of dead rapper Pop Smoke, and a Pusha T line that appears to reference Kanye’s 2020 rant about wanting to abort his daughter, North, had some corners of the internet questioning why anybody still supports this man.
The answer, invariably, lies in his back catalogue. Though he seems determined to dismantle his own legacy, the first decade of West’s career remains essential listening for any music fan. At the same time, last night’s show was an uncomfortable reminder of the leniency we afford our favourite artists. While West’s imprecise approach felt refreshing on TLOP, each subsequent release has felt exceedingly phoned in. In its current form, Donda is no exception. Where once he celebrated new music with friends and family, Thursday’s event found Kanye completely alone. A man in a mask illuminated by images of spacemen falling to earth. While it’s impossible to tell what the next five years might bring for the superstar, for now, it seems, Yeezy season has finally passed.