Punch of TDE weighs in on Kanye West’s divisive album “DONDA,” likening the project to a musical “performance piece.”
Kanye West albums never fail to spark discussion. Ever since the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy in 2010, it feels as if many such discussions stem around the given album’s polarizing nature.
Unsurprisingly, the brand-new, sprawling, and spiritual DONDA — released with little notice on Sunday, August 29th — has already continued to the tradition. In fact, it almost feels like this is his most divisive release since Yeezus, which is either a career-best or bottom-tier Ye depending on who is asked.
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Upon living with the album for a few days, TDE‘s Punch came through to share his own opinion on Kanye’s tenth studio album. No stranger to quality projects thanks to his position on one of hip-hop’s most acclaimed labels, Punch’s take on DONDA is certainly interesting to consider.
“So I understand the polarity with Kanye’s album,” he tweeted. “On 3rd listen it’s not really an album at all to me. It’s more of a play or a musical. A performance piece. I get the stadium listening sessions now. It’s an experience.”
An interesting take, and one that seems to position the album as something resembling Pink Floyd’s The Wall, after a fashion. Perhaps Kanye should consider an accompanying cinematic piece, as much of DONDA’s production would translate well to visuals. Of course, it’s always difficult to pinpoint where Yeezy‘s head is at artistically; how much is carefully curated, and how much is simply the result of rushed spontaneity?
It probably depends on who you ask. Where Charlamagne Tha God believed the album to be lackluster and dated, some fans believed it to be a near-transcendental experience. Perhaps that’s part of the fun of a Kanye album release — the experience, if you will. On which side of the fence do you stand?