Sometimes, greatness takes a long time to unfold before our eyes. A Tolstoy novel might take days or weeks to be fully experienced, and a generational athlete’s career might span two decades. 

But other times, greatness is immediate, it's obvious, and it needs very little introduction. That is Donda, the 10th studio album from controversial yet undeniably brilliant rapper, singer, songwriter and producer Kanye West. 

Named after his late mother, the album sees Kanye grapple with the host of personal and spiritual issues he has been confronted with over the past few years, alongside a prodigious number of fellow music icons from all walks of life.

So immediate is this album’s splendour, it is unequivocal within minutes of pressing play.

The first main track of the album, Jail, hits the listener immediately with distorted guitar chords as Kanye yells into the microphone with a mixture of anger, pain and confusion, relating a story of being sent to prison. The song serves as an allegory for his relationship with the media and its attempts to ‘cancel’ him for his public statements, as well as his failing marriage with media personality and socialite Kim Kardashian.

Soon enough, Jay-Z, Kanye’s until-recently estranged mentor and friend, is speaking directly to Kanye’s mother in heaven. He alludes to Kanye’s close association with former US President Donald Trump in late 2018, while telling her that in spite of their differences, he’s going to look after her son. There’s something comforting about seeing two of the very best rappers in history, who were so close for so many years before being torn apart, back together and collaborating in such a meaningful way.

The follow-up track, God Breathed, is in a similar vein, as Kanye’s slightly fuzzed vocalisations are meshed with the smoother timbre of Kentucky singer Vory – a prominent fixture across the album.

The album is then abruptly taken in a different direction with Off the Grid, as Kanye joins forces with rappers Playboi Carti and Fivio Foreign on one of the project's many highlights. 

The heavy bassline perfectly complements Carti’s unique vocal style, as his ad-libs and short-sharp verse structure reverberate through the listener's ears. Drill rapper Fivio is well and truly at home on this type of track, and his performance is nothing short of mesmerising. 

For close to two minutes, Fivio is unstoppable, floating over Kanye’s beat with a level of intensity that has become his trademark. Kanye himself seems driven to match the energy of his guests, as he once again brings a fiery tonality to his own performance.

Hurricane is easily the most highly-anticipated song on the album as it is the sole surviving track of the now-infamous Yandhi era. Canadian megastar The Weeknd kicks things off with another magnificent performance, supported by a veritable choir of backing singers as he hits his top notes. The always-dependable Lil Baby holds true to form with another consistent performance, although he does feel slightly out of place in the context of this song, while Kanye matches his flow perfectly to the Mike Dean-produced instrumental.

Inspired feature performances are an ever-present factor on this project as a whole. Oftentimes, an album loaded with guest appearances (particularly as star-studded as this) can be seen to detract from the role of the creator themselves. But each and every vocalist on this project, perhaps driven by reverence for a pioneering figure in their industry, seems duty-bound to give their absolute best performance.

Baby Keem delivers this verse of his life on Praise God, a song that also features an extended back and forth between Ye and fellow GOOD Music signatory Travis Scott. Lil Yachty gives us his best Satan impersonation on the chilling Ok Ok, his voice barely rising above a whisper and yet emanating sheer menace.

But perhaps the best guest performance comes from Don Toliver and Kid Cudi on Moon. Toliver’s angelic voice and flow gives way to the comparatively subtle Cudi, all over the top of a low-key yet beautiful backing track of guitars and organs. The song then concludes with the two guests and Kanye singing in symphony in a stunning display of pure vocal talent.

Despite the prevalence of guest appearances throughout the album, (there are more than 30 individual feature artists credited across the track-list), Kanye still gives himself room to make his presence felt.

Employing a sample from Ms Lauryn Hill’s Doo-Wop (That Thing), the track Believe What I Say is an uplifting ballad in which Yeezy implores his audience to “play something that is very, very vibe worthy”. And indeed, this dance anthem is that and more, as Kanye tells us to not “let the lifestyle drag you down,” and give ourselves time for joy and happiness in a world full of people and situations designed to cause us sorrow.

24 and Come to Life, although they are 11 songs apart on the track listing, are one in their aura and presence. 24 features Kanye’s Sunday Service Choir backing his heartfelt lyrics expressing his faith that through God humanity can find peace and tranquillity. His tone conveys pure and unadulterated serenity.

Come to Life is a song of hope and desire, as Kanye once again grapples with his relationship with his wife while channelling his Christian perspective that 'if God wills something, it will be so'. The slowly building instrumental, composed of an organ and piano, work in harmony to create the illusion of acoustic space reminiscent of a large church.

Naturally, on an album of such great length, there are clear lapses in focus, direction and even pure production value on this record. While Ye and Playboi Carti are far from terrible on Junya, the low production quality and oddly-chopped verse structure gives the song the feel of a demo track still in great need of a polish and smoothening. It’s unclear whether this was a creative choice on Kanye’s behalf, but suffice to say, the result is below par.

Tell The Vision wins this author’s award for being the most unnecessary song in Kanye’s discography. It is quite simply a poorly and quietly mixed version of the late Pop Smoke’s song of the same name, which already appeared on his own album just over a month ago. The lone difference between the versions of the song is that Kanye’s own verse is not even included. 

There are many ways to pay tribute to a late musician on your record, randomly throwing less than 2 minutes of an already-released song into the middle of your album as an interlude is probably quite low on the list of the most effective and graceful methods.

Additionally, there are some production/polish issues scattered across other songs on the album, which bears considering that Donda might yet receive the “live update” treatment given to The Life of Pablo in 2016.

There is so much more going on in this album that is yet to be touched on. Be it Kanye’s expert incorporation of backing vocals by none other than Ariana Grande and Chris Brown, or the incredible verse laid down by Jay Electronica on Jesus Lord. That particular performance is also followed by an emotional speech from Larry Hoover Jr discussing his father’s incarceration for more than 25 years, a topic Kanye has personally fought against as a part of his connection to the former Presidency. 

There are even four “part 2” tracks, which are essentially remixes of songs on the album, that include guest vocals from DaBaby, Ty Dolla $ign, and the three members of The Lox (Jadakiss, Styles P and Sheek Louch).

Fortunately, Donda is an album which realistically has to be experienced to be fully appreciated for what it is. A sprawling stream of consciousness from a man with an incredibly unique vision and mind.

Kanye West is not an easy man to like. His politics are convoluted and confusing, some of his public statements have been downright offensive and he often comes across as arrogant, aloof, and even unhinged at times. And yet, in spite of all of this, Ye continues to be an enduring titan in the world of music. 

Donda is quite simply a demonstration that imperfection can be beautiful. This is anything but the curated perfection of his legendary My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy of more than a decade ago. Kanye himself once said “perfection is boring", and this album is the embodiment of that belief. A flawed man’s flawed masterpiece.