Donda Chant

Last updated
"Donda Chant"
Song by Kanye West
from the album Donda
ReleasedAugust 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)
RecordedJuly 14, 2021
Genre Spoken word
Length0:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kanye West

"Donda Chant" is the opening track of American rapper Kanye West's tenth studio album Donda (2021). The song solely features vocals from American singer-songwriter Syleena Johnson. A music video for the song was released via Instagram by West on September 18, 2021. Throughout the video, pictures of both Kanye and his mother Donda West are projected atop a replica of the former's childhood home.

Contents

Background and composition

West first collaborated with Syleena Johnson in 2004 on his single "All Falls Down", where she contributed vocals on the chorus, interpolating lyrics from Lauryn Hill's "Mystery of Iniquity". [1] West continued to work with Johnson during the early years of his career, including producing her 2005 track "Bull's-Eye (Suddenly)". [1] On July 15, 2021, Johnson flew out to San Francisco to record for Donda. [2] Johnson talked more about the collaboration on Cocktails with Queens on Fox Soul on August 31, saying that West told her that he "wanted the album to have some type of healing component", after which Johnson suggested that the consonant sounds in "Donda" sound like a "meditative chant". The singer then laid down vocals repeating "Donda" in different cadences and rhythms after telling West about the idea. She said that she had no idea that West would use the track in the way that he did on the album. Johnson said during the same session that she recorded vocals for another song, which was ultimately not included on the album. [3]

Musically, "Donda Chant" is a spoken word song. [4] [5] Johnson repeatedly chants "Donda" for the song's full length of 52 seconds without pausing as a mantra, replicating the sound of a fading heartbeat. [1] [6] She utters the word 60 times, accompanied by no instrumental. [5]

Reception

The New York Post ranked "Donda Chant" as one of the worst songs of 2021, saying that "Even if Ye’s heart was in the right place, this song probably had Mom rolling over in her grave". [7] Similarly, Pitchfork ranked Johnson’s feature as one of the worst features on the album, with writer Alphonse Pierre "choosing to pretend that the chanting Donda intro does not exist and think of Syleena Johnson’s 'All Falls Down' hook instead." [8]

Music video

On September 18, 2021, West shared an accompanying music video exclusively to his Instagram. [9] The video was directed by British fashion photographer Nick Knight, who also shot the visual for album track "24". [9] [10] It is set in black and white, and has a length of 61 seconds. [10] Aerial footage is displayed of the replica of West's replica childhood home from the album's third listening party at Soldier Field in Chicago on August 26, 2021, which two rows of moving cars circle around. [4] [10] [11] Flashes of photographs are projected onto the replica house that show Donda, who is pictured as both a child and an adult, while some images feature Kanye West accompanying her. [9] [12] Pictures of West as a baby and video footage of his mother, including clips where she laughs, are also displayed. [10] [11] [12]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. [13]

Charts

Chart performance for "Donda Chant"
Chart (2021)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [14] 57
Portugal (AFP) [15] 112
South Africa (TOSAC) [16] 30

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rindner, Grant (30 August 2021). "From DaBaby to Shenseea: The Most Notable Collaborators on Kanye's Donda". GQ. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  2. ↑ "Syleena". Instagram. 15 July 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved 8 September 2021. Took my heart and voice to San Fransisco[sic] right quick to work on something OUT OF THIS WORLD. ♥️ went vintage @kanyewest on the outfit today with the College dropout original hoodie I got from him in 2004.
  3. ↑ Cocktails with Queens on Fox Soul. "Syleena Johnson talks about the inspiration behind the Donda chant" . Retrieved 8 September 2021– via YouTube.
  4. 1 2 Doria, Matt (September 19, 2021). "Kanye West honours his late mother in new video for 'Donda Chant'". NME . Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Robinson, Joshua (September 1, 2021). "Kanye West's 'Donda Chant' May Be Deeper Than Listeners Originally Thought". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  6. ↑ Ingvaldsen, Torsten (3 September 2021). "Reviewing Kanye West's 'DONDA': From Chaos Comes Clarity". Hypebeast. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  7. ↑ Arnold, Chuck (December 24, 2021). "The 5 worst songs of 2021 we hope to never hear again". New York Post. Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved December 26, 2021.
  8. ↑ Pierre, Alphonse (2021-09-03). "Ranking Every Guest Appearance on Kanye West's Donda From Worst to Best". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  9. 1 2 3 Waite, Thom (September 19, 2021). "Watch Kanye West's new visuals for 'Donda Chant'". Dazed . Archived from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Anthony, Kiyonna (September 20, 2021). "Kanye West Pays Tribute To Late Mother In New 'Donda Chant' Video". iHeartRadio. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  11. 1 2 Espinoza, Joshua (September 19, 2021). "Watch Kanye West's New Visual for 'Donda Chant'". Complex . Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  12. 1 2 Harris, Christopher (September 19, 2021). "Kanye West drops 'Donda Chant' music video via Instagram". Revolt . Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Kanye West - Donda - Credits". Tidal. Retrieved 8 September 2021.
  14. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 September 2021". No. 1644. Australian Recording Industry Association. September 6, 2021. p. 4.{{cite magazine}}: Cite magazine requires |magazine= (help)
  15. ↑ "Kanye West – Donda Chant". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  16. ↑ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: 27/08/2021 to 02/09/2021". The Official South African Charts. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
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