Today is a huge day for Kanye fans as the artist officially released his new album DONDA. Last month, it was revealed by Justin Laboy that the album would be coming out on July 23rd and that Ye had played the album for people in Las Vegas. Eventually, Kanye live-streamed the album in Atlanta and it was clear that there was still a lot of work to be done. A second listening party was hosted on August 6th, and once again, the album remained under wraps.
Now, three days after his listening party in Chicago, Kanye has finally come through with the project in all of its glory. Fans are enjoying it quite a bit so far, and there have already been debates surrounding who had the best verse, and which song is the best.
Interestingly enough, the finished product received some initial input from none other than Kevin Durant, who got to listen to the album all the way back in July, alongside Laboy.
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According to NBA reporter Tim Reynolds, Durant spoke about his role in the creation of DONDA while in Tokyo for the Olympics. With each listening party, Kanye adjusted his album to fit what people liked and disliked. As Durant explained, he was one of the first to give Kanye his input, which likely led to some tweaks on certain songs. While it’s not a massive contribution, there is no doubt that KD played some sort of role in the creation of the project.
Heading into next week, DONDA is expected to land at number one on the charts, which would be record-breaking for Kanye who would officially have the most number-one albums of this century. Considering everything that has happened, it is well-deserved.