Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, has shared a deluxe edition of his August 2021 album, Donda. This new entry added five additional tracks, including “Life Of The Party” featuring André 3000.
The buildup to Donda was exactly what one would expect from Ye. In addition to several release dates that came and went without an album, West held three Donda listening parties. He staged the first two at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA in July and August, before a third at Chicago’s Soldier Field leading up to the record’s arrival on August 29th.
Perhaps Ye learned from this exhausting release storyline, as Donda (Deluxe) dropped with no warning late Sunday night. As he did with The Life of Pablo and Ye, Kanye made some slight and other not-so-subtle changes to the album after its release. Most notably, Ye stealth-edited Chris Brown and KayCyy out of Donda, while also adjusting the bass and overall mix on “God Breathed”, “Come To Life”, “Jail pt. 2”, and “Junya”.
These changes notwithstanding, the deluxe edition arrived with far more than a few tweaks. In addition to a revised order and the new “Life Of The Party”, West added “Up From The Ashes” and “Never Abandon Your Family” to the rotation. Furthermore, “Keep My Spirit Alive” and “Remote Control” both received a second part, bringing the tracklist total to 32. “Keep My Spirit Alive pt. 2” features Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine, and KayCyy, while “Remote Control pt. 2” features Young Thug and Kid Cudi. Additionally, West updated “Come to Life”, which now includes vocals from Tyler the Creator.
Of all the five new tracks, the André 3000 feature might have been the biggest relief for Ye’s fans. Drake had originally leaked the track before Donda‘s release, and many expected it to have a spot on the original tracklist. When the record arrived sans “Life Of The Party” many wondered if an official release would ever surface.
Listen to the new Kanye West album, Donda (Deluxe), below and head here to purchase a physical copy of the release.
Kanye West – Donda (Deluxe)