Kanye West finally drops Donda, and the Jay-Z verse is here to stay

Kanye West has finally released his tenth studio album, Donda, on streaming services, following months of delays and multiple listening parties. 

First announced in July last year, the follow-up to Jesus Is King comes at the end of a chaotic rollout. In the last few months alone, the rapper has changed his name to Ye, dropped snippets of new songs in Beats ads, and taken up residence in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium.

The tracklist has also undergone various alterations. After Kanye’s third listening party — held at Chicago’s Soldier Field on Thursday — fans widely condemned his decision to swap a Jay-Z feature for a verse by DaBaby on the track “Jail”. ICYMI, DaBaby was captured going on a homophobic rant during a festival appearance last month. 

Kanye also drew criticism for appearing on stage (actually, a recreation of his childhood home) with alleged abuser Marilyn Manson during the event, while Kim Kardashian made an appearance in a white bridal gown from Demna Gvasalia’s first Balenciaga couture collection.

As it stands, Jay-Z’s verse on “Jail” has been restored and DaBaby’s appears to have been ditched. This is despite Ye’s August 29 Instagram post that claimed he wouldn’t take DaBaby off the album, because he was the only person that publicly said he’d vote for the former presidential candidate.

Other collaborations on the 27-track record include the Weeknd, Jay Electronica, Young Thug, Pop Smoke, Pusha T, Travis Scott, Kid Cudi, and Kanye’s late mother, Donda. Brian Warner (AKA Marilyn Manson) is credited as one of the composers and lyricists for “Jail”.

Donda is currently streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, with a physical “Stem Player” on the way that will allow fans to remix each track. Listen below.