Time magazine has listed “Donda,” the 10th studio album from Kanye West, and a release that features Jamaican recording artists Buju Banton and Shenseea, as Number 7 of the Top 10 albums of 2021. Time noted that in the post-COVID-lockdown of 2021, Kanye West successfully brought large crowds back to in-person attendance at big stadium shows with his epic work.
Thanks to a change in the rules governing the Grammy Awards, Shenseea, 25, has been nominated for the vocals she performed on West’s album, which has been nominated in the Album of Year and Best Rap Album categories. Shenseea’s songs are “OK OK Part 2,” which reached Number 12 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list, and “Pure Souls,” which reached Number 52 on the list. Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Buju Banton has also received a Grammy nomination for the song “Believe What I Say,” which is featured on “Donda.” These are the first Grammy nominations for Shenseea.
West is frequently a polarizing figure, but Time notes that focusing on the controversies alone would miss the thrills provided by “Donda,” his tenth studio album. “Donda” was released after a series of listening parties and shows the artist thinking about his father and his mother; the album is named in her honor. The 27 tracks on “Donda” also address his coming divorce and his family, and while die-hard Kanye-haters have criticized the work for its length and issues with its release, listeners will enjoy the album for its inclusion of many talented guest performers. In addition to Shenseea and Buju Banton, the album features artists from the Weeknd to Jay Electronica.
Time’s choices for the Top 10 albums of 2021 include at Number 1, “Promises” by Pharoah Sanders, Floating Points and The London Symphony Orchestra; Number 2 is “Vince Staples” by Vince Staples; Number 3 “to hell with it” by PinkPantheress; Number 4 “Blue Weekend” by Wolf Alice; Number 5 “Still Over It” by Summer Walker; Number 6 “The Marfa Tapes” by Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram and Jon Randall; Number 8 “The Hands of Time” by Weedie Braimah; Number 9 . “Navy’s Reprise” by Navy Blue; and Number 10 “Heaux Tales” by Jazmine Sullivan.