A few weeks ago, Kanye West was floating away into the night sky, arms outstretched, pulled by invisible ropes.

Below him a sold-out stadium in Atlanta, to which he had presented music that didn't really exist at the time.

And on Sunday of all times he got up again with the release of his tenth studio album "Donda". No symbolism is too great for “Yeezus” (a mixture of Kanye and Jesus), who has presented himself to the public as a chimed Christian for several years. "Donda" was announced again and again, only to be postponed at the last second. West, who had billeted himself in the dressing room of the stadium in question, including the recording studio and mattress on the floor, really wanted to do everything right this time. Within a few hours, “Donda” landed at number one on the charts in one hundred and thirty countries and caused a brief collapse of the Spotify streaming service. In his unadapted megalomania, West is considered a rock star who has fallen out of time, so the expectation was correspondingly high.

Loss, Religion - and Kanye West

The result is a huge opus.

Anyone who has heard West's previous nine albums will recognize a life's work in “Donda”, dedicated to his mother Donda West, who died in 2007 in a supposedly harmless operation.

Already fourteen years ago, immediately after her death, West used the distorted human voice as a new type of instrument on "808s & Heartbreak" with the help of autotune and samples.

A decade later a whole new generation of introverted autotune rappers followed with Drake and Juice WRLD.

On “Donda” West gives his sermon accompanied by gospel choirs, synthesizers and trapbeats.

The twenty-seven songs are about loss and religion - and Kanye West.

“Donda” owes its high-quality features to the fact that this does not wear out despite its excess length.

Travis Scott ("Off The Grid"), The Weeknd ("Hurricane") and Jay-Z ("Jail") are all incorporated into the album's aesthetic in their own unique way, as West is one of the most talented producers of his generation.

The first half of “Donda” in particular seems more mature and darker than the previous album “Jesus Is King”.

West later found something more cheerful.

On “Believe What I Say” a Lauryn Hill sample (“Doo-Woop”) almost becomes a summer hit.

Consolation in faith

Marilyn Manson and rapper DaBaby have a guest appearance in “Jail pt 2”. DaBaby recently caused criticism with homophobic remarks, Manson has been accused of sexual abuse several times: Working with them can only be understood as a provocation. West's label Universal is said to have prevented the release of “Jail pt 2” - without success. So the song stands out uncomfortably from the rest of the album. Late on Sunday evening, Kanye West accused his label of releasing "Donda" without his final approval. The mood seems charged again, the conflicts between him and his label are well known.

His public outbursts don't seem to hurt West's career too much, though.

The previous low point was undoubtedly his failed presidential candidacy, during which he attracted attention with confused tweets and public tears.

In “Donda” too, West again addresses his mental illness, which he says is a bipolar disorder.

In “No Child Left Behind” the audience floats away with him into the night, accompanied by soft organ sounds: “He's done miracles on me.” Once again West finds consolation in faith.

Music as a playing mass

The album succeeds in a quite unusual mixture of songs for the church and for the club. After a long delay it actually seems finished, only the long outros of songs like “God Breathed” have remained a bit raw. That could still change. West has continued to develop his music even after it was released. His listeners will soon be able to do that themselves. The “Donda Stem Player” will soon be available on the American market, a tiny recording studio in the form of an ice hockey puck, which can be used to manipulate music in real time. Played songs become a play mass, vocals and instruments can be broken down into their individual parts, separated from one another, accelerated, played backwards or in loops. What the device does in a first trailer with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony,will make music romantics shake their heads outraged.

Kanye West won't care. His ideas have long since grown beyond his own music, into the fashion industry and politics. “Donda” is also full of such experiments. Almost all of them succeed. There will be enough to listen to in two hours. With “Donda” West will leave a lasting impression, it has become one of his best projects. And it wouldn't be the first time that one of his albums has sparked a genre revolution.