Of course, this release is not taking place in early-20th-century Russia, it is occurring within the context of decrepit postmodernity. In this instance though, Ye seemed to adopt the principle of renouncing worldly pleasures in the pursuit of the greater good, all the while remaining at the pinnacle of influence and power-the politburo says who gets bread, not the people and Ye says when Donda drops, not the people. It’s a strange contrast given that Kanye is typically resigned to the heights of hagiography and idolatry, that hemmed-in niche of society where they feast on fame. Witnessing this scene, one can’t help but draw comparisons to the ascetic tendencies practiced by Lenin.

But this camera was fixed on Kanye West’s room, his living quarters since his July 22 listening party. If a stray onlooker were to witness this scene for a quick second, they might think it was a snuff film I was watching-or pornography. It looked like the type of place that merciless correctional officers hose-down and process felons, and the minimalist vests didn’t do much to abate this image. The livestream camera stood sentinel inside of the sickly claustrophobic room of Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a nameless producer donning a black DONDA security vest tweaked his Mac. The veteran hip-hop star’s 10th album seemed poised to hit the public consciousness in the same manner as most of his other releases: as a ceremonial testimony to the religious dedication culture has to the music of Ye. The clock on the waxy stone wall ticked down like a kind of doomsday index-10 hours 15 minutes… 9 hours 25 minutes… 6 hours 13 minutes… - slowly eclipsing the event horizon of Kanye West’s newest spectacle, the release of his long-awaited album Donda. Let Walker Armstrong tell you about 90’s Memphis hip-hop and the slow cancelation of the future. Support real, independent music journalism by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon.

Draw kanye west graduation album