Kanye West has confirmed fan suspicions about his long-delayed album — with a little help from elite athlete Sha’Carri Richardson.
After a week of frenzied Twitter speculation swirling around the possibility of a Friday drop date for “Donda,” West’s much-anticipated 10th full-length recording, the rapper has finally put the rumors to rest.
West, 44, confirmed the July 23 release date by including a sample from the new album’s track “No Child Left Behind,” in a Beats by Dre ad featuring stalled Olympian Richardson, 21.
The commercial spot aired Tuesday during Game 6 of the NBA Finals, and features a visual of Richardson as she runs a 100-meter sprint in slow motion, while listening to West’s voice pump the lyric, “He’s done miracles on me,” through the Beats by Dre earbuds.
The ad also formally announced West will be hosting a listening party in Atlanta on Thursday July 22. The event will be livestreamed via Apple music at 8 p.m. EST. This formal announcement follows the buzz and confirms fans’ suspicions about a rumored secret listening party in Las Vegas on July 18.
The spot also works to support Richardson, who was suspended from Team USA on July 2 after testing positive for testing positive for THC, the chemical in cannabis, during a routine drug test. After the public suspension, notable figures spoke out in solidarity in solidarity with the athlete.
Confirmation about the upcoming album, also came directly from West’s social media, which typically remains inactive.
West posted on his Instagram a series of close up photos with his face covered to highlight the chains around his neck, each featuring the names of each of his children from his troubled marriage with Kim Kardashian: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
The album’s title, “Donda,” is honor of West’s late mother, and originally was to be released in 2020. “Donda” will follow the 2019 Grammy winning contemporary christian album, “Jesus Is King.“
The new release will reportedly not feature negative raps about his ex-wife: “Kanye actually played the song for Kim personally before the listening party,” an insider close to the former couple told Page Six. “It’s emotional and personal. Not negative at all.”
