In an ad with Sha'Carri Richardson, Kanye West discloses the release date for 'Donda,' and previews a new song

In an ad with Sha'Carri Richardson, Kanye West discloses the release date for 'Donda,' and previews a new song

Finally, Kanye West's "Donda" will be released.

The rapper announced that his long-awaited follow-up to 2019's "Jesus is King" will be out this Friday in a Beats by Dre commercial that ran during Tuesday's NBA Finals.

The commercial, which features American track sensation Sha'Carri Richardson, was composed and edited by West. A clip from "No Child Left Behind," a new song from the album, was also used in the commercial. As Richardson prepares to sprint, West can be heard singing, "He's done wonders on me."

Richardson is receiving a one-month ban after testing positive for marijuana at the US Customs and Border Protection. In a contentious decision earlier this month, she was not picked for the Olympic 4x100 relay squad, despite competing in the trials. 

At 8 p.m., West will perform the first song off his next album, which will be his tenth. Thursday in Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ticketmaster.com started selling $20 and $50 tickets on Monday. At the 71,000-seat arena, 40,000 to 50,000 tickets were expected to be available. The listening event will also be live-streamed on Apple Music, according to the Beats by Dre promo.

Though West has long been identified with Chicago, the mercurial rapper was born in Atlanta and has links to the city; in addition, there are no capacity restrictions in Georgia for huge crowds.

The album was named after West's mother, Donda West, who died in 2007 at the age of 58. No additional information regarding the album has been released since West first announced it on Twitter in July 2020.

People in West's orbit have teased the album numerous times this year.

In the comments of a now-deleted Instagram post in June 2020 announcing the launch of West's Yeezy Gap collaboration, West's manager Abou Thiam announced the coming of "Donda": "WestDayEver. Album OTW!" he said.

Justin Laboy, an internet phenomenon and talk show presenter, claimed on Twitter that he and NBA star Kevin Durant received a first listen of West's album in Las Vegas on Sunday.

Laboy wrote, "The production is light years ahead of its time, and the bars seem like he's broke & hungry trying to get signed again." "Any artist planning on releasing soon should just postpone it."