Kanye West Announces ‘Donda’ LP Release Date in Ad Aired During NBA Finals Game 6

Kanye West previewed his upcoming Donda album, his first since 2019, as the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns battled it out on the court during Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The rapper gave watchers a first taste via the song “No Child Left Behind” which scored a commercial for Beats By Dre, and announced that Donda will arrive on Friday.

The ad, which features track superstar Sha’Carri Richardson, follows Monday’s surprise announcement for his Donda listening party at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which is slated for Thursday. The show is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.

The listening event continues the grand approach West has taken during recent marquee album rollouts. He famously used a Madison Square Garden fashion show to debut The Life of Pablo in 2016. In 2018, he flew numerous journalists and celebrities to Wyoming for his Ye listening party.

Donda is West’s first album since 2019’s Jesus Is Born, a gospel-inspired LP he recorded with his Sunday Service Choir. Last December, he dropped an EP with the Choir, the five-song Emmanuel. It’s unclear if Donda will be another Sunday Service collaboration or a return to hip-hop.

West also produced Lil Nas X’s new song “Industry Baby,” which will also be released on Friday.