Kanye West Is Livestreaming Himself As He Finishes His Album While Living In A Stadium

Kanye is back, y’all. Two years after the release of his last album, Jesus Is King (2019), the legendary rapper-producer has announced his highly anticipated return to the hip-hop game. Slated to drop *extremely* soon, Kanye West’s Donda album details might make it your favorite record of the summer.

The title of this upcoming album might confuse some West fans due to the fact that last June, the Sunday Service Choir leader said his next album would be titled God’s Country. However, it seemed as though that project — or its name, at least — was scrapped. A month later, West announced he’s releasing an album called DONDA, along with a movie, DONDA: WITH CHILD, but neither were ever released. Now, it looks like the album might *actually* see the light of day in July 2021.

So far, the rollout for the LP is lowkey but meaningful. One of its songs was already featured in an epic Beats by Dre commercial that stars American track-and-field talent Sha’Carri Richardson, who was controversially banned from competing at the Tokyo Olympics this summer. (Talk about one door closing and another one opening!)

There’s also a virtual Donda listening party scheduled this week. From release date and tracklist to music videos and more, here’s the 411 on West’s latest creation.

When Does Kanye West’s Donda Come Out?

You won’t be waiting very long for Donda, because the album comes out this Friday, July 23, according to the Beats commercial promoting it. If you’re really eager to hear Donda, though, you can tune into Apple Music at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 22, for the album’s listening party. Unlike the all-caps version of Donda promoted by West via Twitter last year, a visual accompaniment or film was not announced with this 2021 project.

Donda’s Tracklist

As of July 21, the official tracklist for Donda hasn’t *yet* been announced. But here’s the thing: When West pushed the old iteration of the album, he actually did share its working tracklist — and a single featuring Travis Scott called “Wash Us In The Blood” — so some fans are considering that at least a few of the songs from that previous list will appear on the album. Since West hasn’t said anything about the tracklist, though, fans might have to wait until release day to get the full picture.

So far, the only song from Donda that was officially teased is “No Child Left Behind,” which was featured in the Beats commercial.

Donda’s Lead Single & Music Videos

While “No Child Left Behind” hasn’t been officially marketed as Donda’s lead single, you can assume it’s exactly that. Judging by the one-minute snippet of the track featured in the Beats commercial, “No Child Left Behind” already sounds like a certified banger, with its cinematic production and spiritual lyrics. The full version of the song will drop on July 23, along with the album.

While no Donda music videos have been announced, either, the West-directed Beats commercial (which you can watch below) is a visual experience itself. Richardson is shown getting ready to run the track while the empowering refrain of “No Child Left Behind” — “He’s done miracles on me” — feels totally anthemic.

Get hyped!

The Donda Livestream

Ahead of his album release, West let fans in on the process of recording the record at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. In partnership with Apple Music, he launched an exclusive livestream where he could be seen in his new (impossibly small) bedroom, putting the finishing touches on the album. West also had a slew of celebrity guests appear in the livestream, including Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, and Lil Yachty.