Kanye West’s Donda: album release date confirmed

It comes after the album didn’t arrive as expected last week

The release date of Kanye West’s Donda album has now been confirmed.

West was supposed to release his eagerly anticipated 10th album last week (Friday 23 July), but the album never materialised.

The rapper did, however, hold a massive listening party at the Mercedes-Benz stadium in Atlanta, which was attended by around 42,000 fans who paid between $20-$100 per ticket to hear the album.

During the 48-minute listening party, West apparently said nothing and roamed the stadium floor. He arrived almost two hours after the event’s start time and no live performance took place: fans were instead played the new material loudly over stadium speakers (via USA Today).

Now, a representative for West has confirmed to Pitchfork that West’s album will arrive on Friday 6 August.

A representative for West also confirmed to Rolling Stone today (Monday 26 July) that the rapper has moved into Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz stadium to finish working on Donda. Living quarters and a studio space have reportedly been set up for West at the stadium.

Jay-Z and Kanye West (GETTY IMAGES)

Last week (Friday July 23), fans were delighted by the appearance of West’s former mentor Jay-Z on a track from Donda.

The surprise collaboration between West and Jay-Z is thought to take place on the album’s final track. Jay-Z is reportedly heard teasing West about his support for former US president Donald Trump by referencing West’s controversial “red cap” bearing Trump’s slogan, MAGA [Make America Great Again].

The collaboration suggests that West and Jay-Z have ended a long-standing feud which dates back to 2014, when Jay-Z and his partner Beyonce did not attend Kanye West and Kim Kardashian’s highly publicised wedding.

You can watch highlights from the listening party event here.