Kanye West tapped runner Sha’Carri Richardson to help tease the release of his new album during Tuesday night’s NBA finals game.
The record-breaking sprinter starred in the latest Beats by Dre advertisement, which includes a short clip of West’s new song, “No Child Left Behind,” featuring singer Vory.
In the clip, Vory sings over gentle organ music, “Back again/ I use my back against the wall/ Never caught on y’all/ Never count on y’all/ Always count on God, before Kanye joins in singing, “He’s done miracles on me.”
The track is part of West’s long-awaited 10th studio album, Donda, named after his late mother, Donda West. The studio effort was first teased in March 2020 and was originally slated to come out that July. However, Kanye cancelled the release and announced he was further tweaking the album.
Now, fans have a new release date to look forward to — this Friday, July 23. To further feed the hype, Ye will hold a Donda listening event the night before on Apple Music, starting at 8 p.m. ET. It was also announced the album will feature Lil Baby, Travis Scott and Pusha T.
The commercial starring Richardson, who is one of the fastest women in the world, embodies the ad’s message, “Live your truth.” It features the athlete walking onto an empty track and looking up at the sky before placing her feet on the starting blocks to begin running.
Richardson, 21, sparked a nationwide debate about cannabis rules in sports after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency handed her a 30-day suspension for testing positive for THC, the intoxicating compound found in marijuana. The suspension forced her to miss the women’s 100-meter relay she previously qualified for and, ultimately, she wasn’t offered a spot on the U.S. Olympic team.
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