Fans who believed reports Kanye West’s 10th studio album, Donda, would be released on streaming services this week were disappointed once again. Initially slated to drop after his listening party in Atlanta, Donda, has been pushed back to an unforeseeable date in the future.
In an Instagram post shared on Friday (July 23), “Respectfully Justin” host Justin Laboy stated the “album of the year will be released Aug. 6.” “Thanks for your patience,” he wrote. “[Kanye] wants to give his fans the best possible product without rushing anything. He loves y’all with all of his heart. God bless. #Donda #Respectfully.”
That post followed a series of tweets by Laboy claiming the album would definitely be released on Friday. “Donda will be released. The day is not over yet. Last minute magic is being added in Atlanta. God bless,” he tweeted in between praise of the album. “Getting mixed & mastered right now. Keep refreshing your music platforms it’s coming,” he added.
Longtime collaborator Malik Yusef reaffirmed Laboy’s timeline in his own Instagram post. “We [are] super grateful, thankful and appreciative of all the love we’ve been getting for the new upcoming album #DONDA. This is the 9th album I’ve worked on with Kanye West,” he wrote. “Me and bro weren’t communicating during the process of Jesus is King so I missed that one. But in my opinion it’s our best work thus far. Also, as a side note my homie Justin Laboy is more kind and caring, than he is toxic. #respectfully Aug. 6!”
A former Apple Music curator also chimed in with an update on when ‘Ye was supposed to drop the album. Around 8 p.m. Friday, Dylan Farella tweeted Donda “should drop by midnight. Worth the wait.” He followed that tweet with a few more regarding the attention he received for sharing what he’d heard. “Tweeted what I’ve heard latest on the project. Didn’t realize fans would then want to kill me for sharing. Anyway, too much negativity so imma delete that tweet. But enjoy the album,” he wrote. An hour after his initial tweet, Farella wrote, “Remember the album drops on Kanye’s time and Kanye’s time alone. Unless this is your first rollout you know anything can happen.”
The album, named after Kanye’s late mother, was first scheduled to be released in July 2020. The features fans heard during the listening party include Lil Durk, Lil Baby, Travis Scott, Pusha T, Plaboi Carti, Baby Keem, Roddy Rich, Vory, Griselda, JAY-Z, and more.