Will Sha'Carri Richardson appear in Kanye's album 'Donda'? Twitter elated after Beats ad

Sha'Carri Richardson may not be representing the US at the Tokyo Olympics, but she remains as popular as ever. If you doubt that, then this news should put that to rest. The sprinter featured in a new Beats by Dre ad, that aired at Game 6 of the NBA finals. Much to everyone's surprise, the ad was set to the tune of a song from Kanye West's new album 'Donda', which is scheduled to release on July 23.

The famous sprinter was supposed to represent the US at the Olympic Games but was booted out in early July. The expulsion came after she tested positive for marijuana. The controversy erupted after fans commented swimmer Michael Phelps got away with smoking weed. While the controversy is not likely to die down anytime soon, Richardson appears to have moved on. 

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The sprinter wasn't surprised by her expulsion and has clearly moved on. It also appears as if she's in demand, having bagged a massive deal with Nike. Now, she confirmed a deal with music brand Beats by Dre, and as it appears, a cameo in Kanye's new album. That's got us wondering if she will feature more prominently in 'Donda'.

Will Sha'Carri Richardson appear in 'Donda'?

This isn't an easy one to answer. Richardson appeared in the Beats ad, which was set to the tune of the song 'No Child Left Behind'. The song is one of the several from the highly-anticipated album. It was indeed a surprise to everyone, that Kanye would collaborate with Richarson and Beats in the same promo. To be sure, this is very much a collaboration between Kanye and Beats, the ad ends with text promoting a listening event on Apple Music especially for 'Donda'. Here's a look at the video if you are intrigued.

So what is Richardson doing there? As an athlete, she is the prime candidate to promote Beats, an audio brand with a long history of associating with top athletes. However, there was never any confirmation of her signing a deal with Beats or Apple. It's unclear if this was a one-off promotion, or if Richardson will be featured in further Beats ads, or indeed in Kanye's album. It makes sense for Kanye to tap Richarson to promote the album, but whether she features in it is an entirely different matter.

Richardson jumped into the national spotlight only after her marijuana test, by which time the music videos for 'Donda' would have to be completed. Based on the timing, it does seem difficult, but not impossible, to imagine Kanye teaming up with her for a full song. To add to the intrigue, Richardson herself indicated that she might be seen again. Richarson shared the ad on her Instagram profile, and commented, "Another commercial and another new Ye song dropping tomorrow!" Of course, it could just be hyping up Kanye's album, but it does seem to hint she has a bigger role to play than just a one-off promotional video. 

We can't say for sure if Richardson will feature in the album, but the collaboration has definitely got social media talking. Here's what excited Twitter users had to say about the video.

'I freaking love it'

"Wow. #DONDA release date announced on Sha’carri Richardson’s Beats by Dre commercial . #Kanye is a genius," one person tweeted. Another said, "seeing Sha'Carri Richardson in the beats, and DONDA commercial brought a tear to my eye KEEP GOING!" One user tweeted, "Happy for Sha'Carri Richardson. She deserved this."

One clearly excited user commented, "Sha’Carri Richardson with the beats commercial during the NBA Finals!!! I FREAKING LOVE IT!!!" Another tweeted, "I’m no Kanye Stan but a bop + Sha`Carri Richardson appreciation let’s gooo." Another said, "Also good for Kanye putting Sha'Carri Richardson in that video. The girl was under incredible pressure and had just lost her mom so she decided to smoke a bit, so what? As someone with a parent in the hospital everyday is up and down and it's appalling what happened to her."

Whether she features in the album or not, using Richarson for the promotional material is clearly a fantastic move by Kanye. It's clearly got everyone talking, and hyped for the album. 'Donda' releases on Friday, July 23 and should be available to stream from Apple Music, Spotify or wherever else you get your music from.