Jump to content

Bully (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other albums with same title, see Bully (disambiguation) § Music.

Bully
Bully cover art used on YouTube
Video by
Kanye West
ReleasedMarch 18, 2025[a]
Length23:14 (YouTube)
LabelYZY
DirectorHype Williams
Producer
Kanye West chronology
Vultures 2
(2024) 		Bully
(2025) 		WW3
(2025)
Singles from Bully
  1. "Beauty and the Beast"
    Released: February 9, 2025

Bully is a visual album by American rapper Kanye West. West announced the album in September 2024 and released multiple versions, with different tracklists, in March 2025. It is a concept album mostly produced by West and features a guest appearance from Peso Pluma; additional versions feature Ty Dolla Sign and Playboi Carti.

Bully features a short film directed by Hype Williams. It stars West's son Saint, who fights New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestlers with a toy mallet. Sonically, the album resembles West's work on 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). It extensively relies on sampling and interpolation, and West mostly sings instead of rapping. Half of West's vocals in the current releases are artificial intelligence-generated audio deepfakes, although West said he intends to re-record the lyrics with his own vocals.

Bully was recorded as West became the subject of controversy for promoting hate speech, including making antisemitic statements, endorsing Nazism, and insulting family and associates, on his Twitter account. While Bully's original and current cover art features Saint, West also shared another cover featuring a Nazi swastika. West initially announced a release date of June 15, 2025, but surprise released multiple versions on Twitter on March 18, asserting it remained a work in progress. Bully has received positive reviews, with praise for its production.

Background and recording

[edit]

In 2024, Kanye West collaborated with the American singer and rapper Ty Dolla Sign to release the collaborative albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 as ¥$.[1] Vultures 1 received mixed reviews, while Vultures 2 was panned for being released in an unfinished state and its alleged use of artificial intelligence (AI) vocals.[2][3] Following both of those releases, the American record producer and musician Digital Nas shared text messages from West indicating his intention to go into "full art studio mode".[4] On September 26, West posted a video on Instagram showing himself using an ASR-10 keyboard to create a song, "Preacher Man", previously previewed at the listening events.[5] West offered "Preacher Man" to Drake, who declined, and the song became Bully's introduction.[6]

During his performance at the Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China after the release of Vultures 2 on September 28, West announced Bully.[7] He previewed "Beauty and the Beast" and "Preacher Man".[8] He posted several previews on Instagram and his website over the next few days.[7] The American music journalist Touré reported that Bully would be a concept album inspired by West's solitude living in Tokyo, with West as its sole producer: "Traditionally, [West] is the product of a team—there are producers [and] writers helping him; he comes with the big ideas but there's others involved. [West] is gonna make [Bully] pretty much by himself. A fresh chapter in his life because in Tokyo he can be who he wants to be."[4][9][10] On October 25, West made Bully available for pre-order.[11]

In a February 2025 interview, West said Bully would feature AI vocals. He responded to backlash by comparing AI to Auto-Tune, a technology that faced similar backlash before becoming widely accepted in music.[12] He said Bully was scheduled for release on June 15, his daughter North's birthday.[13][14] On February 9, he released "Beauty and the Beast" on his website.[15] On March 20, West said that "Melrose", a song featuring Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla Sign from the preview tracklist, would not be on the album.[16] He replied to a fan that he would turn it into a solo song. West's decision to cut "Melrose" likely stems from his anger over not being featured on Carti's album Music (2025).[16]

Synopsis

[edit]

Bully is accompanied by a black-and-white short film directed by Hype Williams and starring West's son Saint.[17] The film depicts Saint in a wrestling ring, fending off aggressors with a toy mallet.[17][18] Professional wrestlers Yoh, Toru Yano, Tiger Mask, and El Desperado from New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) portray Saint's opponents.[17] The album plays over the footage,[18] which lasts for about half an hour.[17] According to Rolling Stone's Jayson Buford, Saint represents West himself, "who envisions himself as a martyr being attacked by all sides".[19] However, the film's tone is ridiculous and comedic;[19] GQ's Paul Thompson wrote that the visuals feature "a playfulness, a generosity" reflected in the music.[20]

Songs

[edit]

Bully is brief,[19] containing nine or ten songs depending on the version. The Mexican singer Peso Pluma is the only guest performer who appears in all versions. "Melrose", featuring West's frequent collaborators Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla Sign, appears in the version West released on Twitter, but not on Apple Music or YouTube. The track listing differs across the versions as well.[16][21] Bully opens with "Preacher Man", a minimalist track in which West raps about celebrity.[19]

Musical style

[edit]
See also: List of Kanye West samples and sampling disputes

Billboard's Gil Kaufman wrote that sonically, Bully resembles West's "most experimental, creatively lauded period" from the late 2000s, specifically 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).[18] Kaufman described the songs as "spare, soul-flecked compositions", featuring West crooning with vocals processed through Auto-Tune.[18] West mostly sings instead of rapping,[20] and according to him, half of his vocals are AI-generated deepfakes.[22] Thompson wrote that West's use of AI is not immediately obvious, since "[his] vocals for the most part function as texture rather than the songs' engine".[20] He said it becomes clear about halfway through the album due to the vocals' resemblance to those in 808s & Heartbreak.[20]

As with West's prior work, Bully relies heavily on sampling. Recordings such as "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke (1964), "You Can't Hurry Love" (1966) by the Supremes, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970) by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "Huit Octobre 1971" (1975) by Cortex, "Bésame Mama" (1996) by Poncho Sanchez, and "soleil soleil" (2020) by Pomme are sampled or interpolated. One track, "Last Breath", features a cover of the Can song "Vitamin C" (1972),[23] while another samples the Simpsons character Nelson Muntz's "haw haw!" catchphrase.[24] MusicTech and Variety noted that many of these appeared to be uncleared.[23][24] Pomme had previously denied West permission to sample "soleil soleil", citing disagreements with his political views.[25]

Release

[edit]

While West initially announced a release date of June 15, 2025,[13] he surprise released three versions with different tracklists on March 18, 2025, via his Twitter account.[26] He stated that the album was a work in progress and expressed regret for using AI, which he said he came to despise. He intends to re-record the lyrics with his own vocals.[27] He added that he may not release it on digital streaming platforms, because of his belief that "streams are fake and the French and Jewish record labels treat artists like prostitutes".[28][22][18] West released Bully amidst controversy arising from his hate speech during Twitter rants, in which he made antisemitic remarks, defended Sean Combs, and insulted his ex-wife Kim Kardashian; his former associate Jay-Z, his wife Beyoncé, and their children; and fellow rappers such as Playboi Carti, Tyler, the Creator, and Future.[28][22]

West released a "screening version", a "post Hype version", and a "post post [sic] Hype version".[17] On March 22, West published the screening version, dated December 2024, on YouTube.[29] Media publications noted tracklist differences across the versions.[21][16] The screening version does not feature "Melrose", which is the last song in the others.[28] The YouTube and Apple Music releases were taken down shortly after being uploaded without explanation.[19]

Artwork and title

[edit]
Alternative album cover

On October 23, 2024, West posted Bully's cover, shot by the Japanese photographer Daidō Moriyama, on Instagram.[13] It features a black-and-white image of Saint wearing titanium grills, similar to those West has worn since January 2024.[30] West said the title Bully was a reference to Saint, who he observed kicking a kid for being "weak".[14][31]

On March 16, 2025, West tweeted an image of a red Nazi swastika against a black background and claimed it was Bully's new cover art.[32] He also tweeted the Schutzstaffel insignia and claimed it was the new Sunday Service Choir logo.[33] He quickly deleted the tweets,[33] and the YouTube upload features the Saint cover.[29]

Critical reception

[edit]

Bully received positive reviews.[34] Billboard's Michael Saponara found that those willing to overlook West's behavior enjoyed Bully and praised it as evocative of his 2000s work, such as 808s & Heartbreak.[28] Thompson wrote that it brought him "no pleasure to report that Kanye West made a good Kanye West album," describing Bully as "not only the best collection of beats he's assembled in more than a decade, but a rich, warm, even optimistic record that feels safely cloistered from the internet, the world, even its primary author."[35] Thompson favorably compared its production to West's singles "Only One" (2014) and "FourFiveSeconds" (2015).[35] The Breakfast Club's Nyla Symone said she liked the Bully songs she had listened to, adding that while she doubted West could make a comeback, "as far as being excellent at his craft, he's never swayed from that."[34]

Buford described Bully as West's best album since The Life of Pablo (2016), "show[ing] glimmers of the artist he once was".[36] He felt it indicated that West was still capable of quality work, but also found it his first boring album and not good enough to restore his reputation.[36] Billboard's Kyle Dennis criticized Bully's curation and sequencing, saying of West's albums "I haven't had a favorable listening experience top-to-bottom in quite some time".[28]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are produced by West, except for "This One Here" (produced with No I.D., James Blake and Okami).

"Screening Version" / Bully V1 track listing[29]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Preacher Man" 3:01
2."Beauty and the Beast" 1:45
3."White Lines" 2:13
4."Last Breath" (featuring Peso Pluma) 3:20
5."Bully" 2:01
6."Can't Hurry Love" 2:05
7."Circles" 2:15
8."Highs and Lows" 1:45
9."This One Here"
3:17
10.Untitled 1:26
Total length:23:14
"Post Hype" / "Post Post Hype" track listing[32]
No.TitleLength
10."Melrose" (featuring Ty Dolla Sign and Playboi Carti)3:41

Sample credits:

  • "Circles" contains samples from "Huit Octobre 1971", written by Alain Mion and performed by Cortex.[19]
  • "Highs and Lows" contains samples from "soleil soleil", written by Claire Pommet and performed by Pomme.[25]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ West shared multiple versions of Bully on Twitter on March 18, 2025. One of these versions was later uploaded to YouTube on March 22, 2025, and removed on March 25.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Sadler, Armon (January 17, 2024). "Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign Joint Album 'Vultures' Delayed Until February". Vibe. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  2. ^ Moore, Sam (February 14, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' Aiming For No. 1 Debut With Big First-Week Sales". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  3. ^ Attard, Paul (August 5, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign 'Vultures 2' Review: Phoned in and Disconnected". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Hellerbach, Miki (October 24, 2024). "Kanye West's New Album 'Bully:' Here's Everything We Know". Complex. Archived from the original on March 16, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  5. ^ Moore, Sam (September 24, 2024). "Kanye West Flexes Production Chops As He Cooks Up New Soul-Sampling Song". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (April 3, 2025). "Kanye West Claims Drake Brutally Turned Down "Bully" Intro But Hopes They Make An Album". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Gilbert, Natalee (October 14, 2024). "Ye's Bully Album - Here's Everything We Know". XXL. Archived from the original on March 4, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  8. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (September 28, 2024). "Ye Announces New Album Bully and Previews New Song". XXL. Archived from the original on February 10, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  9. ^ Saponara, Michael (October 23, 2024). "Ye Reveals 'Bully' Album Cover Art". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  10. ^ Alston, Trey (October 11, 2024). "Ye's 'Bully' Album Reportedly Produced Entirely by Him". Complex. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  11. ^ Li, Joyce (October 25, 2024). "Ye Launches New Merch Collection for Upcoming Album 'Bully'". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on March 12, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  12. ^ Gee, Maddie (February 5, 2025). "Ye Thinks Drake Can Make a Comeback & Confirms AI in 'BULLY'". RapTV. Retrieved April 8, 2025.
  13. ^ a b c "Kanye West's new album 'Bully' inspired by his son: Release date and key details you should know". The Economic Times. February 7, 2025. ISSN 0013-0389. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  14. ^ a b Brown, Preezy (February 3, 2025). "Kanye West Announces His 'Bully' Album Will Be Released On North West's Birthday". Vibe. Archived from the original on February 23, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  15. ^ Cole, Alexander (February 9, 2025). "Kanye West Sneakily Drops New Song "Beauty And The Beast" During Kendrick Lamar's Super Bowl Halftime Performance". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  16. ^ a b c d Bustard, Andy (March 24, 2025). "Kanye West Releases New Album 'Bully' On Streaming — With A Twist". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  17. ^ a b c d e Horowitz, Steven J. (March 19, 2025). "Kanye West Releases New Album 'Bully' Via Film Starring His Son Saint West". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c d e Kaufman, Gil (March 19, 2025). "Ye Surprise Drops 'Bully' Album Via Short Wrestling Film Starring Son Saint West". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  19. ^ a b c d e f Buford, Jayson (March 29, 2025). "Despite Himself, Kanye West Almost Made a Half Decent Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
  20. ^ a b c d Thompson, Paul (March 19, 2025). "It Brings Us No Pleasure to Report that Kanye West Made a Good Kanye West Album". GQ. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Sadler, Armon (March 24, 2025). "Ye Unconventionally Releases New Album 'Bully' On Streaming". Vibe. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  22. ^ a b c Brown, August (March 19, 2025). "Kanye West sort-of releases new album, 'Bully,' amid more hateful posts". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  23. ^ a b Koe, Crystal (March 24, 2025). "Kanye West drops surprise Bully album – but did he clear the samples?". MusicTech. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  24. ^ a b Aswad, Jem (March 19, 2025). "Kanye West's 'Bully' Is Loaded With (Possibly Uncleared) Samples and Covers: 'Close to You,' 'Can't Hurry Love,' Apparently a Verse From Playboi Carti, More". Variety. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  25. ^ a b Setaro, Shawn (January 6, 2025). "Kanye West Denied 'Bully' Sample by French Artist Over Politics". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  26. ^ "Ye Releases 'Bully' as a Short Film Amid Troubling Posts". Complex. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  27. ^ "Kanye West Twitter rant erupts as unfinished album BULLY V1 drops with AI vocals". The Express Tribune. March 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  28. ^ a b c d e Saponara, Michael (March 19, 2025). "Here's How Fans Are Reacting to Ye's Surprise 'Bully' Album Short Film: 'That S–t Sounded Nuts'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  29. ^ a b c KanyeWestVEVO (March 21, 2025). Ye - BULLY V1. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 22, 2025 – via YouTube.
  30. ^ DX Staff (October 23, 2024). "Kanye West Reveals 'Bully' Album Cover Seemingly Featuring His Son Saint". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 12, 2025. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
  31. ^ "Kanye West Said He Named His Upcoming Album "Bully" After Learning That His 9-Year-Old Son Saint West "Kicked" A Child For Being "Weak"". Yahoo Entertainment. February 6, 2025. Retrieved March 6, 2025.
  32. ^ a b Nevares, Gabriel Bras (March 16, 2025). "Kanye West Unveils Nazi-Inspired Logos For New Album "Bully" Cover Art & Sunday Service". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  33. ^ a b Alexis Oatman (March 16, 2025). "Kanye West Posts And Deletes 'Bully' Album Cover Featuring Swastika". Hot 97. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  34. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (March 26, 2025). "Playboi Carti's 'Music' Goes No. 1 & Ye Leaks 'Bully,' But Is He Back?: 'Billboard Unfiltered'". Billboard. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
  35. ^ a b Thompson, Paul (March 19, 2025). "It Brings Us No Pleasure to Report that Kanye West Made a Good Kanye West Album". GQ. Archived from the original on March 22, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
  36. ^ a b Buford, Jayson (March 29, 2025). "Despite Himself, Kanye West Almost Made a Half Decent Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2025.
Retrieved from "https://ergngevd.top/w/index.php?title=Bully_(album)&oldid=1285155105"