# Bully (album)

Bully is the upcoming eleventh studio album by American rapper Ye formerly Kanye West. There is no confirmed release date, and it will be Ye's first solo album since Donda (2021). Bully was first announced during a Vultures listening event in Haikou, China, where the songs "Beauty and the Beast" and "Preacher Man" (which are expected to feature on Bully) were previewed. Bully is allegedly planned to be a concept album solely produced by Ye.

## Background and recording

Prior in 2024, Ye released two collaborative albums with American musician Ty Dolla Sign, Vultures 1 and Vultures 2. Both albums received mixed reviews from critics, with Vultures 2 criticized for being released in an unfinished state. Following their release, record producer and musician Digital Nas shared text messages from Ye indicating his intention to go into "full art studio mode", confirming claims by the CEO of Ye's touring company, Channel Candy, that Ye had been working on solo material following his show in South Korea. On September 26, Ye posted a video on Instagram showing himself using an ASR-10 keyboard to create "Preacher Man", a song previously previewed at listening events. An instrumental containing Bollywood samples, posted to Ye's Instagram page at the same time, is speculated to be titled "Oh No My Hoodie, My Hoodie", though these are not the words actually spoken in the sample, and insiders conflict on if this was ever considered for the song's title.
A snippet of unreleased track "This Is The Glory" was accidentally played during Ye's event in Haikou, causing many to speculate that the song may be featured on the album. Similar theories arose when a close associate of Ye, Mark Seekings, posted a photo on Instagram of the inside of his car, with an unreleased track called "60/60" playing on the dashboard.
During a Vultures 2 event on September 28 in Haikou, Ye announced he was working on a new album titled Bully. He previewed the tracks "Beauty and the Beast" and "Preacher Man", stating both were intended for the album. Both tracks were praised for their soulful production. He continued to post several previews of the two tracks on Instagram and his YZY website in the following days. American music journalist Touré revealed Ye was living in Tokyo and that Bully would be a concept album inspired by his solitude, with Ye as its sole producer: "Traditionally, [Ye] is the product of a team—there are producers [and] writers helping him; he comes with the big ideas but there's others involved. [Ye] 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." Despite this claim, multiple rappers and producers have taken photos of themselves in the same hotel room that Ye utilizes in recording sessions, such as Don Toliver, Malik Yusef, and Sean Leon.
On October 18, Ye uploaded a music video for "Beauty and the Beast" to both Apple Music and his website, consisting of footage taken during the song's premiere at his show in Haikou, China. The Apple Music video was taken down on October 19, and an additional animated visual for the song's instrumental was uploaded to the website YZY ONE. On October 23, Ye posted the album's cover on Instagram, stating it was shot by the Japanese photographer Daidō Moriyama. The cover features a black-and-white image of Ye's son Saint wearing titanium grills, similar to those Ye has worn since early 2024. On October 25, Ye released a merchandise collection for Bully and made the album available for physical pre-order.

## Release and promotion

No definitive release date has been announced for Bully. However, the album has been teased through various platforms, including social media and listening events. Pre-orders commenced with the launch of exclusive merchandise, suggesting a strategic marketing approach similar to Ye's previous releases where fashion and music are intertwined.

## Artwork

The album cover, captured by Daidō Moriyama, showcases Ye with a titanium dental grill.

## Reception

While Bully has not been released, the anticipation among fans and critics is big.