Kanye West could usher in a new era with upcoming album 'Bully'

Last year Kanye West set to embark on yet another redemptive arc in his tumultuous and erratic journey, beginning with performances in South Asia in November. The shows were initially scrutinized, namely in China, considering his controversial history, racially fuelled tirades, and support for Donald Trump.

Then Ye delivered. The sold-out shows served as yet another showcase of his unique artistic genius with the artist wowing his die-hard fans with energetic performances of his favorite tracks over the years, interspersed with newer hits from his work with Ty Dolly $ign on the Vultures 1 & 2 records.

While the reception of his performances was universally acclaimed, perhaps the biggest news to come out of the shows was his announcement of Bully. This is set to be his 11th studio album and first solo effort in 3 years, which has both his fans and detractors alike eagerly anticipating what’s to come.

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the writer's opinion. Reader discretion is advised.

Ye and Ty

2024 found Kanye West in a highly collaborative creative zone, with the release of two joint projects alongside Ty Dolla Sign. The duo would join forces to create Vultures, a two-album series as of now) that debuted in February of last year.

The first part of the project, Vultures 1, seemed far more polished than his previous output of late, which included seemingly unmixed releases, layered with rough vocals that sometimes devolved into the icon lazily mumbling over his otherworldly production.

It was a breath of fresh air then, to experience the artist approaching his work with stronger intention, an aspect at the core of his earlier work that fans were now desperately missing. It helped that the silky smooth Ty Dolla laced the album with melodies and takes that made the project truly memorable.

Vultures 2-Present

After months of tantalizing fans, the duo surprise-released Vultures 2 hours after first dropping “Slide” on yeezy.com, followed by a live-streaming of the project on YouTube. The album had notable features from Lil Wayne, Playboi Carti, and Future to name a few.

Notably, keen fans would surmise that many tracks were on shortlists for Ye’s previous albums, some of which were even publicly performed at his previous shows or listening events over the years.

Following the album’s release, Ye and Ty took a novel approach and scheduled shows in Asia to showcase their music internationally. This included performances in China and South Korea, which were met with an unprecedented turnout and largely favorable responses from the fans.

It was here, at a listening event at Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China, that the enigmatic super-genius first gave word of a new solo project. “I got a new album coming out,” Ye told the audience. “The album’s called Bully.”

In the time since Ye has been unusually generous with snippets of songs that may end up making the album’s final cut. The first of these were “Beauty and the Beast” and “Preacher Man”. In the subsequent weeks he branched out and released two teasers that borrow from Future’s most recent project WE DON'T TRUST YOU.

Here, we can hear Ye rap over “Magic Don Juan” as well as “LIL DEMON” and the result is decidedly underwhelming from a creative standpoint. Fans can only hope that these ‘remixes’ will serve as a sonic jumping pad or place-setter for Kanye as refines his creative vision for Bully.

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Japan

Ye has been honing his artistic essence in new places around the World for some time now. Over the past decade, he has drawn inspiration from his travels and conceptualized or recorded music across the world as a means of enriching his perspective.

While living primarily in LA, he has ventured to Hawaii, Italy, Wyoming, LA, and Africa over the years to find inspiration, and his latest fixation is Japan. It is reported that Mr. West has been living in Tokyo while crafting his much-awaited solo LP.

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It has been reported that he’s recording the album in his hotel room, opting to forego the trappings of a large studio and that he’ll serve as Bully’s sole producer. This new stripped-down approach to the work marks a new chapter for Ye, who for his part is no stranger to larger collaborative working environments; his overwhelming entourage is said to typically consist of upwards of 30 people.

So, as he looks out at the futuristic Tokyo backdrop awaiting some sort of divine musical connection from his hotel balcony, fans can only hope he can tap into an evolved iteration of the sensibilities that garnered him the title of perhaps the most important creative mind of our time.

North West

As of late, the rapper’s love for music has been re-invigorated by his 11-year-old daughter, North West. First, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Ye shared a black and white image of North seated next to a keyboard in what appeared to be a casual and homely studio setting. The caption read, “This little girl made me love music again 🥲,” Kanye wrote.

“She asked me to make beats for her, and I got back on the ASR. Chopped up beats for her album and chopped every beat with my bare hands for BULLY.”

Followers and fans were eager to rejoice in the wholesome nature of the post. Comments poured in commending his role as a role model for his daughter, “the ultimate Girl Dad” as North is seemingly looking to further her father’s musical legacy, that too at such a young age.

“This little girl made me love music again 🥲,” Kanye wrote. "She asked me to make beats for her, and I got back on the ASR. Chopped up beats for her album and chopped every beat with my bare hands for BULLY.”,

This is certainly not the 11-year-old North’s first foray onto the music scene either. She has shown a true talent and affinity for music in recent years, having performed at Kanye’s shows dating back to 2023 as well as appearing on Vultures 1 on the track Talking/Once Again.

In it she can be heard rapping, “It’s your bestie, Miss, Miss Westie / Don’t try and test me / It’s gonna get messy,” showcasing a sense of bravado and conviction way beyond her years. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

In May 2024, North was also able to show off her performing skills at the Hollywood Bowl’s 30th-anniversary celebration with a rendition of I Just Can’t Wait to Be King, the hit song from Disney’s The Lion King.

According to Ye, he’s currently at a place where he’s uniquely focused on legacy. With his daughter North at the core of his newly revitalized passion for music, one can only hope that the outcome is another on the list of the artist’s unimpeachable masterpieces. One thing is for certain, things seem to be trending in the best possible direction as of now, as Kanye officially enters his Bully era.