Ye released a new album titled Bully on Tuesday night (March 18), offering it in three different versions. At the time of release, only the “screening version” was publicly accessible. Alongside the album, Ye also shared a short film directed by himself and edited by longtime hip-hop video director Hype Williams. The film features his son, Saint West, and includes a series of black-and-white visuals built around professional wrestling themes.
The film opens with Saint hitting a toy hammer on the head of a Japanese wrestler while Ye performs lyrics over a sample of Kden Drip’s “Preacher Man.” In the lyrics, Ye references maintaining authenticity and emotional depth in his music. The project includes a series of additional songs, one of which interpolates The Carpenters’ “(They Long To Be) Close To You,” sung through AutoTune. Another track features Ye performing in Spanish over a mariachi-style instrumental, and one includes a version of The Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” The album’s sound focuses on minimal instrumentation with elements of soul and experimental production, resembling some of Ye’s earlier albums such as 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010).
Bully was originally previewed in September 2024 at a live show in China, where Ye introduced the song “Beauty and the Beast.” At release time, the album was not available on major streaming platforms or YouTube. Ye posted on X that he is avoiding those platforms due to his belief that digital streams are unreliable and that record labels exploit artists. He claimed this decision was linked to his ongoing criticism of French and Jewish music executives. In the same post, he also mentioned the possibility of releasing a sequel to his 2021 album Donda.
The release occurred during a period of renewed controversy for Ye. Around the same time, he posted multiple offensive statements online, including ableist language targeting the children of Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and homophobic remarks directed at Drake and Playboi Carti. He also accused Playboi Carti of domestic abuse.
A few days prior to the album’s release, Ye shared a track titled “Lonely Roads Still Go To Sunshine” on X. The song includes what appears to be a recorded phone conversation with Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is currently incarcerated and facing charges including sex trafficking, racketeering, and forced labor. The track also features Ye’s daughter, North West, and Diddy’s son, King Combs.
During that same week, Ye posted an image of a red Nazi swastika against a black background, claiming it would be the cover of his next album. The image is part of an ongoing pattern of antisemitic content Ye has published on his social media accounts in recent months.
