7 Burning Questions We Have About Ye's 'Bully' Album

Via a text exchange revealed by frequent collaborator Digital Nas, Ye proclaimed that he was going into “full art studio mode.” When you think of an art studio, you envision a relatively isolated space for a painter to develop and shade their canvas. Ye even posted a satirical video on Instagram of performer Paul McCarthy which pokes fun at the indulgence of the “tortured artist.” As a counter to this existence, it seems, Ye has also posted a few social media videos of him alone in a hotel room forming beats solely focusing on the craft. This feels like the first time we’ve seen him zoned in on the keyboard since he was engrossed in Sunday Service rehearsals and performances. Yet, even then, he was surrounded by other sonics. This could mean we get a contemplative and reflective Ye inspired by his solitude and maybe even a return to his production roots.

On Instagram, Ye released a clip of a track entitled “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” which leans toward a slight confirmation of this hypothesis, at least for one song. We hear Ye rapping, “It's been a long time coming/ Fresh new tires, I'm still running/ It's a few things I'm overcoming/ But the check's still clear, still/ Thinkin' 'bout it every night and day/ To try to stay away, to keep my audience up/ Don't take disrespect, I'm sitting here trying to redirect.” This is the most meditative we’ve heard Ye’s lyrics in quite some time, as he ponders rather than asserts. You can hear old Jon Brion collaboration elements resurfacing. There is also a bit of a classic Ye sample chop weaved in.

Ye did also post a video of him making a beat which has an almost Alfred Hitchcock feel. This could indicate a more diverse body of work is coming. The most potentially revealing report on Bully thus far has come from veteran music journalist Touré’s article "Why Kanye Is Living In Tokyo: Inside The Making of His New Album." In the piece, published on his Substack Culture Fries, he speaks to an alleged “friend” of Ye’s. This inside source on the project, says Ye is “Pulling from an eclectic pool.” The source further explains, “He's traveled the world a lot so he's aware of a lot more music than probably ever before. So I think sound-wise, it's probably varied. But in a Kanye-esque form.”

Touré himself also claims in the piece that Bully is a “concept album.” These claims do seem to align a bit with the music Ye has released so far on his IG, but only time will tell how true it all is. Many alleged reports have surfaced before for previous Ye projects that seemed to be unfounded. Touré has many years in the game, though, and has interviewed Ye and people within his circle in the past.

The confirmed cover for Bully features a zoomed in shop of a figure's face smiling. (Maybe it's his son Saint?) The cover is paying homage to ohaguro, a Japanese custom of blackening your teeth. Ye has, of course, been rocking the blackened teeth grill since the top of the year.

(There were rumors that Ye's new teeth is permanent but that isn't true.)

The cover was shot by master Japanese street photographer Daidō Moriyama, known for his vivid and sometimes aggressive black and white photography. And it may also be telling of an edgier side of the body of work. Moriyama is known for guerilla style street photography roaming Tokyo and capturing its underbelly. In a 2012 interview with Tate, Moriyama even described himself in a way that Ye could potentially relate to, “I like taking snapshots in the movement of both myself and the outside world,” he said. “When I walk around I probably look like a street dog because after walking around the main roads, I keep wandering around the back streets.”

Toure’s Substack source says Ye is, “Producing everything 100% himself. This will be 100% Kanye West, which it hasn't been in many, many years.” This would of course be quite insane. Ye, since his early solo producer days, has not only blossomed into a once-in-a-generation artist but also a supreme orchestrator of multiple sonic voices. He has found new superpowers in taking an array of producers and blending their sounds with his own to make anthemic songs from “All of the Lights” to “Blood On The Leaves” to “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1.” It would be remarkable for him to forgo that process entirely for Bully.

Due to one of his most recent posts, it could be assumed that Mike Dean is most likely involved. Due to text exchanges posted by Digital Nas, it would appear he is also doing at least some work on the project. But if the Touré report has any truth to it, Ye being bunkered in his Tokyo hotel room has made him resist most of the outside noise. Touré’s source claims, “In Japan he has a different level of peace of mind, which obviously leads to being able to make really good music. Because your mind is at ease. Your mind is at rest.”

Are we to believe Ty Dolla Sign is not going to be a part of Bully at all? Potentially not, but he and “CARNIVAL” collaborator Rich Da Kid have been seen in Tokyo. This could indicate at least some contributions to the body of work even if they aren’t seismic like with Vultures. Also in Tokyo, and even alongside Ye himself, we’ve seen Baby Keem and Don Toliver. On recent albums, Ye has intentionally pulled in young rising stars to add sauce to his compositions. It’s still hard to believe he wouldn’t use these resources at his disposal.

But what about some surprising returns from former glory? Travis Scott has been tweeting about Ye as a goat and playing “Runaway” at his soundchecks, so he’s not off the table. At his Korea listening show, he asked for his “Ghost Town” collaborator 070 Shake to come help him “finish the album.” Their reunion could be quite intriguing. But certainly, the most enticing feature would be from Drake. Ye has shown affection towards Drake multiple times at his Asia shows. As they have both been on the receiving end of public disfavor in recent history, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see their adversity bring them closer once again.

Lastly, what about a few curveballs? At a MAINS fashion show in London in September a new Ye song with UK rapper Skepta was premiered. A collaboration between the two of them seems somehow overdue so that could be an enticing twist. Also, way back in April on Justin La Boy’s podcast, Ye was asked who his favorite rappers were right now. He specifically mentioned Young Moose from Baltimore, and even specifically said he’d been working with him. The fruits of those sessions have not been released, but if you’ve ever heard any of Moose’s music, you’d know the energy of the title Bully fits him like a glove.

Aside from “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,” Ye has also released a preview to his single “Preacher Man.” It’s been entirely too long since we’ve heard as pure a quintessential Ye chipmunk soul loop as the one on this track. If he is truly going back to his roots, one could only presume that this type of track is one of at least a few. How “drumless” this particular work in progress is, is also enticing. If Tokyo’s aura is truly allowing Ye to take it all back to his most simple basics it will be a long-awaited welcome tone.

At the beginning of 2024, Ye announced on Instagram that Vultures would be a trilogy, with the first album set to release on February 9, followed by the second and third albums in March and April.

Of course, that didn’t happen. The release of Vultures 2 came in August, almost in a rushed, haphazard manner, leading to the question: will we even see the third album? Who knows? Ye hasn’t said much. The only real indication that this album might still happen came during an 88 Keys Instagram Live, where Ty Dolla $ign commented, “v3 Bouta rip heads off.”

Ye abruptly pulling the plug on his planned trilogy wouldn’t be unprecedented. Day-one Kanye fans will remember that Good Ass Job, the intended conclusion of the College Dropout quadrilogy, was scrapped for 808s & Heartbreak in 2008.

As with any Ye release in the modern era, even if it gets announced, we will all believe it when we hear it.