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By Melissa Fleur Afshar
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Ye, formerly Kanye West, shared his long-delayed twelfth studio album, Bully, on March 27, ending months of uncertainty around the musical project.
In a rare and direct social media post this week, the artist shared a seemingly handwritten tracklist and sought to shut down speculation around the album’s production methods, likely stemming from his past releases.
“BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI,” West wrote on X on March 25. An attached image showed the handwritten list featuring the album’s 18 tracks. West took to YouTube on Friday to livestream the album, but at the time of writing, the album is not available on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.
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Newsweek reached out to West's representative for more information via email.
The announcement capped a long and uneven rollout for Bully, which West first teased in 2024 after the release of Vultures 2 with Ty Dolla Sign.
The album comes after a prolonged period of controversy for West, who has faced widespread backlash over a series of antisemitic statements and actions in recent years, including praise of Adolf Hitler, the use of Nazi imagery, and the sale of merchandise bearing swastikas.
In January, West sought to publicly address that fallout by taking out a full‑page advertisement in The Wall Street Journal in which he apologized to Jewish and Black communities and said he was deeply mortified by his behavior. In the letter, West attributed his actions to an undiagnosed right brain injury from a car accident which he said led to a subsequent bipolar type‑1 diagnosis, writing that he had lost touch with reality as a result.
His new album Bully was initially scheduled to drop on June 15, 2025—his daughter with Kim Kardashian, North West’s, birthday—before being pushed back multiple times. Earlier this month, West further complicated expectations by surprise-releasing several unfinished versions of the project on X on March 18, reinforcing long-standing fan skepticism that nothing is final until the music appears on streaming services.
Bully is being released via West’s YZY imprint and independent distributor, Gamma.
What To Expect From the Album
Musically, Bully draws heavily from earlier phases of West’s career, particularly 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). The album leans on sampling and interpolation, with West largely singing rather than rapping across much of the project.
The physical version of the album reportedly opens with “Preacher Man,” a minimalist track centered on celebrity themes.
“Beauty and the Beast,” which appears later in the tracklist, samples “Don’t Have to Shop Around” by the Mad Lads and emphasizes vocal melody in a style reminiscent of West’s late-2000s work. “Last Breath” features a salsa loop built around a sample of “Bésame Mama” by Poncho Sanchez, with West singing in both Spanish and English. Another track, “White Lines,” opens with Stevie Wonder’s talkbox medley of “Close to You” and includes introspective lyrics about isolation.
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The album is said to contain 18 tracks in total, many of which will be familiar to fans who followed earlier leaks and previews. Songs such as “Preacher Man,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Last Breath” and “Damn” appeared in previous versions of the project. Travis Scott reportedly features as a guest artist on “Father."
Here is the full tracklist West shared on X:
- Sisters and Brothers
- Whatever Works
- Father (featuring Travis Scott)
- All the Love
- I Can’t Wait
- Bully
- Mama’s Favorite
- Punch Drunk
- This a Must
- Outside
- Preacher Man
- White Lines
- Circles
- This One Here
- King
- Beauty and the Beast
- Damn
- Last Breath
As of Friday morning, formal reviews have yet to be published.
Early reaction has been marked by cautious optimism rather than critical consensus, shaped largely by West’s confirmation of the release date and the final tracklist. Given his recent history and the backlash he has faced over antisemitic remarks in recent years, industry expectations remain guarded.
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