5/10
Two years after Vultures 2, American rapper Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has released his 12th studio album, BULLY. It’s a step away from previous AI usage and controversial opinions and a return to his basics: soul-sampling and authentic lyrics. There are some genuine moments throughout, but BULLY still fails to hold up to the success of his earlier works. It’s a mediocre imitation of greatness.
While some of the tracks may seem satisfying to listeners due to their minimalism and Ye’s soulful, raw voice, the best ones are bland, and the worst are confusing and lack cohesion. Most of the songs run under two minutes, making all ideas feel unfinished and disjointed.
The album opens with the track “KING,” an aggressive track characterized by strong synths and confident boasts. “This is a new day,” he sings, declaring his new album as a personal rebirth. It is one of the album’s most energetic tracks, starting it off on a high note. It also brings back several past cornerstones for Ye: themes of ego and self-mythology, as well as a prominent brashness. However, all of this is noticeably absent in the more soulful, slower moments on BULLY. “You know what season it is,” he finishes assertively. It’s a standout opener, but one that sets a high standard, one that the rest of the album fails to live up to.
The next clear highlight of the album, “PUNCH DRUNK,” balances themes of endurance and faith, layering impactful lyrics over a sample of “I Can Do All Things Through Christ” by The Clark Sisters. The sample, another example of Ye’s ‘chipmunk soul’ style, is reminiscent of his old work, bringing a nostalgic feel to the track. Ye’s lyrics address his struggles with intense media scrutiny. “Back then, they showed no love,” he sings. “This time we takin’ over.” However, here it’s not just a song about himself, Ye also demonstrates his awareness of the struggles of others. “Hearses takin’ good men away / Fathers in the penitentiary / Mothers fightin’ for a livin’ wage,” he sings, illustrating compassion.
BULLY often feels like Ye’s attempt to be relatable, or to salvage his relationship with longtime fans who have become alienated by the artist in recent years. On the track “MAMA’S FAVORITE,” Ye reflects on his childhood, attributing his current success to the love his mother gave him. Admittedly, “MAMA’S FAVORITE” provides a much-needed introspective and sincere glance into Ye’s world, but it still sometimes feels like a desperate effort to regain popularity.
Other tracks, such as “ALL THE LOVE,” “SISTERS AND BROTHERS,” “HIGHS AND LOWS,” and “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST,” follow a similar pattern. They are all on the softer side, with more vulnerable lyrics—Ye’s attempts to appeal to his fans. Even though they are all completely adequate listens, they aren’t exceptional. It’s an album that functions better as pleasant background music rather than hard-hitting playlist essentials.
On a brighter note, BULLY appears to be a return to the old Kanye, the one before the antisemitic tweets and chaotic, unrelatable music. At least it’s an attempt to recapture his old soul sample and gospel choir-centric sound. Despite this, BULLY only proves that Ye has regressed far from the times of classic albums like Graduation and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Previous Ye projects were filled to the brim with carefully curated features from the world’s most prominent artists like Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Nas. In contrast, BULLY is devoid of any A-list features—aside from a forgettable Travis Scott feature on “FATHER.” It seems most in the industry no longer want to associate with Ye out of the fear of their image being tarnished.
BULLY seems to lack the trademark audacious writing from his past projects. It’s what made him exciting and unpredictable. Now, Ye opts to play it safe with his lyricism to avoid criticism, which makes the album feel comparatively bland, lacking Ye’s signature flair.
The track “DAMM” is a clear lowlight on the project. The song focuses on the frustration of falling out with a lover, but Ye explores this theme with a repetitive and monotone chorus (it’s literally just “Damm, damm, damm”) and a boring and seemingly unfinished beat. This track underscores the worst aspects of BULLY: uninteresting and seemingly unfinished tracks that lack direction or a deeper meaning.
Throughout his career, Ye has been known for blending genres, and in BULLY, he experiments with Latin music. He works with Peso Pluma on the song “LAST BREATH”, adding Spanish vocals to enhance the concept of overwhelming love. “Kiss me mama, come hold me,” he sings, highlighting the powerful love he feels. He contrasts this with the line “Kiss me mama, but you’ll never control me,” revealing his desperate need for independence. The song is set to a backbone of maraca and powerful guitar, making it the album’s most ‘danceable’ song. But Ye’s voice is highly autotuned and does not align with the overall vibe of the song. Pluma, however, shines on the track, adding authenticity with his raspy, raw verse that completely overpowers Ye’s weak vocals.
BULLY concludes with the hopeful track “THIS ONE HERE.” The lyrics center on themes of personal growth. Ye claims he has “Kicked all the ego right out the door,” in an effort to admit his mistakes and move forward as the best version of himself.
While BULLY is a solid listen and shows flashes of Ye’s past greatness, it ultimately underdelivers in its attempt to recreate Ye at his best. Despite this, BULLY provides a hopeful sign that Ye might return to his previous stardom. It has flashes of his signature musical brilliance, as well as much needed deep emotional growth. Is Ye really back? Right now, it’s far too early to say. For now, we still miss the old Kanye.
