Bully is the twelfth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released through YZY and Gamma on March 28, 2026. The album contains guest appearances from Travis Scott, André Troutman, CeeLo Green, Don Toliver, and Peso Pluma. Production was handled by West and Troutman themselves, the Legendary Traxster, 88-Keys, and James Blake, among others. "Father", a collaboration with Travis Scott, was released as the album's lead single along with its release.
West began working on Bully following the release of Vultures 1 and 2 (2024), and announced it in September 2024. He surprise released multiple work-in-progress versions via X on March 18, 2025. These were accompanied by a short film, Bully V1, directed by West and edited by Hype Williams. It stars West's son, Saint, who fights New Japan Pro-Wrestling wrestlers with a toy mallet.
Sonically, Bully V1 extensively relies on sampling and interpolations, and West mostly sings instead of rapping. Most of West's vocals in the original and physical releases were artificial intelligence-generated audio deepfakes, and he would later re-record most lyrics with his own vocals. Bully V1 received mostly positive reviews from music critics, with praise for its production, though some found its presentation lackluster.
Following the short film, West delayed Bully several times while promoting it with two extended play previews in June 2025. In March 2026, he first released the album on physical formats, which was criticized for its poor quality by fans. Shortly after, he premiered the album at a listening party in Inglewood livestreamed on YouTube. Hours following its removal, Bully was released to streaming services with a different tracklist. The album has somewhat been well received critically, with Vice describing it as his "most coherent, satisfying project in ten years". West is set to tour for Bully from April to August 2026.
According to producer Mike Dean, West began working on the Bully song "Beauty and the Beast" during the sessions for his album Donda (2021). Ye offered the song "Preacher Man" to Drake, who declined, before incorporating it into Bully. In 2024, West collaborated with the American singer Ty Dolla Sign to release the collaborative albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 as ÃÂ¥$. Vultures 1 received mixed reviews, while Vultures 2 was panned for being released in an unfinished state and its alleged use of artificial intelligence (AI). Producer Erick Sermon said that West had been working on a solo album, titled Y3, before putting it aside to work on Vultures. Sermon claimed he contributed to it during 2023, though West later denied his story, messaging a fan account to state there was no album in development with the name.
Following the Vultures releases, record producer Digital Nas shared text messages from West indicating his intention to go into "full art studio mode". On September 26, 2024, West posted a video on Instagram showing himself using an ASR-10 keyboard to create "Preacher Man", which had been previewed at listening events. During his performance at the Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China after the release of Vultures 2 on September 28, West announced Bully, previewing "Beauty and the Beast" and "Preacher Man". He posted several previews on Instagram and his website over the next few days. American music journalist Touré reported that Bully would be a concept album inspired by West's solitude living in Tokyo, with West as its sole producer. He further stated it was common for other producers and writers to help West while he came up with the overall concept for previous albums, calling this period a "fresh chapter in his life" as "he can be who he wants to be".
Though Touré claimed that West worked on Bully by himself and effectively lived in isolation, West invited former collaborators Don Toliver and Baby Keem to Tokyo the same month as the report, and mentioned on a April 2025 livestream with Digital Nas that the album featured co-writing from Quentin Miller, Ty Dolla Sign, Toliver, Malik Yusef, and Billy Walsh. According to Rolling Stone, they were able to confirm that Bully had finished recording prior to West's Wall Street Journal apology for antisemitic statements in January 2026.
Billboard Gil Kaufman writes that sonically, Bully V1 resembled West's "most experimental, creatively lauded period" from the late 2000s, specifically 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). Kaufman described the songs as "spare, soul-flecked compositions", featuring West crooning with vocals processed through Auto-Tune. On BULLY V1, West mostly sings instead of rapping, and according to him, half of his vocals are AI-generated deepfakes. Thompson writes that West's use of AI is not immediately obvious, since "[his] vocals for the most part function as texture rather than the songs' engine". He said it becomes clear about halfway through the album due to the vocals' resemblance to those in 808s & Heartbreak.
Along with the vocals, Bully also employs AI software in its production. In his February 2025 interview with Justin Laboy, West championed the benefits of AI stem separation, explaining that it can separate the vocals, bassline, or drums from any song. When West sends a song or sample to his engineers, he replies with, for example, "[John Scott], AI". West had previously used AI separation technology on his collaboration with Kano Computing, the Stem Player.
As with West's early work, Bully relies heavily on sampling. Recordings such as "A Change Is Gonna Come" (1964) by Sam Cooke, "You Can't Hurry Love" (1966) by the Supremes, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" (1970) by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, "Huit Octobre 1971" (1975) by Cortex, "Bésame Mama" (1996) by Poncho Sanchez, and "Soleil Soleil" (2020) by Pomme are sampled or interpolated. One track (which didn't make the final tracklist, but remains released as part of the second June 2025 EP), "Losing Your Mind", features an artificial intelligence deepfake cover of the Can song "Vitamin C" (1972), while "Bully" samples The Simpsons character Nelson Muntz's "ha ha!" catchphrase. MusicTech and Variety noted that many of these appeared to be uncleared. Pomme had previously denied West permission to sample "Soleil Soleil", citing disagreements with his political views at the time, and the sample ended up not being used in the final version.
Bully<nowiki/>'s physical version opens with the track "Preacher Man", featuring minimalist production and raps about celebrity. The following track, "Beauty and the Beast", samples "Don't Have to Shop Around" by the Mad Lads with a glow akin to his 808s & Heartbreak (2008) and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) sessions that emphasized vocal melody. The third track, "Last Breath", uses a salsa loop with a sample of "Bésame Mama" by Poncho Sanchez. West sings bilingually in Spanish and English throughout the song. Opening with Stevie Wonder's talkbox medley of "Close to You", "White Lines" shows West singing "Sometimes I belong by myself, yeah / Don't feel at home by myself, yeah".
"I Can't Wait" samples "You Can't Hurry Love" by the Supremes as Diana Ross's voice highlights through the chorus while West sings allusions about shipping stress to UPS and going "Shaq mode". Based off the neurochemical serotonin, "Bully" portrays romantic yearning through intoxicated and disconnected imagery. The seventh track, "All the Love", opens with the Arabic vocal track "Fayek Alaya" by Fairuz, as André Troutman's talkbox uses the same phrase into a "slippery and warm" effect resembling the "alien-gospel mood" of Yeezus (2013) interludes.
"This One Here" features heavy use of ad-libs in its structure, with the chant "Come on, it's go time" repeating continuously in the background. Reminiscent of breakup songs, "Highs and Lows" features an eight-bar verse where West pleads to not be let go by a lover, claiming that "before I break your heart, I'll have a heart attack". The tenth track, "Mission Control", highlights a devotional that repeats three times: "Holy, holy art thou, I am free because you were bound". The outro features vocals from West's cousin, the Wrldfms Tony Williams, who sings with a similar sentiment. "Circles" contains two micro-verses and a one-word chorus, sung over a beat sampled from "Huit Octobre 1971" by Cortex.
Bully V1 is accompanied by a black-and-white short film of the same name, directed by West and edited by Hype Williams. It stars West's son Saint who stands in a wrestling ring wielding a toy mallet and fends off aggressors portrayed by Japanese professional wrestlers Yoh, Toru Yano, Tiger Mask, and El Desperado. The album plays over the footage, the first cut of which lasts for 29 minutes; a later cut runs for 45 minutes. According to Rolling Stone Jayson Buford, Saint represents West, "who envisions himself as a martyr being attacked by all sides". However, the film's tone is ridiculous and comedic, with GQ Paul Thompson writing that the visuals feature "a playfulness [and] generosity" reflected in the music.
Bully V1 contains nine or ten songs, depending on the version. The track listing differs across each version as well. The film opens "Preacher Man" regardless of version, while the "post Hype version" features "Circles" and "Bully" as the fourth and fifth tracks respectively. Other songs include "Highs and Lows" and "Last Breath", the latter of which features Mexican singer Peso Pluma. "Melrose", featuring West's frequent collaborators Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla Sign, is the tenth and final track on the version West released on X, but is absent from the YouTube upload.
On October 25, 2024, West made Bully available for pre-order on his Yeezy website in vinyl and CD formats, alongside a Bully themed merchandise collection. He previewed new songs while DJing at the 1 Oak club in Tokyo on January 19, 2025, with two being remixes of Future's "Lil Demon" (2024) and "Magic Don Juan" and another being an untitled track. After appearing with his wife Bianca Censori at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on February 3, West played more songs at the event's after party, including one with a chorus from his daughter, North.
In a February 2025 interview with Justin LaBoy, West said Bully would feature AI vocals. To demonstrate its capabilities, he ran Lil RT's debut single "60 Miles" through a voice model meant to mimic himself, which Lil RT's mother approved of despite never being informed that West would use her son's vocals. West's choice to use AI was criticized, which he responded to by comparing it to Auto-Tune, a technology that faced similar backlash before becoming widely accepted in music. He said Bully was scheduled for release on June 15, coinciding with North's birthday. On February 9, he released "Beauty and the Beast" on his website. On March 20, West said that "Melrose", a song featuring Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla Sign from the preview tracklist, would not be on the album. He replied to a fan that he would turn it into a solo song. Playboi Carti's verse was later reworked into the Ty Dolla Sign track "Say It". The track with his verse was set to appear on Ty Dolla Sign's Tycoon, but failed to appear with it due to clearance issues.
West held a concert at Shanghai, China on July 12 in support of Bully, performing the previously released promotional singles alongside older songs from his discography. On January 3, 2026, the Yeezy website was updated with preorder options for the album including multi-colored vinyl, CD, cassette, and bundles; the cassette and CD images contained the track listing. On January 30, West held a concert in Mexico City, Mexico, for the first time in nearly 20 years. On March 9, West announced a one-night concert at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles scheduled for April 3, with tickets going on sale on March 11. This marks West's first performance in the city since 2021. With over one million people applying in its pre-sale queue, on March 11, he announced another concert scheduled for April 1, with tickets going on sale on March 13. People ordering pre-sale for tickets were required to pre-save Bully and that "a few lucky pre-registrants will be selected to receive free tickets". On March 12, a video of a drone showcasing visuals to promote Bully at a Texas farm circulated online.
On March 24, West announced three listening experiences to support the album worldwide, all set to take place on March 26, though they were soon postponed. Outside the United States, West booked concerts set to be held in India on May 23, Turkey on May 30, the Netherlands on June 6 and 8, France on June 11, Italy on July 18, the United Kingdom on July 10-12, Spain on July 30, and Portugal on August 7. On March 26, West premiered Bully at a listening party at WePlay studios in Inglewood, California. "Father", a collaboration with Travis Scott, was released as the lead single from Bully alongside the album's release on March 28 upon the release of its official music video.
West initially announced a release date of June 15, 2025, coinciding with the 12th birthday of his daughter, North West. Three early versions of the record were surprise released, each with different track listings, on March 18, via his X account. They were hosted through the website Frame.io. West stated the album was a work in progress and expressed regret for using AI, saying he had grown to hate it. West intended to work on the album further, as well as re-record the lyrics with his own vocals, adding that he may not release it on digital streaming platforms because of his belief that "streams are fake and the French and Jewish record labels treat artists like prostitutes".
West released a "screening version", a "post Hype version", and a "post post Hype version". On March 22, 2025, West published the screening version, dated December 2024, on YouTube. Media publications noted track list differences across the versions. The screening version does not feature "Melrose", which is the last song on others. The YouTube and Apple Music releases were taken down shortly after being uploaded without explanation.
Despite the March video release, West reaffirmed during a recorded meeting with streamer Sneako on May 24, 2025, that Bully would receive a full release on June 15, 2025. West acknowledged his original pre-order for the album, saying that "We sold vinyl, though. We just haven't made them yet. That shit is like, 30,000 units or something like that". He spent much of the meeting discussing how artists are exploited by the music industry, encouraging them to fight back. The album ultimately missed the original release date.
On June 16, five tracks intended to feature on Bully were uploaded to the ISRC website under the artist names "Ye" and "Kanye West", being the songs "Highs and Lows", "Beauty and the Beast", "Preacher Man", "Damn", and "White Lines". Afterwards, West allegedly told the fan account YeFanatics that he planned to release the album in sets of five songs. The DMs posted by the account implied that five songs would be released on the 16th, and another five on the 17th. On June 20, West released "Preacher Man", "Beauty and the Beast", and "Damn" as promotional singles to streaming platforms as a 3-track Bully EP. On July 4, West uploaded a second EP to streaming services, containing the promotional singles "Last Breath" and "Losing Your Mind".
After being scheduled for release on July 25, Bully was delayed to be released on September 26 a week prior to its intended release. The album was once again delayed on September 22, being rescheduled to November 7. On November 3, West once again delayed the release to December 12. Once again on December 8, West delayed the release to January 30, 2026. On January 3, the Yeezy website was updated with preorder options including multi-colored vinyl, CD, cassette, and bundles. On January 28, West delayed the release to March 20, coinciding with a deal with the American media company Gamma to distribute the album.
On March 10, billboards promoting the album debuted around the United States, confirming the album's date to be March 27. On March 24, a vinyl rip of Bully leaked online, still containing AI vocals. Following negative reception from fans, West affiliate Joseph Karre defended the album, stating that the timeline will look "a lot different on Friday". The same day, West posted a new tracklist for the album, promising it would feature "no AI". It featured six additional tracks, with "Highs and Lows" and "Mission Control" later being appended for a total of eight new tracks; "Losing Your Mind" would now be exclusive on its physical edition. Around the same time, a Beats Electronics ad featuring Travis Scott resurfaced online, which was released in December 2025. During the last seconds of the ad, a snippet of "Father", a newly added track, plays in the background.
On March 27, West premiered a livestream of the album's listening party through YouTube an hour after midnight, featuring Scott, André Troutman, CeeLo Green, and Nine Vicious as guests. West also hosted a professional wrestling exhibition during the listening party, involving independent wrestlers including A.M.B., Terry Yaki, and Jay Lucas, which took place in Atlanta. Hours after its release, West removed the livestream from public view on YouTube. On March 28, a day after its intended release, the album was made available on streaming services, with eighteen tracks, omitting "Mission Control" (which became a physical exclusive track) and the previously-unheard "Outside". The English musician James Blake, who worked with West on the unreleased album War in 2022, received a production credit for "This One Here". Blake released a statement asking for his credit to be removed; while his structural and pitching contributions remained, he felt the released song deviated too much from his initial version and did not want credit for someone else's work.
On October23, 2024, West posted Bully cover, shot by the Japanese photographer Daidà  Moriyama, on Instagram. It features a black-and-white image of his son Saint West wearing titanium grills, similar to those West wore at the time. West later revealed that the title Bully was a reference to Saint, who he observed kicking a kid for being "weak". Speaking on the photo shoot process, grills designer Omar Alvarado said:
Bully V1 received overall positive reviews from music critics. Billboard Michael Saponara found that those willing to overlook West's behavior enjoyed Bully V1 and praised it as evocative of his 2000s work, such as 808s & Heartbreak. Thompson described the demo as not just his best collection of beats in more than a decade, but provides a "rich, warm, and optimistic record" in a way that feels secluded from the internet, world, and even himself. Thompson favorably compared its production to West's singles "Only One" (2014) and "FourFiveSeconds" (2015). Frazier Tharpe of GQ commented on the "admittedly very good production" while discussing the rumored 2025 Jay-Z album. The Breakfast Club Nyla Symone said she liked the Bully V1 songs she had listened to, adding that while she doubted West could make a comeback, "as far as being excellent at his craft, he's never swayed from that".
Jayson Buford of Rolling Stone described Bully V1 as West's best album since The Life of Pablo (2016), "show[ing] glimmers of the artist he once was". He felt it indicated that West was still capable of quality work, but also found it his first boring album and not good enough to restore his reputation. In particular, he found the track "Bully" to suffer from "nonsensical" lyricism. Billboard Kyle Dennis criticized Bully V1 curation and sequencing, saying of West's albums, "I haven't had a favorable listening experience top-to-bottom in quite some time".
The album's full release received a mixed response from music critics. Eddy "Precise" Lamarre of Rolling Out gave the album a highly positive review, describing it as a reset for West's career. Similarly, Esquire India<nowiki/>'s Rudra Mulmule viewed the album as "surprisingly restrained" in controversy, noting the "tension between chaos and introspection". Peter McGoran of Hot Press gave a positive review of the album's listening party, credited the album as West's "first good album in 10 years". McGoran praised its reflective nature, describing its sound as "a return to the old Kanye". Preezy Brown of Rolling Stone highlighted several tracks as standouts, commending "Sisters and Brothers", "Father", "King", "Preacher Man", "All the Love", and "I Can't Wait" as the album's six best songs, describing the release as a "highly anticipated return". Uranium Waves characterized the album as "not a triumphant reinvention, but it is a more disciplined and musically engaging album than many expected", crediting its soundscapes.
Jeff Ihaza of Rolling Stone praised the album's music as "easily some of the best-sounding Kanye has made in years," while criticizing its emotionally empty quality. Ihaza singled out several tracks, further describing the album's overall sound as "like decades of his music fed into a computer program". Edward Bowser of Soul in Stereo gave the album a mixed-positive review, complimenting its production as West's best in years while questioning its lyrics. Peter A. Berry of Complex criticized the album as a "spacey cloud of glossy hollowness," writing that it imitates older works from West, while noting the album's "mild traces of Yeezy greatness". Music journalist Quincy Dominic gave Bully an average review on his website RatingsGameMusic, describing it as incomplete, stating that "Ye feels more muted than ever," while praising its production.
Pitchfork rated the album a 3.4/10, describing it as "a cheap hit of retro-Kanye". HotNewHipHop indicated that the Pitchfork review generated backlash from some fans, who challenged the reviewer and questioned the publication's relevance. In contrast, Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times gave the album a negative review, framing criticism in relation to West's public apology in January 2026.
Adapted from Spotify. Note that most tracks' credits appear to be incomplete as of now<sup>[']</sup>, and uncredited producers have been denoted.
Digital edition credits adapted from HotNewHipHop and Spotify. Physical edition credits adapted from Tidal.
Behind-the-scenes footage and credits for the Bully V1 short film