Recommendations of the Editorial team
Maybe we didn’t want the old Kanye back. “Bully,” the twelfth studio album by Ye, real name Kanye West, seems at times like a greatest hits compilation: soul samples flipped with the alchemical finesse that has made Ye one of the most important architects of the last 20 years of popular music. Crisp-sounding, stadium-ready melodies, polished – if merely solid – hooks. And yet the project as a whole seems lifeless, as if the Ye that fans may still know is actually never coming back – just like the era it represents.
“Bully” appears in the shadow of the much-maligned “Vulture,” which Ye struggled to get onto streaming platforms, but at least scored a number one hit with “Carnival.” With “Vultures” Ye was completely on the defensive – after he had burned down every personal and professional bridgehead with a series of anti-Semitic tirades and escapades, documented not least in the documentary “In Whose Name?”. Then came a song with the hook “Heil Hitler” (which also played a role in the viral rise of “Looksmaxxing” advocate Clavicular), the expulsion from Shopify for merchandise with swastikas – and Ye had successfully catapulted himself out of the mainstream discourse. He continued to tour internationally, to muted response, and was considered something of a persona non grata in the United States.
Over time, however, the cultural climate became as toxic as Ye’s most outlandish impulses. As despicable as his outbursts were, they now fit seamlessly into everyday commentary on Musk’s Twitter. And Ye is on something of an image rehabilitation tour. In a January interview with Vanity Fair, he described the lasting effects of the 2002 car accident that famously left his jaw wired shut – the starting point of “Through the Wire” and, one might say, Ye’s entire career. Combined with his documented battle with bipolar disorder, that was enough for some to at least begin to see Ye differently.
Shine and emptiness
This is both a blessing and a curse for the music on “Bully” – because the album undoubtedly sounds like the best thing Kanye has produced in years. Opener “King” is a highlight and sounds a bit like “Yeezus” with more polished edges. Ye raps almost convincingly about the controversies of the past few years, but narrowly misses any real hits. Just before the song could reach an emotional climax, we’re thrust into the pale “This a Must,” which glides along over a forgettable trap beat with even less inspired lyrics.
“Father” with Travis Scott offers another ray of hope: the pair’s long-standing chemistry is still there, they deliver a spot-on banger in the style of the 2010s that satisfies all those who long for 2016. Elsewhere, like on “All the Love,” Ye delivers some of his strongest melodic moments in a long time – somewhere between the melancholy of his “808s” era and the opulence of “Life of Pablo.” “Punch Drunk,” “Whatever Works,” and “I Can’t Wait” consistently rely on the soul-sampling ethos of Ye’s early releases, with commendable results. And on “Circles” Don Toliver, in top form, makes a clearly calculated attempt at the radio hit that once defined Ye’s work.
Last year, Bully demos were leaked, including “Bully,” “Highs and Lows” and “Preacher Man” – the album’s best-known single. The track taps into Ye’s flair for the cinematic – think of the videos for “Runaway” or “Bound 2” – and hits on all cylinders. So much so that after the leaks, rumors circulated that Ye had constructed the album using AI. The rumors spread so widely that Ye had to clarify when it was released last week that he had no AI used.
Human, but empty
Ultimately, the details are less important than the feeling. Whether Ye used AI or not, “Bully” still seems like decades of his music fed into a computer program. While fans would certainly have preferred these songs in the past five years rather than the chaos of the Ye years after 2020, there is a void at the heart of “Bully.” The lines are too clean, too easy to trace—the exact opposite of what has made Ye a captivating artist for so long. In a way, it’s his most human album to date, in that it proves that even stars that shine as brightly as Ye lose their radiance over time.
