On March 27, Kanye West released his 12th studio album BULLY. A highly anticipated and highly controversial release for some, including myself. It represents a generational comeback for West. BULLY had come under some controversy for many reasons, whether it was the delays, the use of AI, and the low quality of some of the songs. However, I believe that BULLY is a strong addition to his discography, being better than most of his recent material.
BULLY contains characteristics from several of his eras, Some have described it as a modern version of his albums The Collage Dropout, Yeezus, and Donda. However, I would describe it as an era of its own. The song features rhythmic and techno beats alongside West’s classic soul beats, featuring a few different artists such as Travis Scott and Andre Troutman. BULLY is truly its own genre, breaking the rules and making music history. Its mix of classic soul and new-gen synthesizer beats make it a diverse experience, which only adds to its power. I absolutely love the feeling of going from a softer tech song to a fast and base-heavy soul beat.
BULLY initially was planned to be released in June of 2025, however it suffered many delays and pushbacks, after January 30th, the release date was moved again to March 27th, where it was finally released.
As someone who had been following BULLY’s development from almost day one, following each leak and new version as it came out, and participating in one of the group buys to try and get a sense of what BULLY was, I was expecting it to suck. BULLY’s original content contained half written and AI-sung vocals, with uncleared samples. And as we approached every new release date, I saw almost no changes to the songs and kept expecting it to not turn out to be good in the slightest.
However, I am happy to admit, I was dead wrong. Entire new verses, completely different samples, several new songs, and, best of all, no AI. BULLY blew me away. BULLY has that classic Kanye West feel of ego, success, emotion, and fun, while still managing to make itself an artistic statement. I am overjoyed at Kanye’s ability to fix his music when the popular culture gives a strong reaction, such as in the backlash against his use of AI. I am also happy he still has his ability to still make timeless songs that change how one views the entire genre.
And that’s why it’s West’s comeback album. Once rappers start getting older, they quickly lose relevance and fade. Beyond that, West has faced many controversies in the public eye, and many have questioned his ability to still make good music. But BULLY has blown myself and many others’ expectations away. What I assumed was going to be a lazily written, rushed and overproduced tracklist, has turned out to be one of my favorite Kanye West albums of all time. He has successfully proven to his fans and critics that, despite many mental health problems and issues with his image, Kanye West is still Kanye West, and he will continue to make revolutionary new music that challenges the status quo.
The songs in particular I would like to give a special mention are the following:
“HIGHS AND LOWS,” an angelic and beautiful song that originally sampled “soleil soleil” by French artist Pomme, who denied the sample citing West’s controversial political beliefs, forcing West to make a new background track—which I must say still delivers the intended feeling of bittersweet love. The song focuses on the highs and lows of a relationship and the feeling that even though you might love someone, there are times you can’t stop yourself from hurting them. This was my favorite song before BULLY was released, and it still holds itself up, being one of the best on BULLY.
“KING,” a song that starts with a speech by Duke Edward’s and the Youngtones, eventually becomes a strong industrial-rap beat that is reminiscent of West’s Yeezus era. The song absolutely slaps and is my second favorite on BULLY. It has this introspective feel to it, and it is certainly a song to just vibe with and listen to.
“I CANT WAIT,” this song chops a sample of “You Can’t Hurry Love” by Phil Collin’s, a remake, and it holds a special place in my heart. It was the first song from BULLY that I ever downloaded when BULLY V1 released, and I fell in love with it. The song maintains a synth wave type beat that has a soul-like feeling. West raps and sings about beating the system and how he wants to overcome stress and fear of being put down. It has a nice feel to it and is a very chill listen.
“ALL THE LOVE,” beginning with a Daft Punk esque sound that was produced by Andre Troutman, the song is very rhythmic in nature, having strong bass and drums with a soul-chipmunk style sample throughout. West’s heavy use of autotune and singing gives it a distinct feel that other ones on BULLY do not compare to. He references the desire to let go of pain and love to give the other a better life, and hoping that they continue to have “all the love.” This is my favorite song on this album: its uniqueness, use of a daft-punk inspired sound, and its powerful beat makes it the most emotional and best to play in many situations.
Now obviously there are many ways one can critique it, especially when it comes to its mixing, and I am in no way saying it is his best work, but it still is a very good piece of rap music that has defied expectations and managed to bring him back into the mainstream of popular media. It represents Kanye West, and despite controversy, it still manages to succeed and be an excellent musical product.
