Ye and the Problem with BULLY

Kanye West, known as Ye in recent times, is bound to release his long awaited album, BULLY, on March 20th. However, after over 250 days of delay, will it come out like intended to, or is it just another beautiful, dark, twisted fantasy?

BULLY, Ye's tenth solo studio album, was announced via his X account back in September of 2024, with multiple work-in-progress versions being released along the way, racking up over 600,000 pre-saves over all streaming platforms. It was originally scheduled to release in June 2025, but after Deepfake AI vocals were discovered, it has been delayed by Ye ever since.

Out of Ye's ten solo albums, six have been delayed. The most notable one being The Life of Pablo, which was delayed for almost eighteen months. However, this was due to last minute additions and tweaking to the album. Like this, BULLY is also receiving tweaks, especially to its use of AI. On the other hand, Ye’s career has been built on his scrapped or unfinished albums, such as Turbo Grafx 16 (2016) and Yandhi (2018-19), which were both scrapped after missing several release dates. Fans are left questioning whether the work will ever see an official release, or whether a similar fate to Turbo Grafx 16 and Yandhi awaits BULLY.

However, this kind of delay in the modern, fast-moving era isn't just a delay— it's a massive temporal gap. It sometimes signals a loss of momentum, and a lack of creativeness. Additionally, while the availability of physical products creates a sense of security, YEEZY.com listings don't always deliver what they promise. In February 2025, the site suddenly stopped accepting new orders due to a controversial shirt, leaving buyers completely unfulfilled.

With his recent political outrage, Ye has been compared to the Boy Who Cried Wolf by his fans on X— constantly making false alarms to the point when people stop trusting him. Due to the cancellation of multiple projects, the "hype" for a new announcement has been met with a surge of exhaustion, both from the fanbase and critics. This links to how the current release date has been receiving more "eye rolls" rather than genuine excitement.

Unlike other scrapped projects, BULLY has physical pre-orders on vinyl, CD and cassette, released through Ye's official site, YEEZY.com. On popular streaming platforms, BULLY has a defined 13-track tracklist, showing that it is already in its final stages of development. Large redistribution companies in the US such as Target and HMV are also planning to sell the album in physical stores. The corporate world is also ready for its release, making the reality of BULLY ever so closer.

Ye's partnership with the multi-million dollar distribution company, Gamma, shows that this time, the album will be a formal, supported drop, rather than some of his earlier spontaneous and seemingly random ones. A myth wouldn't have the backing of such a large company, only a genuine release would. Along with his formal apology on the Wall Street Journal, Ye may have finally grabbed the bull by its horns and got to work.

This leaves fans wondering: will Ye actually release the album? Whether BULLY is a definitive new chapter or just another one yet to be added to the vault of unreleased projects remains to be seen. With the current March 20th release date in sight, the industry awaits to see if this myth remains a myth or if it becomes a #1 album.