Change the Record: Kanye West – “Bully”

I’d like to believe I know what I’m talking about when I write reviews. I mean, I’ve been writing this column for two years or so now. If I didn’t pick up at least something from that, then that’s a sign to see the doctor. Even so, saying that, I feel far out of my depth here, like I’m in over my head, but screw it. I have a job to do, and I will do it.

Kanye West is a rapper, producer, fashion designer, businessman, pornography addict, and neo-Nazi hailing from Chicago, and perhaps one of, if not the most, controversial figures in hip-hop of all time. I’m not going to provide an extensive history of West’s discography and sounds over time, because very little of it actually pertains to the music presented here. If readers really want an in-depth look at his musical history, read a Wikipedia page. The parts that are relevant to the story date back at least to 2015, with “Yeezus,” but we’ll cover a brief history.

After West had an explosive career throughout the 2000s and into the 2010s, he began to shift from the affable and generally humble figure of the 2000s to an egotistical, overblown shock jock of the 2010s. As he became more experimental as an artist, he also became more of a temperamental figure in the public eye. Hanging out with Candace Owens and claiming slavery was “a choice” were actions seen as outrageous at the time, even if somehow quaint compared to the nonsense he’s saying today; even so, they portrayed him in the public eye as at best a troubled genius lashing out, and at worst a complete idiot who could still operate a beat pad. West reversed the course of what most controversial figures do; instead of doing something outrageous, then finding religion, West became a devout Christian and then proceeded to have a five-year-long crash-out.

Entering the 2020s, West was left in a strange position. He grew more controversial as he released “Donda,” a long and somewhat bloated, though still competent and engaging record that explores his fractured mental state. This was, seemingly, a turning point, as West refused to release good music after this. His antics turned from “crazy and idiotic” to “genuinely concerning to all parties involved.” West first declared a murderous hatred for Jews, started repeatedly reposting explicit content on Twitter, and constantly tweeted outrageous and offensive statements for attention, and eventually went on a rant about how much he admired Hitler, so extreme that it made Alex Jones pause.

The general mantra fans repeated during this period was, “At least he made good music.” This statement became increasingly difficult to defend as he continued releasing. He released the literally unfinished and broken “Donda 2.” He released “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2” with Ty Dolla $ign, which would contain some of West’s most offensive and disturbing bars, along with his often obnoxious deliveries, and later released several singles in 2025, saying the most outrageous things he could imagine for attention.

That brings us here with the release of “Bully.” I almost reviewed “Bully” last year when it leaked, but decided against it because West was still presenting himself as a public embarrassment, and I did not want to support it. With the full release of “Bully,” however, West has had a “come-to-Jesus” moment. For the time being, he has calmed down and stopped making threats against Jews.

This background, however, leads to little discussion of the music; as is often the case, a review of West’s music becomes a review of West as a person, so let’s avoid that and actually talk about what he’s presenting here.

“Bully” is somewhat a return to normalcy, at least to the period just before everything unraveled, with many moments that reminded me of the stretch from “The Life of Pablo” to “Kids See Ghosts,” although not nearly as strong or interesting. Lyrically, this is an improvement. It’s not filled with sex addiction bars, so it’s a step up from the “Vultures” era, and he’s actually coherent here, so it’s a step up from “Donda 2.” But this raises a new question. If his lyrics are not notably bad anymore, then what are they? Few lines on here stand in my mind, either for good or bad. Even if West can’t provide an emotional core, he can still deliver highly humorous writing on albums such as “Yeezus” and “The Life of Pablo,” but we don’t even get that here. It feels like a deliberate effort to strip things back, lest he puts his foot in his mouth again.

Sound-wise, it’s an improvement over “Vultures” in a few ways, but it requires more unpacking than one might think. West here sounds practically lifeless, a far cry from the overly excited loudmouth on “Vultures,” with a much more muted delivery. This creates a far more phoned-in sound, where West sounds like he just woke up and wants to go back to bed. Tracks like “This A Must” and “King” are drained of the energy provided by the otherwise strong production due to West sounding like an amateur, almost sounding unconfident in his delivery—a phrase I never thought I would use to describe West. Do not get any big ideas, by the way; his tired delivery is not some commentary on his mental state, it mostly makes the project a slog to get through.

The production is the highlight here; as expected from West, he still knows how to operate a beatmaker, if nothing else. Songs like “Preacher Man” and “Whatever Works” feature classic West-style beats, with chopped-up soul samples and hypnotic strings. “King,” while lacking energy from West himself, has a fantastic beat with buzzing synths and powerful drums, reminding me of “Yeezus” to some extent. The same applies to “Sisters and Brothers,” which features those buzzing synths, while having one of the nicest sample flips on the album. The biggest standout is “All the Love,” with its grand, driving drum beat and powerful synth melodies that give it a propulsive sense of movement. I have no snarky remarks here; while I don’t think any beats here match the lightning-in-a-bottle feeling of early West, I have long since accepted that we are so far from that sound that it is practically irrelevant, and the beats here range from decent to genuinely great.

Ultimately, I don’t think “Bully” was the massive comeback album his fans were hyping it up as. While it is certainly better in most aspects compared to the “Vultures” records, that comes with the caveat that it feels much more half-hearted. This may be a hot take, but while the “Vultures” records are far worse at their lowest, their highlights are much higher; “Bully” cannot claim to have a “Burn” or “Time Moving Slow” to jolt me awake. Of course, all of these albums still make liberal use of terrible AI, which will remain a millstone around their necks. One can only hope “Bully” is a stumbling block out of the delirious haze of West’s music for the past few years into something better. This, of course, assumes he does not fall off the wagon again and worsen further. That may be pessimistic of me to say, but I do not get paid to be an optimist.