Long after his graduation, it seems that to many of his devoted fans, Kanye West has returned from the depths of Ye to get his master’s.
Kanye West, now known by both his legal name and his more insidious persona, Ye, can only be described as one of the greatest musical geniuses of the 21st century. His revolutionary production techniques, multi-musicianhip, and sonic innovation had once managed to completely shift the landscape of hip-hop and beyond with every release.
However, more recently, West has been involved in a long string of controversies, most notably spreading intense anti-sentiment rhetoric, supporting white supremacist slogans, and allegations of sexual harassment. West’s mental health has also been declining due to untreated bipolar disorder. And with the deterioration of his reputation and mental health has come the gradual decline of the art that made him so beloved in the first place. It’s not very hard to say that for the past few years, West has not only lost his sense of artistic focus and direction, but also of his own personal introspection and vulnerability that once made people gravitate towards him.
His fervent and rabid fanbase, including myself, has been clamoring for West to finally rid himself of his Ye persona and his new flavor of lifeless and repetitive music for the return of the “Old Kanye”. The West that had once embedded every part of his soul and heart into his music. The West that was more grounded, more introspective.
But it seems like West, or Ye, or whatever the heck his name is, seems to have failed in every one of his attempts to recapture his signature style. This was until his twelfth studio album, “Bully,” which premiered on March 28, 2026.
“Bully” seems to be everything that fans have sought from Kanye for the past few years: a more proper, soulful return to form. The samples in a lot of the songs of the album, such as “Punch-Drunk” and “Whatever Works,” feature West’s signature chipmunk soul, reminiscent of my favorite work of his, “College Dropout.” These samples, just like the ones in “College Dropout,” really just help to elevate the emotional throughline of the album.
Speaking of the throughline, unlike the albums that we will never once again be named or mentioned in this review again, there seems to be an actual story, or at least, a throughline that “Bully” is trying to convey to its listeners.
The album is titled “Bully” after Kanye’s son, Saint West, had bullied another child, and then subsequently explained that he did it since the other kids were “weak”. Kanye then took inspiration from this moment, where his son was acting like a bully, to shape the themes and title of the album. But I think the themes do go beyond Kanye’s son and his incident. I think that it’s Kanye, for the first time in a long time, taking a deep introspective look within himself and seeing how the things that he’s doing are becoming reflected upon the people around him.
I believe that this is a story about Kanye finally going on the path to redemption, to regain the “Old Kanye” that so many of us have missed. This is especially evident in one of my favorite songs of the album, “High and Lows,” in which Kanye discusses all of his ups and downs, not only directly to his audience, but also to everyone that he has let down within his life.
“Bully” is maybe what I would call Ye’s best album, but certainly not Kanye’s. After all, I think many fans would say that “Graduation” is his best album. I do agree that it fails within the pit of nostalgia bait, as the album desperately attempts to attract back fans who have completely let go. But I can’t deny that it isn’t good nostalgia bait. Even for someone like me, who, despite being a newer fan of his work, already misses Kanye’s once genuine and heartfelt personality, and not the madness and bigotry that now dictates him as Ye.
I miss the “Old Kanye.” We all do. But, as fans, we have to admit that the “Kanye” and “Ye” are one and the same, and that despite his many mental issues and struggles that he has experienced throughout the years, which I have the most sympathy for, it does not outweigh all of the horrible things that he has done. I am very hopeful that maybe, just maybe, Kanye has launched himself back into the road of recovery. And that this new album is indicative of his commitment to that. But let’s be honest, we all know that it’s not true. The Kanye Cycle will inevitably start up again. He’ll apologize, then have a five-paragraph bigoted rant on Twitter, then partner up with a detestable company, but he’ll once again apologize, and do it all over again. I think it’s finally time for Kanye fans to accept that the once heartfelt man that we once adored is gone.
