After the long rollout and constant delays, Chicago rapper and producer Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, finally dropped his latest album, “BULLY.” Many music review sites, such as AOTY, give him above-average reviews, while music critics, such as Anthony Fantano, give a wider range of reviews. All of them follow a similar theme; however, it’s not a perfect album, but definitely the closest he’s sounded to himself in a while.
What stood out most throughout the track was the production. There’s a clear return to the sample style Ye built his name on, especially on songs like “WHATEVER WORKS,” “PUNCH DRUNK,” and “PREACHER MAN.”
Those tracks feel like they’re pulling from his older sound, but still updated enough that it doesn’t feel like a copy-paste. Honestly, some production feels like a combination of his 2013 album “Yeezus” and his debut album “The College Dropout.”
This album comes after recent controversy over Ye’s statements online. Ye currently suffers from bipolar disorder and extreme struggles with his mental health. These struggles have resulted in manic episodes and paranoia, some leading to these controversial statements. He has recently apologized and asked for forgiveness for these statements before the release of “BULLY.”
Cooper Tanner ’27 is one student who enjoyed “BULLY.” An avid hip-hop and R&B listener with a wide range of music knowledge, Tanner said the album’s use of Ye’s classic “chipmunk sampling” style, saying it was executed especially well.
“LAST BREATH” was another one that stood out. The Latin-inspired production is different from what you’d expect on a Ye project, but it works. It breaks up the album in a good way and shows he’s still willing to experiment instead of staying in one lane.
The standout track on this record has to be “ALL THE LOVE.” It feels the most complete from start to finish, with a clean structure and one of the more memorable hooks on the project. It’s the kind of song that sticks around for years after the initial hype of the album dies down.
Not everything lands perfectly. A few tracks feel short or underdeveloped, and the album doesn’t always flow super clean from start to finish. But at the same time, there aren’t many songs that felt worth skipping either.
Overall, “BULLY” feels more focused than a lot of his recent work. It doesn’t erase the messy releases that came before it, but it does feel like a step in the right direction. To give it a rating, it’s honestly a flat eight out of ten and probably his strongest project since “Vultures 1″ or “Donda.”
