Ye Unveils New Album ‘Bully’ and Debuts New Track ‘Beauty and the Beast’ at Listening Event in China
Kanye West announced his upcoming album titled Bully while performing a new song, Beauty and the Beast, live at his listening event in China. The event took place last night on 28th September at Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, where the rapper, now known as Ye, showcased his new album, which was released earlier this year and serves as the second installment in the Vultures series with Ty Dolla $ign. This followed another listening event at the same stadium earlier this month, where he brought his four children on stage to perform alongside him.
During the event, West told the audience, “I got a new album coming out, it’s called Bully, and this song is called Beauty and the Beast,” before diving into the unreleased track. However, it remains unclear when the album or the song will be officially released.
Over a soft instrumental featuring electric guitar, West sings: “I still think about it every night and day to try to stay away, to keep my audience / Don’t take this disrespect, I’m sitting here trying to redirect.” Check out fan-recorded footage below.
West’s former collaborator Mike Dean, who worked with the rapper from his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 up until his 2022 track ‘True Love’ featuring XXXTentacion, referred to the new track as a /Donda leftover/ in a comment on an Instagram post referencing West’s 2021 studio album.
West and Ty released their first collaborative album, Vultures 1, under the name ¥$ on 10th February , followed by Vultures 2 on 4th August—months after its originally scheduled release in March. Initially expected to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, West’s album was blocked from the number one spot by Taylor Swift’s latest release, The Tortured Poet’s Department, ending his 19-year streak of having his albums debut at number one.
Image Courtesy: Revolt TV
NME gave Vultures 1 a two-star review, describing it as “far from one of his best efforts” and “mired in misogyny.” The album featured collaborations with Freddie Gibbs, YG, Playboi Carti, Travis Scott, and West’s daughter, North, among others.
Since its release, Vultures 2 has received a mixed response from fans and critics, and it has also come under scrutiny from Geoff Barrow, who accused the two rappers of sampling Portishead on a track from Vultures 2 without permission.
The first Vultures album faced similar copyright issues, leading to West and Donna Summer’s estate reaching a settlement over the alleged unauthorized use of ‘I Feel Love’ on Vultures 1. The recent listening parties in China follow a prior event in South Korea last month, where Ye made a dramatic entrance on horseback and led a “F**k Adidas” chant, likely referencing the end of his partnership with the company after his antisemitic tweets in 2022.
–-Silviya.Y
