Kanye West Sets 'Bully' Album Release Date & Gets His Apology Trashed

The sincerity of Kanye West’s apology earlier this week was already hotly debated, and his latest announcement isn’t helping his case.

According to Rolling Stone, the rapper has signed a deal with Gamma in preparation for the release of his forthcoming album, Bully.

The distribution company was founded by long-time music executive Larry Jackson, whom Ye has mentioned in past songs and has a longstanding relationship with.

If the name Bully sounds familiar, it’s because Ye has been delaying its release for years, as it became one of his many haphazardly announced projects that inevitably get left on the cutting room floor.

But now, he’s apparently ready to drop his 12th studio album on March 20.

A lot has changed since the concept of the Bully album came about years ago. He’s become an even greater pariah, losing brand deals with adidas, GAP, and more after a string of antisemitic remarks. He’d apologize only to double down, spouting love for Hitler, aligning himself with Diddy, and personal shots at Jay-Z’s family.

But in his full-page ad in the Wall Street Journal, he takes full responsibility for the four-month manic episode that saw his typical rants heightened with indefensible vitriol.

He blamed it on his near-fatal 2002 car accident, writing, “Twenty-five years ago, I was in a car accident that broke my jaw and caused injury to the right frontal lobe of my brain. At the time, the focus was on the visible damage – the fracture, the swelling, and the immediate physical trauma. The deeper injury, the one inside my skull, went unnoticed.”

“I’m not asking for sympathy or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness. I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home,” he added.

With Ye having his moment of clarity, it’ll also be covered on Bully.  Rolling Stone obtained a press release for the album, which claims themes including “remorse, memory, ego, faith, and consequence.”

But Ye doesn’t want his raps to be taken as an apology, rather him “using music as storytelling rather than defense.”

It will be his first release since 2022’s Donda, so while it is anticipated, it comes with skepticism as fans wonder about his true motives.

See the reactions below.