Kanye West has once again delayed the release of his upcoming 12th studio album, Bully, as he originally intended to drop the project in full, next Friday, July 25. According to the NFR Podcast, West will now be releasing Bully on September 26th. It's the latest in a number of delays to the project, which West previously planned to drop on June 15th.
Fans on social media appear to have mixed expectations for the project. "He always pushing albums back. Love Ye but Donda should’ve been his final album," one user wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Another wrote: "How many times this album gonna drop? Swear he already dropped it like 3x."
West previously shared a version of the album as a short film, which he collaborated on with Hype Williams. He posted that online for fans in March.
The entire excitement for the release has been marred by various hate-filled rants West has posted on social media in recent months. In addition to rampant and offensive antisemitic messages, he's also made crass comments about Jay-Z and Beyoncé, as well as their children. On top of that, he's started feuds with Playboi Carti, Tyler, the Creator, and more as well.
Kanye West Shanghai Concert
The update on Bully comes after Kanye West came under fire from fans at his concert in Shanghai, China, earlier this month. According to numerous accounts online, his set was filled with technical difficulties and many attendees ended up demanding refunds.
Regardless, Kanye West still shared a message for his fans online after the show. "Thank you to my fans in China and the Chinese government. The energy was amazing. Love all of you forever. Can’t wait till the next show," he wrote on X.
His team also denied reports that he was to blame for the mistakes. "To ensure the quality of the performance, Ye arrived at the stadium before 3:00 P.M. on July 12 (with surveillance footage available as evidence)," they said in a statement to AllHipHop. "The concert was originally scheduled to begin at 7:30 PM, but due to on-site equipment issues, troubleshooting and adjustments continued until 8:00 PM and still failed to reach optimal condition. Out of respect for the audience’s passion and anticipation, Ye made the decision to go on stage and perform despite the imperfect setup. Therefore, claims of Ye being late are entirely untrue."
