KANYE WEST LEAKS HIS OWN ALBUM BULLY; A GENIUS MOVE OR INDUSTRY REBELLION?

Kanye West has once again defied industry norms, this time by leaking his own unfinished album, BULLY, through private links on X (formerly Twitter). The move, while unconventional, raises a storm of questions: Is Ye reclaiming artistic control, or is this another chaotic chapter in his ever-controversial career?

In an era where album rollouts are meticulously planned, Kanye’s decision to leak BULLY V1 seems like an intentional disruption. The 10-track project, featuring Playboi Carti and Ty Dolla $ign, arrived with a twist–several vocal parts were generated using artificial intelligence (AI). In a bizarre turn, Kanye, who once championed AI’s role in music, now claims dissatisfaction with the results, vowing to re-record the affected sections himself.

The question is: Was this leak a controlled experiment, a marketing stunt, or an act of defiance against the industry’s traditional mechanisms? Given Kanye’s history of rejecting major streaming platforms, his recent critique of industry streaming figures only fuels the speculation. Could BULLY be the start of Ye pioneering a new, artist-first distribution model?

Alongside the album leak, Kanye unveiled a short film starring his son, Saint West. The visuals, directed by Ye himself and edited by legendary filmmaker Hype Williams, show Saint battling opponents in a wrestling ring while donning a Real Madrid jersey. The imagery screams rebellion–perhaps mirroring his father’s relentless fight against industry forces.

For years, Kanye has blurred the lines between music, film, and performance art, but this latest move raises eyebrows. Is he setting up Saint as the next-generation West, or is this just another provocative storytelling device in the BULLY narrative?

Despite the leak, Kanye claims BULLY’s final version will drop officially on June 15, coinciding with his daughter North’s birthday. But whether it will hit traditional streaming platforms remains uncertain. Ye has openly condemned DSPs (digital streaming platforms) for manipulating streams and underpaying artists. If BULLY doesn’t land on Apple Music or Spotify, could Kanye be testing an alternative model–perhaps selling exclusive access, as he attempted with DONDA 2 and the Stem Player?

Kanye West’s career has been built on controversy, unpredictability, and a refusal to play by industry rules. With BULLY, he’s once again forcing the world to react. But is he dismantling a broken system, or is he just embracing chaos for the sake of it?

Whether you see him as a mad genius or an industry outlaw, one thing is clear–Ye will always find a way to keep the world talking. And in today’s attention economy, that might just be his biggest flex.