As far back as the early 2000s, when Kanye “Ye” West was at his peak, he was always the center of controversy. From his narcissistic remarks to his arrogant tone, West has always been one to praise himself first and be his biggest fan, and unfortunately for haters, his mannerisms are reinforced by multiple Grammys.
Since his debut album “College Dropout,” which is widely regarded as his best and most impactful album, to his latest album “Donda 2,” he’s garnered over 66 million monthly listeners on Spotify alone, become a billionaire and generated the most die-hard, cult-like fanbases in the modern hip-hop industry.
As a byproduct, the relationship between his arrogance and fame would be extremely linear and grow immensely.
Famously, in 2005, West, during the Hurricane Katrina Telethon, blurted out the off-script phrase, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” While facing no legal trouble, fans and critics of the artist had mixed opinions. Some were supportive of the message, while others provided backlash. This marked the beginning of a war between his ego, arrogance and the media.
The path West would take next would be dark and contribute to his exile from the good graces of society. Starting in 2018, after rumors of West’s antisemitic behavior in the workplace, his actions hit a sharp incline. In an interview with TMZ in May of the same year, West said, “When you hear about slavery for 400 years—400 years? That sounds like a choice—we are mentally imprisoned.”
West’s behavior would continue to escalate, in the form of various clips of him, circulated by news stations, and Twitter rants, chalking up his actions to being bipolar or claiming to have autism, according to an article by BET in response to a video shot by “X17onlineVideo”
Finally, on Dec. 1, 2022, after multiple unpopular albums, a divorce earlier that year and a viral antisemitic Twitter rant on Oct. 8, 2022, saying, “I’m a bit sleepy, but when I wake up I’m going death con 3 on Jewish people tomorrow,” West would double down on his hateful opinion and reach his final, as of now, peak in the mountain of controversy. In an interview on right-wing conspiracist Alex Jones’ show, “Infowars,” West said a slew of antisemitic comments praising Hitler and associating himself with Nazis. “I see good things about Hitler—every human being has something to bring to the table, Hitler—I am a Nazi,” he said.
Additionally, West would release two antisemitic singles. These songs include “WW3”, where West raps “rocking swastikas ’cause all my n****s Nazis – Reading ‘Mein Kampf,’ two chapters before I go to sleep” and “HH” in which West praises the Nazi regime leader Adolf Hitler.
The aftermath of this controversy was nothing short of devastating for West’s career. He lost multiple brand sponsors, including Adidas, Gap and Balenciaga. Plus, various connections within the music industry faded as many artists began to unfollow and dissociate with him. He also lost his representation with the California Arts Agency and inflicted pain on millions of Jewish people and fans alike.
However, because of this, it started to create traction for his new, yet unreleased, album “Bully,” and it’s a make-or-break for West’s career. Since a leak in early 2025 from a listening party in Switzerland, the song “Highs and Lows” shook the internet to the ground as many speculated that the “Old Kanye” was back. With hard-hitting drum patterns, chopped-up soulful samples, and angelic harmonies, many were hopeful for West’s future in the music industry.
As the year progressed, more news began to spread about West’s newest project. On March 19, fans were surprised to see a new video featuring his nine-year-old son, Saint West, in a wrestling ring titled “Bully (a short film)” on his YouTube Channel. Three months later, on June 30, a three-song EP would be added to West’s official Spotify account and his secondary Spotify account named “Ye,” his legally changed name in October of 2021, featuring the songs “Preacher Man,” “Beauty And The Beast,” and “Damn.”
A month later, on July 2, West would officially release a countdown on both accounts scheduled for June 15. Additionally, later that month, on July 25, two songs, “Losing Your Mind” and “Last Breath,” from the album were officially released on both of his official accounts.
Since this moment of spark in the summer, both accounts have begun to slow down in activity, and with multiple album delays first reset to release in October, then to December, and now set to release on Jan. 30, 2026. The hype regarding the album’s release has dwindled from a roar to whispers and eye-rolls, leading fans to become skeptical and distrustful of West’s promise to release “Bully.”
Nevertheless, while the activity on the accounts has slowed down, behind the scenes, West is taking steps to correct his actions.
According to Billboard on Nov. 4, 2025, West met with Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, a famous leader of the Shval Israel institutions, and took accountability for his actions. Saying, “I was dealing with various issues. I was dealing with bipolar, so I would take the ideas—and forget about the protection of the people around me and myself. It’s like if you left the house and you left your kid at the house and your kid went and messed up the kitchen and messed up the garage and messed up the living room—it’s your responsibility because that’s your job. That’s the way I look at it. I gotta go clean up the kitchen, I gotta clean up the living room, I gotta clean up the garage.”
In response, Pinto says, “A person is not defined by his mistakes, but by the way he chooses to correct them.” Later, after the interview was finished, Pinto would express his gratitude toward West, calling him “a good man” and wishing him well in his future.
Fans throughout the internet have created multiple memes about West’s actions, saying, “Kanye died in 2022, and Ye replaced him, because ‘the old Kanye wouldn’t do this,” and the excusatory phrase “But he made Graduation.” While some might find truth in these memes, others question whether West should be trusted in the first place, because there have always been signs of his hateful behavior, and they have only been prevalent now.
With “Bully” releasing sometime in the near future, will these memes continue to excuse a failing artist because he made popular albums in his past, or will his behavior subside and give the people what they want? Returning to Kanye West rather than what others consider to be his evil alter ego, “Ye.”
