Ye’s BULLY is revving up like a beast unchained, slated to drop January 30 via his YZY empire, and “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” slinks in as that shadowy confessional—tires fresh, scars fresh, whispering redemption over a beat that hums like late-night doubts.
First teased at that electric VULTURES 2 party in China back in September ’24, this one’s got roots as a supposed DONDA castoff, per Mike Dean’s offhand claim (take it with a grain of salt, given their rocky post-album vibes). Ye cooked it solo, layering somber piano ripples and sparse drums into a hip-hop hymn that’s more meditation than banger—think gospel-tinged introspection with a trap undercurrent, his auto-tuned murmurs stretching like smoke signals.
Thematically, it’s Ye wrestling his demons in real time: the grind of “overcoming” fame’s weight, nightly battles to “stay away” from the spotlight’s pull, all while redirecting a fanbase he calls his “audience” without the shade. That trifecta nod? It’s him juggling empires—VULTURES chaos, family fractures, and this bully-proof solo swing—ending on a defiant loop of “never put me down,” like a vow etched in vinyl.
BULLY itself? It’s Ye’s eleventh LP, a 13-track gut-punch clocking around 45 minutes, paying homage to Larry Clark’s gritty ’01 flick about teen revenge while flipping the script on his own “bullies”—Adidas fallout chief among ’em, plus a raw family moment when his son Saint clocked a kid for weakness, sparking Ye’s dive into power dynamics. No Ty Dolla $ign co-pilot here; it’s pure Ye vision, with Erick Sermon-era soul nods, co-prods from 1SRAEL, and writers like Consequence and CyHi weaving in. Standouts tease the arc: opener “PREACHER MAN” preaching fire, the title cut “BULLY” snarling back, “MISSION CONTROL” ft. Tony Williams launching skyward, and closers like “DAMN” and “LOSING YOUR MIND” spiraling into the void.
Artwork’s a stark DAIDŌ MORIYAMA snap—black-and-white grit that screams untethered. Pre-orders hit in October ’24, merch flying off bully.yeezy.com, but delays have fans on edge; it’s the vault raid we’ve chased since Saudi sessions in ’23.
Ye’s storming ’26 like a man reborn from ash, post-VULTURES double-drop controversies and that Super Bowl shadow in February ’25 where he quietly unleashed this as a single. The Chicago visionary, now 48 and unbowed, trades shock waves for scarred poetry—family man mic-drops amid the noise, proving he’s not just surviving the beast, he’s taming it on his terms. Sold-out pop-ups in Tokyo, whispers of a spring trek; it’s evolution etched in every bar.
Dive into the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST lyrics below and unpack its raw narrative. Don’t miss other BULLY tracks for more of Ye’s unflinching redemption vibes.
Lyrics of BEAUTY AND THE BEAST by Ye
[Pre-Chorus]
It’s Been A Long Time Coming
Fresh New Tires, I’m Still Running
It’s A Few Things I’m Overcoming
Man, The Checks Still Clear, Still
Think About It Every Night And Day
To Try To Stay Away, To Keep My Audience
So Don’t Take This As Disrespect, I’m Sitting Here Trying To Redirect Them
Think About It Every Night And Day
To Try To Stay Away, To Keep My Audience
So Don’t Take This As Disrespect, I’m Still Here In A Trifecta [Pre-Chorus]
It’s Been A Long Time Coming
Fresh New Tires, I’m Still Running
It’s A Few Things I’m Overcoming
Man, The Checks Still Clear, Still [Chorus]
Think About It Every Night And Day
To Try To Stay Away, To Keep My Audience
So Don’t Take This As Disrespect, I’m Sitting Here Trying To Redirect Them
Think About It Every Night And Day
To Try To Stay Away, To Keep My Audience
So Don’t Take This As Disrespect, I’m Still Here In A Trifecta
[Outro]
Never Put Me Down, Put Me Down, Put Me Down
Down, Down
Never Put Me Down, Put Me Down, Put Me Down
Down, Down
Any—
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