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Ye, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, took to social media today (Sept. 30) to post a picture captioned "BULLY," further hinting at an upcoming solo album which was announced during his Haikou listening event this past Saturday.
Fresh off the release of Vultures 2 and his sold-out concert in Haikou, China, Ye announced that a second listening event will be held a week later, on September 28. The event was held at the same venue as the previous concert, in Haikou Wuyuan River Sports Park, hosting over 40,000 fans and attendees.
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"I got a new album coming out. That album's called 'BULLY' and this song is called 'Beauty and The Beast'." - Kanye West stated.
With clips from the listening event going viral, frequent collaborator and producer, Mike Dean, commented on a BULLY announcement post, on Instagram, to confirm that Beauty and The Beast was one of the records that got left off West's Donda 2 LP.
Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to share their thoughts and opinions over a potential solo Kanye West album currently in the works.
Many critics were seen highlighting albums and projects that've faced delays, with more recent examples stemming from the shaky rollouts for both of his and Ty Dolla $ign's collaboration albums, Vultures 1 and Vultures 2, from this year.
One individual was seen highlighting their anticipation for Kanye's upcoming BULLY album, citing how they've been longing for a solo project since Vultures 1 was released back in February.
Similar reactions followed with fans excitedly sharing their appreciation for Kanye West finally working on a solo album, with many individuals referring to the upcoming project as a potential "masterpiece in the making" and a "comeback" moment for Ye's career.
"we are overdue for a Ye solo project" - A fan cited.
"Another masterpiece in the making! Excited for what’s coming, Kanye. You always bring something different to the table." - Said a fan.
"This is gonna be the biggest comeback of the century" - Said another.
"The only solo album that we all waiting for" - A fan claimed.
"Love that it’s solo. But ever since DONDA 1, I do not have any timeline expectations lol" - A fan remarked.
Many were seen critiquing and poking fun at the multiple projects Ye has delayed, shelved, or "scrapped," with examples of Yandhi and other LPs being referenced in their posts.
"Just how yandhi was coming soon" - A critic stated.
"I can’t wait for this album to be scrapped as usual" - Said another.
"So first V1 got delayed then dropped (pretty nice album), then V2 gets delayed then finally drops (very anticlimactic, also a lil underwhelming), and now we’re getting a solo project…I’m the only one confused…? What happened to that 3rd installment" - A critic questioned.
"By the title I can already tell he is gonna be on that “the white man did this to me” type s--t. I’m good bro" - A critic claimed.
An individual was also seen highlighting Kanye West's close relationship with record producer Rick Rubin, citing that Ye should "hire" the famed producer to help improve his upcoming solo album.
"With his current quality control we can expect an album every month. Bro needs to hire Rick Rubin to cut out like 99% of whatever he did and improve the remaining 1%" - A user stated.
Highlights from Kanye West's second Haikou concert
On Saturday evening, Kanye West performed live for an audience of 40,000 fans, marking the rapper's second live event in China's Hainan province this month.
The concert was extremely successful and featured Ye performing a string of hits, as well as previewing newer, unreleased, music. The listening event included a massive "Vulture" installation, a wolf mascot, dark ambient light designs, and the unveiling of his upcoming solo album BULLY.
As confirmed by Mike Dean, Kanye West also previewed Donda 2's vaulted single, Beauty and The Beast, for the first time, confirming the record would included in his upcoming LP.
"Ye's second performance was truly awe-inspiring. He maintained his punctuality, constructing a bridge transcending borders with music. In his voice, I could almost see the essence of music without boundaries and feel that genuine emotion crossing nations" - A Haikou resident told China Daily.
Much like his first Haikou concert, a majority of the ticket sales came from individuals outside the Hainan province and international fans, which lent a hand in helping improve tourism in Haikou and China.
Ty Dolla $ign and Ye's eldest daughter, North West, were seen taking the stage alongside West to perform their hit collaborations from the Vultures album series, which included records like Talking, Jail, and the leaked single, Preacher Man.
During the concert, Kanye also seemingly previewed an updated version of the track 530, included on Vultures 2. Variety magazine cited how several fans are referring to the preview as a "finished version with a second verse".
Kanye West's Haikou concerts mark the rapper's return to performing in China in over 16 years, following up on his performances in Beijing and Shanghai in 2008.
