Kanye West has pushed back on claims his next album bully was made with AI after posting a 13-track list on March 25 (ET). The rapper shared the list on his X account, highlighting previously previewed songs “Beauty and the Beast” and “Preacher Man” and captioning the post “BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI. ” The post follows earlier comments and industry reports that left the record’s production methods contested and a planned March 20 (ET) release date announced the independent music company Gamma that has since passed without a new date.
Bully confirmation and the AI dispute
The post on March 25 (ET) presented a full track list of 13 songs and a bold denial: “BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI. ” That public statement directly contrasts with remarks Kanye West made in an interview with Justin LaBoy when he said he had “incorporated AI into his writing and recording process ‘the same way I incorporated Auto-Tune. It’s a tool, not a replacement. ‘” In that interview West also stated, “It’s time for me to explain to people the power of AI in music, ” and described using AI stem splitters, adding that when he sends a song to his engineers he simply says, “JS [his engineer, John Scott], AI. “
Others tied to the project have given differing lines: named associates have stated the album contains no AI, while a review of the finished LP said team members swore earlier deepfake vocals were removed even as some physical copies shipped with AI still present on the track “Preacher Man. ” That mix of denials and technical detail has left the AI question unresolved in public discussion of the record.
Release timeline, previews and recent background
West has teased bully since September 2024 (ET), when he previewed “Beauty and the Beast” during a set in Haikou, China (ET). In 2025 (ET) he shared a short film titled Bully V1 on X that starred his son, Saint West, and contained a significant portion of the track list he posted on March 25 (ET). The album is identified in public materials as his twelfth studio LP and his first solo record since Donda.
The timing of the new post also arrives against a backdrop of personal and legal turbulence noted over the previous two years: late 2024 (ET) accusations of sexual assault and sexual battery by two plaintiffs, early 2025 (ET) posts in which he called himself a “Nazi” and a “racist, ” and a full-page newspaper ad in January (ET) in which West apologized and attributed his behavior to bipolar disorder and a frontal-lobe injury from a 2002 car crash that he said was not properly diagnosed until 2023 (ET). In that ad he wrote, “I’m not asking for sympathy, or a free pass, though I aspire to earn your forgiveness, ” and added, “I write today simply to ask for your patience and understanding as I find my way home. “
What’s next for bully and public reaction
With March 20 (ET) passed and no new release date confirmed, the next clear steps will be announcements from Kanye West or the independent music company Gamma setting a firm release plan and addressing the remaining AI questions. Stakeholders on different sides of the debate — from engineers named in interviews to associates who insist no AI was used — have left key technical details unresolved. Fans and industry observers can expect further clarification from West on release timing and on whether the production process for bully used AI tools, and those statements will be the immediate test of the denials posted on March 25 (ET).
