Ye Shares Studio Photos Amid Rumors ‘Bully’ Will Be Entirely Self-Produced

Ye is taking a rare look back ahead of the expected release of his first new solo album since 2021’s Donda.

But first, some context: Bully, the tentative title of the new album, has been increasingly speculated to see Ye returning to a more hands-on approach when it comes to production. Journalist and writer Touré went as far as to report that Ye would be “producing everything 100 percent himself” on the project, citing a source he described only as “someone who knows.”

In a series of Instagram Stories updates on Friday, Ye, fresh off further teasing new music with a live video for “Beauty and the Beast,” appeared to back up such speculation by sharing an assortment of noticeably cropped images of himself in mid-creation mode. Multiple chapters from across Ye’s decades-long career are represented, which prominently (and unsurprisingly for those familiar with Ye’s journey from in-demand production virtuoso to era-defining artist) feature him manning an Ensoniq ASR-10 sampling keyboard and an Akai MPC.

Mike Dean, once an integral part of the larger Ye framework and a key facet of multiple Ye albums including MBDTF and Yeezus, appears in one photo. Despite their current presumed differences, Dean was quick to acknowledge the throwback by sharing the same photo, albeit without any additional commentary.

Ye has been intentional with leaning into the production-focused side of his work while teasing Bully in recent weeks. Preceding Friday’s sharing of albums-spanning live and in-studio shots, as pointed out here, was a tease of a song Ye made after he “ran the ASR through the SP 1200.” The latter is a classic drum machine made by E-mu Systems.

Bully doesn't have a release date just yet. If Ye rolls it out before year's end, he'll have released three full-lengths in 2024 alone, including the first two volumes of his and Ty Dolla Sign's Vultures trilogy.