Kanye West moves away from controversial AI vocal technology

Kanye West, now professionally known as Ye, took to Instagram on Thursday to unveil the official tracklist for his twelfth studio album, Bully.

The 48-year-old rapper shared a handwritten list of 20 songs with his 19.4 million followers, captioned with the bold confirmation: "BULLY ON THE WAY NO AI."

This statement appears to be a direct response to the heavy criticism he faced in 2024 and 2025 for the alleged use of AI-generated vocal deepfakes on projects like Vultures 2 and early "work-in-progress" versions of Bully itself.

The revealed tracklist includes titles such as "Sisters and Brothers," "Mama’s Favourite," "Mission Control," and the single "Father," which features Travis Scott.

Several tracks, including "Preacher Man" and "Beauty and the Beast," have been part of Ye's lore since they were first previewed at a listening event in China back in September 2024.

Despite the official announcement pointing to a Friday release, the rollout has been marred by typical "Kanye-esque" unpredictability; as of mid-day Friday, several major streaming pages for the album were reportedly deleted or listed as "unavailable," leading to widespread speculation of a last-minute delay.

Bully represents a significant milestone for Ye as it is his first major solo project released through Gamma, the independent music company founded by former Apple Music executive Larry Jackson.

Sonically, the album is expected to channel Ye's more experimental and soul-focused eras, drawing comparisons to 808s & Heartbreak.

While the "NO AI" promise has renewed fan optimism, the industry remains on high alert as the rapper continues his trend of independent, non-traditional distribution.