Kanye West has announced that the release date for his highly-anticipated studio album, Bully, will coincide with a special occasion, his daughter North West‘s birthday.
In an interview with Justin LaBoy following his brief, yet controversial, appearance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, the rapper revealed that his eleventh studio album will be released on June 15, which will also mark his eldest daughter’s 12th birthday.
Kim Kardashian and daughter North West attend the Western Conference Semifinal Playoff game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors at Crypto.com Arena on May 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Ye explained that his reasoning behind choosing that specific date spurred from North’s affinity for Bully, a body of work the Chicago native says is her personal favorite of his, to date.
Kanye previously credited North with inspiring his musical resurgence and was the catalyst behind the creation of Bully.
“This little girl made me love music again,” he captioned a post on Instagram of the two in the studio. “She asked me to make beats for her. I got back on the ASR Chopped up beats for album and chopped every beat with my bare hand for BULLY.”
During his chat with Laboy, the 47-year-old also previewed new music from Bully, and spoke on using AI while creating the album.
Kanye West attends the Anonymous Club fashion show during Berlin Fashion Week SS25 at Tempodrom on July 1, 2024 in Berlin, Germany.
Matthias Nareyek/Getty Images
Plans for Bully were initially revealed in September 2024 during a listening event for Vultures 2, West’s collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign.
He would share two songs presumed to appear on the album, “Beauty and the Beast” and “Preacher Man,” in October 2024. However, neither song has yet to be released on streaming services.
(L-R) Kim Kardashian, North West and Kanye West attend the Alexander Wang Fashion Show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Pier 94 on February 14, 2015 in New York City.
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Born in 2013, North West, 11, has already proved that musical talent runs deep in her blood, as she’s showcased her talents on tracks such as “TALKING” from Vultures 1, as well as the single “BOMB” featuring her younger sibling, Chicago West, and rapper Yuno Miles.
See snippets of Kanye West’s new music and his interview with Justin LaBoy below.
KANYE
NEW SONGBULLY 💿
🚨JUNE 15TH🚨
▫️ KANYE RAPPING IN SPANISH 🔥 pic.twitter.com/QcZVo8YL6w
— NFR Podcast (@nfr_podcast) February 3, 2025
Kanye on the Kendrick vs. Drake beef pic.twitter.com/USnQYVpgNS
— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) February 3, 2025