Apart from all his musical accolades and achievements, rapper-producer Kanye West is known for making the news for his antics, remarks and sometimes even body of work. Earlier this week he caught everyone’s attention after talking out an apology in the Wall Street Journal, where he expressed remorse for his statement regarding the Jewish community. Now the internet has questioned the timing of this apology, with Kanye’s new album Bully set to release on January 30.
While the timing does seem extremely convenient, Kanye has denied any connection between the two events. During an interview with Vanity Fair, the rapper was asked about the same, and he replied by pointing out his streaming numbers. He said, “It’s my understanding that I was in the top 10 most listened-to artists overall in the U.S. on Spotify in 2025, and last week and most days as well.”
He continued, “My upcoming album, ‘Bully’, is currently one of the most anticipated pre-saves of any album on Spotify, too. My 2007 album, ‘Graduation’, was also the most listened-to and streamed hip-hop album of 2025. This, for me, as evidenced by the latter, isn’t about reviving my commerciality. This is because these remorseful feelings were so heavy on my heart and weighing on my spirit. I owe a huge apology once again for everything that I said that hurt the Jewish and Black communities in particular. All of it went too far.”
Kanye said that he wants to fall on the right side of history and that he understands the kind of responsibility he has being a public figure. “I look at the wreckage of my episode and realise that this isn’t who I am. As a public figure, so many people follow and listen to my every word. It’s important that they realise and understand what side of history that I want to stand on. And that is one of love and positivity,” said Kanye.
The apology in question talked about a 25-year-old accident that Kanye was a part of. He revealed that he had been suffering from bipolar disorder-1, which was diagnosed much later. This caused manic episodes, during which he lashed out. The lashing out involved abusive anti-Semitic comments on social media, public feuds with ex-partners, and releasing songs like ‘Heil Hitler’. While the apology cleared up a lot of things for Kanye fans, the reception to his album should reveal if people have forgiven him.
