2021 was the last truly great year to be a fan of Kanye West. At the time, Ye was a few years removed from his Make America Great Again crusade, and it felt as though he was finally “done” with it. Following a failed Presidential Campaign, Ye went deep into his artist bag, where he put himself to work on his most ambitious album yet, DONDA.
This was going to be the tribute album to his late mother, Donda. It was an album that was a long time coming. After over a decade of grief, Ye was going to come out and spill his guts for the world to see. We were going to get the most vulnerable version of the artist so far, and there was potential for this to be his magnum opus.
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Of course, the rollout for the album started off on shaky ground as his first listening party was a disjointed mess. None of the songs were finished, and it felt like he was simply showing off a bunch of demos. It was the musical version of throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks. A few weeks later, he would host a second listening party, and this turned out to be a truly iconic event. The second listening event in Atlanta was a demonstration of Ye’s dedication to his art. He had locked himself inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium for weeks. He slept there, ate there, showered there, and recorded there.
The second listening event showed us that Ye was officially back. Songs like “Hurricane,” “Jail,” “Jesus Lord,” and “Off The Grid” were shown off to thunderous applause. He would then go on to do the third listening party with “cancelled” artists by his side. DaBaby and Marilyn Manson stood proudly beside Ye during that final show in Chicago, and it was here that the comeback started to crack. Fans were forgiving because the music was good. However, those Make America Great Again tendencies were starting to rear their ugly head.
By 2022, Ye had gone completely off the deep end, much to the chagrin of fans everywhere. In fact, his fall from grace was perhaps one of the worst we have ever seen. On social media, the artist was going on anti-semitic tirades, all while praising the work of the Nazis and Adolf Hitler. Some thought this was all a ploy to get dropped by Adidas. While he did, in fact, get dropped by Adidas, the Nazism continued. He made appearances on Info Wars with Alex Jones, dined with Donald Trump at Mar-A-Lago with Nick Fuentes, and even stylized his name into a Swastika.
Around this time, Ye began dating Bianca Censori, and the two’s relationship was downright disturbing. Whenever the two were in public, Censori could be seen wearing obscene outfits in which she was practically naked. Some made the allegation that Ye was controlling her and downright getting off on humiliating her. Various harassment lawsuits came in from old employees that gave credence to the Censori situation. It was very dark and a far cry from the artist fans once knew.
Eventually, Ye got back into the music world with his Ty Dolla $ign-assisted Vultures series. Vultures 1 & Vultures 2 were released in 2024 to a poor critical reception. While the first Vultures was seen as the better album, it still wasn’t particularly good. There were unfinished songs, horrible verses, and the production was not Ye’s best. However, Vultures 2 is where things truly went off the deep end. It is by far the artist’s worst album, and to this day, even the most staunch Ye Stans can’t defend it.
Unfortunately, things continued to get worse following the release of Vultures 2. In 2025, Ye decided to continue his Nazi obsession with songs like Heil Hitler, written and originally performed by Dave Blunts. Blunts also wrote “Cousins,” which will likely go down as the worst Kanye West song of all time. Interestingly, this was all part of the rollout for an album called Bully, which, in true Ye fashion, has yet to be released. There have been multiple delays for this project, although Ye’s latest moves have fans feeling as though the album’s release is coming sooner rather than later.
With that being said, one has to wonder, can Kanye even make a real comeback at this point? His reputation is the worst it has ever been. He hasn’t made a good album in over four years, and for the better part of three years, he has been a self-proclaimed Nazi. At a time when fascism is becoming a real threat to the United States, someone like Ye is completely toxic to the culture. Even without the threat of fascism, there is simply no room in society for Nazis. While some think Ye is trolling with the Hitler fetish, his rhetoric has gone far beyond just being a provocateur. It goes beyond getting out of an Adidas deal. If he were really just trolling to get out of deals, he would have dropped the Nazi act ages ago.
Yet, something changed just a few weeks ago, and it has many wondering if a Kanye comeback is actually feasible now. Of course, something drastic would have had to happen for Ye’s fortunes to change so quickly. As it turns out, that drastic event did, in fact, take place. The famed artist met with Rabbi Yoshiyaru Yosef Pinto, the very same Rabbi that LeBron James sat down with almost a decade ago. During their meeting, which was caught on video, Ye could be seen apologizing for his past Anti-Semitism. It was also here where Ye admitted to having bi-polar, and not getting the proper treatment for it.
This video came as a shock and a positive surprise to many. It was an apology that never seemed possible. It was subsequently followed by a report indicating that Ye was apologizing to all of his past collaborators. This included Jewish producers, engineers, and even writers. The extent of those apologes were not reported on, although it is easy to see what is happening here.
Over the past three years, Ye has burnt a lot of bridges. Some of his closest friends and collaborators have completely abandoned him, and this has forced him to work with people like Dave Blunts. Now, with Bully on the horizon, it appears as though Ye wants to be taken seriously again. The only way he can do that, is if he sheds his Nazi past and gets the old crew back together. For instance, it has been years since Mike Dean has worked with West. However, if Ye’s apologies are sincere enough, then perhaps the artist will get his superproducer back.
Unfortunately, for Ye, he has already done a ton of damage to his brand and his image. While those he’s wronged may accept his apologies, there is no guarantee that they will work with him again. Not to mention, who is to say that these apologies are sincere? Given they are coming in the midst of a flubbed album rollout, one could argue that these are just a cynical ploy to gain favor with the general public. Has Ye really changed? Or is he just trying to pull one over on all of us?
At this point in time, it is truly impossible to say. For the most part, Ye has been completely out of the spotlight. He never speaks out on social media anymore, and beyond a few paparazzi sightings here and there, he is mostly persona non grata. No one actually knows what he is thinking or feeling. There is no Keeping Up With The Kardashians crew to pull him into the diary room and confess whatever is on his mind.
So while Ye is clearly interested in making a comeback and appearing as though he wants to make amends, there is no telling whether or not this actually sticks. In the end, it’s going to be up to the listeners. They are the ones who have the power. While Ye will always have his diehards who believe he can do no wrong, there are others who will never listen to him again. Meanwhile, there are others who will listen, but only if the music is good. If Ye makes another Vultures-caliber record, then it might just be time to throw in the towel.
Sure, a comeback is possible, but it’s not likely. It’s not something you should get your hopes up about. If it works out, we will be happy to be wrong. But at this point, too much damage has been done. The politics have seeped into the music, and until Ye actually makes his intentions clear, we’ll never know whether or not his apologies are truly sincere. Some may say this assessment is unfair, but Ye hasn’t done nearly enough to make us think otherwise.
