Ye’s highly anticipated studio album, Bully, has officially landed on streaming services, spearheaded by the evocative new visual for the track “Father.”
Directed by Bianca Censori, the music video for “Father” employs a striking single-camera long take. The setting is a stark, minimalist chapel where surreal vignettes unfold with a quiet intensity. Travis Scott makes a pivotal appearance, delivering his verse amidst a backdrop of strange, overlapping events that demand a closer look.
Though Ye has offered no formal commentary on the project’s subtext, the “Father” visual functions as a surrealist meditation on organized religion, the construction of reality, and the deep-seated apathy of contemporary culture.
The film is populated with jarring contrasts that the internal audience treats as commonplace. A magician’s card trick spontaneously combusts just inches away from a grandmother quietly knitting in her pew. A medieval knight, clad in full plate armor, rides a horse down the center aisle followed by a tactical police unit to apprehend a sleeping nun. Even the appearance of a Michael Jackson lookalike and the landing of a UFO fail to stir the congregation. Ye and Scott eventually obscure their faces with masks, suggesting a dual identity that is both extraterrestrial and hyper-celebrity.
Throughout these bizarre sequences, the churchgoers remain largely indifferent, reflecting the lyrics of the chorus: “Bye-bye to my old self / Wake up to the new me / I used to be on Worldstar / Now I’m making Newsweek.”
Bully arrived early Saturday morning, March 28, serving as a creative precursor to Ye’s upcoming headline shows at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium on April 1 and 3. The 18-song LP is a concise 42-minute journey featuring an eclectic array of collaborators, including Don Toliver on “Circles,” Peso Pluma on “Last Breath,” and CeeLo Green on the title track, alongside contributions from music director Andre Troutman.
This project represents Ye’s first full-length release following a turbulent period of public controversy. He recently sought to mend ties through a full-page apology in The Wall Street Journal, where he opened up about the complexities of managing bipolar disorder. In his statement, he described past “disconnected moments” as an “out-of-body experience,” asserting his commitment to personal accountability and meaningful change moving forward.
Experience the visual for “Father” below:
