Kanye West teases plans for new album in 2026
Kanye West has confirmed he still plans to release a new album in 2026.
By Lizzie Baker
Monday, December 29, 2025 8:46 AM
By Lizzie Baker
Monday, December 29, 2025 8:46 AM
Photo: Getty Images
Kanye West has teased plans for a new album in 2026.The controversial rapper was recently a surprise guest at Deon Cole’s comedy show at the Hollywood Improv in Los Angeles, where he revealed a new record is on the way next year.Scroll below to see what went down.He was seemingly referring to Bully, which he previewed with a short visual in March that featured his 10-year-old son Saint West.The stand-up asked him: “You got anything we could look out for? Anything? No music, no shirts or sweaters, or some boots?”Kanye replied: "New album."Kanye, who legally changed his name to Ye, previously revealed plans for Bully, scheduled to drop on January 30.The Bound 2 hitmaker - who released his two Vultures LPs with Ty Dolla $ign in 2024 - previewed the first track from the upcoming record, Beauty and the Beast, during his listening event at Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China, in September.He told the audience in footage circulating on social media: “I got a new album coming out. The album’s called Bully, and this song is called Beauty and the Beast."The track featured a soft instrumental and Kanye singing lyrics that included: “I still think about it every night and day to try to stay away, to keep my audience / Don’t take this disrespect, I’m sitting here trying to redirect.”The 48-year-old star's longtime collaborator, Mike Dean, suggested the track was a leftover from Kanye's 2021 album Donda.Commenting on an Instagram post about the news, he wrote: "Donda leftover."Hours after his performance, Kanye took to his own Instagram account to share an image from the concert along with the caption: "BULLY."Kanye returned to China earlier that month for his first performance in 16 years alongside Ty to promote their Vultures collaborations.During the listening party, the Stronger hitmaker revealed he was planning a new solo album and debuted another new song, Preacher Man.Kanye's releases have been hit by delays in recent times.The first Vultures record was released in February after being pushed back by months, while the second was due to follow on March 8 but didn't hit streaming services until August 3.In addition, Kanye previously teased albums including TurboGrax16, Yandhi, and Love Everyone, but none ever materialised as proper records.
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