Melina Nguyen
Melina Nguyen
Here are some pivotal players for the production of Ye's 12th studio album, BULLY.
The audacious producer-rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, returns with his 12th studio album after 4 years, a period marked with controversy and inconceivable headlines. The singes to his public image arguably birthed BULLY, a body of work representing Ye’s pursuit of redemption that has been met with mixed reception.
The Chicago native began his musical career by producing and later branching into rap and singing. Nevertheless, Ye enlisted the help of several acclaimed producers, such as 1SRAEL, André Troutman, and Travis Scott, for the March 28 release.
1SRAEL, a producer who is part of the Philadelphia-based collective Working on Dying alongside BNYX and BEAUTIFULMVN, appeared on three of BULLY’s track credits. The Nigerian-born producer is known for his work with Future and Drake’s “WAIT FOR U,” which led him to multiple platinum certifications and Grammy nominations.
“made countless memories and learned many lessons through out this process I’ll always be thankful for,” 1SRAEL wrote on Instagram. “worked with some legends through out the process and forever grateful to play my part.”
Sheffmade, who has produced for Meek Mill, Polo G, and Kevin Gates, has co-production and additional production credits on eight tracks on BULLY. A multi-platinum producer and samplemaker, Sheffmade has previously worked with Ye, including on the unreleased IN A PERFECT WORLD.
In an Instagram post made after the album’s release, the Houston native shared he was at a loss for words.
“Ye saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. He elevated my ability as a Producer to do the most amazing work for him,” he wrote. “I was very emotional when his album dropped, I cried.”
Credited as a featured artist on “ALL THE LOVE” and “WHITE LINES” and for his production on nine other songs, André Troutman played the co-star role on BULLY. The iconic Grammy-nominated talkbox artist and producer has collaborated with Jhené Aiko, Big Sean, and Jason Derulo.
“All I ever wanted to do was make great music with my friends,” Troutman wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you Ye for allowing me to do that.”
Now working as a music director for Ye, fans can expect Troutman to be a frequent name and voice on his future projects.
Also known as a producer-rapper-turned-father, Travis Scott has experienced a parallel musical journey to Ye. The multi-Grammy-nominated and Billboard-charting artist garnered major praise—and flak—surrounding his third studio album ASTROWORLD in 2018.
His beginnings include a publishing deal with Ye’s GOOD Music as an in-house producer over a decade ago, making his work on BULLY a full-circle moment between the two.
Scott is also the CEO of Cactus Jack Records, a record label that signed Sheck Wes, Don Toliver, SoFaygo, and WondaGurl to its roster.
Nkenge 1x, a two-time BMI award winner, artist, writer, and producer, is a classically trained musician who lists Ye, Nina Simone, and Prince as his inspirations. Skilled in piano and drums across genres like R&B, hip-hop, and classical, the DMV-raised and now LA-based producer was also recruited by GOOD Music in 2013.
James Blake, an electronic singer-songwriter, producer, and musician from London, has racked up several credits with Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Kendrick Lamar, among others, and has a slew of awards on his mantle. Most recently, Blake released his first fully independent studio album Trying Times, interlacing his electronic roots with a soul sound.
Although his credit on “THIS ONE HERE” has been stripped as per Spotify and Genius, Blake played a pivotal role in building the track’s bones.
Blake said the original version of the song was wholly different in production and did not want to take credit for another producer’s work, according to his post on the direct-to-fan streaming platform Vault.
“The way I pitched his vocals and constructed the track from his freestyle is partially there, majorly peppered with other newer vocal takes, etc. but the spirit of my actual production is mostly absent other than that,” he wrote, adding his request to be removed from the credits was nothing personal.
The full list of producers who contributed to BULLY includes Ye, 88-Keys, André Troutman, Che' Fuego 3000, Hassan Khaffaf, Jahaan Sweet, Just Da 1, the Legendary Traxster, Nkenge 1x, TK the Legend, Quadwoofer, RaMu, and Sheffmade.