"King" (stylized in all caps) is the opening track from American rapper Kanye West's twelfth studio album, Bully. The song was released on March 28, 2026 through YZY and Gamma. West solely wrote the track himself and produced it alongside Sheffmade, Che Pope, Just da 1, the Legendary Traxster, and André Troutman.[2][4][3] An industrial hip-hop song with similar elements to West's sixth studio album, Yeezus (2013), it contains a prominent sample of "Reach for a Star" by Duke Edwards and the Youngones.

Background and composition

On March 25, 2026, Kanye West previewed a new tracklist for Bully, claiming that the album would have "no AI," with "King" being the fifteenth track.[5][6][7]

Slightly over two minutes long,[8] "King" begins with a sample of "Reach for a Star" by Duke Edwards and the Youngones, where Edwards proclaims that "now is the time, for nature and all her glory have named you her king."[9][10] The sample is present throughout the song.[10] West's opening verse reflects on his past controversies, rapping that although outside hatred only gave him "more love", his friends became "lost ones" who treated him like an orphan.[11][12][8][1] West tries to explain himself and face reality, acknowledging that said controversies have changed his legacy.[13][8]

West salutes civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., rapping that he would not have a 'White Queen' without him, referring to his relationship with Australian architect Bianca Censori.[14][15][16] West married Censori in December 2022 under a confidential marriage license.[17] Censori directed the music video for the song "Father".[18][19] The song finishes with West asserting that "You know what season it is".[20]

Release

"King" was played at a listening event on March 27, 2026, the day Bully was supposed to release.[21] Bully released a day later through YZY and Gamma, with "King" as the album's opener.[21][22] A music video was released on June 19, coinciding with the release of a deluxe edition of Bully.[23]

Critical reception

The song received positive reviews from music critics. Vibe's Preezy Brown ranked the track as the fourth best on Bully, praising West's lyricism.[24] Quincy Dominic of RGM ranked the track as the fifth best song, praising West's rapping and flows, comparing the track to the opener of West's fifth studio album, "Dark Fantasy".[25] In a ranking for Billboard, Micheal Saponara placed the song at five in his ranking of Bully, comparing the track's production to West's sixth studio album, Yeezus.[12] RapTV's Taiyo Coates praised the track's production, calling the sample "perfectly placed", ranking "King" as the third best song on the album.[26] Marcos Gendre from Mondo Sonoro called the song a "full-blown banger" comparing the track to West's other albums Yeezus and The Life of Pablo.[27] West's line about Martin Luther King Jr. received mixed opinions from fans; some praised the line, while others criticized the line and labeled it as "tone-deaf" or "disrespectful".[28][29] West later performed the track at his concerts at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on April 1 & 3.[30]

Commercial performance

Upon release, "King" received 2.62 million streams on Spotify on its first day, reaching number 37 on the platform's global chart.[31]. Commercially, "King" appeared in three U.S. charts, peaking at number seven on the Hot Rap Songs chart,[32] number eleven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,[33] and number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.[34] The song remained on the Hot Rap Songs chart three weeks,[32] while it lasted for two weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and Hot 100. "King" also made similar success in the United Kingdom, peaking at number ten on UK Hip-Hop/R&B Singles,[35] number 21 on UK Indie,[36] and number 47 on UK Singles charts.[37] In Australia, the song peaked at number 64 on its official singles chart,[38] faring greater success at number six on its Hip-Hop/R&B singles chart.[39] Internationally, "King" appeared on official charts from Canada,[40] the Netherlands,[41] New Zealand,[42] Portugal,[43] and Switzerland.[44] In addition, the song peaked at number 62 on the Global 200.[45] Following the release of a deluxe version of Bully, the song re-entered the New Zealand Hot Singles Chart.[46]

Charts

Chart performance for "King"
Chart Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA)[38] 64
Australia Hip-Hop/R&B (ARIA)[39] 6
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[40]42
Global 200 (Billboard)[45]62
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[41] 100
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[42] 3
Portugal (AFP)[43] 86
Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade)[44] 87
UK Hip-Hop/R&B (OCC)[35] 10
UK Indie (OCC)[36] 21
UK Singles (OCC)[37] 47
US Billboard Hot 100[34] 40
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[33] 11

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Spotify,[47] Complex,[2] Instagram,[3] and X.[4]

Notes

  1. ↑ Despite having the same title, these are distinct music videos.

References

  1. 1 2 "Review: 'BULLY' feels like a reset for Kanye West". Rolling Out. March 31, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Sanfiorenzo, Dimas. "Kanye West's 'Bully': Here Are the Main Collaborators". Archived from the original on May 27, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 "We been working on this since 2024, shout out to the mentor Che @3000fuego!! 2 Vicious duo about to take over!". Instagram. Retrieved May 16, 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 "Andre' Troutman on X: "THANK YOU FOR #ALLTHELOVE 🫶🖤 #BULLY FEATURED ARTIST ON #4 ALL THE LOVE & #12 WHITE LINES. Co-Production and Additional Production on KING FATHER MAMA'S FAVORITE SISTER & BROTHERS BULLY HIGHS & LOWS I CANT WAIT DAMN THIS ONE HERE"". X. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  5. ↑ Dunworth, Liberty (March 26, 2026). "Kanye West shares 'BULLY' tracklist, claims there's "no AI" in the album". NME. Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  6. ↑ Cole, Alexander (March 25, 2026). "Kanye West Is Back On X, And He Has A Special Promise For His Fans". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 18, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  7. ↑ White, Andrew (March 25, 2026). "Kanye West Shares 'Bully' Tracklist, Says Album Will Not Contain AI". Complex. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  8. 1 2 3 Wicker, Kay (March 30, 2026). "What's Kanye West really getting at with that MLK line on "Bully"". TheGrio. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  9. ↑ Gill, David (March 27, 2026). "Quick Take: Kanye West's ego returns on 'Bully,' but is he back?". RIFF Magazine. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  10. 1 2 Griffith, Ryan. "Review: "BULLY" by Ye". The Warrior Scroll. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  11. ↑ Saponara, Michael (March 29, 2026). "Ye's 'Bully' Album: All 18 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2026. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
  12. 1 2 Saponara, Michael (March 29, 2026). "Ye's 'Bully' Album: All 18 Tracks Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  13. ↑ "Bully Review by Neil Z. Yeung". AllMusic.
  14. ↑ Turner-Williams, Jaelani (March 28, 2026). "Ye Raps That He Wouldn't Have a 'White Queen' Without MLK on "King"". Complex. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  15. ↑ Alston, Trey (March 28, 2026). "On 'Bully,' Kanye West Uses Same Sample as MF DOOM's "One Beer"". Complex. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  16. ↑ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (March 30, 2026). "Kanye West Invokes Martin Luther King Jr. To Flaunt Bianca Censori Marriage". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 30, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  17. ↑ Porterfield, Carlie. "Kanye West Reportedly Married Again—What To Know About Bianca Censori". Forbes. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  18. ↑ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (March 30, 2026). "Bianca Censori Directs Kanye West & Travis Scott's "Father" Music Video". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on March 29, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  19. ↑ Iasimone, Ashley (March 28, 2026). "Ye Returns With 'Father' Video, Featuring Travis Scott and Directed by Bianca Censori". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 29, 2026. Retrieved May 20, 2026.
  20. ↑ Desai, Niya; Lanza, Leonardo (April 5, 2026). "Ye's 'BULLY' Can't Quite Land the Punch". M-A Chronicle. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  21. 1 2 Lindert, Hattie (March 27, 2026). "Kanye West Releases Bully". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Kanye West's Bully Review: Inside Ye's New 2026 Album Release". Uranium Waves. May 15, 2026. Archived from the original on April 27, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  23. ↑ @kanyewest (June 20, 2026). "BULLY DELUXE + KING VIDEO OUT NOW" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  24. ↑ Brown, Preezy (March 27, 2026). "The 6 Best Songs From Ye's 'Bully' Album". Vibe.com. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  25. ↑ Dominic, Quincy (March 28, 2026). "Kanye West - BULLY (Album Review)". RGM. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  26. ↑ "The Top 10 Songs On 'BULLY' by Kanye West, Definitively Ranked". RapTV. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  27. ↑ Disturbios, Don (April 22, 2026). "Kanye West/Ye, crítica de Bully en Mondo Sonoro (2026)". MondoSonoro (in Spanish). Archived from the original on April 29, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  28. ↑ Jack, Fisher (March 29, 2026). "Kanye West's 'White Queen' Lyric Ignites MLK Debate in New Track, 'King'". Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  29. ↑ Barba, Rovelyn (March 30, 2026). "Kanye West Drops Shocking Martin Luther King Jr Line to Flaunt Wife Bianca Censori on New Album". Music Times. Archived from the original on May 21, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
  30. ↑ Cowen, Trace William (April 2, 2026). "Kanye West Brings 'Bully' and More to Los Angeles Show f/ North West". Complex. Archived from the original on April 21, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Kanye West bulldozes streaming chart, drawing stunning streams in less than 24 hours". The News International. March 29, 2026. Archived from the original on May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  32. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History (US Rap)". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  33. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History - Hip-Hop and R&B". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  34. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 17, 2021. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  35. 1 2 "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 3/4/2026 | Official Charts". Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  36. 1 2 "Official Independent Singles Chart on 3/4/2026 | Official Charts". OCC. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  37. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100 on 3/4/2026". Official Charts. Archived from the original on April 19, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  38. 1 2 "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 6 April 2026". The ARIA Report. No. 1883. Australian Recording Industry Association. April 6, 2026. p. 4.
  39. 1 2 "ARIA Top 40 HIP HOP/R&B Singles Chart". www.aria.com.au. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  40. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  41. 1 2 "Ye - King - dutchcharts.nl". Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  42. 1 2 "Hot 40 Singles". RMNZ. Archived from the original on April 17, 2026. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  43. 1 2 "YE - KING". Retrieved May 22, 2026.
  44. 1 2 "Ye - King - hitparade.ch". Swiss Hitparade. Retrieved May 15, 2026.
  45. 1 2 "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard.
  46. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles | 26 June–02 July 2026". Official Aotearoa Music Charts. RMNZ. Retrieved July 9, 2026.
  47. ↑ "KING | song by Kanye West". Spotify. Archived from the original on May 31, 2026. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_(Kanye_West_song)