Ye Drops New Song During Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Performance, Fueling Rumors Of His “Jealousy”
Ye has liberated a new song intended for his forthcoming Bully album. However, the timing of its release is alleged to be spurred by his seeming jealousy of fellow rap star Kendrick Lamar.
The track, “Beauty and the Beast,” which was initially teased by West in 2024, was officially released via Ye’s Yeezy website in the middle of Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show performance on Sunday (Feb. 9).
The move was widely viewed as an attempt to place attention on himself while capitalizing on Kendrick’s big moment, further fueling speculation that West has become jealous of the fanfare and acclaim the Compton rapper has received over the past year.
The Breakfast Club radio host Charlemagne Tha God previously accused West of attempting to steal Kendrick’s shine through his string of antics in the week leading up to his Super Bowl Halftime Show, which began with his appearance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards last Sunday (Feb. 2).
He and his wife, Bianca Censori, made a big splash with their appearance on the event’s red carpet, as Censori wore a nude outfit that quickly went viral and garnered headlines. Additionally, reports surfaced that he and Censori showed up to the awards uninvited and were escorted from the premises, which West’s reps denied.
He would also release a lengthy interview teasing new music and revealing the release date for Bully, which he says will drop on June 15, the same day as his daughter North West’s 12th birthday.
“We do realize Kanye has been acting out all week because he’s envious of Kendrick’s moment, right,” Charlamagne said of the 47-year-old last week.
“He wishes this was him, because Kendrick is having a moment for being a prolific artist who took out his number one opp, Drake,” Charlamagne added.
“Kanye wishes that was him in this moment, so he’s been doing all these antics for attention all week because he’s trying to get people to do exactly what they’re doing right now, and that’s talking about him.”
In addition to releasing “Beauty and the Beast” during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, the rapper also aired a Super Bowl ad promoting his Yeezy website during the evening, and had his X account deactivated following a string of controversial posts throughout the week.
In various posts on the platform, the Chicago native posted antisimetic rhetoric, denounced the #MeToo movement, called for the release of Sean “Diddy” Combs, and admitted to domestic abuse of the women in his life.
While Ye has voiced his respect for Kendrick as a lyricist, he has also expressed his belief that he could be competitive with the GNX creator in a rhyme war due to being a “psycho genius” himself.
“If you rap against Kendrick, you will lose,” West said during his aforementioned interview with Justin Laboy. He continued to give Lamar props, likening his skill to a video game character. “This man does this,” West added.
“You know on Street Fighter, you get like a Chun-Li, you get a certain kick, and no matter what, you can’t beat that thing.”
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