Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Pop Chart: Kanye West’s “Bully” Return Post-Antisemitism Scandal Fizzles, Finishes Second to KPop Group BTS’s “Arirang”

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Kanye West’s big comeback was not as successful as he hoped.

His “Bully” album came in second this week, behind BTS’s “Arirang.”

Despite endless, bewildering press trying to resuscitate a man who a year ago was celebrating Hitler, Kanye could not pull off a number 1 debut.

His total albums sold came to 153K. The BTS number for its second week was 183K.

That includes streaming, physical sales, and downloads.

Over on amazon.com, the “Bully” vinyl LP is number 3. The CD is number 17.

West’s highest ranked single on Spotify is “Father,” at number 9 featuring Travis Scott, his former in-law (they were each married to or coupled with sisters). Scott is famous for seeing 8 people killed at his Astroworld Festival a few years ago.

“Bully” sales did not increase numbers for West’s previous albums. There’s no sudden rush to revive his catalog.

Everyone should read this piece about Kanye West, whose racial hatred and evil, bizarre behavior for years was not an accident and is unforgivable. He can fill up a stadium, stand on a big stage set, and lip sync all he likes to his raps made of sampled music. But who he is has not changed.

Currently, West is trying to stir up interest in his headlining the 2027 Super Bowl. If NFL chief Roger Goodell agreed to that he’d have to be taken for an MRI immediately. Indeed, companies like Pepsi and Apple. who aiding and abetting the Kanye comeback, should really submit to cognitive tests.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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