In new album 'Vultures 1,' Ye and Ty Dolla $ign defy controversy to hit No. 1 on Billboard
After a string of delays and months of controversy, Ye's 11th studio album has arrived at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts despite mixed reviews from fans and a largely unimpressed set of critics.
"Vultures," a joint project with frequent collaborator Ty Dolla $ign, was released Feb. 10, creating a new hip-hop supergroup ￥$ (the yen and yuan sign for Ye with the $, of course, for Ty Dolla $ign).
It also marks the first studio album from the rapper formerly known as Kanye West since the antisemitic remarks he made most famously in 2022 that have put his music and fashion career in limbo.
Ye, 46, tweeted in October 2022 that he would soon go "death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE" and doubled down in later television appearances, echoing popular antisemitic talking points about Jewish people controlling the entertainment industry and media. At Paris Fashion Week earlier that month, he wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase "White Lives Matter," which often is associated with white supremacist groups.
Gap and Adidas later cut ties despite extremely lucrative arrangements with Ye. Adidas' Yeezy sneakers brought in billions for the German shoe giant, while the Gap axed a 10-year agreement to distribute Yeezy wear that was inked back in 2020.
The release of Ye's new album and its implications for his fans and collaborators comes amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and rising antisemitism and Islamophobia.
Here's what we know about Ye's new album.
Ye, Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures' debuts at No. 1
"Vultures" marked Ye's 11th No. 1 album and Ty Dolla $ign first atop the Billboard 200 chart, selling the equivalent of 148,000 in sales, or 168 million streams and 18,000 copies sold, according to tracking service Luminate.
The collaboration beat Usher, fresh off of his record-breaking Super Bowl performance. The singer's latest studio release, "Coming Home," debuted at No. 2 with 91,000 units, despite earning the record for most-watched halftime performance in history on Feb. 11 with 129.3 million viewers.
The sales are also in spite of the album briefly being taken down from Apple Music and iTunes after its initial independent distributor, FUGA, removed the project on Feb. 15, according to Billboard and Rolling Stone.
Complex's Eric Skelton wrote in review of the album that Ye is "still a defiant troll who can't help but reach for cringey jokes and clunky one-liners" yet praised the combination of Ty Dolla $ign's vocals with Ye's production.
Rolling Stone's Jayson Buford also shared praise for Ye's production and Ty Dolla $ign's vocal performance, ultimately calling the album "a serviceable record," while NME's Rhian Daly said that Ye "shows glimmers of greatness" but "makes it hard to enjoy those moments for too long" because of its poor mixing and misogyny.
Fans were also mixed, with one fan account writing on X: "There isn't a bad song on Vultures." However, another fan said they felt the album was disingenuous compared to his previous album, writing on X: "I'm happy for new music but I can't shake the feeling that Donda 2 had 808s level potential. Kanye writes the best when he’s talking about what he cares about."
Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign hosted 'Vultures' listening parties in Chicago, Miami and Long Island
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign, 41, hosted a listening party at Chicago's United Center on Feb. 8, reportedly one of the only music venues that has readily accepted the "Runaway" rapper, and an album release party at UBS Arena in Long Island, New York, on Feb. 9, despite previous complaints that no arenas would book him.
Chicago's "high-fidelity audio and visual showcase" allowed fans to "listen to the album together with the artists and album collaborators before it becomes available to the general public," according to the event description. The Long Island album release party promoted a similar listening experience.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign hosted a previous listening party for the "Vultures" album in Miami in December, according to multiple outlets, including The New York Times and Variety. Described as a "rave," the listening event was streamed online with technical difficulties.
Kanye West posts Hebrew apology to Jewish community ahead of 'Vultures' album release
North West appears on dad Ye's album
Collaborations on the track include Quavo, Chris Brown, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs and North West, who raps on the track "Talking / Once Again" (previously titled "Slide") alongside Ty Dolla $ign.
"It's gonna get messy, just, just bless me, bless me / It's your bestie, Miss, Miss Westie," Ye's eldest daughter with Kim Kardashian raps.
Previously announced collaborations that did not make the album include Offset, Young Thug (who is currently incarcerated), Lil Baby, Charlie Wilson and Nicki Minaj, who announced she was rejecting Ye's request to clear her verse on the track "New Body" in December.
"Now regarding Kanye… that train has left the station, okay?" she told fans in an Instagram Live on Dec. 15. "No disrespect in any way. I just put out a brand-new album. Now why would I put out a song that has been out for three years? C'mon guys."
She added: "Everybody knows that's the hit that got away. … I think the ship has sailed for 'New Body.' Everybody has come to love the original way they heard it."
Versions of the long-awaited collaboration with Ye, Ty Dolla $ign and Minaj were expected on Ye's unreleased "Yandhi" album and, later, his 2019 album "Jesus is King." A leaked version has since gone viral on TikTok.
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When was Kanye's album released?
Ye reportedly told fans during appearances in Miami in December that the album would be released Dec. 15. However, that release date came and went.
Ye announced new release dates for three volumes of "Vultures" the following month. "Vultures, Volume 1" was expected to be released Feb. 9 but appeared on streaming services on Feb. 10. Subsequent volumes could come out March 8 and April 5.
Ye fans are well aware of how the rapper and producer's albums often face delays, however, including "Jesus is King" and "The Life of Pablo."
Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign title track 'Vultures' draws backlash for antisemitism
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign debuted the album's titular track with Bump J in Dubai in November, according to various media including Variety and People.
The track debuted on streaming on Nov. 22 and drew backlash for Ye's lyrics about sleeping with Jewish women.
Analysis: Kanye West, antisemitism and the conversation we need to be having
Ty Dolla $ign shares 'Vultures' album tracklist
Ty Dolla $ign posted a tracklist on Dec. 8, which included the pair's "Vultures" track and songs previously titled "Timbo Freestyle," "Worship" and "Gun to my Head." The tracklist that debuted Feb. 10 varied significantly, with none of the aforementioned song titles outside of "Vultures" making the album.
Currently listed songs include "Beg Forgiveness," "Carnival" with Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti, "Do It" featuring YG and the late Nipsey Hussle, "Paperwork" featuring Quavo, "(Expletive) Sumn" with Playboi Carti & Travis Scott and more.
Timbaland, who reposted the tracklist on Instagram on Dec. 8, announced his contributions to the album with the caption: "One of my best body (sic) of work." The producer assisted on the tracks "Keys to My Life" and "(Expletive) Sumn."
What Ye said and why companies are cutting ties
Are Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign going on a 'Vultures' world tour?
The supergroup has not announced a tour for the album in 2024 yet. Ye's last tour was the Saint Pablo Tour in 2016. Ty Dolla $ign's last tour was the More Motion Less Emotion Tour in 2023, which lasted for six shows through October before being cut short without explanation, according to Uproxx and concert discovery service Songkick.
Contributing: Marco della Cava, Hannah Yasharoff
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kanye West, Ty Dolla Sign new album 'Vultures 1' atop Billboard 200
