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Vultures 1 marks the first volume from Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's "Vultures" series. The album was released on February 9, 2024, after facing multiple delays since its announcement in October 2023.
The album takes listeners on a journey through Ye's mindset surrounding his recent "fall off," after the rapper faced severe industry backlash for the antisemitic comments he made last year.
Ty Dolla's addition to the album is quite underrated since he effortlessly carries himself through each track with melodic performances. Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign (popularly dubbed as ¥$) have previously collaborated on records like:
- Only One (2020)
- Real Friends (2019)
- Everything We Need (2016), and
- Ego Death (2014)
On February 10, Kanye West took to Instagram to officially update the album's cover art, with the only change being the mask worn by Ye. Initially, he was wearing a white version of the Jason Voorhees hockey mask, but now the rapper can be seen wearing a blacked-out version of the mask while standing next to his wife, Bianca.
Vultures 1 was released independently via YZY and also includes an official vinyl, which is currently listed for pre-sale on Kanye West's official website. The retail value of the vinyl is $40.
Disclaimer: The album is rated explicit, viewers' discretion is advised.
A Detailed Exploration of Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's Vultures 1
Vultures 1 is an album spanning 16 tracks, with a runtime of 55 minutes, that primarily finds Kanye West addressing a lot of the recent controversies surrounding his name.
Some of the major themes this project dives into include:
- Wealth and Status
- Fame
- Introspection
- Womanizing
- Sexual Desires
- Humor
- Antisemitism
- Morality
- Relationships
- Fatherhood
Stars
(Production Credits: Kanye West, FNZ, SHDOW, Sean Leon, and JPEGMAFIA)
Stars is a somber song that introduces the album and lasts less than two minutes. The song incorporates a melodic production with spacy angelic vocals, sampled from Dijon's 2019 release, Good Life.
Kanye's verse, although not as energetic as some of his other performances on this album, stands out for his introspective lyricism. Ty Dolla $ign's stellar vocal notes and harmonies on the hook are quite memorable.
Keys To My Life (Feat. India Love)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Timbaland, Hubi, SHDOW, Vinnyforgood, and VEYIS)
Keys To My Life is a record that infuses hard-hitting bass and distinct electric synths into its production. Ty Dolla's chorus and India Love's outro capture the themes set in Kanye's verses, by adding harmonies and diving deeper into the idea of pain and love being forever intertwined.
The song explores the intricacies of relationships with Yeezy's subliminal lyricism, referencing both Kim Kardashian and his current relationship with Bianca Censori. Kanye even highlights how his impulsiveness affects his relationships and could lead to him having another child, in the line:
"You already know my M.O / Is you ready for the Venmo? You already know my demo / You already know I'm impulsive, and another baby is my end goal"
Paid (K-CI)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Stryv, Wax Motif, Chrishan, and Anthony Kilhoffer)
Although Paid was initially teased to include a verse from Future, the released version seems to have replaced his feature with an outro from K-CI. The production of the song samples Jodeci’s 1994 song Get On Up.
The track finds Kanye and Ty Dolla flexing on haters and critics by emphasizing their wealth, status, and love for women. Ty Dolla's chorus is most notable on the track for creating an infectious bop, which gives the song a lot of its energy, with repeated lines like:
"I'm just here to get paid / I'm just here to get paid (Ooh, yeah)"
Talking (Feat. North West)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, DJ Camper, James Blake, No ID, and Edsclusive)
Talking features North West on her first song as an artist, where she raps about her life, quoting several lines from her father's previous work. The track and production are more upbeat but take a sudden turn into a more anthemic synth-infused beat as Ty Dolla takes over the second half of the song.
Ty explains how being a father has changed him, explaining the difficulties he faces watching his daughter grow up. He expresses how he doesn't want her to make the same mistakes he did when he was her age, by stating:
"How much to stop my daughter from growin'? I just can't take it now / 'Cause she just doing all the sh*t I did when I was her age / I don't know how I'm gonna tell her, but her dad's just afraid"
Back To Me (Feat. Freddie Gibbs)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, 88-Keys, Wax Motif, AyoAA, and MIKE DEAN)
Back To Me is a sexually explicit song that explores ¥$ and Freddie Gibbs's opinions on women. The production samples a clip from the film “Dogma,” where the lead character (Jason Mewes) expresses how beautiful women don't fall from the sky. It seems Ye found this clip amusing, as he repeats the exact line seven times in a single verse.
Ty Dolla's melodic chorus acts as a bridge into Freddie Gibbs's feature, which replaced Quavo's verse that was previewed at almost all Vultures listening events. Freddie's verse on the track is the most notable part of the track, given the distinct rhyme schemes he incorporates, as seen in the lines:
"Put you on a track, have you workin' like I appointed you / Ho, how you gon' go blockin' your blessing when I anointed you? / Beautiful big ti**y, butt naked bit*hes, where you at?"
Hoodrat
(Production Credits: Kanye West and 88-Keys)
The title and chorus for the Hoodrat is a call back to Kanye's hit single Runaway from his 2010 Grammy-winning album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The track heavily references his wife, Bianca Censori, and their intimate relationship.
Although the production of the track is unclear at times, Kanye's performance is extremely energetic. Mike Tyson appears as an outro for the track, with a clip from his 2019 "Hotboxin" interview being re-sampled, where the boxer speaks on his admiration for Ye's leadership qualities, saying:
"That's sounds of a leader. No doubt he's got some mental fu*kin' issues, most leaders do, a delusional issue, I'm a God."
Do It (Feat. Nipsey Hustle and YG)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Wheezy, Mustard, Chrishan, CuBeatz, LukasBL, and DTP)
Nipsey Hustle introduces Do It by referencing explicit experiences with past relationships before Ty Dolla opens with his verse. The song finds all four rappers talking about their sexual encounters and status, highlighting their influences on both the industry and other rappers.
Ty Dolla repeats his chorus four times, where he alludes to spending money on strippers, with lines like:
"All this money on the floor / Ten racks, throw it up, watch how I do it / Make her drop to her toes, bend it over, pick it up real slow, I do it."
Paperwork (Feat. Quavo)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Digital Nas, DJ Roca, and DJ Vitinho Beat)
The production of Paperwork samples FAZ O MACETE 3.0 by DJ Vitinho Beat and DJ Roca, incorporated into a slower angry guitar synth mixed with distorted vocal performances.
The themes of this song revolve around Ye, Ty Dolla, and Quavo's desire to provide for their partners, making references to their accumulated wealth with lines like:
"Went crazy, now let's go amazing. You could pick out your favorite purse / Bit*h, better get your paperwork."
Burn
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Azul, BEAM, Morten “Rissi” Ristorp, Chrishan, The Legendary Traxster, and Leon Thomas III)
Burn delivers a blend of themes revolving around love and personal issues, compacted into a song that lasts less than two minutes. Ty Dolla sets a catchy vibe in the song's hook, while Ye raps over the track with braggadacious energy.
Kanye addresses topics like his 2020 run for president, being dropped from major corporations after his antisemitic comments, and his troubling relationship with Balenciaga. Notable lines from Ye's verse include:
"Who's not entertained by my pain? / Who ain't cash a check off my name? / When my campaign turned to canned pain, I burned еight billion to take off my chains."
Fuk Sumn (Feat. Playboi Carti and Travis Scott)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Timbaland, SHDOW, Hubi, Digital Nas, AyoAA, Chrishan, JPEGMAFIA, and Lunch77)
FUK SUMN is a warped trap hit whose production incorporates both hard bass drops and 808s. ¥$, Playboi Carti, and Travis Scott express their sexual desires in explicit verses, throughout the song.
Ye's lyrics appear to reference his recent visit to Italy, where the rapper was photographed by paparazzi engaging in an alleged NSFW act with Bianca Censori, on a Venice boat ride, which eventually led to him being permanently banned from Venice boat rides. The lyrics from his verse read:
"Hold my coat, hold my drink. On my own, come with me / Shawty wanna fu*k on somethin'? Fu*k on me, su*k on me publicly"
Vultures (Feat. Bump J and Lil Durk)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign, Ambezza, Fya Man, Gustave Rudman, Ojivolta, Chordz, Wheezy, and LiLMexicoBeatz)
Vultures is the lead single for this album and finds Kanye re-uniting with Bump J for the first time since his incarceration in 2007 for armed robbery. Bump J opens the verse by embracing a lifestyle of crime and luxury, with Lil Durk hopping onto the track to dive deeper into those themes.
Ty Dolla $ign's verse is notable for referencing his love for indulging in excess and women. He also states how he wishes TakeOff hadn't been present in Houston the day he died. Kanye's verse is remarkably arrogant and makes for an interesting listen, with call-outs to antisemitism and Scooter Braun in lines like:
"Huntin' hooligans, and we with the foolishness. How I'm anti-Semitic? I just fu*ked a Jewish bit*h / I just fu*ked Scooter's bit*h and we ran her like Olympics. Got pregnant in the threesome, so whose baby is it?"
Carnival (Feat. Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, TheLabCook, Ojivolta, and Digital Nas)
Carnival is the most hyped-up track on this album, with its anthemic production backed by crowd chants creating a song perfect for live performances. The production of the song incorporates bass guitar synths mixed with gritty, stacked 808s.
Kanye West's verse on this track stood out as the rapper mentioned several celebrities like Elon Musk, R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, and Diddy. He even references Taylor Swift's "One Billion Dollar" net worth by stating he's created six times the money Taylor has made in the line:
"She gon' take it up the a** (Ha), like a ventriloquist (Ha) / I made six Taylor Swifts, (Ha) since I had the Rollie on the wrist (Ha)"
Beg Forgiveness (Feat. Chris Brown)
(Production Credits: Kanye West, London on da Track, VITALS (Producer), Digital Nas, and JPEGMAFIA)
Beg Forgiveness is a re-sampled soul-stirring rendition of Joe Goddard and Valentina Pappalardo's Gabriel, which was released in 2011. The song opens with Chris Brown singing a chorus that progressively gets pitched lower to complement the bass-filled production.
Kanye West takes a darker approach in his lyricism, highlighting that if he happens to die suddenly, he'd want listeners to know he had a good life. Notable lines from Kanye's verse, where he references his children, include:
"If I go tonight, know that I lived a lovely life. Just make sure my kids are right and it is alright / And if I go tonight, just know I lived a lovely life. Tell my kids to live they life how they wanna live they life"
Good (Don't Die)
(Production Credits: Kanye West and No ID)
Good (Don't Die) cleverly samples Donna Summer's 1977 track I Feel Love into the production, which perfectly blends into the haunting melodic performances from Kanye West. His verse is extremely introspective, finding the rapper questioning the dark thoughts that keep him awake at night.
Ye appears to highlight how these thoughts have led to him feeling no empathy or compassion towards the people around him, as best noticed in the lines:
"In the dark of night, these thoughts of mine keep me up all night / Got my heart on ice, don't die, don't die"
Problematic
(Production Credits: Kanye West, 88-Keys, and Slonka)
Problematic opens with a production similar to the chorus on Kanye West's 2013 song Bound 2. The track's production creates an environment that draws listeners in, while Ye and Ty reflect on their careers.
Although ¥$ go back and forth over this track, Kanye's lyricism overshadows it. He takes listeners through his journey to stardom by highlighting how all his struggles finally paid off. This track is notable for Ye's edgy and cut-throat bars, reaffirming his stance on many controversies, as noticed in lines like:
"I'm not racist, it's a preference / And my bit*h lookin' like a reference"
King
(Production Credits: Wheezy, Lester Nowhere, JPEGMAFIA, and Dez Wright)
King marks the final track from the first installment of Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's "Vultures" trilogy. The song's anthemic production, backed by Ty Dolla's screeching vocal performance, makes for a perfect outro to the album.
The subject matter discussed is solely focused on the negative news and backlash Kanye has faced recently. Ty Dolla comes through with an aggressive vocal performance that complements the emotions that Ye wishes to bring forward in the track. Some of the most controversial lines from this song include:
"Crazy, bipolar, antisemite" And I'm still the king / They thought headlines was my kryptonite, bit*h. I'm still the king"
Though this album wasn't as cohesive as some of Kanye West's other work like MBDTF, however, acting as a project whose sole purpose was to address the backlash he's faced over the past year, Vultures 1 feels like a trip through Ye's mind.
With controversial lyrics and enjoyable songs, Vultures 1 was one of the most interesting albums released this year.
