Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has finally released the highly anticipated collab album with well-respected vocalist Ty Dolla $ign. The new release called “Vultures” has been teased since mid-2023 with multiple changes to the tracklist over the past 6 months due to sample clearance problems with the song ‘Everybody” that never got to the final album as well as the album splitting into three parts each releasing over the spring. After the past 2 years and a lifetime of massive controversy, the question being asked by listeners is can Ye come back to musical stardom? The truth is that “Vultures 1” is a good album with strong points but also one that can’t find an identity in its frenzy of ideas.
“Vultures” starts with “Stars” a song that gives Kanye space to contemplate his place in the music industry while allowing the audience to feel the beautiful choir on the beat. “Stars” is a great opener as it perfectly explains what “Vultures” wants to do. The album explains many of the problems that Ye has dealt with since the release of his last album “Donda” including his antisemitic remarks which he has since admitted to regretting. The album is not an apology tour though as it includes many of Kanye’s least serious songs such as “Back to Me” and the hit song “Carnival” featuring Playboi Carti, both of which are very tongue-in-cheek, reminding the listener of many of his earlier albums such as “The College Dropout” which itself had humorous lyrics and songs. “Vultures 1” is also an album that slows itself down and becomes more contemplative during songs like the song “Beg Forgiveness” which features another (perhaps more fairly) canceled artist Chris Brown and “Good (Don’t Die)” which includes a sample from Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.”
Ty Dolla $ign is able to find his footing throughout this album with great hooks on songs such as “Paid” or by providing much-needed lyrical intelligence that Ye sometimes lacks in the second half of “Talking” where $ign explains his view of fatherhood that he has developed over his life in a verse reminiscent of West’s classic song “Violent Crimes.” It does often feel as though Ty is not on equal footing with Ye most of the creative decisions were clearly made by Kanye. Ty is not even on the cover of the album; instead, Kanye’s new wife Bianca Censori is displayed as she is Kanye’s current muse for his songwriting which is shown through the lovesick verses on “Burn” and “Problematic.” This makes one wonder why he wouldn’t just get features from the many singers and vocalists that he has worked with in the past instead of the perhaps overutilized $ign. In totality, the album works as a cleansing of Kanye’s sins as he expels many of his worst thoughts and beliefs while allowing the love of his friends and family to reach him through songs like the single “Talking” which has a chorus from Ye’s own daughter, North West.
Vultures works in the current space of rap music, it has some great songs that have many people still excited for Kanye’s re-entrance into music but it lacks the direction and depth of many of his past works. Compared to West’s “Donda” which was bloated but still incredibly strong, “Vultures 1” is a step down in the vision that one would expect from Kanye even with its hits.
Rating: 8.25/10
