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2024 studio album by ¥$ From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vultures 2 is the second studio album by the American hip hop supergroup ¥$, composed of the rapper Kanye West and the singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was surprise released independently by the former's YZY brand on August 3, 2024. Guest vocalists include Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, Kodak Black, Future, Lil Wayne, West's daughters North and Chicago, Young Thug, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, 070 Shake, Desiigner, Cyhi the Prynce, and Ty's brother, Big TC. The digital deluxe editions feature guest vocals from Peso Pluma, Kid Cudi and Travis Scott. Production on the album was primarily handled by West and Ty themselves, alongside Chrishan, Digital Nas, the Legendary Traxster, London on da Track, Wheezy, FnZ, Gabeshaddow, Dez Wright, AyoAA, BoogzDaBeast, among others.
Vultures 2 | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 3, 2024 | |||
Recorded | 2016–2024 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:48 | |||
Label | YZY | |||
Producer |
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¥$ chronology | ||||
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Kanye West chronology | ||||
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Ty Dolla Sign chronology | ||||
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Singles from Vultures 2 | ||||
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West and Ty Dolla Sign began composing the album with collaborators after the release of its predecessor, but the album was delayed several times. The cover art was first released in March and West initially attempted to distribute Vultures 2 on his Yeezy website and previews of the album began appearing on social media by mid-March 2024. Ty confirmed a listening event in South Korea for August 23, 2024, which bookended a short-lived retirement announcement by West. In July, West confirmed the album would be released on August 2 but it did not meet its scheduled release date: it was surprise-released a day later. Post-release listening events in Salt Lake City on August 9 and Taiwan on August 25 were later announced: the Taiwan event was ultimately canceled.
Vultures 2 continues to feature most of the themes present on its predecessor, exploring money, relationships, sex, and fame, although some songs discuss family and marriage. It was supported by the single "Slide", which was released a few hours before the album. The album cover sees Ty wearing a black mask and holding a picture of Big TC, who is serving a life sentence for a murder he claims he did not commit.
Vultures 2 was met with generally negative reviews from critics and fans alike upon release, with criticism for it sounding unfinished and West allegedly using artificial intelligence (AI) in place of recording some verses.[1] West and Ty rolled out several updates to multiple songs in the following days.
On January 23, 2024, West revealed that a Vultures series would be released as a trilogy, with the first set for release in February, the second on March 8, and the final on April 5.[2] Vultures 1 was released after a slight delay as the first installment of the series on February 10, reaching number one on the US Billboard 200 and experiencing worldwide chart success.[3][4] On February 25, 2024, Timbaland, who worked on the album, announced that the second installment was "on the way".[5] On March 3, French Montana announced his involvement and shared a clip of himself with the duo in the recording studio.[6] After Vultures 2 had not met its scheduled release five days later, West explained that him and Ty Dolla Sign were still recording in the studio.[7][8]
On April 24, 2024, Rolling Stone confirmed a track entitled "Let Me Chill Out" had been recorded for Vultures 2, featuring the deceased rapper Takeoff with fellow rappers Rich the Kid and NBA Youngboy.[9] On June 22, Ty Dolla Sign appeared on a cover story for Billboard and played some of the tracks from Vultures 2. The singer explained that all the songs were recorded, although him and West were still trying to "go bigger than the first album".[10] On July 9, 2024, Rich the Kid shared an exchange of text messages where West announced that he was retiring from music. Rich the Kid disputed West that he was needed for music and noted his cultural impact, requesting for him to release Vultures 2. The announcement caused divided reactions amongst West's fans, with some disappointed in his retirement and others celebrating.[11][12] Shortly after announcing retirement, West returned to feature on frequent collaborator Consequence's track "No Apologies" on July 12, 2024.[13]
Several songs on Vultures 2 had appeared on track lists for West's previous albums or been played during his listening events.[14] West started recording "Can U Be" during the 2016 sessions for his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo, the same year that fellow rapper Travis Scott previewed it with a video of West. He stopped working on the track in 2017, although it experienced multiple internet leaks and became popular with his fans online.[15][16] "Sky City" was reportedly recorded during the 2018 sessions for West's unreleased album Yandhi, having previously leaked online. "530" also leaked and appeared on a track list for his demo album Donda 2, recorded in 2022.[14][17][18] "Slide" was previewed during multiple events in 2023, before appearing on a track list for Vultures 1 in 2024.[19] A listening event was leaked in December 2023, where West and Ty Dolla Sign previewed "River".[20]
Vultures 2 is a hip hop, R&B, house, and trap album, incorporating avant-garde.[21][18] It features a raw style, including prominent synths. Multiple publications noted the album's unfinished sound, comparing its songs to demotapes.[21][22][23][24] Incomplete verses are delivered by West, who utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) for some of his vocals.[21][23]
Vultures 2 includes themes of women, money, and redemption.[21][22][25] West portrays his character as a victim of others, such as the music industry and his former wife Kim Kardashian.[22][26] He depicts the music industry not wanting him to succeed and himself as a survivor of cancel culture, remaining in the spotlight.[26]
West shared the cover art for the album through his Twitter account on March 9, 2024, showing a masked figure standing in all-black outfit. The figure on the cover was revealed to be Ty Dolla Sign and he holds a photo of his brother Jabreal "Big TC" Muhammad, who faced a 16-year prison sentence for a murder that the two insist he did not commit.[27][28] On March 10, 2024, in a conversation with a fan page, West mentioned that he would be selling Vultures 2 on his Yeezy website for $20 instead of releasing it on streaming platforms like Vultures 1. West expressed that streaming devalues music and is "basically pirating", explaining he could reach one million album sales from five percent of his then 20 million Instagram followers.[29][30] He said the decision was made to stop streaming companies being "in control of the artist" and Ty Dolla echoed West's views in spite of requests for the album to be streamed, declaring the release went against "what these streaming services want u to to [sic] believe so they can stay on top".[31]
On March 14, 2024, audio rips of the tracks "River", "Everybody", "Worship", "Promotion", "Slide", and "Field Trip" were made available for streaming on Instagram and TikTok.[32][33] During an appearance on Justin LaBoy's podcast, West announced a new release date of May 3, 2024, around two months later than the initially slated release. Vultures 2 missed the release date, with both West and Ty Dolla Sign largely silent on social media at this time.[9][34][35] On July 30, West announced through his website that all the orders for the album placed had been fulfilled and shipped out, and that it would be released on August 2, 2024. However, hours later, the release date was removed from his website.[36][37]
On August 3, 2024, Vultures 2 was surprise released independently to streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music by West's YZY brand.[14][38] It was also made available on the iTunes Store, sold at a discounted price of $4.99 in the first week.[39] On August 7, 2024, the album's first deluxe edition was released, which featured updated songs and the bonus track "Take Off Your Dress". According to West's chief of staff, the track will eventually be made available on streaming platforms.[40] On August 8, 2024, four additional deluxe editions were released with a bonus track for each: "Believer"; "Gun to My Head" featuring Kid Cudi; "Drunk" featuring Peso Pluma in place of Bad Bunny and Kodak Black; and "Can U Be" featuring Travis Scott.[41][42] The five deluxe editions were sold through West's website, priced at $5 each and listeners received real-time updates of the songs.[39][43]
On August 2, 2024, "Slide" was released through West's website and streaming services as the lead single from Vultures 2. Before its release, the song was rumored to feature vocals from British musician James Blake. It was released at night, hours before the album.[19][44][45] An accompanying black-and-white music video was released on August 13, 2024, featuring women almost naked in a single side-angle shot.[46] The song reached numbers 88 and 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart, respectively.[47][48] On August 7, 2024, West shared an animated music video for "Fried" that depicts a group of masked individuals running around a concrete landscape.[49]
During the listening events for Vultures 2, West and Ty Dolla Sign dressed in all-black outfits and wore masks, with the rapper wearing a hockey mask.[50][51][52] The duo held a private listening party in Los Angeles on the album's original release date of March 8, 2024. The event featured a DJ setting and they mostly previewed new tracks, with West joined by his partner Bianca Censori.[27][53] On March 10, 2024, West and Ty Dolla Sign held a listening party at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, where they played songs from the first two installments of the Vultures series on a stage with minimal lighting and backing from smoke.[50] On March 12, 2024, West and Ty Dolla Sign held a listening event for Vultures 1 at San Francisco's Chase Center, where they previewed tracks from the sequel. The performers arrived around 20 minutes late and North previewed her feature on the track "Matthew", which was expected to be included on Vultures 2.[51] On April 2, 2024, a spokesperson for West told Billboard that the album's public listening parties across the United States had been cancelled. However, tickets remained on sale for the event at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and the spokesperson insisted replacement dates would also be announced.[4]
On July 25, 2024, Ty Dolla Sign announced a listening event in Taiwan one month away, although it was reportedly cancelled four days beforehand.[54][55] The singer also revealed that a listening experience would be held in Salt Lake City on August 9.[56] The event was held at the city's Delta Center and alongside Vultures 2, songs were played from West's fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and The Life of Pablo. Towards the end, the rapper appeared maskless as he switched to an all-white attire.[52] Censori was in attendance wearing a nude bodysuit, accompanied by her family members.[57] On August 11, 2024, West previewed his unreleased collaboration "Cash Cow" with British rapper Skepta at a private listening event in Los Angeles.[58] On August 23, 2024, West and Ty Dolla Sign hosted a listening event at the Goyang Stadium in Goyang, South Korea, marking his first concert in the country for 14 years.[59] The accompanying merchandise included a T-shirt with the duo's two-headed eagle emblem, as well as a hoodie featuring the ¥$ logo at the chest and their Vultures logo on the back.[60] West arrived on a white horse and performed a medley of more than 70 songs from across his career, including hit singles "Stronger" (2007), "Runaway" (2010), and "Famous" (2016). The rapper dedicated a performance of the 2007 song "I Wonder" to Drake, who he has recurringly feuded with since 2018, and previewed an updated version of "Bomb" featuring vocals from rapper Yuno Miles.[61][62] West added fellow rapper Joe Budden's name to the lyrics of his 2021 song "24" after Budden had criticized him, which the rapper responded to by mocking him in spite of insisting they are at peace.[63] On August 30, 2024, West announced a listening party at a venue in Haikou China, after having previously cancelled an event in the country's disputed territory Taiwan.[64]
Following its initial release, Vultures 2 saw several updates over the following days: West previously updated his albums Yeezus,[65] The Life of Pablo, Donda,[66][67] and Donda 2[lower-alpha 1] after their initial releases. "Field Trip" and "Fried" received changes to their effects unit, adlibs, and equalization. "Fried" was also shortened. "Isabella" was shortened by one second. "Maybe" was retitled to "Forever", shortened by 50 seconds, included a new verse by West using AI (which took a part from his original verse),[70] and saw changes to its outro and vocal mixing. "Sky City" received added reverb on the verses, and changes to the mixing, effects, and drums, while a bassline and distortion were added.[71] "River" also received several changes, including restoring mix and production from leaked versions of the song, while "530" received additional vocals while "Dead" received an updated mix. "My Soul" received major structural changes to the placement of vocals and its drums.[17] "Lifestyle" was shortened by over two minutes with its sample and mixing receiving audio changes and a new outro featuring The-Dream was added to "Sky City".[72] West announced that "updated songs will be published in real time", with no specified conclusion to potential revisions to the songs.[73]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 39/100[74] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [75] |
The Guardian | [25] |
HipHopDX | [22] |
Pitchfork | 4.6/10[26] |
Rolling Stone | [24] |
Slant Magazine | [23] |
Vultures 2 was met with generally negative reviews from critics. According to Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 39, based on five reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".[74]
Billboard's Michael Saponara wrote: "While there's plenty of potential for greatness scattered throughout the project filled with West's avant-garde production, at times V2 is derailed by sound quality issues, unfinished thoughts or portions when Ye's rapping dips".[18] Gabriel Bras Nevares of HotNewHipHop said that "this album's greatest flaw is its hollow execution".[21]
Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian said that Vultures 2 is "bloated and occasionally focused, tired and occasionally futurist, morally redundant with enough humanity to supply a fraction of redemption".[25] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine said that "one expects a Kanye West album to be incomplete in some way upon release, but Vultures 2, his second collaborative album with Ty Dolla $ign, is in shambles".[23]
Vultures 2 debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 after a six-day tracking period, selling 107,000 album-equivalent units.[39] This was higher than the 83,000 units predicted, although less than the 148,000 scored by Vultures 1.[76] The first-week units consisted of 46,000 streaming-equivalent units, 60,500 pure album sales, and 500 track-equivalent units. The album also accumulated a total of 50.44 million on-demand streams of its songs.[39] Vultures 2 was blocked from the top spot by singer Taylor Swift's 11th album The Tortured Poets Department. This prevented West from achieving his 12th number-one record and in an article for Billboard, Andrew Unterberger noted the significance of the rapper's release around 15 years after West's interruption of Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards and during the chart reign of Swift's album for over three months.[77][78] Vultures 2 topped the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, becoming Ty Dolla Sign's second number-one on the chart after its predecessor. This also marked West's 12th chart-topper, tying with R. Kelly for the fifth most on the chart. Nine of the songs entered the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, with "Field Trip" charting the highest at number 10.[79]
Elsewhere in North America, the album peaked at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart.[80] Vultures 2 debuted at numbers three and four on the New Zealand Albums and ARIA Albums charts, respectively.[81][82] In Europe, it reached number two on both the Norwegian Topp 40 Albums and Swiss Albums Top 100 charts.[83][84] The album further reached the top five in Iceland,[85] Denmark,[86] Poland,[87] and Lithuania.[88] It charted at number six in both Ireland and the Netherlands,[89][90] while also attaining top 10 positions in Austria,[91] Belgium's Flanders region,[92] Portugal,[93] the United Kingdom,[94] the Czech Republic,[95] Germany,[96] and Sweden.[97]
Credits adapted from Tidal.[98]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Slide" |
|
| 3:17 |
2. | "Time Moving Slow" |
|
| 2:39 |
3. | "Field Trip" |
| 2:43 | |
4. | "Fried" |
|
| 2:46 |
5. | "Isabella" | 0:08 | ||
6. | "Promotion" |
|
| 2:38 |
7. | "530" |
| 4:48 | |
8. | "Dead" |
|
| 4:23 |
9. | "Forever Rolling" |
|
| 3:14 |
10. | "Bomb" |
|
| 2:31 |
11. | "River" |
|
| 4:07 |
12. | "Forever" |
|
| 2:15 |
13. | "Husband" |
|
| 2:17 |
14. | "Lifestyle" |
|
| 3:23 |
15. | "Sky City" |
|
| 4:22 |
16. | "My Soul" |
| 4:11 | |
Total length: | 49:49 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Take Off Your Dress" |
|
| 3:26 |
Total length: | 53:15 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Believer" |
| 3:13 | |
Total length: | 53:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Drunk" |
|
| 3:09 |
Total length: | 52:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Gun to My Head" |
|
| 2:16 |
Total length: | 52:50 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Can U Be" |
|
| 3:26 |
Total length: | 53:15 |
Chart (2024) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[99] | 4 |
Australian Hip Hop/R&B Albums (ARIA)[100] | 1 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[91] | 7 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[92] | 7 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[101] | 17 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[80] | 1 |
Czech Albums (ČNS IFPI)[95] | 8 |
Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[102] | 4 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[90] | 6 |
Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[103] | 18 |
French Albums (SNEP)[104] | 16 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[96] | 8 |
Hungarian Albums (MAHASZ)[105] | 11 |
Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)[85] | 3 |
Irish Albums (OCC)[89] | 6 |
Italian Albums (FIMI)[106] | 12 |
Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon)[107] | 31 |
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[88] | 5 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[81] | 3 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[83] | 2 |
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[87] | 4 |
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[93] | 7 |
Slovak Albums (ČNS IFPI)[108] | 15 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[109] | 16 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[110] | 9 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[84] | 2 |
UK Albums (OCC)[111] | 7 |
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[112] | 10 |
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[113] | 1 |
US Billboard 200[114] | 2 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[115] | 1 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[116] | 1 |
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