Kanye West, known best for his rap career…and his controversies released his first album in two years last month. On February 10, Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign released their collaborative album “Vultures 1.” The album spans 52 minutes, has 15 tracks, and is meant to be the first installment of a three-album series from the two. Its release was met with mixed reviews from critics, gaining only a 51 out of 100 on Metacritic. Reviews aside, the album took #1 on Billboard’s 200 and on many other charts internationally. Many listeners were disappointed with the album and felt it was lacking. Aside from the sound, West has gotten lots of backlash for trying to use samples illegally and disregarding artists’ wishes.
When listening to “Vultures 1,” I couldn’t help but feel like something was missing. As a friend of mine put it, “It doesn’t have Kanye’s spark.” The album felt distant and cacophonous; there is so much going on constantly, yet nothing is very interesting. The vocals are repetitive and imitate a broken record at times, which can become tiring. Most of this album reminded me of the sound of the mid-to-late 2010s and I liked that, though the instrumentals were mostly repetitive and boring. At one point in the album, West tries to defend himself for his recent “cancellation” in track 16 “KING.” He raps, “‘Crazy, bipolar, anti-Semite’/And I’m still the king…/They thought headlines was my kryptonite/Still the king.” This was just one of the many of the lyrics I found uncreative and honestly irrelevant.
Whenever a song ended and a new one started, I never felt rejuvenated or excited. It just felt like it was dragging on. There are many random vocal features throughout the album, none of which are credited in the titles, which makes it confusing to tell who’s voice is who’s. I didn’t appreciate that part because it would have been cool to see all the different people West and Dolla $ign brought into the music. Along with this, West has already gotten in trouble again for Vultures 1. If you’re a fan of West’s music, you will be disappointed. I do not think this album is worth listening to and I would give it a 4 out of 10.
West has stirred the pot with this album as it was promptly pulled from Apple Music for Kanye’s abuse of the automated systems that helped him release the album on streaming platforms…without his distributor’s consent. In fact, not getting consent was a theme for West with “Vultures 1.” West attempted to sample many popular songs from artists like the Backstreet Boys, Black Sabbath, and Nicki Minaj, all of whom denied his sampling requests. Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath met West with anger at his request, stating, “Kanye f***ed with the wrong Jew,” in reference to the anti-Semitic remarks West has made in recent years. Not only that, but he also changed the release date three times, which frustrated fans and complicated the listening experience for everyone. The overall experience was disappointing.
