Kellen Pies '24, Copy Editor
Continuously teased throughout late 2023, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's collaborative album, Vultures, was set to release on Jan. 12, after other initially set dates. Originally titled ¥$, fans of hip hop and West have been disappointed time and time again because of his reluctance to release the album on several announced dates. This is not unusual for the Chicago legend, as his debut 2004 classic The College Dropout was delayed for 193 days until its eventual release on Feb. 10, 2004. Although this delay was not West's fault—as he suffered a jaw injury from a car accident in the making of the album, hence the iconic "Through the Wire"—the late release of his first record sparked a consistent history of album delays.
His innovative 2007 pop-rap album Graduation, along with Donda, Jesus is King, and 2016's The Life of Pablo were all delayed for over 300 days. Although most of these late releases came from West wanting none of his projects to be rushed and to only deliver finished products, it is no secret that fans of his music have been disappointed and annoyed with his inability to drop when announced. The only project that had ever been released on time was the deeply personal and influential 808s & Heartbreak, which was actually released a day early on Nov 24, 2008.
Although the anomaly that is 808's proves that West can drop albums on time, Vultures has been another case of delays, with the original date being Dec. 15, announced during the first Vultures Rave on Dec. 12, 2023. As a result of the Rave, held in Las Vegas, videos of the unreleased songs "Back To Me", featuring Indiana MC Freddie Gibbs, and "River", with the genre-defying trap legend, Young Thug. The former of these two videotaped tracks has already solidified itself as one of West's best songs ever. Senior Alex Goodrich said, "I've never heard Ty Dolla Sign sound that good. The lesser skilled of the three [rappers] holds his own and even outperforms Gangsta Gibbs and Mr. West." Although all three artists make the song what it is, Ty Dolla Sign's vocal performance is one of the best choruses ever on a West album. Arguably hip hop's greatest producer of all time, West accompanies Gibbs and Ty Dolla Sign with a beautifully layered and groundbreaking instrumental that follows the same harmony as the chorus throughout the song. With an unsurprisingly impressive flow from Gibbs, a genius production from West, and a chorus so catchy from Ty Dolla sign, "Back To Me" is a pitch-perfect example of why people value new music from the influential and creative Chicago native.
It is nearly impossible to discuss the news surrounding West without addressing his increased controversy throughout the 2020s. The recurring antisemitic remarks that he has publicly stated have created a barrage of backlash towards West—something that has happened many times before. "I'm a bit sleepy tonight, but when I wake up I'm going death con [Defcon] 3 on Jewish People. The funny thing is I actually can't be anti-semitic because black people are Jewish," West said in a tweet. There is certainly no excuse for his public behavior recently. In October of 2022, Adidas cut business with West due to his antisemitic remarks. A big loss for the company and West himself, the artist cannot seem to escape controversy and the understandable backlash it produces. Although West has always had problems regarding his public image, his discouragement for making groundbreaking music has never diminished—rather it has increased. After his infamous disruption of Taylor Swift's VMA acceptance speech in 2009, a situation which garnered a lot of hate for West at the time, he released his magnum opus and one of the greatest hip hop records ever created, 2010's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The album was the perfect comeback to the biggest and most controversial moment in music during that period, and it has since become the second-most-sold digital album of all time. Twisted Fantasy is proof that West commercially flourishes under pressure, controversy, and backlash. With the growing public retaliation towards him and promising song leaks, Vultures may be similar to the musical triumph that arose in 2010 and could be his new masterpiece.
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