Vultures,Vol. 1 by Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign | Album review
Hip-hop legend comes back with a collaborative project featuring melodic Ty Dolla $ign.
For the past 2 years, there have been many controversies going on with Kanye West. Whether it was connected to his anti-Semitic prejudices or his acclaimed ‘crazy’ behavior, Kanye wasn’t in his best position. There was quite a lot of speculation about that Kanye should rather quit music till it is not too late.
A good follow-up question would be:
Is it fair to say that this album should have remained unseen?
I would beg to disagree.
‘Vultures’ is Kanye’s latest music effort since his Donda 2 album, which was available only via Kanye’s $200 stem player. The second star of the project is Ty Dolla $ign, who has also been fairly silent for the last 3 years. With a lead single like ‘Vultures’ featuring Bump J and Lil Durk, I was coming to this album with no to zero expectations.
I would even say, I was with a certain hatred and readiness to tear this album apart when it drops. ‘Vultures’ features a generic hip-hop beat, and mumbling Kanye who’s riding the controversy and making a certain hook from it:
How I’m antisemitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch
This track made me anticipate a decline in the work of one of my favorite artists, but fortunately, that did not happen.
Coming to the project itself, it feels much easier to listen to than Kanye’s earlier Donda, which was bloated and overfilled with unnecessary tracks. This album feels extremely cohesive. Despite the chaotic rollout with constant postpones, it feels well built together.
‘Vultures’ loves sticking to the same soundscapes by stepping in upbeat production, blending with the elements of Kanye’s experimental Yeezus. This project rarely steps into the shoes of generic hip-hop production. Instead, it offers a multilayered-sounding project.
A mixed bag of dark aesthetics with hypnotic production and elements of house music works well for both Kanye and Ty Dolla. Kanye’s enjoyment during the creation of this album is apparent, as it doesn’t adhere to a specific theme but explores a different range of emotions. With such an intense listening experience, you get a zany within reason sounding album with melancholic, introspective, and hard-hitting tracks.
One of the big and surprising highlights for me was a feature list. Although it had an extensive amount of features stacked, it didn’t go beyond the album’s limits. To start off, I was enticed to witness Freddie Gibbs on the song ‘Back to Me’, where he completely owned the beat and delivered one of the standout verses of the entire album. Another highlight was the incorporation of the menacing dark energy of Playboi Carti and Travis Scott on ‘Fuk Sumn’. Nipsey Hussle’s unexpected presence, coupled with Ty Dolla’s captivating vocals on ‘Do It’, brought a fresh image to the track.
Now let’s talk about Kanye, who sounds great. There is no exaggeration about that. You hear a mix of Kanye from different eras, such as ‘Yeezus’, ‘The Life of Pablo’, and notes of ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. Contrary to expectations, West’s mumbling is not monotonous or exhausting; in fact, it has a decent and well-mixed sound.
Talking about the second collaborator — Ty Dolla $ign, he sounds seraphic here. Although I hold the same opinion as I did about ‘Her Loss’ being primarily Drake’s project, with 21 Savage as a supporting act, Ty Dolla is a much superior sidekick. Their chemistry amazingly works on back-and-forth verses and on pre and chorus parts.
It’s safe to say that we have got another extremely cinematic and blockbuster rap project since ‘UTOPIA’. Kanye has a good mix of slapping bangers and melodic cuts. The range of Kanye’s sampling abilities is phenomenal. It goes from Black Sabbath to something more Gospel-ish on this project, which gives you an attractive variety.
Coming to some drawbacks of this project. Well, it all starts from a self-titled track ‘Vultures’. It still sounds boring and generic, although, with a picture in the entire project, it feels consistent. You can also still notice Kanye’s sleepiness here, especially when he collaborates with more energetic artists like Quavo, Travis Scott, and Playboi Carti.
This album has everything that a great Kanye album has. A small skit at the end of the song, captivatingly interesting production choices, and even Kanye’s reflections on his life (‘Problematic’ and ‘Beg Forgiveness’). Lyrically this album goes beyond ‘I just fucked a Jewish bitch’ and ‘I am a King’, which gives me a good aftertaste by the end of the project.
Final grade: 8.1/10
FAVORITE TRACKS: Beg Forgiveness, Burn, Do It, Paid, Fuk Sumn, Good (Don’t Die), Problematic
LEAST FAVORITE TRACKS: Vultures, King
CHECK OUT ‘VULTURES’:
