¥$, better known as the duo of Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign, released their first collaborative album in early February. After a lengthy and highly anticipated album rollout, the duo attained the most listened to album on streaming services in more than 80 countries. Vultures Vol. 1 is Kanye West’s third collaborative album, but Ty Dolla $ign’s first. It is also the highest charting project of the latter’s career. The album, which was plagued by clearance issues, boasts 16 songs and a 55-minute runtime.
Kanye West, who frequently experiments with his sound, has evolved since his recent albums from just a few years ago. Coming off his “Jesus is King” and “Donda” projects, West applies his signature production to this project, which brings a new element to the vocals of Ty Dolla $ign. Ty Dolla $ign has very strong performances in most of the songs on the project, which is a huge step forward in his recent career , who hasn’t had a song or feature reach the top 15 on the Billboard 100 since 2018.
Ty Dolla $ign’s vocal and lyrical performances are easily the best of his career, and in many instances, outshines West’s. His catchy choruses and smooth, yet somehow also rough, delivery complement the abrasive lyrics from West, creating a tandem that complement each other greatly.
West, however, falls short, especially given his recent projects. Lyrically, West has downgraded, not only in true lyrics, but also in the present themes. This is not to say that West’s lyrical performance is bad. It is, however, an unexpected, ordinary performance on an otherwise stellar career that is spent on constant elevation between projects. While West’s lyrical performance was a bit routine, it will not be easily forgotten. West’s innate ability to create memorable lyrics is something unheard of, especially in terms of this project.
The tracks that stand out the most are, “Carnival”, “Back to me”, “F*** Sumn”, “Paperwork” and “Burn”. Features include Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Quavo, Freddie Gibbs, North West and more. Playboi Carti and Travis Scott once again deliver strong features that are the crowning point on the songs “F*** Sumn” and “Carnival”.
Freddie Gibbs continues to showcase his lyrical ability and may just have outshone West and Ty Dolla $ign with his verse on the song “Back to Me.” North West, Kanye’s daughter, has made her introduction into music with the opening verse on the song “Talking.” The entire project is worth a listen. There are very few skips, if any at all. ¥$ puts on a stellar performance, and for those waiting for new music from the duo, West and Ty Dolla $ign have both said publicly that Vultures Vol. 2 and 3 are on the way soon.
You can reach Jack DeWitt at [email protected]