On Feb. 23, 2024, Kanye West joined forces with Ty Dolla $ign to produce the album “VULTURES 1.” This is the first in a series of three albums, with the other two to be released at a later date. This is West’s first album since 2021 and after several months of delay, it didn’t disappoint.
STARS: 4.5/5
This song was a great introduction to a great album. The beat fit the song well and the opening and closing vocals felt very choral which was an interesting touch for a rap song.
KEYS TO MY LIFE: 2.8/5
This song felt sloppily put together. There isn’t much of a particular theme throughout the song and there are a lot of rhythmic and melodic changes which felt unnecessary. The beat was also not as quality compared to the other songs on the album.
PAID: 3.8/5
Ty Dolla $ign’s verse on this song is great. West’s verse felt like it was lacking something, but the reference to The Police’s “Roxanne” was well received. The beat fit the song and felt very club-like. Overall, it was a great song and didn’t disappoint.
TALKING: 1.5/5
This is by far the worst song on the entire album. This song features vocals from West’s daughter North. A modern trend in the rap scene is for rappers to include verses from their children on a song. It is almost always done badly and has gotten stale. The sample of cheerleaders throughout the song is also incredibly annoying. The song’s one redeeming quality is Dolla $ign’s verse.
BACK TO ME: 4.1/5
The samples of dialogue from the movie “Dogma” were hilarious additions to the song. This is one of the more upbeat songs on the album and it is obvious that West and Dolla $ign had a lot of fun with this song and that makes the song all the more fun to listen to.
HOODRAT: 3.4/5
The percussion for the beat of this song is nicely done. Both West and Dolla $ign had great vocals on this song. Unfortunately, these positives were overshadowed by the sample of West’s voice saying “hoodrat” throughout the entire song which distracts from otherwise great musical production.
DO IT: 3.8/5
This was yet another song carried by Dolla $ign. West’s verse wasn’t bad, but it just wasn’t quite as good. The once again upbeat nature made the song a fun listen, and Dolla $ign’s vocals just can’t possibly sound bad.
PAPERWORK: 3.6/5
This song was good, just not quite as good as some of the other songs on the album. Quavo is featured on this song and the only problem with his verse was that it should have been longer. The beat and samples on this song make it less smooth and more rough around the edges, but that is what makes the song enjoyable.
BURN: 5/5
“BURN” is the runner-up for best song on “VULTURES 1.” This is another song that is just simply a pleasurable listen. Both West and Dolla $ign give fun verses and make the listener want to cruise down the highway with their window down blasting this song on the radio.
F*K SUMN: 4.9/5
This is one of the best songs on the album. “F*K SUMN” includes a feature from Travis Scott and Playboi Carti who are two very influential names in the current rap scene. Playboi Carti’s verse was a transition out of Rich The Kid’s and was the better of his two verses on the album. Travis Scott—who is my favorite rap artist—had an unfortunately disappointing verse. Not only should it have been longer, but it felt like it lacked the energy he usually puts into his music. The only reason this song is not a perfect five out of five is because of the strange verse which connects Dolla $ign’s verse with West’s, and sounds like one of the characters of “Alvin and the Chipmunks.”
VULTURES: 4.8/5
This title track of the album was released in 2023. Public reception of the song is overall negative, which is intriguing since it’s not at all a bad song. “VULTURES” is definitely overhated, in fact it is one of the best songs on the entire album. Every aspect of the song from lyrics, to the beat to the vocal performance works and blends together to create a quality piece of music.
CARNIVAL: 5/5
“CARNIVAL” is as close to perfect as is possible. The original version of this song used an electric guitar sample of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man.” Due to the threat of lawsuit, the sample had to be changed to a sample of his own song “Hell of a Life.” This sample fits much better with the song and serves as the perfect transition into West’s verse in the song. Rich the Kid is featured on this song, and opens the track with a well-performed verse that sets the tone for the rest of the song. Carti also gives a verse on this song which is by far the best out of the artists present on the song. The beat and chanting create the energy of the song which is unmatched by any other song on the album.
BEG FORGIVENESS: 5/5
Dolla $ign quarterbacks “BEG FORGIVENESS” and it is his best work on the album. From his lyricism where he expresses anger towards a former lover that wronged him to his vocal performance, he makes a lasting impression on listeners. The beat switch and start of the chant in the middle of the song is welcomed and done much more tastefully than in “KEYS TO MY LIFE” and “HOODRAT.” West’s performance doesn’t quite live up to the same standard as Dolla $ign’s, but is still satisfactory.
PROBLEMATIC: 3.7/5
This song had great melodic and rhythmic elements which made it a great song. The only problem with this song are some of the odd lyrical choices made specifically by West. Otherwise, the song is decent and definitely holds up in comparison to some of the lesser tracks from the album.
KING: 3.4/5
“KING” wasn’t incredibly impressive. It wasn’t a song that particularly stood out, but that isn’t positive nor negative. West again makes some odd lyrical choices, but at the end if the day doesn’t matter compared to the production quality of the rest of the song.
Overall Rating: 4/5
Despite having a few weak points, it was altogether a great album with serious potential to be a contender for “Best Rap Album of the Year.” Dolla $ign and West are an unstoppable duo with lots of musical talent. The anticipation for the next album in the trilogy is greater than ever after listening to the musical masterpiece of “VULTURES 1.”
