Kanye West is undeniably one of the most impactful and controversial artists in recent history. He emerged in the early 2000s with back-to-back critically acclaimed, chart-topping albums: “College Dropout,” “Late Registration,” and arguably his most famous, “Graduation.” With later greats like “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and “The Life of Pablo,” Kanye has been consistently making music that is not only commercially successful but also deeply personal for a full 20 years. His body of work speaks for itself, but regrettably, so does Kanye, often to the horror of his supporters and business partners.
In October of 2022, Kanye thrust himself back into the spotlight with a string of anti-Semitic tweets and controversial public appearances. While at one point, he boasted a disputed net worth of over $2 billion, Kanye saw a significant decrease into the hundred millions after all was said and done. Now, Kanye will once again let his music speak for itself with the release of Part 1 of his newest project “Vultures” with Ty Dolla $ign.
The first track on this record, “STARS,” is a solid introduction, but the second and third tracks, “KEYS TO MY LIFE” and “PAID,” could’ve been left off the album entirely. They both have awkward cadences mixed with some of Kanye’s weakest samples. On repeat, I consistently skip these two, and having two genuine skips back-to-back makes the early part of the album feel like a chore at times. Though it does pick back up.
Kanye has always been vocal about the influence of his family over his career, but “TALKING” is his first track to feature his daughter North West, who’s following Kanye into music and fashion. “BACK TO ME” is nothing if not fun. Kanye is no stranger to comparing himself to a god, and it seems like his sample of “Dogma” (1999) follows that trend in reference to his ego’s gradual crumble. With the line, “In the morning you’ll be running back to me,” it’s not clear exactly who this is addressed to. It could be the media, but most likely it’s to his ex-wife. In any case, it’s an enjoyable song with the best feature on the album, Freddie Gibbs.
“BURN” is by far my favorite song on “Vultures.” For everyone that misses the old Kanye, here’s proof that he could be doing it again. The song is jarringly fun with a beat that feels ripped out of 2005 in the best possible way. For me, this is a good song on a mixed bag of an album. It felt like a break from the more experimental stuff to go back to what made people love Kanye almost two decades ago.
The title track, “VULTURES,” grows on me the longer it plays, but it does take a while to get there. Ty Dolla $ign’s verse on this one is my favorite performance of his, but overall, Bump J’s feature drags this song way down for me, and Kanye leans too far into shock value to really say anything of worth, which is something I feel tracks throughout this entire album.
“CARNIVAL” is many people’s favorite song on “Vultures,” and I can see why. It feels like you’re in a stadium of fans with a heavy tenor/bass choir droning throughout the song. I expect this to be an anthem for people and that seems to be the full intention. Though again, I feel like Kanye’s verse on this track amounts to less than his features. His constant need to put out controversial statements appeals only to the yes-men that support everything he says, which is its own problem.
Overall, “Vultures” is far from Kanye’s best work. It felt like a quick comeback from a man that’s been pressured to prove that he is still making good music despite all of his controversies. If anything, listening to more Kanye to review “Vultures” only made me wish I was listening to a better album from a time when he had more people telling him no. Friction cuts a stone into a gem, but this album feels like a brick being thrown through a window. It sends a message but is far from eloquent. Kanye fans will almost certainly praise this album’s hits and overlook its misses, but nobody’s favorite Kanye song is coming off “Vultures 1.” I give it a 4/10.
