Topline
Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s upcoming collaborative album “Vultures 2” is slated to debut Friday, but little is known about the album ahead of its supposed release and neither artist is promoting it on social media—leading fans to wonder whether the album will suffer yet another delay following the messy rollout for their previous album, “Vultures 1.”
West previously said "Vultures 2" will drop May 3. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)
Key Facts
West told “The Download” podcast host Justin LaBoy last week he and Ty Dolla $ign would release “Vultures 2” on May 3—nearly two months after its originally planned release date of March 8.
But West and Ty Dolla $ign have been silent on social media the day before the album’s alleged release—West even deactivated his X and Instagram accounts last week.
West collaborator and creative director Aus Taylor posted “Vultures 2 en route” on Instagram yesterday, though he did not specify whether the album would arrive May 3.
Some of West’s fans on social media are anticipating the album won’t come out Friday.
Over the past week, West released a new music video directed by his 10-year-old daughter North West for his song “Talking,” a cut from “Vultures 1,” and he dropped a remix to Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That” to diss Drake amid his feud with Kendrick Lamar—but neither seem to have anything to do with “Vultures 2.”
Key Background
West had a notoriously bumpy rollout for “Vultures 1,” his latest album released in February. The album was initially set for release in December, then January, until West and Ty Dolla $ign announced the album would finally drop Feb. 9. The album, however, didn’t show up on streaming services until the following day, Feb. 10. At the time, West said the two sequel volumes in his “Vultures” trilogy would release March 8 and April 5—but he’s since missed both of these deadlines. “Vultures 1” was also plagued by a dispute with the distribution company FUGA that led to the album briefly disappearing from Apple Music, as well as legal action over the allegedly unauthorized use of samples. West was sued in Los Angeles federal court by Donna Summer’s estate for sampling her 1977 hit, “I Feel Love,” after allegedly being denied permission. Ozzy Osbourne also reportedly threatened legal action against West for sampling one of his live performances after Osbourne had rejected permission. “Vultures 1” was West’s first album release since the antisemitic comments that shattered his billionaire status after Adidas dropped its partnership with the rapper.
Surprising Fact
Fan account Ye Fanatics claims West said he may not put “Vultures 2” on streaming services, allegedly stating in an Instagram direct message that streaming “devalues music.” According to screenshots of the ostensible exchange, West instead suggested he may release the album solely for sale through his website.
What To Watch For
How “Vultures 2” will fare on the charts. “Vultures 1” previously debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the single “Carnival” went No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100—but if West follows through on his supposed promise to withhold “Vultures 2” from streaming services, the album’s chart performance may suffer. If released on Friday, “Vultures 2” would face chart competition from Dua Lipa’s “Radical Optimism,” also set for release May 3, as well as the continued success of “The Tortured Poets Department,” the latest album from Taylor Swift, with whom West had long feuded.
Further Reading
Kanye West’s ‘Vultures 2’ Rollout Delayed—And He Might Not Even Stream It (Forbes)
Kanye West’s New Album Disappears From iTunes, Apple Music: Here’s Why (Forbes)
