By Aiden Locke
Kanye West dropped a bomb on fans in the early hours on Saturday Feb. 10th with the release of his newest project VULTURES 1 with Ty Dolla $ign.
Kanye West's newest album dropped exactly 20 years after his first studio album The College Dropout, one of his most beloved projects by fans. VULTURES 1 is full of everything that has made Kanye West an iconic artist. Fun samples, mixes of R&B and rap and features from some of the biggest names in the rap industry. As expected at this point from fans, VULTURES 1 was delayed more than once but the two and a half year wait since Kanye dropped Donda was well worth it.
VULTURES 1 gives fans a great mix of everything that makes Kanye great. As you listen to the album it goes from a softer R&B style project to more rap-focused with features with the likes of Travis Scott, Quavo, Playboi Carti and more coming in the second half of the album. Kanye's daughter, North West also features in the track TALKING. The album has a constant progression throughout that takes you through his music career. VULTURES 1 may go down as Kanye's most experimental project with all the different styles of beats, samples and mixes from track-to-track.
Ty Dolla $ign's influence on the project is heavy. He appears on every track with Kanye. The two of them are a dynamic duo throughout the project. Ty Dolla $ign's versatility as an artist meshes well with Kanye's unique and ever-evolving style. The beats on each track progressively get more intense as you progress, from a gospel feel swinging all the way to a heavy modern rap feel. Religious signaling has always been apart of Kanye's music and this holds true with his latest release throughout the album.
The intensity of the album peaks with track 12; CARNIVAL featuring Playboi Carti and Rich The Kid. The song's hook features a stadium style chant led by Rich The Kid, heavy bass and a mainstream rap style approach with multiple flows from the four artists who appear on the track. It's too early to tell, but CARNIVAL may go down as the biggest hit of the album.
Kanye's 13th album of his legendary music career is just his third collaborative project with another artist. The first two being Watch The Throne with Jay-Z and KIDS SEE GHOSTS with Kid Cudi. No album by Kanye West is the same as his previous. His ability to thrive with many different styles of music is a trait that has propelled Kanye to a legendary status in the music industry. No matter what happens in Kanye's life, his fans will always be waiting for whatever he drops next. This will keep him as one of the most iconic artists in the music world for a long time to come.
As of Tuesday Feb. 13th, VULTURES 1 sits atop of the Apple Music album charts.
Track List:
STARS
KEYS TO MY LIFE
PAID
TALKING (Ft. North West)
BACK TO ME (Ft. Freddie Gibbs)
HOODRAT
DO IT (Ft. YG)
PAPERWORK (Ft. Quavo)
BURN
FUK SUMN (Ft. Playboi Carti & Travis Scott)
VULTURES (Ft. Bump J & Lil Durk)
CARNIVAL (Ft. Rich The Kid & Playboi Carti)
BEG FORGIVENESS (Ft. Chris Brown)
GOOD (DON'T DIE)
PROBLEMATIC
KING