Album Review: Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign, Vultures 1

Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign

Vultures 1 (released February 9, 2024)

Twenty years ago on this very day, Kanye West unleashed The College Dropout, a seminal moment in rap history that not only redefined what rap sounded liked, but what hip-hop superstar could be.

He wasn’t a mafioso clone living out his Scarface fantasies. Nor was he some tough-guy corner boy. He was the just weird artsy kid down the block – a hyperactive, often bratty kid, but, still a kid. He felt real.

That relatability resonated with me and scores other rap fans. Whether rapping about standing on Family Business or surviving a crappy mall job, I felt empowered.

Now, let’s jump 18 years into the future, where, after I criticized Ye following yet another one of his dumb anti-Semitic rants, my inbox is bombarded with threats and racial slurs (the ones with the Hard R) for daring to tell the man to chill.

Wait till they finish reading this review…

Anyway, whole different fanbase was empowered this time, and not for the better.

That’s the saga of Kanye West, a man who rose from relatable underdog to self-proclaimed hip-hop deity to weirdo Internet troll who dresses like Cobra Commander.

Day One fans like yours truly – the guy who still has the bootleg of the original College Dropout (with the vastly superior version of “Home”) and still listens to mixtapes with goofy songs like “You’re My Type” and “Wack N*ggas” – have spent the past two decades trying to figure out exactly who Kanye West really is.

Was he always the family-centric goofball who wore his heart on his sleeve, or was that just the pupa stage of the egocentric mothman that was always destined to torment us?

Truth is, I think he’s always been both.

Vultures 1 is the start of an alleged three album series (you never know with Kanye, we’re still waiting on Turbo Grafx 16) and does not shy away from showcasing both Kanye the Family Man and Kanye the Cultural Arsonist.

Look, we’re all adults here, right? (minus you keyboard racists out there). We can admit that Kanye West’s discography is home to some of the greatest albums in rap history, but that same discography has been on a steep, STEEP decline in the past decade.

Two things that Vultures 1 gets right is vastly improved production – more on that later – and, surprisingly, the inclusion of Ty Dolla Sign as the album’s costar.

It’s well documented that I’m not typically a fan of Ty Dolla’s creaky crooking, but he’s successfully established himself as this generation’s Nate Dogg. And like Nate at his peak, he’s able to fill the gaps when his fellow artists go astray. Kanye’s most recent projects have been plagued by a lack of focus – when Ye starts to veer into madness, TDS is usually there to keep the song on course.

But where Vultures 1 really shines – more so than any project in a very long time – is its inspired production. Whenever y’all break out that Mt. Rushmore meme and debate the names who belong on rap’s production hierarchy, Ye often comes up – and its NOT because of his inconsistent recent work.  It goes back to the days of his sample-laden production, and Vultures 1 is a return to that form.

“Keys to My Life” slyly drops a nugget of Wu-Tang’s “Can It Be All So Simple” while “Do It” somehow mixes its East Asian vibes with a random “Back That Thang Up” drop – and it works!

“Good (Don’t Die)” welcomes Donna Summer of all people to the party and I NEVER thought I’d hear Koopsta Knicca on an album in 2024, but it’s the perfect set-off for “F*k Sumn.”

However, the chef’s kiss goes to “Problematic,” which features a magical blend of soundscapes that’s both sinister and soulful – it wouldn’t be out of place in those early-00s Roc-a-Fella sessions.

If you’re asking yourself, “why hasn’t this guy talked about the lyrics or concepts yet?” Wellllllll, there’s a reason for that – there’s not much going on.

Kanye has never been much of a lyricist, instead using his wit and charisma to stand out in a crowded rap cypher. So lyrics like “Dark-skinned n**** only shooting Billy Blanks” on “Paid” aren’t all that surprisingly, just uninspired. In fact, most songs are just a collection of random rants slapped between impressive production, or repetitive hooks that wear our their welcome instantly.

See, for instance, “Hoodrat”:

HoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodratHoodrat

That’s it, that’s the song.

Look, I can sit here and clutch my nonexistent pearls while songs like “Carnival” talk about some girl riding Kanye like a ferris wheel but this is the same guy who asked “are you into astrology? I’m trying to make it to Uranus.” Rakim, he’s not.

Go back and listen to “You’re My Type” if you don’t believe me. This has always been Kanye. Difference is, instead trying to make us laugh, he just seems bored, as do most of his guests. The standout verse BY FAR is Freddie Gibbs’ contribution to “Back to Me”  – “Florence to Milan/Just turned a bird b**** to my ex like I was Elon.” But besides daughter North’s intro on “Talking” and Ty Dolla singing/rapping/fighting for his life to hold everything together, there’s little that sticks with you after the track moves to the next song.

Credit when it’s due, though: “Beg Forgiveness” is the usual “you miss me when I’m gone” track we’ve heard a million times but production and its haunting hook do a lot to carry the story forward. “Burn” also marries upbeat production with some surprisingly reflective Ye lyrics:

Who’s not entertained by my pain?
Who ain’t cash a check off my name?
When my campaign turned to canned pain
I burned еight billion to take off my chains

He’s as unapologetic as ever.

I just reviewed Usher’s comeback album and the mixed response it received is reflective of the ups and downs of Vulture 1. While I enjoyed Coming Home more than most, we all can agree that will a little more time and care, we could have really gotten something special.

The same goes for Vultures 1 – the production is among the best I’ve heard on a Kanye project in a very long time. Ty Dolla also does his best to keep things from going totally off the rails. But there’s just not enough meat on the bone to make this a substantial project, despite a handful of promising tracks. A track like “Carnival,” as ridiculous as it is, probably would be a lot of fun at a stadium show, but what’s left after screaming yourself hoarse about spinning around on somebody’s man-meat?

Not much, sadly.

But that’s Vultures, and Kanye, for you – brilliance and banality, inspiration and desperation – in one big ball of chaos.

That’s what he’s always been.

Best songs: “Problematic,” “Burn, “Back to Me”

3 stars out of 5