If Vultures 2 is an accurate representation of how Kanye West sees the world, then the Chicago rap legend, who has never been shy in portraying himself as a modern day renaissance man, is one of the world’s greatest victims. A victim of the music industry (“Slide”). A victim of adidas (“My Soul”). A victim of Drake‘s chart dominance (“530”). A victim of his divorce from Kim Kardashian (also “530”). Everything is just so unfair for Mr. West.
The 20th anniversary of his seminal solo album The College Dropout passed earlier this year and retrospectively, it’s interesting how prominent many of the traits the world seems to now deplore in Kanye — the permanently wounded ego, his conservative Christianity muddled with an irrepressible libido, the bruising braggadocio — were embedded from the start.
“Slide,” Vultures 2’s opener and the only pre-release single from the album, is both the much-delayed project’s high point and also the blueprint for the following 15 songs. For an album that is so dominated by Kanye’s direction, the first voice we hear on Vultures 2 belongs to Ty Dolla $ign, an erstwhile reminder that this is in fact a collaborative project, if perhaps just in name only.
His trademark smooth croon introduces the album and he immediately gets to the cynically misogynist rhymes, spitting: “Pretty girl, all she ever do is take selfies / So she only fuckin’ with a n-gga ’cause I’m wealthy.” And that’s one of the lines that are least likely to send Gloria Steinem after the duo with a sledgehammer.
With an ensemble of producers on the song including London on Da Track, Wheezy and Fred Again, there’s a venomous beat switch that somewhat harkens back to the industrial darkness of Yeezus which taps into Vultures 2 at its best — as an apocalyptic rave at the end of the world. That’s the level on which the album works. Eyes closed. Headphones on. Brain switched off. And you can just about have a fun time with it.
Ty does what he does, and does it well. But after two albums, potentially two more on the way, and endless days, weeks and months in the studio with each other, they have still yet to find any cohesive chemistry, even by post-The Life of Pablo Kanye standards, feeling stitched together by half-completed ideas and dueling demotapes. Though his voice is a constant harmony throughout Vultures 2, Ty remains oddly anonymous, which for all of West’s faults, that is something he can never be accused of being.
At its most repugnant, Vultures 2 is the product of a woman-hating nihilist who appears to spend too much time on PornHub and not enough hours of his day touching God’s green grass. Lyrics sway from viagra-fueled infantilism (“Reach for the popcorn, oops, that’s my cock”) to aggressive misogyny that’s barely a yard away from an Andrew Tate or Adin Ross livestream (“Neighbors know this shit get out of hand, but they smile / ‘Cause you been so long without a man / And it won’t be, and it won’t be long ’til you’re out of bands / The only thing you really need is a husband”).
West also saves a dose of poison for ex-wife Kardashian on “530” which dates back to the infamous days of Donda 2, around the same time their divorce was legally finalized. After a confessional opening verse that sees him appear to hint at a dependency on alcohol, his self-reflection swiftly pivots to solipsism and self-pity as he attacks the SKIMS mogul over her parenting and his lack of access to his children: “The past year been a strange time / Visitations on FaceTime / And who gon’ break who’s heart first? Always just breaks mine / Looking for blessings that God’ll hand me / I’m tryna just raise the family, somebody should raise the nanny.”
The song really symbolizes the confusion at the heart of Vultures 2. For every interesting idea, there are five awful ones. Soccer fan chanting does not get used in music very often for a reason but “River,” which heavily interpolates the Leon Bridges track of the same name, should have been a pillar that the album was built around. “Fried” is a manic rave of a song, purpose-built for a rager in a warehouse in the middle of nowhere, but then its lyrics appear to have been written by a teenager who has just discovered his first boner.
In its own perverse way, Vultures 2 is emblematic of 2024 — it is loud, brash, utterly devoid of substance and almost certain to be lauded as Kanye West’s latest masterpiece by his rabid legions of stans.
RELEASE DATE: August 3, 2024
RECORD LABEL: YZY
Listen to Vultures 2 below:
Not better than Vultures 1 but I like it more than I was expecting
I don’t even have to listen to this to know it’s trash from a man who used to be great but is now an ABC rapper still butthurt that his wife left him while Pete Davidson clowned the shit out of him. RIP to the old Kanye.
👉🗑👈 0/100 typical privileged black💩
I can’t even remember the last time Ye had a great album.. It’s been a long time
MBDTF in 2010. So 14 years.
After getting rich, he doesn’t need to do anything else. We were played, we should probably get jobs.
As Big Sean said, he’s a good entertainer. So yeah…cash rules everything around me.
better than that cartoonish em album
better than that cartoonish em album
Fuel track of the year.
Guarantee he’s a drake fan because they’re the only group talking shit about Eminem. People who don’t like Eminem don’t give enough of AF to say anything about him but drake fans hurting and will use any opportunity to mention Kendrick and Eminem in conversations that don’t even involve either artist. He took a bunch of L”s, move past it already 🤣
Haven’t heard the album, and don’t intend to. But I do feel the need to point out that offering a review based on whether or not you agree with the artist’s morals and beliefs is childish and unprofessional. That’s like saying “I don’t like this movie because the main character is a big meanie!” Grow up. Look past whether or not you agree with the guy and review the music based on the quality of the actual music. FYI…most rappers are not the kind of guys you’d wanna bring to Sunday dinner. Who cares. It’s art/entertainment.
Ok so I’m not this arrogant prick. Someone e show me the three best ty dolla tracks and perhaps I can see why he is even entertained on an album. Kanye just sucks lol. Tired of attacking this clown.
Please find another reviewer. These reviews are not objective at all. Waste of time to read.
Please find another reviewer. These reviews are not objective at all. Waste of time to read.
Let me get this straight. Y’all review Justin Timberlake and Jennifer Lopez but not Common and Pete Rock??
Fight na tseesm. Break his jaw.
As soon as as I read the headline on this review I checked to see if it was a man or a woman who wrote it. Sadly, it was a man. This is why we need Trump back.
@realtalk this is true lol. I don’t like Kanyes music the past few years, but “misogynistic”… like Jay? Em? Dmx? Pun? Biggie? Pac? Eazy? Snoop? Nas? Can’t name a rapper male or female that doesn’t say something hateful in general.
Sucks
The things you are saying that is misogynistic are not. You need to look up the definition for misogyny. If a girl is into a guy because he has money, that is not misogyny that just means “she’s into him because of his money”…. Can’t believe I have to explain this.
The things you are saying that is misogynistic are not. You need to look up the definition for misogyny. If a girl is into a guy because he has money, that is not misogyny that just means “she’s into him because of his money”…. Can’t believe I have to explain this.
The things you are saying that is misogynistic are not. You need to look up the definition for misogyny. If a girl is into a guy because he has money, that is not misogyny that just means “she’s into him because of his money”…. Can’t believe I have to explain this.
Even 4 years ago Kanye made some interesting music, though still mostly bad… idk what it is, I guess it’s partly who who decides to make it with. I’ve never once enjoyed Ty Dolla Signs. Not one time ever. So if Kanye should get on some old-school beats, drop the computer work, and work with underground rappers.
I read “misogynistic” and knew this review was about to be a joke. “He talks about women BOOO!!” Sam Moore needs to find a new job, this article was embarassing
yeh this dweeb is a feminist simp. hope this review got em some pussy
I downloaded the album but could never press play and from the comments I’m glad that I didn’t. Then to find out he released another version of album days later. Nope, I’m not playing that game like when The Life Of Pablo came out. Carry on!!!
2007 called, it said that was your peak
So in the last month you guys have reviewed Eminem’s album (only to trash it) and this (only to trash it), meanwhile Vince Staples, Common/Pete Rock, Freeway/Jake One, Denzel Curry, and Blu/Evidence have all dropped good to great albums. Yall used to be good, what happened
So in the last month you guys have reviewed Eminem’s album (only to trash it) and this (only to trash it), meanwhile Vince Staples, Common/Pete Rock, Freeway/Jake One, Denzel Curry, and Blu/Evidence have all dropped good to great albums. Yall used to be good, what happened
This album was mid but not as mid as this site
So in the last month you guys have reviewed Eminem’s album (only to trash it) and this (only to trash it), meanwhile Vince Staples, Common/Pete Rock, Freeway/Jake One, Denzel Curry, and Blu/Evidence have all dropped good to great albums. Yall used to be good, what happened
Album was mid, but review was worse
This website has become trash. You’ve only reviewed Eminem and Kanye for the past six months, clearly showing a personal bias. Journalism should be objective, not about personal grudges. Stop being selective with your beefs; it makes you look weak. This site used to be good, but now it’s just petty
This used to be a great website. It’s become woke.
No bueno
LOL This guy is the definition of a feminist simp lmao hope this article got you some pu$$y bro
LOL This guy is the definition of a feminist simp lmao hope this article got you some p bro
It’s an uninspired mess….
Another disappointment
🗑️
Alex Moore you are a woke bitch
This article sounds like it was written by a gay dude
You say KANYE! and your comments are filled with b*tch a** MAGA saying: “I’m not sexist, I’m not racist but if you say the word misogynist I’ll smash my computer. lol
I’m surprised you are all listening to Kanye after “slavery was a choice” or “white lives matter”.
N*ggaz are spineless.
Nah g
I disagree 5 mics