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A jarring and head-scratching pivot from “Promotion” to “Husband” in the middle of the album. The sultry track focusing on a woman’s romance and need for a partner just doesn’t feel like a needed puzzle piece to the Vultures 2 journey.

“Maybe” gets renamed to “Forever,” and the ethereal dance-leaning interlude gets shortened to less than 90 seconds. Ty Dolla $ign croons about his desire for love, and then Yeezy hops in staying on theme with a few raunchy rhymes. It isn’t much of a fit between the North West-assisted “Bomb” and “Husband.”

North West follows up her “Talking” cameo from Vultures with an appearance on the sequel. “Bomb” is a bouncy tune with Northie showing off her Japanese lessons while dishing bilingual raps. Younger sister Chicago joins the party to make it an all-West family affair. This is a fun moment on the album that feels nomadic.

A prevalent theme running rampant in society with women looking toward an opulent lifestyle of luxury well above their own means and Ye plays off it in mocking fashion. He then passes the baton to Lil Wayne, who continues his run of prolific features run in ’24. Weezy dishes out some BBL advice and name-drops Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift, which has the Swifties’ ears collectively perking up.

West’s verse bleeds over from “Husband,” so there doesn’t appear to be a need for both songs on the album. The sped-up Nico Barron electronic sample is an irritating listen, and should be removed altogether. Switch out Ty Dolla $ign onto the chorus and with a sonic clean-up, “Lifestyle” could’ve been even higher on our list.

When Ye and/or Ty Dolla call, Lil Durk shows up. After soaring on Vultures‘ titled track, he returns to steal the show, sandwiched between Future running through his escapades with an IG model and Yeezy reflecting on a former flame. A lot of tracks face the same issue — think of a football team getting inside the red zone every drive, but stalling out and failing to convert for touchdowns. There’s more work to be done to reach V2‘s ceiling, but “Dead” remains a solid entry nonetheless.

“River” undergoes a spiritual makeover compared to earlier versions. It’s a push back against the building theory that Vultures 2 will suffer the same fate as the scatterbrained Donda 2 — which had strong pillar ideas, but featured a batch of unfinished songs triggering fans’ demo-itis.

While calling for Young Thug’s freedom — as he opens “River” with a silky verse — the inspiring track gives fans a holy bath, and looks to purify Ye and Ty’s souls with help from Leon Bridges and Uncle Charlie Wilson. A refreshing second-half win on V2.

Named after the producer, “Forever Rolling” was taken to another level since the earlier leaks thanks to grand, gloomy production. Ye’s raises the bar with his fiery opening verse which finds him targeting companies that severed ties with the embattled Chicago mogul. “F–k the head of the company, I’m the better owner,” he raps. Lil Baby invades the scene with a robust assist while going back-and-forth with Ty Dolla. No more notes, job well done to open the fourth quarter of V2.

It’s amazing that “Sky City” was resurrected after originally surfacing as a holy grail during the Yandhi era. G.O.O.D. Music reinforcements come in the form of 070 Shake, CyHi The Prynce and Desiigner, while Ye and Ty gave Timbaland a call to bolster the production side of things. “Sky City” should be the alluring soul cleanser heading into the outro — if only West didn’t elect to go with the robotic flow on his second verse. There’s even some fan speculation that a portion of his first set of bars were AI-generated. It’s just frustrating knowing what this delightful track had the chance to be.

Ty Dolla $ign painfully opens up with tears dripping on his notepad while sending up a prayer to his brother, TC, who has been locked up for nearly two decades (Ty poses with his brother’s portrait on the album cover art) along with the daughters navigating life’s hurdles without fathers around.

Ye takes the baton and mocks his creative process filled with mumbling that fans hear on some leaked tracks. He then turns his focus to more serious issues like mass incarceration plaguing America before flipping the bird to his former corporate partner, Adidas, who is ironically having a blowout Yeezy sale on Monday (Aug. 5). Ty’s brother Big TC brings the Vultures 2 ride into the sunset with a divine message from behind bars.

The soundtrack to Dante’s Inferno. “Fried” sends shivers with a demonic feel and oozes of Playboi Carti’s influence. It’s a positive change of pace on V2 to send the energy levels through the roof. Ty compares himself to Pac and an unhinged Ye threatens those lurking with thoughts of crossing him. The Hooligans step in as a perfect fit, with their chants adding a sinister texture to “Fried” — which might become a fan-favorite, particularly for those who attend or view the upcoming listening experiences.

A Donda 2 session leak finds a home on Vultures 2 about two years later. Ye gets poignant about his messy divorce from Kim Kardashian — which was finalized in 2022 — and points to alcohol and his dependency on it playing a role in derailing their relationship. “The past year been a strange time, visitations on FaceTime/ And who gon’ break who’s heart first? Always just breaks mine,” he raps.

Ye has always made a habit of shining when turning his pain into powerful art. West’s version of a timestamp record finds him in desolate territory while recalling similar themes to fan-favorites like “Saint Pablo” and “Come to Life.” The only error here being the sound quality needing to be more crisp.

The first case of demo-itis strikes on “Time Moving Slow” — a crown jewel leftover from Vultures, with alterations that have taken one of the best productions from Ty and Ye’s camps all year down a few notches. Raw drum kicks and a Hooligans cameo soak up the soulfulness of the original version, which should have been left alone. Ye changed up a random bar on the track with a cheeky addition: “Reach for the popcorn, oops, that’s my c–k.” Even though it still stands as one of the stronger V2 cuts, it’s tough to hear and not think about the past.

Between the starry production and elevated raps, this is Ye’s strongest performance on the album. He turns the clock back with his Midas touch, while even pulling on the heartstrings of longtime Yeezy fans with a callback to “Good Life.” “Like we always do it this….” he raps in homage to the Graduation anthem. Meanwhile, Future is always going to make his presence felt no matter what’s surrounding him on a track, as Ty’s malleability allows Pluto to feel at home and he fills in the crevices with spatial awareness.

A cinematic entrance into Vultures 2. The ominous organs feel as if fans are about to experience the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime or having their tickets punched to the next Marvel movie. “Slide” is familiar to listeners who tuned into previous Vultures live streams and was touched up by a myriad of producers ranging from London on Da Track to Fred Again. Ty sets the bar high, with a slippery chorus meshing with the unnerving beat, while Ye interjects with a choppy flow doubling down on his outcast status from the music industry.

If there’s one V2 track to bet on following in the footsteps of “Carnival” and making a surge up the Billboard charts in the coming weeks, “Field Trip” is where your money should go. Don Toliver helms the chorus with a hypnotic hook while Playboi Carti flies above like a dragon on Game of Thrones in menacing fashion. “Uh, I’m spitting out venom,” he fittingly raps. Carti seems to up his focus when in Ye’s presence. However, West takes a step back to let his co-stars do more of the shining. Ty tidies up his verse and Kodak Black makes an unlikely guest appearance — which has rap Twitter divided, but is ultimately a welcomed addition to the chaos.