Vultures
Ye has dropped a futuristic music video for âBomb.â
On Wednesday (Nov. 27), the superstar rapper â formerly known as Kanye West â unveiled on YouTube the post-apocalyptic visual, which features his daughters North and Chicago racing through a barren desert alongside monstrous creatures.
In the surreal clip, North, 11, and Chicago, 6, take the wheel of a Tesla Cybertruck, speeding past furry gremlin-like beasts that evoke the hot rod monster art of Stanley Mouse. Rapper Yuno Miles also makes a cameo, joining the high-speed chase while wearing a black mask.
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North, dressed in an oversized jacket with a furry hood, raps in Japanese, while Chicago, sporting cute buns, chimes in midway with the catchy lines: âI like to have fun/ I like to go to the beach/ I like the sun/ You know itâs Chi/ I only wave when Iâm telling them âbye.ââ
Proud mom Kim Kardashian reposted the video on her Instagram account, writing, âBOMB ft. North West & Chicago West.â Ye and Kardashian are also parents to sons Saint West, 8, and Psalm West, 5.
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âBombâ is featured on Ye and Ty Dolla $ignâs Vultures 2, which was released in August and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
In September, Ye brought all four of his children on stage for a performance of his shelved Vultures track âEverybodyâ during a concert at the Wuyuan River Sports Stadium in Haikou, China. Earlier this year, North joined Ye at his Vultures listening event in Paris, where she sang along to the track âTalkingâ from the album.
Watch Yeâs âBombâ music video on YouTube below.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign are bringing their newly dropped Vultures 2 album to Utah. On Saturday (Aug. 3), Ty announced on Instagram that he and Ye â formerly known as Kanye West â will present their Vultures sequel to fans in Salt Lake City on Aug. 9. A specific venue for the SLC date […]
Kanye Westâs album listening parties have become one of the more interesting music events in the last eight years. As a Kanye fan, given the mystique surrounding the iconic rapper, we always flirt with the idea of attending these events. However, we know to always expect the unexpected from him.
Back in 2016, Ye threw the first of his big listening parties at the world-famous Madison Square Garden in New York for The Life of Pablo, and it was one that Iâm still upset I missed. Kanye has been a part of my life since he debuted as an artist with The College Dropout in 2003 when I was 12 years old. As hard as it is to say these days, Iâm an OG fan of the Chicago rap legend and will make every attempt to attend a show or listening event.
The Pablo listening had Kanye smiling from ear to ear while partying with other rappers such as Pusha T and Kid Cudi, letting Young Thug get some shine on the auxiliary cord, and more. It was a moment all Kanye fans cherished. Little did we know it would be the last such event weâd get from the troublesome multihyphenate. The listenings for his non-gospel albums, Ye and Donda, were marred by several issues, including late start times and incomplete albums.
Being an older fan of Kanye, the desire to attend or even check for his events has slowly dwindled, especially as heâs become known more for his controversial actions than his music lately. When the 46-year-old announced he would host a pair of listening parties in Chicago and New York for Vultures, his collaborative project with Ty Dolla $ign as the group ÂĽ$, I wasnât clamoring to go. There was a good chance it wouldnât even happen. Before he and Ty performed the album in Miami during Art Basel, he attempted to host a big listening event in Italy. It never happened. Still, a sense of intrigue pushed me to see where Ye was going in this new chapter of his career.
I went into the Vultures New York listening on Saturday (Feb. 10) wondering what to expect. Was the album finished? Would Ye go on a wild rant? Will the listening start on time? How would people react to Kanye this time after all the antisemitic comments and odd behavior? There were no true answers to those questions until I began my trip to the grounds of the UBS Arena.
Like a regular New Yorker, I took public transportation. Droves of fans bolted through Grand Central Station in Midtown Manhattan to catch the iron horse that brought guests directly to the arena. People were hyped over what they could hear from Kanye and Ty Dolla, but there was also a universal feeling that something could make this whole experience go haywire.
âWe donât even know whatâs going to happen! Is he even done with the album? This IS Kanye,â someone a few rows over told their group of friends on the train. Another person didnât even know why they were making the trip but said, âFâ it, itâs Kanye.â Others were shameless and admitted they passed on sex to see Mr. West.
Postponing romantic dates for a Kanye event is insane, but knowing I wasnât the only one unsure of this listening was a good feeling. Little did we know, though, that Ye was about to flip the switch on us again.
Various chants of âWe want Yeezyâ and âKanyeâ filled the air inside UBS Arena as people made their way to their seats and a DJ spun various tunes. Doors had been open since 8 p.m., and people grew restless as minutes turned into hours with no sign of ÂĽ$ in sight.
In my mind, I already felt things were going south. I saw people yawning in their seats while others scrolled through their phones with barely a flair of excitement on their faces. Some were reminiscing about the âold Kanyeâ and his most legendary tours, including 2008âs Glow in the Dark tour and 2013âs Yeezus tour, possibly to reassure them that Ye is indeed capable of putting on a memorable show. The event in Chicago Thursday night (Feb. 8) had fans upset as it started late and lasted all of 45 minutes before ending abruptly.
People seemed to be over Yeâs antics and the whole experience before it even started. However, all those initial thoughts were squashed once the clock hit 11 p.m. and âCarnivalâ rang out through the UBS Arena speaker system. As the bass rattled the venue, Kanye and Ty Dolla showed up on the hazy stage to a roaring crowd with guests like Rich That Kid in tow.
From there, Ye and Ty took the crowd on a journey filled with hard-hitting anthems and head-bopping tunes. At one point, I forgot I was at a listening and thought this was a full-fledged concert with people screaming at the top of their lungs while bopping in their seats, a far cry from the tired and bored faces that walked through the doors of UBS at 8 p.m.
Kanye is known for teaming up with other artists on his albums and Vultures is no different. Although North West wasnât in attendance, the crowd burst into cheers at her feature on âTalking.â Quavoâs appearance on âPaperworkâ got a warm response, as did YGâs verse on âDo Itâ and Freddie Gibbsâ lyrical assault on âBack to Me.â However, no one got a more fiery response than the enigmatic Playboi Carti, who actually joined ÂĽ$ on stage, rapping on âF-k Sumnâ and âCarnival.â
Initially, I was shocked to hear how good the album sounded, and I wondered if Kanye had actually finished an album before playing it for the public rather than continuing to work on it until the deadline as he has in the past. The production was on point, and although his bars were incoherent and juvenile at times, Yeâs verses felt complete and Tyâs vocals sounded immaculate.
Ye isnât the most lyrically gifted rapper on the planet, but we know he can put more effort into his rhymes. Bars such as âShe fell in love with the sword, I sliced, I diced, I hit it from the back/ Whore, whoreâ on âHoodratâ or âWish somebody woulda warned us/ When I was 15, my soulmate wasnât born yetâ and âWe got multiple wives too, just at different times/ Picture this, if every room got a different bâ-/ Do that make me a porn-gga-mist?â on âProblematicâ are just plain bad.
Kanye clearly canât help himself and his controversial rhetoric with various mentions of being antisemitic and committing acts against Jewish women on tracks such as âVulturesâ and âKing.â He also didnât stray away from comparing himself to controversial figures accused and/or found guilty of sexual assault on âCarnival,â where he raps, âNow Iâm Ye Kelly, bâ-/ Now Iâm Bill Cosby, bâ-/ Now Iâm Puff Daddy rich/ Thatâs Me Too rich.â
Weâve heard Ye and Ty Dollaâs collaborative brilliance on tracks such as âReal Friendsâ and âFade,â but Vultures has these guys showing more of their raw chemistry. The two are giving a convincing argument that theyâre a formidable one-two punch with their new joint effort.
After about an hour, the listening was over, and fans were left satisfied. âKanye is the GOAT, are you fâing kidding me?â one person was heard yelling on their way out of the arena. Others shouted they needed the Chicago native to drop the album and that âheâs done it again,â proving people approved of his and Ty Dollaâs efforts.
Being a Kanye fan whoâs seen it all, this listening was a welcomed surprise as Ye seems as if he has a clear vision for the music for the first time in years. He appeared to be so focused that Vultures 1 was released early Saturday morning, a day after the listening, which is a shocker given heâs delayed this album and other projects several times in the past.
Despite his best efforts to destroy it with controversial and offensive statements, Kanyeâs musical legacy is already cemented. Vultures isnât a make-or-break moment for the enigmatic rapper. But it is a bright spot in what has been a dark and gloomy few years. With Vultures reportedly being a trilogy and the first sounding as good as it does, Iâm hoping Kanye can keep this momentum going into the next two parts. When heâs on, he can create something worthwhile.
As a follow-up to his last official release, Donda, which won two Grammys, Vultures has the potential to see the same success with heat-seeking tracks such as âHoodrat,â âDo It,â âF-k Sumn,â âCarnival, âBurn,â and more propelling it. Do we need another album from Kanye West? No, not really. But with the ever-evolving hip-hop landscape and his ability to connect with different generations, Ye wonât be leaving the culture anytime soon. He just needs to stay focused on the music and drop on time.
Former Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne called out Kanye West on social media on Friday (Feb. 9), saying that West had asked to sample a song but was ârefused permission because he is an antisemite,â and used the sample anyway at a listening event for his new album at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday. âI want no association with this man!â Osbourne wrote.
Although Osbourne said online that West asked to sample âWar Pigs,â the song he seems to have used is âIron Manâ â specifically a version performed by Ozzy Osbourneâs solo band at the 1983 Us Festival.
âWe get so many requests for these songs,â his wife and manager Sharon Osbourne tells Billboard, âand when we saw that request, we just said no way.â Without permission, West would be unable to release a new song that used the sample. âWeâve been in touch with his teamâ about the legal issue,â says Sharon Osbourne. âAnd itâs also an issue of having respect for another artist.â
Starting in 2022, West, now known simply as Ye, made a series of antisemitic comments, for which he was widely condemned, and lost numerous sponsorship and fashion deals. Although he offered an online apology for his statements in December, the first song from his forthcoming album, Vultures, includes the lyric âHow am I antisemitic? / I just fucked a Jewish bitch.â Although West does not seem to have finalized release details for the album â and Ozzy Osbourneâs comments suggest he may face issues clearing samples â he has held a number of listening events to promote it.
Ozzy Osbourne often allows other artists to sample his work. âBut the simple thing is, we donât want to be associated with a hater,â says Sharon Osbourne, who was raised Jewish. (Her father, the U.K. music manager Don Arden, was Jewish.) âTo spread hate the way he does, it shouldnât be allowed. All the excuses â heâs bipolar or whatever â doesnât change that. Itâs like, fuck you, basically.â
Like many early Black Sabbath songs, âIron Manâ was written by the band â Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward. Who has the rights to license interpolations of a composition by more than one songwriter can depend on the agreement between them. In this case, Sharon Osbourne tells Billboard that the agreement says all four songwriters need to agree. There could also be permissions issues with the 1983 performance recording, to which Ozzy Ozbourne presumably has the rights.
Coincidentally, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne dressed up as Kanye West and Bianca Censori for Halloween, but that was âa joke,â Sharon Osbourne said.
Kanye West is celebrating his wifeâs special day. On Saturday (Jan. 6), the 46-year-old rapper, who now goes by Ye, took to social media to gush over Bianca Censori on her 29th birthday.
âHappy birthday to the most beautiful super bad iconic muse inspirational talented artist masters degree in architecture 140 IQ loving by my side everyday when half the world turned their backs on me and the most amazing step mom to our children I love you so much thank you for sharing your life with me,â Ye wrote on Instagram alongside a photo of Censori.
The rapper â whoâs Vultures album with Ty Dolla $ign is expected to drop soon â shared numerous other photos of his wife on Saturday morning.
âI miss you when I wake up before you,â he captioned a snapshot of Censori flashing a smile while sporting a Vultures sweatshirt and furry white boots.
In another image, Ye dons a black armless hoodie while Censori covers her nearly-naked body with a purple pillow. âYall know who ran the summer,â the rapper wrote.
Vultures, which was scheduled to drop on New Yearâs Eve, includes features by Future, Lil Baby, Playboi Carti, Freddie Gibbs, North West and more. Ahead of the albumâs original planned release in mid-December, Ye and Ty were in promo mode in Miami, doing a bevy of listening parties and performances at Art Basel and Club Liv. Ye popped up at Wynwood Marketplace in mid-December to preview the album, appearing in a black Klu Klux Klan-style hood and performed the albumâs title track with his daughter North West standing alongside him. Of course, his outfit of choice sparked controversy and caused chatter on social media.Â
Vultures is Yeâs first album since the release of his 2021 album, Donda, which won a pair of Grammys the following year, most notably best rap song for âJail.â As for Ye and Ty, their collaborations date back to Tyâs âEgo Deathâ (2020), Yeâs âEverything We Needâ (2019), âReal Friendsâ (2016), and âOnly Oneâ (2014).Â
See Yeâs birthday post to Censori on Instagram here.
Following the Art Basel Miami Beach festivities, Kanye West surprised fans at Wynwood Marketplace early Tuesday morning (Dec. 12) with an album listening party. During the introduction to his forthcoming joint project with Ty Dolla $ign, titled Vultures, Ye appeared onstage wearing what appears to be a black Ku Klux Klan hood to perform the albumâs […]
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