Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign: ‘Vultures 2’ Only Half Works
“Vultures 2”the new volume of the joint project of Ye/Kanye West & Ty Dolla $igninevitably makes people talk and discuss, not only the fans. There was a long gestation for this album: West announced for the first time the release of the album trilogy in January 2024. “Vultures 1” was released on February 10, while the second episode was scheduled for March 8. Then on May 3. But we know how things have been going in recent years with the Chicago rapper: there are no certainties (here is the story of the listening party last February in Milan). In the end it came out on August 3rd amidst indifference (but perhaps it would be better to talk about ghosting) from traditional media and music magazines. So at Rockol we decided to do a track by track reviewnot so much because we are faced with a great album (spoiler: it is not), but because it seems absurd to us that an album of this kind should be totally snubbed by critics.
Unlike the first volume, which had a certain consistency and which brought Kanye’s status as a producer back to the top thanks to some truly remarkable pieces, this time the impression is that we are faced with an assemblage of old (Kanye’s) and new intuitions. An album, especially in the second part, characterized by a sloppiness of recordingwith few inspired lyrics and a flow, by Kanye, devoid of real energy. And it’s a shame because in the first part there are good tracks with some great ideas, but then everything gets lost. Among other things from coverwhich features Ty in a hood with a photo of his brother Big TC, who is currently serving a life sentence for murder despite claiming his innocence, it seemed like this second episode would be the one with a Ty protagonist, and instead he turns out to be even more marginalalthough his rapped outputs are always good.
The impression is that “Vultures 2” is a sort of demo appendix to the first volume with some borrowed ideas, but without the same strength. And then there is the usual excessive dose of misogyny, delusions of grandeur and unbearable self-pity on Ye’s part when he talks about his divorce, all without a modicum of self-irony, which in the past characterized him. In short: “Vultures 2”, aside from a few flashes, is an album that adds almost nothing to the first good volume. and gives back a more approximate and inconclusive Kanye.
Track by track:
Slide: is one of the most musically interesting songs on the whole album. It was spoiled at various parties already in 2023 until it reached its complete form thanks to the intervention of Fred Again. It has a dark and gloomy heart that, also thanks to the vocal interventions, seems to thin out to flow in the finale in an almost industrial instrumental part, which seems to have been spat out of a movie.
Time moving slowly: a pleasant, less dark track, in which two artists reflect on past relationships and the passage of time. There is a bridge in which Kanye mumbles with his “Mm, mm, mm”, but compared to the past, when these were the counterpart to interesting raps, today they seem like stale fillers. The song, with its chorus reinforcing the chorus, certainly comes from the same production session as “Fried” and “Carnival”, the hit of volume 1 of “Vultures”.
Field trip: another song, in this first part of the album, that works quite well. An irreverent club piece, with lyrics strongly linked to sexual themes, between “rides” and ego trips. It has a musical structure that does not make you shout for a miracle, but that entertains and makes you dance thanks to the chorus with the modified voice. One of the possible hits of the project, with Playboi Carti, Don Toliver and Kodak Black.
Fried: a “Carnival” part two, a song that comes from the same recording sessions that took place with the ultras of the Inter Curva Nord who also compose the choruses for the entire duration of the song. Just like “Carnival”, “Fried” also has vulgar and at times indecent lyrics, but musically it is another of the gems of “Vultures 2”, it makes you jump and transmits energy.
Isabella: skit in which a girl asks, presumably to the two rappers, to buy her some shoes. It’s a sort of small materialist manifesto that closes the first part of the ego trip of the album to leave room, later on, for some deeper songs. The skit also reappears in “Lifestyle”.
Promotion: the megalomania continues, but the sonic inventions fail to compensate. A piece with Future that, apart from small lyrical references for enthusiasts to historic songs such as “Gorgeous” from “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and “Heartless” from 808’s & Heartbreaks”, famous projects by Kanye, leaves little or nothing.
Husband and Lifestyle: we analyze them together because, thanks to a game of Russian dolls, “Husband”, as the project progresses, we first listen to it individually and then it is inserted into “Lifestyle” with Lil Wayne, where it magically reappears. They speak to a woman in search of emotional stability, of a husband. They are songs that certainly have a different depth and yearning, between light and shadow. Because if it is true that Kanye lays himself more bare, talking about mistakes and plans to get out of them, possessive and toxic sentences also emerge in which this “husband” seems to be granted almost everything, even a sort of mistreatment.
Forever: track produced by James Blake and you can hear it. Too bad it seems like the intro to something that should then have its own evolution. Instead this time it ends at 1.27.
Bomb: this is probably one of the most written about tracks because – listen up – it features Kanye’s kids, Chicago and North West, rapping in Japanese. It’s one of those divertissment pieces that are often part of Ye’s albums. But it seems like they’re the only ones having fun. Totally avoidable.
River: In this second part of the album everything is much more frayed, and some songs also seem to have been recorded with a low quality. Surely this “River” was recorded at a rather low volume. This is one of the rare cases in which the spiritual side of Ye returns: basically the two ask that their sins related to the false ideologies of the rap scene be forgiven on the river of purity. Hence also the interpolation with the eponymous song by Leon Bridges performed by Charlie Wilson (even if it seems that Bridges did not give authorization for its use). Young Thug is involved in the piece, now detained for racketeering (“Too much money to be on the street” the rapper justifies himself).
530: this is a typical Kanye disco track. In fact, the title had already appeared in one of the first announced tracklists of “Donda 2”, but then it was discarded. Furthermore, there is no intervention here by his partner Ty Dolla. The song is a very intimate piece by Ye about the long and tiring period of separation from Kim Kardashian. The instrumental piano part is very elegant and tasteful and brings out the more mature Kanye.
Dead: Even in this song there is no trace of poor Ty, who had behaved well so far. In his place, together with Ye, Future returns with Lil Durk. But the algebraic sum does not increase the result. The typically trap piece is boring as the monothematic text about fucks, diamonds and dead women (physically? metaphorically? It is not clear). Bad track.
Forever Rolling: here Kanye raps about the financial hardships he has faced in the last two years. Lil Baby instead talks about a relationship that is about to end. What unites them? The fact that they are both forced to roll forever. Very basic base that seems more like a demo than a finished piece.
Sky City: this also seems like an old track, even coming directly from the era of “Yandhi” (2008), yet another aborted project by Ye. Here we talk about a utopian idea of paradise where everyone can be happy. Then Kanye arrives and compares his brand YZY with the freedom from “picking cotton”. Nice track, with a first part accompanied only by a slightly distorted electric guitar. Together with the couple there are also 070 Shake, CyHi and Desiigner.
My Soul: this track that closes the album is the only one that refers to Ty Dolla’s brother incarcerated in California and employed like 4000 other prisoners to put out forest fires. An injustice according to Kanye that violates the 13th amendment of the United States Constitution against slavery. Musically it recalls some things from Kanye’s past, those of the “gospel” period with organ and choir, to which Ty’s story and voice are then added. The lyrics are very inspired, but Kanye himself after a series of nice puns on the mass injustices suffered by the African-American community, throws out a meaningless “Fuck Adidas”. In the credits you can read about a featuring by Todd Rundgren – who in the past worked with Kanye leaving the studio not with flattering words (“he’s just a shoe designer”) – but it is difficult to recognize his presence in this track.
