VULTURES 2

Vultures 2 is the second studio album by the American hip hop supergroup ¥$, consisting of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign. Released independently by West’s YZY brand on August 3, 2024, the album was initially slated for a March 8 release but was delayed several times before its surprise drop. The album features a diverse lineup of guest artists, including Inter Milano ultras, Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, Kodak Black, Future, Lil Wayne, West’s daughters North and Chicago, Young Thug, Lil Durk, Lil Baby, 070 Shake, Desiigner, Cyhi, and Ty’s brother, Big TC. Digital deluxe editions of the album include additional features from Peso Pluma, Kid Cudi, and Travis Scott. The production credits for the album are shared between West and Ty Dolla Sign, with contributions from producers like Legendary Traxster, Digital Nas, Wheezy, London on da Track, AyoAA, BoogzDaBeast, and FnZ, among others.

The journey to the release of Vultures 2 was marked by a series of delays and announcements. West and Ty began working on the album following the release of its predecessor. Despite an initial plan to distribute the album through West’s Yeezy website, which included previews on social media and a cover art reveal in June, the project faced multiple postponements. The duo initially announced a release date of August 2, but the album did not meet this schedule, instead being released a day later. This was followed by planned post-release listening events in Salt Lake City on August 9 and Taiwan on August 25.

Vultures 2 continues the thematic exploration of its predecessor, focusing on themes such as money, relationships, sex, and fame, while also delving into subjects like family and marriage. The lead single, “Slide,” was released a few hours before the album, and its music video premiered on August 13. The album cover features Ty Dolla Sign in a black mask holding a picture of his brother, Jabreal “Big TC” Muhammad, who is serving a life sentence for a murder he maintains he did not commit.

Critically, Vultures 2 received mixed to negative reviews, with criticism directed at the perceived unfinished quality of the album and allegations that West used artificial intelligence in recording some verses. This led West and Ty to release several updates to multiple tracks in the days following the album’s release. The album’s post-release updates included changes to the tracks “Field Trip,” “Fried,” “Isabella,” “Maybe,” “Sky City,” “River,” “530,” and “Dead,” among others, addressing various production and mixing issues.

Commercially, Vultures 2 debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, marking West’s second-lowest first-week sales with 107,000 album-equivalent units. This included 46,000 streaming-equivalent units, 60,500 pure album sales, and 500 track-equivalent units. The album accumulated over 50 million on-demand streams in its first week. Despite its mixed reception, the album continues the collaborative album series between West and Ty Dolla Sign, with plans for a sequel, Vultures 3, slated for late 2024 and a world tour to support both the current album and its predecessor set for 2024-2025.