NEW YORK – A year and a half ago, the career of Ye – the American rapper, producer and controversy generator formerly known as Kanye West – seemed all but dead.
After a series of anti-Semitic remarks in late 2022, the 46-year-old lost his major-label record deal and booking agent, along with lucrative fashion partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga and other brands. But he was never quite abandoned by many of his fans.
And now Ye has the 11th No. 1 album of his career with Vultures 1, a joint LP with American singer Ty Dolla Sign that Ye released on his own, after previewing it in February with arena events in Chicago and New York, where tickets went for US$140 (S$188) and up.
The LP beat Coming Home, the comeback release by American singer Usher, who had perhaps the greatest platform available to any performer – the Super Bowl half-time show.
Ye had been teasing Vultures 1 since late 2023, and, fitting a pattern that long preceded his recent industry-pariah status, the album’s roll-out was stumbling and chaotic.
After its release to digital services following a listening event on Feb 9, the LP’s availability briefly flickered, and Ye was quickly accused of borrowing music by English rock band Black Sabbath and late American singer Donna Summer without permission.
Last week, Vultures 1 again disappeared for a short time from Apple Music and was made unavailable as a download, while behind the scenes, there was a switch in the distribution platform that Ye’s brand YZY used to supply the album to digital services.
The song Good (Don’t Die), which appears to borrow a melody from Summer’s 1977 hit I Feel Love, was also removed from online versions of the album.
Vultures 1 ended its first week with the equivalent of 148,000 sales in the United States, which includes 168 million streams and 18,000 copies sold as a complete package, according to the tracking service Luminate. It is Ye’s first No. 1 album since Donda in 2021.
Usher, 45, scored his highest-charting album in 12 years, with Coming Home arriving at No. 2 after the R&B veteran’s performance at the Super Bowl on Feb 11, with guests including singer Alicia Keys and rappers Lil Jon and Ludacris.
Coming Home, also released independently, had the equivalent of 91,000 sales, including 46 million streams and 53,000 traditional sales. Usher’s last studio album, Hard II Love, went to No. 5 in 2016, and Looking 4 Myself reached No. 1 in 2012.
Also this week, American singer Noah Kahan’s Stick Season is No. 3, country singer Morgan Wallen’s One Thing At A Time is No. 4 and singer SZA’s SOS is No. 5. NYTIMES
