¥$

¥$ is an American hip hop supergroup composed of the rapper Kanye West and the singer Ty Dolla Sign. With the two maintaining a strong relationship during 2023, Ty Dolla Sign was an artist West invited to record music with, in Tokyo, Italy and later in Saudi Arabia. During the recording sessions for West's eleventh studio album, they set aside some of their music and created their three-volume collaborative album series, Vultures. The duo released the first installment, Vultures 1, on February 10, 2024.

History

Background

American rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign began collaborating in September 2014 during the production of West's seventh studio album, The Life of Pablo. Ty Dolla Sign co-wrote and provided vocals on two of its singles, "Real Friends" and "Fade". Following its release, the two were reported to have begun working on a collaborative project slated for release that same year, although this never came to fruition.

Ty Dolla Sign also provided uncredited vocals on West's eighth studio album ye (2018), on the tracks "All Mine", "Wouldn't Leave" and "Violent Crimes". That same year, the duo had recorded several songs intended for West's ninth studio album, known at the time as Yandhi, which was delayed indefinitely and ultimately scrapped. Ty Dolla Sign contributed to its unreleased tracks "New Body" and "Sky City". The following year, the album was reannounced as Jesus Is King, which, despite excluding the latter two songs from Yandhi, included a guest appearance from Ty Dolla Sign on "Everything We Need".

Formation and Vultures 1

In October 2023, Ty Dolla Sign confirmed the existence of the duo and their upcoming album via an Instagram post displaying their name ¥$. During a performance in November 2023, he revealed that he had been working with West on the album in Saudi Arabia and that it would be "coming real soon". Videos of the artists recording with rapper Lil Baby also surfaced online.

West and Ty Dolla Sign spent three months recording Vultures 1 in Saudi Arabia, mostly in the city of al-Ula, according to collaborator DJ Camper. British singer ZLYAH, who West inspired, contributed to the writing of the track "Carnival". Record producer Fred Again played snippets of a song by the duo at a club, rumored to be from the album.

The album's first public listening event was announced for February 8, 2024, at Chicago's United Center. Vultures 1 was released independently through West's YZY brand on February 10, 2024, commemorating the 20th anniversary of his debut album The College Dropout. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.

Planned Vultures trilogy

On January 23, 2024, West revealed that the Vultures project would be released as a trilogy, with the first installment, Vultures 1, scheduled for release on February 9, 2024. The second volume, Vultures 2, was set to release on March 8, with the final part, Vultures 3, on April 5, 2024. Vultures 1 was released independently through West's YZY brand on February 10, 2024. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, becoming West's 11th consecutive number-one album and Ty Dolla Sign's first. It also reached the top spot in several other countries.

Vultures 2 is currently in production, with West and Ty Dolla Sign still working on the album. Producer Timbaland and rapper French Montana have announced their involvement in the project. West has stated that Vultures 2 will be sold exclusively on his Yeezy website for $20 instead of being released on streaming platforms like its predecessor. After several delays and uncertainty surrounding the release of Vultures 2, West confirmed the album's official release date. During an interview on Justin LaBoy's The Download podcast, which aired on April 22, 2024, West revealed that Vultures 2 will be released on May 3. This announcement aligns with the date West had previously leaked to a Baby Keem fan page in March when he mistakenly thought the account was the rapper's actual profile. Tracks such as "River" featuring Young Thug and Leon Bridges, the Backstreet Boys-sampling "Everybody" featuring Charlie Wilson, who also appears in "Matthew" along with West's daughter North, "Promotion" featuring Future, the James Blake-assisted "Slide", and "Field Trip" with Playboi Carti, Kodak Black, Lil Durk, and Don Toliver have all been teased.

Controversy

The original artwork for Vultures 1, revealed by West in January 2024, was believed to be inspired by the cover art for Filosofem—an album by black metal artist Burzum (handled and maintained by murderer and neo-Nazi musician Varg Vikernes) as well as painter Caspar David Friedrich, with the album title's font resembling Burzum's typeface. West was also photographed in 2024 wearing a Burzum shirt while standing beside JPEGMafia. In response to the backlash, West and Ty Dolla Sign decided to change the artwork for all three albums in the trilogy. Vultures 1 was released with a new cover art featuring a photograph of West completely obscured by all-black clothing, including an opaque head covering, standing next to his partner, Bianca Censori, with her back turned, wearing stockings and a sheer black cloth around her waist. With the announcement of Vultures 2, the duo revealed the cover for the album featuring Ty Dolla Sign wearing a leather jacket and a mask, standing in the center of a brown background while holding a picture of his brother "Big TC".

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Appearances together

Notes

References