Ye and Ty Dolla $ign: Why ‘Vultures 3’ Shouldn’t Be Released

After months of anticipation, delays, and vague teasers, Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s Vultures 2 album finally dropped this past weekend. The fanfare, however, was surprisingly minimal. Following a confusing rollout, an unsatisfactory quality of the project, and mixed reviews from fans, it’s evident that Vultures 3 shouldn’t be released.

When Ye announced last week that Vultures 2 would drop on August 2nd, the date passed without the album’s release, true to Ye’s unpredictable nature. The project, initially scheduled for March 8, was delayed for the third time. Vultures 2 officially released on August 3 around 3 a.m. EST and the fan response was lackluster.

Considering almost every one of Ye’s albums, including Vultures 1 back in February, was met with cultural excitement, the tepid reaction to Vultures 2 is telling. The album was packed with guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Future, Kodak Black, Playboi Carti, Don Toliver, Lil Baby, and more. As far as content, Ye threw shade at Adidas, Drake, his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, and others on the project. Despite the star power and drama, the album’s flaws were too glaring to ignore.

Other than Ye’s most die-hard fans, listeners took to social media with complaints about the album. They accused Ye of using AI vocals and criticized him for changing songs at the last minute or omitting unreleased fan favorites like “Everybody,” which likely was scrapped due to sample clearance issues. One fan noted that the beat for “Sky City” was made for Jay-Z over two decades ago.

Moreover, Ye faced accusations of using artists’ samples without permission. Portishead called out Ye on X (formerly Twitter) for sampling “Machine Gun” on “Field Trip” without permission. Ty and Ye were also called out by singer Swsh for using a sample of “Break the Fall (Acoustic)” without the band’s consent. Swsh posted a video on Instagram, claiming Ye fans thanked him for clearing the sample while he learned about it only after the album dropped.

“It sounds unfinished and honestly, it’s just as bad as V1 to me,” one fan tweeted about Vultures 2. “It’s just sad to see Kanye’s music career going out like this.” Another X user criticized the album, stating, “Man vultures 2 was so A*S, first him saying ‘f**k his ex-wife’ like 7 times, then on top of that, the unfinished/bad mixing, and why did bro change the demo track on lifestyle???? AND ON TOP OF THAT AN AI KANYE VERSE????? WTF WAS BRO THINKING.”

With all these accusations and general disdain for the album, it’s unlikely Vultures 3 would fare any better. Similar controversies already diluted the impact of Vultures 1. Donna Summer’s estate sued Ye and Ty for using an unauthorized sample of Donna’s “I Feel Love” on their “Good (Don’t Die)” song. Despite an undisclosed settlement, “Good (Don’t Die)” has not returned to streaming services.

Vultures 2’s quality has sparked online debate but the album’s rollout wasn’t as strong as its predecessor. Leading up to Vultures 1, Ye and Ty held cinematic raves in Miami and Las Vegas, with a livestreamed listening party in a cramped hotel room in Las Vegas. They also took their rave listening events to Chicago and New York, giving fans plenty of time to digest the album.

In contrast, Vultures 2 had upcoming listening parties scheduled for Salt Lake City on August 9, South Korea on August 23, and Taiwan on August 25. However, details about ticketing and venues remained scarce, lacking the buzz and excitement of the V1 events.

There was significant confusion about Vultures 2’s release. A prospective date of May 3 came and went with no album. Ye remained silent for months, leaving fans in uncertainty. Ty Dolla $ign provided vague updates, telling concert crowds the album was coming “soon,” and in May, told YouTuber Vitaly Zdorovetskiy it could drop “Any day now. It could be tomorrow.”

During the same conversation, Ty mentioned the album would be released exclusively on Ye’s YZY app, which didn’t happen. As Ty tried to hype the project, fans seemed to forget about it. By the end of May, the feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar eclipsed anything Ye did, even when he tried to add himself to the mix by dissing Drake on a remix of Future and Metro Boomin’s “Like That,” which Ye couldn’t clear.

Despite all this, there’s hope Vultures 2 could still make an impact. Eric J. Cui, reportedly the Yeezy Chief of Staff, claimed on Instagram on August 6 that there were “more surprises on the way” for some tracks, with six songs already updated. Ye had previously mentioned the album would be adjusted in real-time, so fans might hear a completely different project in the coming weeks.

Still, with the confusion and controversies surrounding Vultures 1 and 2 and the sloppy rollout, repeating this process for a third time feels exhausting. If the result is as confusing and disappointing as Vultures 2 and a downgrade from V1, Vultures 3 should remain unreleased at all costs.

Source: source names