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A year and a half ago, the career of Ye, the rapper, producer and controversy-generator formerly known as Kanye West, seemed all but dead. After a series of anti-Semitic comments in late 2022, Ye lost his major label record deal and his booking agent, along with lucrative fashion partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga and other brands.
But many of his fans never completely abandoned him. And now Ye has the 11th No. 1 album of his career with “Vultures 1,” a joint LP with singer Ty Dolla Sign that Ye released on his own, following a preview this month with stadium events in Chicago and Long Island where tickets were for $140 and up. Ye and Ty Dolla Sign’s new LP surpasses “Coming Home,” the comeback release from Usher, who had perhaps the best platform available to any artist: the Super Bowl halftime show.
Ye had been teasing “Vultures 1” since late last year and, following a pattern that long preceded her recent pariah status in the industry, the album’s release was shaky and chaotic. Following its release to digital services following a listening event on February 9, the LP’s availability briefly wavered and Ye was quickly accused of borrowing music from Black Sabbath and Donna Summer without permission.
Last week, “Vultures 1” briefly disappeared from Apple Music again and became unavailable as a download, while behind the scenes there was a change 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 hit “I Feel Love,” was also removed from online versions from the album.
“Vultures 1” finished its first week with the equivalent of 148,000 sales in the United States, including 168 million streams and 18,000 copies sold as a complete package, according to tracking service Luminate. It is Ye’s first number one album since “Donda” in 2021.
Usher scores his highest-charting album in 12 years, with “Coming Home” peaking at No. 2 following the R&B veteran’s performance at the Super Bowl on February 11, with guests including Alicia Keys, 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,” peaked at No. 5 in 2016, and “Looking 4 Myself” peaked at No. 1 in 2012.
Also this week, Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is No. 3, Morgan Wallen’s “One Thing at a Time” is No. 4, and SZA’s “SOS” is No. 5.