On Feb. 8, this writer was in a smoke-filled United Center, in the company of Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z and Y. All of us gathered for the 20th anniversary of Ye West’s College Dropout and the Vultures listening party. West and Ty Dolla $ign have been teasing this release for a few months now.
West and $ign stepped into the spotlight, wearing all black, with both of their faces covered. $ign donned some type of cloth cover, while Kanye sported a white hockey mask and a jacket that bore the number one on the back, signifying volume 1 of Vultures. The “Gold Digger” hitmaker has hosted these types of listening parties before, where, in the past, many of the songs he played sounded unfinished. This time around, the songs sounded incredibly mixed and complete. The bass in the final song, “King,” was so heavy that I had to put in my AirPods with noise cancellation.
North “Ms. Westie” West, Ye’s daughter, got the United Center hyped up when she performed “Talkin/Once Again.” It was great to see the “Jesus Walks” rapper and his daughter up on stage interacting. When North walked back to the area where her friends and family were sitting after her performance, we witnessed the excitement of a little girl who had just done one of the most epic things in her life.
Other standout moments were Bump J coming out to “Vultures” for his hometown crowd and YG taking the stage to perform his verse on “Paperwork.” The dance-inspired track “Paid” that will surely blow up, with a chorus like “I just came to get paid” — you can’t lose. West always manages to bring that Chicago house sound to his projects.
From what I heard, “Vultures” is an amalgamation of Kanye’s music and influences over the years. The controversial lines are there; the style is there; and, most importantly, the music is on point.
In 2024, we are getting another version of Kanye, who is a loving father and seems to be even more fearless than ever — and the people come out to see it every time.
Vultures was released as a surprise drop on Feb. 10. The standout tracks are:
- “Paid”
- “Talkin”
- “Back to Me
- “Carnival”
