In the past few years, the Chicago rapper Kanye West has descended into madness. The once prolific artist — known for his earlier albums, like “Graduation,” “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” and “The Life of Pablo,” as well as his intricate production work —  released his album “VULTURES 1” on Feb. 9. Amid controversial social media feuds with his divorced wife Kim Kardashian, the death of his mother Donda West, public outbursts and antisemitic remarks, self-proclaimed “Ye” continues to tarnish his legacy with his most recent album.

Following his album “Donda,” Kanye became a consistent name in the media as he made aggressive statements in relation to the Black Lives Matter movement and was pictured during performances wearing “White Lives Matter” apparel and calling the movement “a scam.” Kanye didn’t stop here, as recently he has been quoted blaming the Jewish community for the exploitation of Black culture. The rapper has also consistently taken to social media to publicly argue with Kardashian in relation to the raising of their daughter, North West. 

All of this did not stop Kanye from working on the album “VULTURES 1,” a collaboration album with Los Angeles native rapper Ty Dolla $ign. The two released the album under the name “¥$” while also releasing the album under their own names separately.

Fitting with his previous album “Donda,” “VULTURES 1” had several delays in its production. The album was originally set to release Dec. 15, 2023, but was pushed back several times amid Kanye’s polarizing comments and struggles professionally, like Adidas cutting ties with the rapper and sampling troubles. Kanye used several samples, one of which was a sample from rock artist Ozzy Osbourne that Osbourne said was not cleared for use. Kanye hosted two listening parties prior to the release of “VULTURES 1,” first at the United Center in Chicago and then in the UBS arena in New York City. Both performances were available for streaming with the album releasing on streaming platforms midday Feb. 9.

The album features artists like Freddie Gibs, Playboy Carti, Quavo and Travis Scott, as well as his daughter North. Kanye has been known to address his negative media presence in his albums and “VULTURES 1” is no exception, but does more harm for the rapper than good. 

Throughout the 16 tracks, Kanye seemingly doubles down on antisemitic remarks. In the song “VULTURES,” Kanye has a bar saying he can’t be antisemitic because he has had a sexual encounter with a Jewish woman and includes more overly vulgar language about his promiscuous activities with women. The only notably interesting production work throughout the album comes from the song “CARNIVAL,” where Kanye uses the sports chant version of “Seven Nation Army” mixed with a previous sample in his song “Hell Of A Life.” Playboy Carti takes a lead role in this song, using a deeper voice rather than the baby voice that he is known for.

In the song “BACK TO ME,”  Kanye uses the line “Beautiful, naked, big-titty womеn just don’t fall out the sky, you know?” to further showcase his overtly misogynistic attitude. To even try to put aside the album’s polarizing lyrics and listen to it for its production work will leave listeners disappointed, and does little to impress sonically throughout the album. 

Kanye’s feature of his daughter in the song “TALKING” continues the current culture of rap artists featuring their children in their work and creates a hypocritical view of the Chicago rapper, considering his statements to Kardashian. Rappers like Kanye and Drake have stated their wishes to keep their children out of the media, but then proceed to highlight their children in their highly anticipated albums. 

The album is poorly reminiscent of previous albums like “Donda,” using production work closely associated with Gospel music. In his song “BEG FORGIVENESS,” featuring R&B artist Chris Brown, the second chorus features a choir repeating the refrain “beg forgiveness.” The use of the gospel choir adds depth to the song, but the thematic tone creates the idea that people should be begging the forgiveness of Kanye throughout all of his controversial statements in the media.

The production of “VULTURES 1” is derivative of his previous albums but sees no expansion of his artistry. Kanye’s flows and lyrics are simple and uncreative, filled with multiple derogatory remarks to many groups. “VULTURES 1” not only further diminishes the once-talented artist’s career, but also diminishes rap culture and community, giving into the idea that rap only speaks in negative taste of sex, money and drugs.