Despite enduring a significant fallout from his major-label record deal and losing top brand deals due to controversial statements made in the past, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has rallied back with a vengeance, scoring his 11th No. 1 album titled "Vultures 1," as reported by the Chicago Tribune. The album, a collaborative effort with American singer Ty Dolla Sign, arrived after a pair of hyped-up arena events in Chicago and New York, where Ye proved that his fanbase remains loyal with ticket prices soaring beyond the $140 mark.
According to the reports by the Chicago Tribune, "Vultures 1" came out on top, even besting Usher's "Coming Home," a release that snagged the coveted Super Bowl halftime spotlight, yet it appears that not even that high-profile platform could match Ye's independent release engineered to captivate and hold onto an audience that seems to forgive, if not forget his trespasses.
Despite a rocky launch, which included accusations of unauthorized sampling from Black Sabbath and Donna Summer and temporary removal from Apple Music, "Vultures 1" has landed with impressive numbers, as noted by The Strait Times. The album's debut featured equivalent sales of 148,000 in the United States, including 168 million streams and 18,000 copies sold as a complete package.
Substantial challenges seemed to have merely spurred Ye further, the artist known just as much for his musical prowess as for his knack for stirring up the public sphere, rearranged the distribution of his album using his own YZY brand after facing legal pushback and technical hiccups, some tracks like "Good (Don't Die)," which were under scrutiny for potential copyright issues were yanked from the digital release but the album's strength lay not just in the controversy but in its bold claim on the charts, according to numbers from Luminate and reported by The Strait Times.
Rounding out the top five this week beside Ye and Usher were Noah Kahan with "Stick Season" at the third position, country music artist Morgan Wallen with "One Thing At A Time" securing the fourth spot, and singer SZA's "SOS" holding steady at No. 5.
