It has been a confusing month for West’s fans.
Kanye West’s “Vultures 1,” a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, vanished and then swiftly reappeared on streaming platforms, leaving his fans confused. This happened due to a whirlwind of copyright disputes and backlash over its controversial lyrics.
The Album’s Disappearance and Reappearance: A Timeline
The fluctuating availability of Kanye West’s “Vultures 1” album on streaming platforms has left fans and industry watchers puzzled. If you haven’t kept track, here’s a quick recap:
- February 9, 2024: “Vultures 1” album is released, featuring collaborations with Ty Dolla $ign.
- February 14, 2024: Spotify removes the track “Good (Don’t Die)” after a complaint from Donna Summer’s estate regarding unauthorized sample use.
- February 15, 2024: The album is removed from Apple Music and iTunes, followed by Amazon Music removing the controversial track.
- February 15, 2024 (evening): The “Vultures 1” album reappears on Apple Music, albeit without the disputed track, Good (Don’t Die).
- Latest updates at the time of writing (February 23, 2024): “Good (Don’t Die)” remains unavailable on Spotify and Apple Music, but the “Vultures 1” album remains.
These events happened due to several big issues. We’ll detail them in the next sections.
Reason 1: Infringement Issues
The issue started when the song, “Good (Don’t Die)”, got removed from Spotify on because Donna Summer’s estate said it used part of her 1977 song “I Feel Love” without permission.
A representative for Summer’s estate highlighted the issue, stating:
Another big problem came from Ozzy Osbourne. He was upset that Kanye used a part of Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man” from a 1983 live show without getting okayed.
Osbourne made it clear on social media, saying:
“Kanye West asked permission to sample a section of a 1983 live performance of ‘Iron Man’ from the US Festival without vocals & was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many.”
He added, “He went ahead and used the sample anyway at his album listening party last night. I want no association with this man!”
Reason 2: Kanye’s Antisemitism
On top of these sample issues, Kanye’s past comments that upset the Jewish community also played a part.
Kanye said sorry in December 2023 via a note app using the Hebrew language. This was posted in his Instagram page, but has since been deleted.
Translated, this said:
However, his new album still had lyrics that worried people.
In the album’s opening track, “STARS,”Kanye raps, “I’ma come through and just black out/ Just black out/ Keep a few Jews on the staff now/ I cash out.”
Additionally, in the title track “VULTURES,” he addresses the allegations of antisemitism directly with the lyrics. Here, he said: “How I’m antisemitic? / I just f*cked a Jewish b*tch.”
The mix of legal troubles with samples and Kanye’s history of making offensive remarks led to the decision by music platforms and distributors to pull back from the album.