Kanye West Claims "Vultures 1" Is No. 1 In 72 Countries, Including Israel

BYGabriel Bras Nevares8.7K Views
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2015 MTV Video Music Awards - Fixed Show
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 30: Vanguard Award winner Kanye West speaks onstage during the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on August 30, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
Everyone's talking about "Vultures" and still dissecting the tracklist, whether its highest highs or its lowest lows.

Folks are still bumping Vultures by Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign everywhere, and it looks like that's translating into commercial success. Moreover, the former has reposted a report on social media that the album is number one in 72 countries, including Israel. He posted it on his Instagram Story this weekend, and a clip also emerged online of him speaking to a crowd and making the same claim. It's unclear what are the exact metrics this report is based on, but there's a lot of ways in which it could manifest: iTunes charts, streaming, or a combination of both. Still, chart data suggested that the project was removed from Apple Music and iTunes charts when it went down temporarily, so how these numbers will manifest is still unclear.

Furthermore, this is a particularly interesting claim because this list of countries apparently includes Israel. Of course, Kanye West wants to highlight this because of his rampant antisemitism references on Vultures, and his bigoted actions and statements off wax. Yet it's probably more of a reflection of his massive reach and scope of visibility as an artist rather than folks agreeing with these stances. As such, we still need a little more time to determine what the general public consensus is when it comes to this album.

Kanye West Claims Vultures Is No. 1 In Israel & Other Countries

In addition to all that, there are also other elements of Vultures that were still rocky before it finally dropped. One of these is, obviously, sample clearance issues, as Ozzy Osbourne took to Twitter recently to blast Kanye West for trying to use a song of his without clearing it properly. It didn't end up on the final version of the album, so we know that the untouched version of the project will probably never come out. But this is part of pretty much every Ye rollot at this point, so it hardly comes as a surprise.

Ye Reposts His Alleged Success

Screenshot via Instagram @kanyewest

Donna Summer's estate also called the Chicago artist out for alleged copyright infringement. It's unclear whether these will simply sweep under the rug or if this will actually provoke a takedown of Vultures. Either way, the damage is definitely done, and now fans are waiting for the next installments and a Ye solo album. To find out whether these Kanye West projects drop or not, come back to HNHH.

About The Author
Gabriel Bras Nevares is a staff writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH while completing his B.A. in Journalism & Mass Communication at The George Washington University in the summer of 2022. Born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Gabriel treasures the crossover between his native reggaetón and hip-hop news coverage, such as his review for Bad Bunny’s hometown concert in 2024. But more specifically, he digs for the deeper side of hip-hop conversations, whether that’s the “death” of the genre in 2023, the lyrical and parasocial intricacies of the Kendrick Lamar and Drake battle, or the many moving parts of the Young Thug and YSL RICO case. Beyond engaging and breaking news coverage, Gabriel makes the most out of his concert obsessions, reviewing and recapping festivals like Rolling Loud Miami and Camp Flog Gnaw. He’s also developed a strong editorial voice through album reviews, think-pieces, and interviews with some of the genre’s brightest upstarts and most enduring obscured gems like Homeboy Sandman, Bktherula, Bas, and Devin Malik.
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