{ "id": "ep7cd9psbz", "slug": "ep7cd9psbz", "title": "¥$", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music" }, { "id": "culture.music.people", "label": "Musicians and ensembles", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.people" }, { "id": "culture.music.people.ensembles", "label": "Ensembles and groups", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.people.ensembles" }, { "id": "culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands", "label": "Rock, pop, and metal bands", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands" }, { "id": "culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups", "label": "Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups" }, { "id": "culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb", "label": "Hip-hop and R&B duos", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb", "label": "United States · 2021 and later: Hip-hop and R&B duos", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb", "path": [ { "id": "geo.us", "label": "United States", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021", "label": "United States · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music", "label": "Music", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people", "label": "Musicians and ensembles", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles", "label": "Ensembles and groups", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands", "label": "Rock, pop, and metal bands", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups", "label": "Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups" }, { "id": "geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb", "label": "Hip-hop and R&B duos", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.us.t2021.culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb" } ] } ], "excerpt": "¥$ is the hip-hop duo of Ye (Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign. They released the single \"Vultures\" (2023) and the albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024), which debuted at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Billboard 200.", "snippet": "¥$ is the hip-hop duo of Ye (Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign. They released the single \"Vultures\" (2023) and the albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2 (2024), which debuted at Nos. 1 and 2 on the Billboard 200.", "node": "culture.music.people.ensembles.ensembles-popular-bands-duos-supergroups.duos-hiphop-rnb", "markdown": "# ¥$\n\n**¥$** is an American hip-hop duo formed by the rapper and producer Ye (formerly [Kanye West](https://www.edgepedia.org/kanye-west)) and the singer and rapper Ty Dolla $ign, described by Axios as a hip-hop super duo.[1](https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/02/07/kanye-west-ye-listening-party-ty-dolla-sign) The pair announced a collaborative album tentatively titled ¥$ in October 2023, released the single \"Vultures\" in November 2023, and followed with the albums *Vultures 1* (February 2024) and *Vultures 2* (August 2024), which debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard 200 respectively.[2](https://apnews.com/article/4d7bf94f9b1ab9597a776e863e4e4750)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Members | Ye (Kanye West) and Ty Dolla $ign, billed as the duo ¥$[3](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and) |\n| Albums | *Vultures 1* (February 2024) and *Vultures 2* (August 3, 2024), the latter on the YZY label[4](https://soulinstereo.com/2024/02/album-review-kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1.html) • [5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-album-review/) |\n| Chart peaks | *Vultures 1* and *Vultures 2* debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard 200[2](https://apnews.com/article/4d7bf94f9b1ab9597a776e863e4e4750) |\n| Planned scope | West described *Vultures 1* as the first of a three-part joint project series[3](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and) |\n\n## Formation and background\n\nYe and Ty Dolla $ign were longtime collaborators before forming the duo, having both appeared on the tracks \"Ego Death,\" \"Everything We Need,\" \"Real Friends,\" \"Only One,\" and \"Junya Pt 2\".[3](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and)\n\nThe pairing followed a period of commercial exile for Ye. After a series of antisemitic remarks in 2022, he was dropped by major corporate partners including Adidas, Gap, and [Balenciaga](https://www.edgepedia.org/balenciaga).[6](https://www.yeuniverse.com/song/v1-vultures) The Guardian reported that the controversy left West without a record label and an estimated $1.5 billion poorer after Adidas cut ties with him, and, according to a now-deleted Instagram post, unable to book a tour because venues had blacklisted him.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/12/kanye-west-ty-dolla-ign-vultures-1-review-weak-lyrics-from-a-witless-edgelord)\n\n## \"Vultures\" (single)\n\nThe title track \"Vultures\" was previewed on DJ Pharris's show on WPWX Power 92 Chicago six days before its release and self-released on November 22, 2023. The version previewed on radio featured West alongside [Ty Dolla Sign](https://www.edgepedia.org/ty-dolla-sign), Bump J, and [Lil Durk](https://www.edgepedia.org/lil-durk). The song was written by Kanye West, Ty Dolla Sign, and [Cyhi the Prynce](https://www.edgepedia.org/cyhi-the-prynce), and produced by both lead artists alongside Ambezza, Gustave Rudman, Jae Deal, Jasper Harris, Marlonwiththeglasses, Ojivolta, Prodbyjuice, and Wheezy.\n\nA fan encyclopedia describes the track as the conceptual center of the album, an explicit engagement with the predatory attention surrounding Kanye during his period of public crisis, with the vulture metaphor rooted in his experience of being dropped by Adidas, Gap, and Balenciaga in 2022.[6](https://www.yeuniverse.com/song/v1-vultures)\n\n## Vultures 1\n\n*Vultures 1* arrived in February 2024 after multiple postponed releases.[4](https://soulinstereo.com/2024/02/album-review-kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1.html) The Wabash Bachelor reported the album as Ye's 13th studio album, released February 10, 2024, nearly 900 days after his previous LP, *Donda*.[8](https://media.wabash.edu/bachelor/Bachelor-2024-02-16.pdf) Ye and Ty unveiled the project with two sold-out arena-sized listening parties in Chicago and New York, the latter including an appearance from [Playboi Carti](https://www.edgepedia.org/playboi-carti).[3](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and) The album features North West, Playboi Carti, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Quavo, Travis Scott, Chris Brown, Rich the Kid, Bump J, and Lil Durk, among others.[3](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and)\n\n**Critical reception was mixed.** Pitchfork scored the album 5.8, with reviewer Paul A. Thompson writing that the project \"actually sounds finished, but hardly puts anything worth remembering onto it\".[9](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1/) The Guardian's Alexis Petridis found bright moments, mostly from vocalist Ty Dolla $ign, but called West's own verses profoundly depressing.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/12/kanye-west-ty-dolla-ign-vultures-1-review-weak-lyrics-from-a-witless-edgelord) The Washington Post's Chris Richards called it probably Ye's most cogent effort in years, while noting how little that meant considering his past three outings, \"Ye,\" \"Jesus Is King,\" and \"Donda,\" seemed to fall apart as you listened to them.[10](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/02/13/kanye-vultures-review/) NME's review was headlined \"mired in misogyny\" but noted highlights such as \"Burn,\" so sublime in its soulful sound that, before Ye starts rapping, a listener could be fooled into thinking they had jumped into a time machine back to 2004.[11](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1-review-lyrics-tracklist-3585917) The YouTube reviewer [Anthony Fantano](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-fantano) called the album \"unreviewable\".[12](https://eagleera.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/february-2024.pdf)\n\n## Vultures 2 and after\n\n*Vultures 2* was released on August 3, 2024, on the YZY label.[5](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-album-review/) Reception was harsher than for the first volume. The Guardian described it as containing some of Ye's most jaded, degraded moments, with lyrics veering from nihilistic provocation to drunken messages to his ex-wife, and music that was equally erratic and confused.[13](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/06/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-review) Pitchfork wrote that listening to *Vultures 2*, the sequel to Ye and Ty Dolla $ign's surprisingly coherent collab from February, is more akin to being imprisoned inside an Akademiks livestream.[14](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2/) A student review in The Clarion described the album as an unfinished draft and noted speculation about whether the duo would release a predecessor to their divisive first album.[15](https://www.ccclarion.com/2024/10/07/review-an-unfinished-draft-kanye-ty-dolla-igns-vultures-2/)\n\nCommercially the project succeeded despite the controversy: the two albums debuted at No. 1 and No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and the Guardian noted that plenty of fans remained after the 2022 controversy, spurring Ye to his biggest commercial success in years.[2](https://apnews.com/article/4d7bf94f9b1ab9597a776e863e4e4750) • [13](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/06/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-review) In 2025 Ty Dolla $ign returned to solo work with *[Tycoon](https://www.edgepedia.org/tycoon-album)*, his fifth studio album and first full-length solo release in five years, and the Associated Press raised the question of whether the duo would reunite.[2](https://apnews.com/article/4d7bf94f9b1ab9597a776e863e4e4750) [El País](https://www.edgepedia.org/el-pais) reported that Ye released the two Vultures albums with Ty Dolla Sign the previous year and was set to release his twelfth solo studio album, *[Bully](https://www.edgepedia.org/bully-album)*, on September 26.[16](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-09-20/el-declive-de-kanye-west-al-detalle-el-documental-que-muestra-las-pocas-luces-y-muchas-sombras-de-seis-anos-de-su-vida.html)\n\n## The duo in context\n\n¥$ belongs to the rapper-and-singer pairing tradition in hip-hop. Commentary on the duo format notes that two artists trading lead roles can produce chemistry that solo records rarely match, that being in a duo forces both artists to be at their very best, and that filler tracks are far less likely when there are at least two sets of critical and competitive eyes on a project.[17](https://djbooth.net/features/2017-08-02-why-we-need-more-hip-hop-duos/) In ¥$ the division of roles followed that pattern: reviewers consistently identified Ty Dolla $ign's hooks and vocals as the element holding the albums together, with the Standard writing that of all of Vultures' cast members, Ye's new bandmate brings the most cohesion and consistency, helping to vaguely hold together the album's disparate, fragmented ideas.[18](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1-album-review-b1138689.html) Time's list of the best albums of 2024 noted that Ty Dolla $ign's own fifth album found him processing the recoil of working with his controversial idol, Ye, on *Vultures 1*.[19](https://time.com/7200132/best-albums-2024/)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Ye returns to Chicago for listening party, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2024/02/07/kanye-west-ye-listening-party-ty-dolla-sign)\n2. [Ty Dolla $ign returns with 'Tycoon,' his first solo album in five years, Associated Press](https://apnews.com/article/4d7bf94f9b1ab9597a776e863e4e4750)\n3. [Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's 'Vultures 1' Album: Features and Production Credits, Complex](https://au.complex.com/music/a/cmplxtara-mahadevan/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-signs-vultures-1-album-features-and)\n4. [Album Review: Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign, Vultures 1, Soul In Stereo](https://soulinstereo.com/2024/02/album-review-kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1.html)\n5. [Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign 'Vultures 2' Review, Slant Magazine](https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-album-review/)\n6. [Vultures, Vultures 1, Ye Universe](https://www.yeuniverse.com/song/v1-vultures)\n7. [Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign: Vultures 1 review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/12/kanye-west-ty-dolla-ign-vultures-1-review-weak-lyrics-from-a-witless-edgelord)\n8. [The Bachelor, Wabash College, February 16, 2024](https://media.wabash.edu/bachelor/Bachelor-2024-02-16.pdf)\n9. [¥$ / Kanye West / Ty Dolla $ign: VULTURES 1 Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kanye-west-and-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1/)\n10. [Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' is slim pickings, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/2024/02/13/kanye-vultures-review/)\n11. [Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign – 'Vultures 1' review: mired in misogyny, NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1-review-lyrics-tracklist-3585917)\n12. [Eagle Era, February 2024](https://eagleera.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/february-2024.pdf)\n13. [Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign: Vultures 2 review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/article/2024/aug/06/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2-review)\n14. [¥$ / Kanye West / Ty Dolla $ign: VULTURES 2 Album Review, Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-2/)\n15. [Review: An unfinished draft: Kanye & Ty Dolla $ign's 'VULTURES 2', The Clarion](https://www.ccclarion.com/2024/10/07/review-an-unfinished-draft-kanye-ty-dolla-igns-vultures-2/)\n16. [El declive de Kanye West al detalle, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2025-09-20/el-declive-de-kanye-west-al-detalle-el-documental-que-muestra-las-pocas-luces-y-muchas-sombras-de-seis-anos-de-su-vida.html)\n17. [From Rae Sremmurd to Run The Jewels, Why We Need More Hip-Hop Duos, DJBooth](https://djbooth.net/features/2017-08-02-why-we-need-more-hip-hop-duos/)\n18. [Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign - Vultures 1 album review, The Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/music/kanye-west-ty-dolla-sign-vultures-1-album-review-b1138689.html)\n19. [The 10 Best Albums of 2024, Time](https://time.com/7200132/best-albums-2024/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Ensembles and groups › Rock, pop, and metal bands › Musical duos, supergroups, and collaborative projects › Hip-hop and R&B duos*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"¥$\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[¥$](https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz](https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"¥$\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/ep7cd9psbz. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "¥$ is the hip-hop duo of Ye and Ty Dolla $ign. They released the single \"Vultures\" and the albums Vultures 1 and Vultures 2, which debuted at Nos." }