Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s VULTURES 1 secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart during its debut week.
On Sunday (Feb. 18), the publication reported that the joint effort amassed 148,000 album-equivalent units, with streaming units contributing 129,000, sales at 18,000, and TEA units at 1,000. The achievement placed Kanye alongside Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand, each with 11 No. 1 LPs.
Ahead of him are Drake and Taylor Swift with 13, JAY-Z with 14, and The Beatles leading with 19 No. 1 albums. For Ty Dolla, this marked his first No. 1 and his second appearance in the Top 10 overall, following 2020’s Featuring Ty Dolla Sign.
Reacting to the project’s success, Kanye told Complex, “It’s a beautiful time.” Meanwhile, Ty Dolla echoed the sentiment on his Instagram Stories by signaling the number one with his index finger.
VULTURES 1 came out on Feb. 10 after numerous delays. It boasted contributions from North West, Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Quavo, YG, Nipsey Hussle and more. Standout cuts included “KEYS TO MY LIFE,” “BACK TO ME” featuring Freddie Gibbs, “DO IT” and “CARNIVAL.” The last-mentioned track is currently vying for No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Along the way, the LP faced a number of sample and distribution challenges. VULTURES 1 was briefly removed from streaming services due to a dispute with FUGA, who claimed it was uploaded without authorization. The project quickly returned to platforms under Label Engine.
Fans will get a chance to see Kanye and Ty Dolla perform live in Milan on Thursday (Feb. 22) and Paris on Friday (Feb. 23). The pair are also slated to headline Rolling Loud California 2024 in March. They joined a lineup featuring Future with Metro Boomin, Nicki Minaj and Post Malone, among others. VULTURES 2 is expected to hit DSPs on March 8, just a week before the festival.