Kanye West fans divided over Vultures removal from streaming services

Kanye West fans are divided over the recent removal of West’s new album from major streaming services.

The rollout for Kanye West’s Vultures 1 has been marred in controversy. Initially scheduled for an early December 2023 release, the album was postponed no less than three times and eventually arrived on streaming services on February 9.

The album made headways on iTunes, where it bowed at No. 1. His song ‘Carnival’ was on task to debut at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, as it competed against Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em.’ But that appears to no longer be the case. Vultures 1 has been yanked from Apple Music and iTunes, with Spotify not too far behind.

FUGA, the album’s distributor, has been actively removing the album. The company refused to work with Ye last year, but reportedly, a FUGA client uploaded the album against their wishes and violated their service agreement. Other streaming services are expected to follow suit.

Wikimedia Commons, Jason Persse

Kany performs in concert

Kanye West fans expressed their delight and frustration over removal

Kanye West fans were unafraid to let their feelings known over the removal of Vultures 1. Many applauded the decision, believing it to be the right move—all things considered.

“Bet no one saw this coming!!!” joked one user. “Ye probably didnt get a single sample cleared!”

“Kanye likes the attention negative publicity gives him,” said another.

“No #1 for you Kanye!” declared a third user.

Another individual simply posted a gif of pop singer Ariana Grande smiling and applauding.

Others, however, pushed back against the decision. “If y’all think this is putting the final nail in the coffin to the powers that be? Get ready for a surprise!!!!” wrote one fan.

“Removing this album will be a big mistake. They should think about this hard and long,” another agreed.

“Whether you like it or not, Kanye West will always be the king,” said a third. “This should be an eye-opener to the upcoming artist.”

To re-release the album to streaming services, Kanye West will likely have to find a new distributor. The rapper is expected to drop Vultures 2, which features a Travis Kelce reference, on March 8. As of this writing, Ye has yet to respond to the newest developments.