The Vultures kept the spotlight on Wednesday after Kanye West announced he’s ready to retire from the music industry.
The groundbreaking rapper redefined hip-hop in the 2000s and 2010s, but his legacy has been tarnished by accusations of anti-Semitism and his open support for controversial former US President Donald Trump.
West, 47, is expected to release Vultures 2 later this year, the second of three planned albums with Ty Dolla Sign.
But a recently released text conversation — reportedly between West and fellow rapper Rich The Kid — reveals he’s ready to end his 20-year career in music.
News of his potential retirement from public life inevitably led to mixed reactions on social media, with fans urging him to carry on, while others expressed relief at West’s potential retirement.
The Vultures stayed put on Wednesday after Kanye West indicated he’s ready to retire from the music industry
A recently released text conversation — reportedly between West and fellow rapper Rich The Kid — suggests he’s ready to throw in the towel after his 20-year career in music
A follower of West’s wrote on X, formerly Twitter, clearly unimpressed with West’s recent output: “At least he won’t be ruining his discog anymore.”
A second added: ‘Oh thank god.’
While a third said: ‘Fine, he’s washed and ruining his legacy.’
A fourth commented: ‘It’s madness to leave his legacy out of vultures 1.’
The text, written by a person believed to be West, read: ‘I’m quitting professional music. I don’t know what else to do’
Rich then tried to convince the father of four to reconsider his decision, even citing the recent success of his album Vultures 1 with rapper Ty Dolla Sign.
‘Retired? Why? How? The [people] “I need the music that you, Ty and us made. That is the BIGGEST POST in culture to date. In 2024,” he wrote.
Rich was most notably featured on West and Ty’s lead single, Carnival, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart upon its debut in March.
News of his potential withdrawal from public life inevitably sparked mixed reactions on social media, with many followers expressing relief at West’s potential retirement.
His 10th studio album, Vultures 1 (pictured), was released on February 10. Vultures 2 is expected to be released this year.
The song was also West’s first No. 1 hit in 13 years – his last was Katy Perry’s 2011 single ET
“Leave Ye mine and V2 and we’ll start it all over again,” Rich continued. “The kids need your big bra, maybe some time to relax, but retirement is the name of the game.”
After news of West’s retirement started trending online, Rich deleted the screenshot from his Instagram Story.
This led to speculation among fans that he may have made the post to generate publicity for his upcoming album, Life’s A Gamble.
Just hours later, Rich took to Instagram to announce the release date and preview the tracklist, which includes a new song featuring West.
West, who reportedly co-produced Life’s A Gamble with Ty Dolla $ign, will be featured on track 16, titled Plain Jane.
Fans speculated that Rich may have made the post to generate publicity for his upcoming album, Life’s A Gamble, which features West.
West has two Diamond-certified songs – 2007’s Stronger and 2011’s N***as in Paris featuring Jay-Z – and all 10 of his albums have been certified at least Gold.