\n<\/p>\n
A year and a half ago, the career of Ye \u2014 the rapper, producer and controversy generator formerly known as Kanye West \u2014 seemed all but dead. After a series of antisemitic remarks in late 2022, Ye lost his major-label record deal and booking agent, along with lucrative fashion partnerships with Adidas, Balenciaga and other brands.<\/p>\n
But he was never quite abandoned by many of his fans. And now Ye has the 11th No. 1 album of his career with \u201cVultures 1,\u201d a joint LP with the singer Ty Dolla Sign that Ye released on his own, after previewing it this month with arena events<\/a> in Chicago and Long Island where tickets went for $140 and up. Ye and Ty Dolla Sign\u2019s new LP beats \u201cComing Home,\u201d<\/a> the comeback release by Usher, who had perhaps the greatest platform available to any performer: the Super Bowl halftime show<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ye had been teasing \u201cVultures 1\u201d since late last year<\/a>, and, fitting a pattern that long preceded his recent industry-pariah status, the album\u2019s rollout was stumbling and chaotic. After its release to digital services following a listening event on Feb. 9, the LP\u2019s availability briefly flickered, and Ye was quickly accused of borrowing music by Black Sabbath and Donna Summer without permission.<\/p>\n Last week, \u201cVultures 1\u201d again disappeared<\/a> for a short time from Apple Music and was made unavailable as a download, while behind the scenes there was a switch in the distribution platform that Ye\u2019s brand YZY used to supply the album to digital services. The song \u201cGood (Don\u2019t Die),\u201d which appears to borrow a melody from Summer\u2019s hit \u201cI Feel Love,\u201d was also removed from online versions<\/a> of the album.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n \u201cVultures 1\u201d ended its first week with the equivalent of 148,000 sales in the United States, which includes 168 million streams and 18,000 copies sold as a complete package, according to the tracking service Luminate. It is Ye\u2019s first No. 1 album since \u201cDonda\u201d<\/a> in 2021.<\/p>\n Usher scores his highest-charting album in 12 years, with \u201cComing Home\u201d arriving at No. 2 after the R&B veteran\u2019s performance at the Super Bowl on Feb. 11, with guests including Alicia Keys, Lil Jon and Ludacris. \u201cComing Home,\u201d also released independently, had the equivalent of 91,000 sales, including 46 million streams and 53,000 traditional sales. Usher\u2019s last studio album, \u201cHard II Love,\u201d went to No. 5 in 2016, and \u201cLooking 4 Myself\u201d reached No. 1 in 2012.<\/p>\n Also this week, Noah Kahan\u2019s \u201cStick Season\u201d is No. 3, Morgan Wallen\u2019s \u201cOne Thing at a Time\u201d is No. 4 and SZA\u2019s \u201cSOS\u201d is No. 5.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n