This weekend, rappers Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, and Ty Dolla $ign released their second collaborative album, Vultures 2.
The surprise release came roughly two years after Ye sparked heavy backlash when he shared a series of antisemitic messages online, resulting in him losing his Adidas and Gap partnerships and temporarily being banned from social media sites.
Months prior, Ye faced criticism for his treatment of Kim Kardashian following their divorce.
Kim filed to end her and Ye’s six-year marriage in February 2021, citing “irreconcilable differences.” The rapper hit out at her online months later when she went public with her new relationship with Pete Davidson.
Ye repeatedly referred to Kim as his “wife” in several social media posts, and, at one point, even denied her motion to be legally single.
Ye also shared a series of scathing, now-deleted messages aimed at Pete. He also released a disturbing music video, in which he depicted a cartoon version of the comedian being kidnapped, decapitated, and buried alive.
Now, Ye has seemingly addressed his past marital issues on his new album, with several internet users speculating that his lyrics are aimed at Kim.
In his song “530,” Ye describes his past year as “strange” as he seemingly reflects on coparenting with Kim. The pair share four young children: North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm.
“The past year been a strange time / Visitations on FaceTime / And who gon' break who's heart first? Always just breaks mine,” he sings.
“Looking for blessings that God had hand me / I’m tryna just raise the family, somebody should raise the nanny,” he adds.
Separately, in his song “Husband,” Ye sings about an unnamed person who has “been so long without a man.” He repeatedly sings that this person needs a husband before making a direct reference to Beverly Hills, where Kim lives.
“Neighbors know this shit get out of hand, but they smile / ‘Cause you been so long without a man / And it won't be, and it won't be long 'til you're out of bands / The only thing you really need is a husband,” he sings.
He later adds, “Got a plan for lust, got a plan for Beverly Hills / You know that's where they at / You know that's where they at, Beverly Hills… I don't really wanna go back to that.”
Ye repeats some of these lyrics in the next track, “Lifestyle,” which also features Lil Wayne.