Kanye West lyrics on Vultures, from Taylor Swift to the Venice boat scandal with Bianca Censori

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Taylor Swift, Elon Musk, R Kelly, and Bill Cosby are all namechecked on the newest album from music’s most controversial determine, Kanye West.

The disgraced artist, who has brought about uproar with a sequence of antisemitic outbursts in recent times, launched his delayed new undertaking Vultures, a collaboration with fellow rapper TY Dolla $ign, over the weekend.

Uncredited visitor appearances come from Chris Brown and rappers together with Travis Scott, Quavo, Playboi Carti, Rich the Kid, and Quavo. Timbaland and British digital artist James Blake are amongst the document’s prolonged listing of producers.

Here’s a breakdown of the album’s most distinguished lyrical references to West’s tumultuous life, from his feud with pop famous person Swift to the infamous scandal involving a Venice boat and West’s spouse, Bianca Censori.

Swift is talked about on the album’s twelfth observe, “Carnival”.

West raps: “Why she say she sucked my d***?/ Then she say she ain’t sucked my d*** / She gon’ take it up the ass, like a ventriloquist / I mean since Taylor Swift/ since I had the Rollie on the wrist / I’m the new Jesus, b****, I turn water to Cris’.”

On the identical observe, he asks: “Elon where my rocket ship?/ It’s time to go home.”

He compares himself to R&B singer R Kelly and former comedian and TV personality Bill Cosby, both of whom have been convicted of sexual assault, along with P Diddy (real name Sean Combs) who was accused of sexual assault in multiple lawsuits last year. Combs denied the allegations.

“Now I’m Ye Kelly, b**** (Ha), now, I’m Bill Cosby, b**** (Ha) / Now, I’m Puff Daddy wealthy (Ha), that’s MeToo me wealthy,” West raps.

West and Swift appeared to quickly mend the rift created after the rapper infamously crashed the pop star’s 2009 Video Music Awards acceptance speech to say that Beyoncé “had one of the best videos of all time”.

The pair have been photographed collectively at the Grammy Awards in 2015, and Swift even joked about being West’s working mate when he stated he was going to run for president.

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In 2016, nonetheless, one other feud between the pair erupted when West launched his single “Famous”, which included the lyrics: “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex/ Why? I made that b**** famous.”

After Swift denied that she had consented to West’s line, his then-wife Kim Kardashian leaked a recording of a telephone name the place the singer appeared to approve the lyric. The full dialog – which was launched in 2020 – confirmed that she didn’t.

On the tenth observe, “Fuk Sumn”, West seems to allude to a scandal final 12 months by which he and his spouse, Bianca Censori, have been reportedly banned from a Venice boat firm after allegedly taking part in a lewd act whereas on board considered one of its vessels.

West was photographed with Australian architectural designer Censori, 28, whereas having fun with a boat trip in Venice at the finish of August 2023. Paparazzi images confirmed West with his trousers down and rear finish uncovered, whereas Censori appeared to be crouching between his legs.

After the pictures went viral on social media, the boat firm shared a press release declaring that the couple have been not welcome on future journeys.

On the closing tune, “King”, West backtracks on the apology he provided for his antisemitism in December, and as a substitute declares that he’s “still the king” regardless of all of his controversies.

“Crazy, bipolar, antisemite,” he raps, per lyrics web site Genius. “And I’m still the king/ Still the king/ Still/ They thought headlines was my kryptonite/ Still the king.”

Meanwhile, he makes mild of the antisemitism row on title observe “Vultures”, launched as the album’s lead single final 12 months, rapping: “I ain’t antisemitic, I just f***ed a Jewish b****.”

In 2022, West made a sequence of remarks, together with a tweet that stated he was “going death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE … You guys have toyed with me and tried to black ball anyone whoever opposes your agenda”.

In a later look on Infowards, a present hosted by right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, West stated he “likes Hitler” and insisted: “We’ve got to stop dissing the Nazis all the time.”

Sports and leisurewear model Adidas lower ties with West after his feedback, which wiped his billionaire standing in a single day.

In a press release at the time, Adidas branded the remarks “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous”, including that they “violate the company’s values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness”.

West has drawn the ire of rocker Ozzy Osbourne over Vultures, after allegedly sampling Black Sabbath’s tune “War Pigs” with out permission.

Osbourne claimed final week that West had been denied permission to pattern the observe due to his antisemitic statements. “He is an antisemite and has caused untold hurt to many,” the musician wrote, including: “I want no association with this man!”

A Black Sabbath pattern continues to be featured on the album, however it’s a pattern of the band’s 1970 tune “Iron Man”, which is used on “Carnival”.

On “Back to Me”, West samples a second from Kevin Smith’s 1999 movie Dogma by which actor Jason Mewes declares: “I fell in love with you – we fell in love with you! Guys like us don’t just fall out of the f***ing sky, you know?”

The rapper later sings one other quote from the identical film as a chorus: “Beautiful big-tittied butt-naked women don’t just fall out the sky y’know.”

The lyric is presumably a reference to West’s ex, Kim Kardashian, whom he additionally famously referenced whereas ad-libbing on his 2010 hit “Runaway”, on which he added the closing traces: “I need you to run right back, baby/ More specifically, Kimberly.”

West and Kardashian’s divorce was finalised in November 2022. They share 4 kids collectively: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.

His final main launch was his 2021 album Donda, itself a controversial undertaking that included an look by Marilyn Manson, simply weeks after the rock musician was accused of sexual and bodily abuse by a number of girls.