Ye and Ty Dolla $ign have reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100. Their collaborative, stadium-sounding anthem, “Carnival,” featuring Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti, is the new No. 1 single.
“Carnival” now makes Ye the first rap artist to have a No. 1 in three decades (the 2000s, ‘10s and ‘20s).
According to Luminate, “Carnival” secures the 1,165th No. 1 spot in the 65-year history of the Hot 100. It amassed 33.7 million streams (up 4%), garnered 3.9 million radio airplay audience impressions (up 85%), and sold 3,000 downloads (up 15%) during the tracking week of March 1-7.
With “Carnival,” Ye claims his fifth Hot 100 chart-topper, following hits like Katy Perry’s “E.T.” (featuring Ye), which spent five weeks at No. 1 starting in April 2011, among others. Ty Dolla $ign previously led the Hot 100 for a week in June 2018 as featured on Post Malone’s “Psycho.”
It is the first No. 1 record for Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti.
Additionally, “Carnival” maintains its reign for a second week atop both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts, utilizing a similar multimetric methodology as the Hot 100.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” slips to No. 5 after two weeks at the Hot 100’s summit, although it continues its dominance atop the multimetric Hot Country Songs chart for a fourth consecutive week.
In music, the artist that dominates the charts tends to lead the pack. So, each week, when Billboard reveals the top 10 songs on its Hot 100 chart, entertainers and fans alike pause to comb over the results.
After weeks of streaming battles between music’s biggest names, the new rankings are ready for all to see. Continue below for the track-by-track breakdown for the chart dated March 16.
10. Taylor Swift – “Cruel Summer”
Until Taylor Swift‘s forthcoming album, The Tortured Poets Departmentis released, the Swifties are working hard to ensure the singer doesn’t leave the chart. Instead of latching onto her most recent project, Midnight, they’ve latched onto 2019’s “Cruel Summer.” Her Lover-era is long since over, but the public’s admiration for the track clearly isn’t.
There’s no sleeping on SZA’s sheer star power. The multiple Grammy Award winner’s sophomore album, SOS, is nearly two years old, and yet it still hasn’t left the charts. The project’s fan favorite, “Snooze,” has continued to showcase just how mighty SZA’s pen can be in the No. 8 spot.
The more Zach Bryan travels across the world on his Quittin Time Tour, the more he makes a country music fan out of all within earshot. Undoubtedly, the most addictive song on his self-titled album is “I Remember Everything.” The debut with Kacey Musgraves will surely be looked back on as a classic years down the line. So, it is no wonder why the track sets comfortably at No. 7.
6. Tate McRae – “Greedy”
Uproxx cover star Tate McRae’s recent live performance at the 2024 BRITS gave her breakout hit “Greedy” an added boost on the charts. For 25 weeks, the song has made the Hot 100 chart its home, peaking at No. 3 back in September. But with McRae’s string of live shows and the constant push on TikTok, another surge could be in the works.
5. Beyoncé — “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Beyoncé and her yeehaw agenda is a force to be reckoned with. With Act II only a few weeks away, the project’s lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” won’t loosen its grip on the Beyhive. Although it has fallen out of the No. 1 slot, thanks to the fan-crafted viral lineup, it could gitty up right back to the top quite soon.
4. Benson Boone – “Beautiful Things”
Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things” is showing subtle growth. In prior weeks, the track dropped from its peak position at No. 2 to No. 3. But for the week of March 16, the record climbed a slot up to No. 4.
3. Jack Harlow – “Lovin On Me”
Jack Harlow’s viral sensation “Lovin On Me” has refused to fall out of favor. Like the rapper, the record ebbs and flows based on which way the industry trends. While it currently sits at No. 3, it could very easily snatch its previously held No. 1 position.
2. Teddy Swims – “Lose Control”
Teddy Swims‘ “Lose Control” glides right back into the top two of this week’s Hot 100 chart. Due to its continued popularity, next week could be the moment when the song takes over at No. 1. But for right now, the growth to No. 2 will work just fine for the singer.
1. Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign — “Carnival” Feat. Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti
At No. 1 is none other than Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign. After a fierce battle with Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the collaborative duo Vultures 1 track, “Carnival,” featuring Rich The Kid and Playboi Carti, has snagged the top spot. According to Complex, this marked West’s first No. 1 song in 13 years.
This week’s #Hot100 top 10 (chart dated March 16, 2024)
March 8 has come and gone, and surprising literally no one, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign’s second part of Vultures is nowhere to be found. According to a Kanye fan account on Twitter, YeFantatics, he seems to be looking into a pure direct-to-consumer sales approach, keeping the album off of streaming entirely and just seeling it through his website Yeezy.com.
“Like James Blake said streaming devalues our music,” he insisted, according to a tweet from YeFanatics, relaying a private conversation on Instagram. We sell albums on Yeezy.com. I got 20 million instagram followers. When 5% of my followers buy an album [t]hat’s 1 million albums sold[.] That’s 300k more than the biggest album last year. We sold 1 million items on Yeezy.com on Super Bowl Sunday so we know it’s possible. How do you feel about us not streaming and only selling the album digitally[?]”
Ye: Was talking with the team about how to release the next album
Like James Blake said streaming devalues our music We sell albums on https://t.co/KZ5lBI5zfM
I got 20 million instagram followers When 5% of my followers buy an album.
Truth be told, it’s not a bad idea. More and more artists have been enjoying the freedom and ownership that comes from alternative distribution methods, with platforms like Even allowing fans to more directly support artists without go-betweens like Spotify taking a big cut and paying out the artists pennies on the dollar.
However, let’s be honest; Kanye is probably only “debating” this avenue because it’s the only one open to him at this point. While he previously told YeFanatics the album was delayed because he and Ty are “in the lab” (and it wouldn’t be the first time he’s overshot deadlines over last-minute tweaks to his projects), there’s another possible reason. After all, Vultures 1 was a streaming beast and even some money is better than no money for a project that isn’t out yet.
When he decided to sneak his album out via a connection at FUGA, it doesn’t seem that he considered that the distributor wouldn’t be happy about it and would inevitably plug the leak. Making it a three-part release then burning his backdoor to release only the first part of it was poor strategy on his part — but then, you can’t really expect solid long-term planning from a guy who torched a billion dollars in endorsement deals to prove a point.
Last month, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign released Vultures 1. Unsurprisingly given West’s history of missing scheduled release dates, the project was not released on time. At this point, it’s more of a shock when West releases a project when he says he’s going to. If that’s the case, this morning’s news should not be a surprise: West and Ty’s Vultures 2 was expected to drop at midnight, but as of 8 a.m. ET on March 8, it it not available on streaming platforms.
Yefanatics, a West fan account on X (formerly Twitter), claims to have talked to the rapper about the project. In a screenshot of a supposed conversation with West in an Instagram DM, the page asked the rapper if Vultures 2 will “be available today.” West supposedly responded, “We in the lab,” a reply that doesn’t really indicate when the project will be released, but does appear to convey that West and/or Ty was/were still working on it as of that message.
Meanwhile, Vultures 1 has fared well on the Billboard charts. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 despite being temporarily removed from streaming platforms. On the latest Hot 100 chart, “Carnival” reached a new high at No. 2 after debuting at No. 3 and then falling to No. 4.
Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kanye West hoped to take his Vultures album with Ty Dolla $ign on the road. Unfortunately for him, Live Nation and AEG won’t assist.
According to Hits Daily Double, insiders state neither touring company will move forward with requests on a Ye tour that is being pitched by his agent Cara Lewis. The decision comes despite Ye moving over 10,000 tickets for his events, like the one in Chicago.
It is noted that Chicago companies Jam Productions and SPKRBX collaborated on the United Center booking days before the release.
Ye and Ty Dolla $ign are being sued by the Donna Summer estate for using the icon’s “I Feel Love” in the creation of “Good (Don’t Die).”
The suit is led by Summer’s husband, Bruce Sandano, stating the interpolation was not approved due to Ye’s “controversial history.”
Ye submitted a request for clearance, but it was denied on Feb. 3, 2024, in both written and phone communications. The song was submitted for clearance at Universal Music Enterprises as an alternative but was once again denied.
The estate is now seeking damages of $150,000 for each infringement.
Earlier this week, after Adidas announced a new stock drop of Yeezy sneakers at the end of the month, Kanye hit the net with a message stating he was sued.
“Not only are they putting out fake colorways that are not approved, they are suing me for $250 million,” Ye said. “And they also not paying me for these shoes they are putting out that has my name on it.
“They are using contract clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist – one of y’all favorite artists – right in front of y’all in broad daylight.”
Kanye says Adidas is suing him for 250M while selling Yeezy’s with his name on it without paying him. Other celebrities need to speak out and bring attention to this because it could be them too one day pic.twitter.com/wxBBbiSHHA
Normally, on New Music Friday, new albums will be available on DSPs like Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal at 9 pm PT or midnight ET. However’ Kanye West’s album releases are usually anything but normal. This Friday, March 8, he’s supposedly releasing Vultures 2, his joint album with Ty Dolla Sign, after turning the original Vultures into a three-album project last month (which was also when he revealed its new release date).
After announcing his three-part plans for the reimagined Vultures, Kanye did manage to meet his self-imposed deadline for Vultures 1, but it was released several hours after midnight to the chagrin of his most loyal fans. Even then, there were problems; on Spotify, the album is missing a song due to a copyright infringement complaint from the estate of Donna Summer, while the album isn’t even available on Apple Music after its distributor claimed West had pushed it through via a third party after his partnership offer was rejected.
That means Vultures 2 may not even hit any DSPs unless West and Ty have another trick up their sleeves. However, Vultures 1 managed to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 despite its issues, so don’t be surprised if FUGA changes its tune — after all, like the man said, cash rules everything.
In January, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign announced that their joint project Vultures had been reimagined as three complete albums after several delays to the original release. At the time, they gave three new release dates: February 9, March 8, and April 5. With the first part out already and the second part scheduled for release this New Music Friday, when can fans expect it to hit DSPs like Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal?
With most releases, the answer would be 9 pm PT or midnight ET tonight, but with Kanye West, release dates are more like vague suggestions than hard deadlines. Fans watched the first Vultures release date come and go in December without a hint of the new album, with Kanye insinuating that it might have been Nicki Minaj’s fault for not clearing a verse he asked for at the last minute. A second release date in late December also disappointed fans — but didn’t surprise them — and the third release date, the aforementioned February 9, also nearly passed without the album coming out.
However, while Kanye did manage to get the album out on the day (if not at the expected time), it was not without issues. The album was pulled from Apple Music by its distributor, FUGA, which issued a statement claiming that Kanye had only gotten the album through its service through skullduggery and that it was working with DSPs to have it removed entirely. While it’s still available on Spotify, the song “Good (Don’t Die)” was removed after Donna Summer’s estate filed a lawsuit for copyright infringement over an authorized interpolation of her song “I Feel Love.”
So, Vultures 2 might not even come to Apple Music, unless Kanye has a contingency plan, and even if it does, it almost certainly won’t be at midnight. The rest remains to be seen.
Inglewood singer Sir Daryl Farris — better known mononymously as SiR — has been rolling out his fourth studio album Heavy for the last few weeks, releasing the single “Karma” and even appearing in the NBA’s Celebrity Game for All-Star Weekend. Today, he revealed the cover art and tracklist, which features both his fellow TDE labelmates (Ab-Soul, Isaiah Rashad) and other LA soul veterans (Anderson .Paak, Ty Dolla Sign).
Like labelmate Schoolboy Q, who just dropped his album Blue Lips after a five-year hiatus, SiR is also releasing after a five-year break. His last album, Chasing Summer, came out in 2019 and reached No. 64 on the Billboard 200 chart. It featured appearances from then-labelmate Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Sabrina Claudio, and Smino, among others, and spawned two singles “Hair Down” and fan favorite “John Redcorn.” The five-year album cycle seems to be a trend for Top Dawg Entertainment, with Ab-Soul and Isaiah Rashad both also putting half a decade between their most recent releases.
Heavy is due on March 22 via TDE and RCA.
SiR’s Heavy Tracklist
1. “Intro”
2. “Ignorant” Feat. Ty Dolla Sign
3. “Karma” Feat. Isaiah Rashad
4. “Heavy”
5. “Six Whole Days”
6. “No Evil”
7. “Poetry In Motion” Feat. Anderson .Paak
8. “I’m Not Perfect” Feat. Ab-Soul
9. “You”
10. “Only Human”
11. “Satisfaction”
12. “Life Is Good” Feat. Scribz Riley
13. “Ricky’s Song”
14. “Nothing Even Matters”
15. “Tryin’ My Hardest”
16. “Brighter”
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign may have been spending the past week insisting there’s a conspiracy against them in the recording industry (despite still receiving enough streams for their album, Vultures 1, and its singles that they debuted at No. 1 on Billboard‘s albums chart even challenged Beyoncé for the top Hot 100 spot two weeks in a row), but that may not stop them from continuing to release new projects under the Vultures moniker. Early last week, Timbaland tweeted, “Vulture Vol 2 OTW,” prompting fans to speculate when a second installment of Vultures would be released.
So, take the March 8 release date with a grain of salt, as it’s entirely possible the album could get deleted, canceled, or otherwise delayed at the last minute, without warning. Of course, for anyone still waiting for Kanye West albums in 2024, that possibility probably won’t deter them.
Another day, another lawsuit for Kanye West. Ye and his Vultures partner, Ty Dolla $ign, are being sued by the Donna Summer estate for using the icon’s “I Feel Love” in the creation of “Good (Don’t Die).”
The suit is led by Summer’s husband, Bruce Sandano, stating the interpolation was not approved due to Ye’s “controversial history.”
Ye submitted a request for clearance, but it was denied on Feb. 3, 2024, in both written and phone communications. The song was submitted for clearance at Universal Music Enterprises as an alternative but was once again denied.
The estate is now seeking damages of $150,000 for each infringement.
Earlier this week, after Adidas announced a new stock drop of Yeezy sneakers at the end of the month, Kanye hit the net with a message stating he was sued.
“Not only are they putting out fake colorways that are not approved, they are suing me for $250 million,” Ye said. “And they also not paying me for these shoes they are putting out that has my name on it.
“They are using contract clauses and 50 years of business experience to rape an artist – one of y’all favorite artists – right in front of y’all in broad daylight.”
Kanye says Adidas is suing him for 250M while selling Yeezy’s with his name on it without paying him. Other celebrities need to speak out and bring attention to this because it could be them too one day pic.twitter.com/wxBBbiSHHA
