No Kanye West project ever comes without controversy. His Ty Dolla Sign joint album Vultures 1 is no different. Today (February 15), Vultures 1 was removed from Apple Music.
The album arrived last Friday (February 9) following numerous delays. However, according to a spokesperson from music distributing company FUGA, the company was never supposed to drop the album.
Why was Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign’s Vultures 1 Removed From Apple Music?
In a statement to Billboard, a spokesperson for FUGA said the company never officially agreed to distribute the album.
“Late last year, FUGA was presented with the opportunity to release Vultures 1. Exercising our judgment in the ordinary course of business, we declined to do so. On Friday, February 9, 2024, a long-standing FUGA client delivered the album Vultures 1 through the platform’s automated processes, violating our service agreement. Therefore, FUGA is actively working with its DSP partners and the client to remove Vultures 1 from our systems.”
This isn’t the only controversy the album has faced in the days since its release. Both Ozzy Osbourne and the estate of Donna Summer have said that West had previously asked to sample or interpolate works of theirs, however, they both denied. West used the samples anyway.
Since the album’s initial removal, Billboard has reported that the album is now back on Apple Music, now distributed through Label Engine.
Representatives for Label Engine, Apple Music, and Ty Dolla Sign did not immediately return our request for comment.
Ty Dolla Sign is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.