Kanye West Secures First No. 1 Hit Since Antisemitism Controversies With ‘Carnival'

 

"Vultures 1" previously topped the Billboard 200.

Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s song “Carnival,” from their collaborative album “Vultures 1,” topped the Billboard Hot 100 this week, giving West his first No. 1 hit in the United States in more than a decade—despite the antisemitism controversies that threatened his career and the album’s rocky rollout.

West and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Carnival” displaces Beyoncé’s country hit, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” at the top of this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart.

West’s last No. 1 hit was in 2011 as a featured artist on Katy Perry’s “E.T.,” while his last solo chart-topper was “Stronger” in 2007.

“Carnival” rose to No. 1 in its fourth week after hovering in the top five thanks to gains across all metrics measured by Billboard: streaming figures, radio airplay and digital downloads.

The song was streamed more than 33 million times in the past week, a 4% increase from the week prior, while its 3.9 million radio airplay impressions nearly doubled its total from the week prior, Billboard reported.

“Vultures 1” also spends this week at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 album chart after ranking No. 1 for its first two weeks on the chart.

KEY BACKGROUND

West has achieved chart success with “Carnival” and “Vultures 1” despite the antisemitism controversies that threatened to derail his career. In 2022, West—then estimated to be worth $2 billion by Forbes—was dropped from his Adidas partnership after making a series of bizarre statements widely condemned as antisemitic, including a tweet that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE.” After losing his Adidas deal, West’s net worth crumbled to an estimated $400 million.

TANGENT

West’s album rollout for “Vultures 1” has also been marred by several other controversies. Ozzy Osbourne said in an X post last month he denied West permission to sample his 1983 live performance of “Iron Man” on “Carnival,” calling West an antisemite, and he reportedly threatened legal action. The song was reportedly released without the sample. Donna Summer’s estate reportedly filed a lawsuit in federal court in Los Angeles alleging West sampled her 1977 song, “I Feel Love,” after being denied permission. West’s song, “Good (Don’t Die),” has been unavailable on Spotify since last month over the Summer sample dispute. “Vultures 1” was also briefly pulled from Apple Music and iTunes last month after distributor FUGA said it was working to remove the album from streaming services. The distributor said it had declined to release “Vultures 1,” but claimed it was instead released through the platform’s automatic processes by a longstanding FUGA client, “violating our service agreement.” The album still debuted atop the Billboard 200 despite being unavailable on streaming for part of the tracking week.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

When West’s “Vultures 1” follow-up, “Vultures 2,” will drop. The album was slated to release Friday, Billboard reported, but it has yet to arrive. A West fan account, Ye Fanatics, posted screenshots of direct messages they say West sent them this week, claiming West told them he may not release “Vultures 2” on streaming services because streaming “devalues music.” Instead, he said he may release the album solely for purchase on his website.