"530" is a song by the American hip hop superduo ¥$, composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign, from their second studio album, Vultures 2 (2024). It was recorded during the sessions for West's demo album, Donda 2 (2022). West handled the production alongside Ty, BoogzDaBeast, E*vax, and FnZ. The song was updated after the release of the album, with alterations to the sound effects and some of the vocals. An R&B number, it samples Swsh's "Break the Fall (Acoustic)" and was noted for an unfinished sound.

"530"
Song by ¥$
from the album Vultures 2
ReleasedAugust 3, 2024
Recorded2022
GenreR&B
Length4:49
LabelYZY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Lyrically, the song features West lamenting Kim Kardashian's parenting skills and prevention of his access to their children after their divorce. "530" received generally mixed reviews from music critics, who were split in their feelings towards the lyrical content. Some criticized its unfinished sound, although a few critics praised West's clarity and the composition. The song reached numbers 16 and 37 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts, respectively.

Background and recording

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On February 10, 2024, Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign released Vultures 1, their debut album as ¥$ and the first in their Vultures series.[1] The duo had previously collaborated on multiple tracks, including the singles "Only One" (2014) and "Ego Death" (2020). Their most recent collaboration was "Junya pt 2" from West's 2021 album Donda.[2][3] In March 2024, Ty Dolla Sign acknowledged his loyalty to West for having believed in the rapper during both his successes and failures.[4]

"530" was recorded for West's demo album Donda 2 in 2022, at the time of his divorce from media personality Kim Kardashian and it leaked online from the sessions.[5][6] The song was first revealed on an early tracklist, having been set for inclusion on the album.[7][8] It remained largely unchanged from the original, besides an additional insult from West towards Canadian musician Drake.[7] On August 4, 2024, American singer Swsh reacted to praise of "Break the Fall (Acoustic)" being sampled on the song by posting that the sample had not been cleared. He joked about having only been aware of the sample since that morning, alongside expressing "much love" for West.[9] On August 5, 2024, "530" was one of the six songs from Vultures 2 to be updated. Distortion was added to some of the vocals and sound effects were altered, mostly ones of drinks pouring.[10] Vocals were also added to the song from Ty Dolla Sign.[11]

Composition and lyrics

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Recorded in the midst of Kanye West and Kim Kardashian's divorce in 2022, the song's lyrics focus on their problems that followed.

"530" was produced by West alongside Ty, BoogzDaBeast, E*vax, and FnZ.[12] Musically, "530" is a R&B number with a length of four minutes and forty-nine seconds (4:49).[12][13] It includes a sample of "Break the Fall (Acoustic)", performed by Swsh.[9] The song was noted as sounding unfinished by multiple publications.[6][14][15]

In the lyrics of "530", West criticizes Kardashian for her parenting skills and his lack of access to their children in the wake of the divorce.[5][6] West portrays himself as a drunk man delivering a voicemail,[15] reflecting on his alcohol dependence damaging the two's relationship in his first verse.[5][6] In the second verse, he changes the focus to selfishness and self-pity.[5] West delivers unfinished and mumbled lines directed towards women,[6][7] such as "sa-fah-na-da" and "fa-fa-na-da".[13] He calls out Drake and alludes to the musician's chart success, rapping: "You don't really love Ye, go listen to Drake, bitch."[5][13][16]

On September 28, 2024, West held a "Listening Experience" event at the Wuyuan River Stadium in Haikou, China.[17] At the event, he played a new version of "530" which features new additional vocals from Ty Dolla Sign and a fully finished second verse.[18] Now he calls out more celebrities such as Canadian singer Abel "The Weeknd" Tesfaye: “Go listen to Abel, better yet, go listen to Drake, bitch”; and Democratic Party candidate for the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election Kamala Harris: “Oh, what Kamala gon' do now for your future? Bitch.”[19]

Release and reception

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On August 3, 2024, ¥$ released their second studio album Vultures 2 independently through YZY, including "530" as the seventh track.[8][12] The song was met with generally mixed reviews from music critics, with divided opinions of West's lyricism. Writing for HipHopDX, Sam Moore expressed that West delivers "a dose of poison" to Kardashian and a confessional first verse, moving smoothly from self-reflection to "solipsism and self-pity" as he criticizes her for parenting skills and his lack of access to their children.[5] Providing a less enthusiastic review for Billboard, Michael Saponara ranked "530" as the fifth best song out of fifteen on Vultures 2 for West getting "poignant about his messy divorce" as he shows his strength of "turning his pain into powerful art".[6] Saponara cited a resemblance to West's tracks "Saint Pablo" (2016) and "Come to Life" (2021), although criticized the sound quality and mumbled lyrics.[6] Fred Thomas of AllMusic commended that the song loosely invokes "the long-faded glory" of West's best work through "chopped vocal soul samples", yet he seemingly impersonates himself.[20] At HotNewHipHop, Gabriel Bras Nevares felt that West's clear narrative and attempts at wordplay make for one of the album's "passable verses".[21] In a mixed review, The Guardian's Ben Beaumont-Thomas felt that although the song depicts "a tequila-wasted voice note" from West, his unfinished lyrics and incomplete words are "startling: a portrait of someone drunkenly trying to piece his thoughts" as a whole, as well as his life.[15] Stephen Kearse from Pitchfork said that West "squanders the anguished R&B loop" of the song and called it a "ripoff" of Drake's "Marvins Room" (2011), noting how he stumbles across the unfinished verse with "some scoop-diddy-whoops" and misogyny.[13] In Slant Magazine, Paul Attard wrote off the song for having a "demo quality" and sounding like a rip from a YouTube leak.[14]

Following the release of Vultures 2, "530" entered the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart at number 16.[22] The song further debuted at number 37 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[23]

Charts

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Chart performance for "530"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[22] 16
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 37

References

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  1. ^ Coleman II, C. Vernon (March 8, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's Vultures 2 didn't drop". XXL. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  2. ^ Atkinson, Katie (October 24, 2023). "Ty Dolla $ign Announces 'Multi Stadium Listening Event' for Kanye West Joint Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 18, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Renshaw, David (October 24, 2023). "Ty Dolla $ign announces 'multi stadium listening event' aheaed of rumored Kanye West album". The Fader. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  4. ^ Elibert, Mark (March 15, 2024). "10 Takeaways from Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign Interview". Complex. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Moore, Sam (August 7, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 2' is emblematic of 2024 — it is loud, brash, utterly devoid of substance and almost certain to be lauded as Kanye West's latest masterpiece by his rabid legions of stans". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 7, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g Saponara, Michael (August 5, 2024). "Ye & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 2' Album: Every Song Ranked From Worst to Best". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c Rigotti, Alex (August 3, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 2' has now dropped – here's how people are reacting". NME. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Horowitz, Steven J.; Aswad, Jem (August 2, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign Surprise-Release New Album 'Vultures 2'". Variety. Archived from the original on August 3, 2024. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Moore, Sam (August 5, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 2' Already At Center Of Multiple Sample Disputes". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 5, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Schube, Will (August 16, 2024). "Kanye West Adds Verse To 'Forever' As 'Vultures 2' Updates Continue". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  11. ^ Horvath, Zachary (August 5, 2024). "Kanye West Makes Tweaks To These 'Vultures 2' Tracks Amid Quality Complaints From Fans". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c "Vultures 2 by ¥$, Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign". Tidal. Archived from the original on August 28, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Kearse, Stephen (August 14, 2024). "Vultures 2". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 24, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Attard, Paul (August 5, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign Vultures 2 Review: Phoned in and Disconnected". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (August 6, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign: Vultures 2 review – some of Ye's most jaded, degraded moments". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 25, 2024.
  16. ^ Horvath, Zachary (August 3, 2024). "Kanye West Disses Drake By Name & Kim Kardashian Subliminally On 'Vultures 2'". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on August 16, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  17. ^ 顾馨. "US rapper Ye brings 'warmth, strength' to Haikou". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  18. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (2024-09-28). "Kanye West Announces New Album 'Bully,' Debuts Song 'Beauty and the Beast' at Listening Event in China". Variety. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  19. ^ ¥$, Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign – 530 (Haikou LP), retrieved 2024-10-08
  20. ^ Thomas, Fred. "Vultures 2 - Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West, ¥$". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 8, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  21. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (August 6, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign Vultures 2 Album Review". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2024.
  23. ^ Anderson, Trevor (August 14, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 2' Tops R&B/Hip-Hop Album Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 14, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  24. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 13, 2024.