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| artist = [[¥$]] featuring [[Playboi Carti]] and [[Rich the Kid]]
| artist = [[¥$]] featuring [[Playboi Carti]] and [[Rich the Kid]]
| album = [[Vultures 1]]
| album = [[Vultures 1]]
| released = {{start date|2024|2|10}}
| released = {{start date|2024|2|15}}
| label = YZY
| label = YZY
| recorded =
| recorded =

Revision as of 00:39, 16 February 2024

"Carnival"
Single by ¥$ featuring Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid
from the album Vultures 1
ReleasedFebruary 15, 2024 (2024-02-15)
Length4:24
LabelYZY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Carnival" is a song by ¥$, an American hip hop supergroup consisting of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign. It is featured on their debut collaborative studio album, Vultures 1 (2024).

The twelfth track on the album, "Carnival" features Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid. Produced by West, TheLabCook, Ojivolta, and Digital Nas, the track was previewed during listening events in Chicago and New York shortly prior to its official release. The song was entrenched in a controversy due to Ozzy Osbourne refusing to clear its sample of a live performance version of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath. The sample would be replaced with one of "Hell of a Life" by West, which itself featured a legally cleared interpolation of "Iron Man".

A pack for the song was released, similar to the pack for the lead single Vultures, which includes "Hooligan Version", where only the choir is present and a "a capella" version.

Following its release, "Carnival" attracted scrutiny for West's comparing himself to controversial public figures and for name-dropping Taylor Swift. It was nonetheless commended as one of the best songs from Vultures 1, with praise for its production and the performances of its collaborators.

Background and release

American trap rappers Playboi Carti and Rich the Kid are featured on the song.[1] Leaked versions of "Carnival" circulated online prior to its official release.[2] The song was previewed at a Vultures listening party held at the United Center in Chicago on February 8.[3][4] This version of "Carnival" featured a sample of a 1983 live performance of "Iron Man" by Black Sabbath.[2] The band's lead singer Ozzy Osbourne stated that he did not approve of this sample, writing on social media that West "was refused permission because he is an antisemite and has caused untold heartache to many".[2] Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, told TMZ that they were considering legal action against West; the Osbournes also sent West a cease and desist.[5][6]

Another listening party event was held on February 10 at the UBS Arena on Long Island.[3] "Carnival" played as the event started, with this version seeing a sample of West's own "Hell of a Life" (from his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy) play in place of the "Iron Man" sample.[3] This effectively maintained the presence of "Iron Man", as "Hell of a Life" interpolates the song.[7]

Composition and lyrics

Kanye West's reference to Taylor Swift (pictured) in "Carnival" attracted media attention.

The song opens with a chant that is "punctuated by 'ooohhh' crowd vocals" and features "clap-inducing percussion throughout".[8] Sonically, the song features a "dark energy";[9] when it was made available for streaming, "a dirge-like lick that evoked Black Sabbath without using Osbourne's recording was in the ["Iron Man"] sample's place".[2] Indeed, the album version of the track features the "Hell of a Life" sample, maintaining the presence of an "Iron Man" interpolation.[7] Billboard's Michael Saponara wrote that the substitute sample helps "bring the grunginess" to "Carnival".[7]

In its lyrics, the song features several references to other public figures and fellow musicians. West raps in the song "This that Game of Thrones, Yeezy, not the clones / Elon, where my rocketship? It's time to go home / They served us the porn since the day we was born / Anybody pissed off, gotta make 'em drink the urine / Now I'm Ye-Kelly, bitch, now, I'm Bill Cosby, bitch / Now, I'm Puff Daddy rich, that's '#MeToo me' rich".[10] West additionally raps "I'm the new Jesus, bitch, I turn water to Cris' / This for what they did to Chris, they can't do shit with this".[9]

Various media outlets made particular note of the song's reference to Taylor Swift, who West has had a longstanding feud with.[10][11] West raps "She gon' take it up the ass like a ventriloquist/ I made six Taylor Swift, since I had the Rollie on the wrist". The "six" is a reference to Swift's first six studio albums which were sold to Scooter Braun, after which West supported Swift in trying to regain her masters from Ithaca Holdings.[a]

Reception

Much of the song's critical reception, as well as audience reaction to it, was centered on its lyricism. Media writers noted that general listeners were critical of West's reference to Swift, with some fans cited as calling these lyrics "objectifying".[12] Joey Ech of XXL wrote that West's lyrics in which he "aligned himself with" the likes of R. Kelly and Bill Cosby was included in "perhaps one of his most eyebrow-raising verses to date".[13]

Praising the production and Ye's and Ty Dolla Sign's lyrics as some of their best on the album, Michael Saponara of Billboard ranked "Carnival" as the best song on Vultures 1, opining that it is "the perfect example of why people put up with all of the controversies, album delays, and madness that come with being a Ye fan because nobody in rap creates generational moments like this".[7] Saponara also wrote positively of Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti's appearances on the song, stating that Ye brought out the best of his collaborators.[7]

Writing on Vultures, Eric Skelton of Complex wrote that "more than anything, it feels like [West] wants a hit. More specifically, he's grasping for the kind of expansive record that could be chanted by tens of thousands of people in a soccer stadium", and pointed to "Carnival" as the "most obvious example" of this goal.[8]

Notes

  1. ^ Some sources quote the lyric as "I mean, since Taylor Swift",[9] while others quote it as "I made six Taylor Swift".[7][12]

References

  1. ^ Mock, Ben (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla Sign Drop "Vultures 1": All Features & Production Credits". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d Grow, Kory (February 9, 2024). "Kanye West Removes Sample After Ozzy Osbourne Blasts Him as 'Antisemite'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Elibert, Mark (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures' NYC Listening Experience Is a Promising Start For the New Duo". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  4. ^ Rajagopalan, Rishikesh (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West criticized by Ozzy Osbourne, Donna Summer's estate for allegedly using uncleared samples for new album". CBS News. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  5. ^ Crosbie, Eve (February 10, 2024). "Ozzy Osbourne calls out 'antisemite' Kanye West for sampling Black Sabbath song without permission: 'I want no association with this man'". Business Insider. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  6. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (February 11, 2024). "Kanye West removes sample of Black Sabbath's 'Iron Man' following Ozzy Osbourne criticism". NME. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Saponara, Michael (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' Album: All 16 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ a b Skelton, Eric (February 10, 2024). "5 First-Listen Thoughts on Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's 'Vultures 1'". Complex. Complex Networks. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Griffin, Marc (February 9, 2024). "Kanye West Likens Himself To Bill Cosby And R. Kelly In "Carnival" Track". Vibe. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Tinoco, Armando (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West Namedrops Taylor Swift In 'Carnival' Lyrics; Ozzy Osbourne & Donna Summer Estate Claim They Denied Rapper Use Of Their Songs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  11. ^ Zee, Michaela (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West Name-Drops Taylor Swift in New Song 'Carnival'". Variety. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Evans, Greg (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West condemned for 'x-rated Taylor Swift lyric' on new album". Indy100. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  13. ^ Ech, Joey (February 9, 2024). "Kanye West Compares Himself to R. Kelly, Bill Cosby, Diddy, Jesus". XXL. Retrieved February 12, 2024.


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