This is the 2nd EP from New York singer/songwriter, producer & actor Leon Thomas III. Beginning as the singing voice of Tyrone on The Backyardigans as well as Andre Harris on Victorious for the Paramount Skydance Corporation-owned Nickelodeon, he later started making music of his own by releasing 3 mixtapes & an EP until Ty$ signed him to his Motown Records imprint EZMNY Records. His full-length debut album Electric Dusk & the sophomore effort Mutt were both highly acclaimed, coming off Tycoon last weekend to drop Pholks.
“Just How You Are” starts us off with a peppy single singing about loving that special woman in his life exactly the way she is whereas “My Muse” dedicates itself to the female who stays inspiring him the most over some classy strings. “5MoreMinutes” takes a funkier approach instrumentally singing about being homesick from his lover while “Trapped” expands on the funk influences with a hint of rock added to the mix.
The song “Baccarat” pushes further towards the end of Pholks with Leon fusing rock & soul explaining that he doesn’t ask for much except the attention of this fine-ass walking contradiction while “Feel Alive” sings to be taken away from all of his troubles by a romantic interest he’s been waiting on for a while. “Lone Wolf” featuring 4Batz closes the EP with a successor to “she ain’t no angel” off Still Shinin’ that I like as much if not more than the last collab.
Showcasing his command as a multi-instrumentalist & visionary, Leon Thomas III adventurously doubles down on the raw creativity of Mutt that cemented him his a generational R&B force nearly 13 months ago throughout the duration of Pholks fusing the groove of funk with the golden age of R&B & the raw defiance of classic rock sparking a whole entire movement of it’s own in preparation of his forthcoming 3rd LP presumably dropping next year.
Ty$ is a 43 year old singer/songwriter, rapper, musician & producer from Los Angeles, California becoming popular during my 1st half of high school when his 3rd mixtape Beach House dropped. Signing to both Atlantic Records & Taylor Gang Entertainment afterwards, his full-length debut Free TC in the fall of 2015 was welcomed to warm reception although Beach House 3 & Featuring Ty$ were both merely average compared to it’s predecessor. He’s also a part of the duos MihTy with Jeremih & of course ¥$ alongside one of my top 10 producers of all-time Ye or formerly known as Kanye West, the latter making their debut with Vultures during Super Bowl LVII weekend & dropping a widely panned sequel almost 6 months later. Unfortunately due to Ye’s deteriorating behavior on Twitter between February & May, the final chapter of the planned Vultures trilogy has been cancelled & the EZMNY Records founder has shifted his focus towards what could be his greatest solo album ever.
“Can’t Be Fucked Wit” opens with a 2-parter swimming with the sharks & asking what would you for the chance to become a magnate whereas “Don’t Kill the Party” featuring Quavo with the Shoreline Mafia on the remix produced by BNYX of Working on Dying, Juicy J & Ye survives the Vultures 3 sessions talking about being too geeked. “December 31” featuring A$AP Rocky yearns to have both of their respective lovers to themselves because that’s been their main focuses evident through Don’t Be Dumb’s constant delays while the hyphy/pop rap single “Smile Body Pretty Face” featuring YG talks about a couple making the same mistakes together.
Tory Lanez’ appearance on the final single “Show Me Love” was completely unnecessary despite the Hitmaka instrumental & the lyrics of wanting affection shown towards them whenever they pull up to your city while “Tycoon$” featuring Lil Baby & Young Thug trades the mic with one another boasting their wealth. The lead single “All In” meshes Afrobeats & Jersey club rap sampling “No Letting Go” by Wayne Wonder asking to spoil Izabella Metz while “Twitch” featuring Tyga & 2 Chainz locks in with DJ Mustard bringing their respective squads out to the club for the evening.
“What I Want” featuring Lil Wayne talks about women they don’t necessarily need her still desire while “Say It” featuring Playboi Carti on the remix longs for genuine affection towards a woman who claims to love him even though she doesn’t show it referencing the late Black Sabbath frontman & WWE Hall of Famer Ozzy Osbourne during Carti’s verse. “On Repeat” featuring Destroy Lonely & Rich the Kid talking about no one being slicker than them & after “Harder” suggests that maybe he should be “pushing it” a bit more firmly, “Mixed Emotions” featuring Leon Thomas III & Travis Scott talks about finding women to trust over a Taurus beat.
Chlöe later joins Ty$ for the song “Wit It”, starting the final leg of Tycoon to whip up another contemporary R&B/pop rap fusion while “I Wish” asks if we can all simply get along & wishing for Ty’s older brother Big TC to do the things he can do if he wasn’t incarcerated. “Wheels Fall Off” by ¥$ ruins a trap instrumental DJ Camper & Ye cooked up together showing minor influences of R&B, trap soul & ratchet with a YeI verse although I absolutely appreciate Puff Daddy a.k.a. P. Diddy or Diddy being removed from both the start & finish of it.
Many people including myself have considered Ty$ to be a features artist since his last couple of full-lengths haven’t really lived up to Free TC but since he outperformed Ye on both entries of the cancelled Vultures trilogy a year earlier, Tycoon presents the EZMNY Records founder at the top of his game artistically exactly a week away from his biggest signing’s new EP Pholks. Although a few guests punch under their weight, I like that it’s shorter than both Beach House 3 & Featuring Ty$ were in addition to providing the audience a look at where he’s at in his career both artistically & personally.
Leon Thomas III is a 31 year old singer/songwriter, producer & actor from New York City notable for getting his start as the singing voice of Tyrone on The Backyardigans as well as Andre Harris on Victorious for the Paramount Skydance Corporation owned Nickelodeon. He later started making music of his own by releasing 3 mixtapes & an EP until Ty$ signed him to his Motown Records imprint EZMNY Records, dropping his full-length debut album Electric Dusk to critical acclaim. 13 months later, he’s staying busy with a sophomore effort.
“How Fast” grandly starts off by passionately singing that he’s always been a visionary whereas “Safe Place” works in some sampling acknowledging his lover wants to settle in with him for a while even though he gets to the point that it’s not a place of safety whatsoever & that he would let her if it in fact was. “Dancing with Demons” sings about going all night in search of a feeling over this nocturnally dreary instrumental just before “Vibes Don’t Lie” featuring Big Sean on the remix groovily points out the the mouth lies more than the vibes do.
Masego joins Leon for the laidback duet “Lucid Dreams” talking about how they never officially broke up with their exes & that they’re really just taking a break from each other, but then “Feelings on Silent” featuring Wale produced by Conductor Williams is easily my favorite track here from the drumless beat to the lyrics shrugging off anything being said of them negatively. “Answer Your Phone” pushes the 2nd half of Mutt further with this crushing piano ballad pleading for this woman to pick up his calls since he really needs to speak to her while the slow, psychedelic “Yes It Is” featuring Marsha Ambrosius & Muni Long on the remix talks having sensitive ears.
“Far Fetched” featuring Ty$ finds the mentor/protégé duo together for a heartbreak jam warning that it’ll be a large check of their relationships are through & after the “Sooner or Later” interlude, the title track featuring both Chris Brown & Freddie Gibbs on the remix is this R&B/boom bap hybrid asking what the rush is. “I Do” dabbles with a gospel sound praising God for taking his time with the woman of his dreams & I Used To” featuring Baby Rose soulfully finishes the LP reflecting when they were in love.
Starting the deluxe run, “Heel” crosses over boom bap & drumless asking what the deal is with his partner wanting him to move on from wounds he hasn’t healed from yet while “Party Favors” featuring Big Sean talks about doing too much for others at parties. “Not Fair” spaciously sings that he’d rather be wrong than wait long these days while “Prize” lusciously tells the woman of his life that she’s the award he wants to win.
“Rather Be Alone” featuring Halle was a fine contemporary R&B, neo-soul, alternative R&B & psychedelic soul single speaking of their preference of being by themselves instead of getting caught in a broken home while “Dirt on My Shoes” featuring Kehlani unites for a back-&-forth duet about them making each other walk around still. The final bonus track “Catch a Stray” wraps it all up singing that the girl he’s with currently is his true addiction.
Thomas showcases his vocal prowess & lyrical talent alike during the course of Mutt’s runtime, telling stories of love lost & betrayal staggering his way through empty relationships as he looks for his soulmate. It really marks the next stage of his career since he truly comes into his own by shooting himself even further into one of the greats of the R&B genre’s modern era & further cementing his status as the best EZMNY signing.
This is the 2nd & seemingly final full-length LP from superduo ¥$ (pronounced Yen-Dolla or Ye n Dolla) consisting of Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer Ty$ alongside Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, one of my top 10 producers of all-time, fashion designer, former G.O.O.D. Music founder Ye or the Nazi formerly known as Kanye West. We’ve seen them together a handful of times for nearly a decade on tracks like “Guard Down”, most specifically “Real Friends”, “Ego Death” & “Everything We Need”. However, the first installment of the Vultures trilogy came on the 20 year anniversary of my favorite Ye album The College Dropout to mixed reviews. Anthony Fantano even labeled it as “unreviewable trash” although I personally thought it had it’s highlights despite both KIDS SEE GHOSTS & Watch the Throne being significantly better. 5 months after it’s initial March date, Vultures 2 is finally here.
“Slide” is an impressive pop rap, hip house & alternative R&B crossover with additional elements of experimental hip hop that Ye, Wheezy, Fred again.., London on da Track & Leon Thomas III produced together asking Zalia & Bianca Censori if they would ride of them whereas “Time Moving Slow” turns the hip house influences up to 11 courtesy of The Legendary Traxster reflecting on past relationships although it’s gross that Ye has dominion over her.
Don Toliver, Kodak Black & Playboi Carti all join ¥$ for what could very well be the most anticipated track off the album “Field Trip” & it sure delivers with it’s alarm raising instrumental that Wheezy & Dez Wright cook up together sampling one of my favorite Portishead songs “Machine Gun” near the end getting romantic with their partners except Ye briefly using AI for his part was pointless prior to the rage-inducing “Fried” coming off a spiritual successor to “Carnival” reenlisting The Inter Milan Ultras on background vocals & Outtatown behind the boards cautioning not to fuck with them because they’re exhausted.
After the “Isabella” skit, “Promotion” featuring Future works in organs & hi-hats to talk about heartless lovemaking that is until “Husband” solely produced by Ye kinda throws it back to the 808s & Heartbreak era minus the auto-tune saying that family heals. “Lifestyle” featuring Lil Wayne samples “LOVE IS GONE” by Nico Baran of Internet Money Records talking about their significant others wanting to live the lifestyles they do just before James Blake provides “Forever” a predominantly more atmospheric & melodic tone overall singing about the possibility of hoping they can last forever with Ye unfortunately using AI again.
“Bomb” featuring Ye’s daughters Chicago & North West alongside Yuno Miles gives off a Jersey Club rap vibe to boast including a Japanese portion interestingly enough leading into “River” featuring Young Thug & it’s entrancingly spirit-lifting trap beat from Pi’erre Bourne & Digital Nas tackling false ideologies in the rap scene calling for Thug to come home. My favorite song here “5:30 / Dear Summer” assisted by E*vax feels like a legitimate College Dropout throwback other than the lazy AI ending, but then “Dead” featuring Future & Lil Durk hops over an intoxicating instrumental from ATL Jacob talking about how they can’t be playing with these diamonds & money.
Lil Baby appears on “Forever Rollin’” bringing a ghostly trap flare to the table addressing loyalty while the guitar-driven “Sky City” featuring CyHi the Prynce with BoogzDaBeast & Timbaland on co-production gets unearthed from the Yandhi sessions except it’s ruined by AI again. “My Soul” featuring Big Sean on the remix ends Vultures 2 lettingBoogz, DJ Camper, FNZ, 30 Roc & YZY SND Head of Music 88-Keys blending gospel & hip hop in the vein of DONDA so ¥$ can pay tribute to the 4,000+ prisoners in California being used to put out the wildfires that have been ravaging the state for the last 3 decades additionally dissing Adidas.
“Take Off Your Dress” starts the deluxe run sampling “Please Make It Good Again” by Talmadge Armstrong likening their partners to supermodels while “Gun to My Head” featuring KiD CuDi reunites KIDS SEE GHOSTS sampling “Blindside” by Alice Merton talking about not being too hard to find. JPEGMAFIA fresh off his superiorly better new album I Lay Down My Life for You & BoogzDaBeast flip “Super Sharp Shooter” by the Ganja Kru for “Believer” clarifying that Christians don’t like to admit that they like to sin & the hip house flavored “Drunk” by Bad Bunny, Kodak Black & Peso Pluma talks about being fucked up. “Can U Be” featuring Travis Scott ends the bonus track run with a hip house Havoc beat asking if one is afraid.
The sequel to Vultures finds ¥$ taking themselves below the predecessor as a whole listening experience although the sound compared to the debut goes from pop rap to hip house, alternative R&B, experimental hip hop, rage, Jersey Club rap, the chipmunk soul sound Ye helped pioneer, trap, gospel music & rap rock pretty much mixing old & new sounds together. I don’t like the use of AI in music because I feel like the way that Ye utilizes it as lazy compared to The D.O.C. & Beanie Sigel both saying they’re working on new albums using AI on their voices. It’s about how you use that technology & he doesn’t use it to elevate himself musically.
¥$ (pronounced Yen-Dolla or Ye n Dolla) is a superduo consisting of Los Angeles, California singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist & producer Ty$ alongside Chicago, Illinois rapper, singer/songwriter, one of my top 10 producers of all-time, fashion designer & former G.O.O.D. Music founder Ye formerly known as Kanye West. We’ve seen them together a handful of times for nearly a decade on tracks like “Guard Down”, “Real Friends”, “Ego Death” & “Everything We Need”. However with my favorite Ye album The College Dropout turning 20 today, ¥$ are officially kicking off the Vultures trilogy ahead of the sequel in March & the final chapter in April.
“Stars” co-produced by Digital Nas, FNZ & most importantly JPEGMAFIA samples “Good Luck” by Dijon to begin things talking about ripping up contracts & keeping “a few Jews on the staff now” in reference to Ye calling himself a Nazi on InfoWars whereas “Keys to My Life” takes the hazy trap route thanks to Timbaland explaining that it wasn’t always like this. “Paid” explains they’re only here to stack bread as KAYTRANADA & Wax Motif flip “Brighter Days” by Cajmere leading into “Talking / Once Again” featuring Ye’s oldest daughter North West finds her dad’s mentor No I.D., Swizz Beatz, DJ Camper & even James Blake help blend alternative R&B, jersey club rap, gospel, pop rap & art pop as they address that “the clouds are gatherin’ to release what they held in”.
Meanwhile, “Back to Me” featuring a jaw-dropping Freddie Gibbs verse details their sexual desires including Ye referencing Jay & Silent Bob in Dogma or a bar Freddie had about Twitter owner, Tesla CEO, SpaceX founder & Neuralink founder Elon Musk over YZY SND’s head of music 88-Keys sampling “Rock Box” by Run-D.M.C. just before “Hoodrat” dabbles into rap rock territory overdoing it with the Latarian Milton vocal chops & ¥$ continuing the themes of romance by expressing the divine beauty they see in both of their current partners Bianca Censori & Zalia respectively. “Do It” featuring a Nipsey Hu$$le intro & a YG verse near the end mixes these strings & hi-hats thanks to Wheezy, DJ Mustard & Cubeatz as they try to make a movie just before the heavily distorted “Paperwork” featuring Quavo talks about getting their paper right.
“Burn” might be my favorite on the LP speaking on a dangerous kind of love as Chicago veteran The Legendary Traxster & Leon Thomas III sonically throw it back to the Late Registration days while “Fuk Sum’n” featuring Playboi Carti & Travis Scott is this experimental trap 2-parter looking to do exactly that. Havoc’s remix of the title track featuring Bump J & Lil Durk is the only version of it that exists to me going for a cloudier vibe as opposed to the Chicago drill influence of the original except the “How I’m antisemitic? I just fucked a Jewish bitch” line is still trash, but then the aptly titled “Carnival” featuring Playboi Carti & surprisingly Rich the Kid samples “Hell of a Life” off my 2nd favorite Ye album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy talking about her “riding the dick like a carnival” ride.
Starting the last leg of the album, “Beg Forgiveness” with co-production from London on da Track has to be one of the most tiring moments heavily building itself around “Gabriel” by Joe Goddard for nearly 6 whole minutes while “Good (Don’t Die)” picks things back up with will.i.am sampling “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer talking about their hearts being ice cold & the thoughts that keep them up all night. “Problematic” talks about feeling like they beat a murder case over Chad Hugo’s horns & the epic closer “King” addresses that they thought the headlines were Ye’s kryptonite when it’s really his antisemitic behavior.
KIDS SEE GHOSTS’ self-titled debut & even The Throne’s only album Watch the Throne are superior in comparison, but that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy a pretty solid amount of Vultures & I’m hoping the next 2 installments of the trilogy are superior. The first chapter has a predominant experimental hip hop & pop rap sound with additional elements of trap music, hip house & alternative R&B as Ye breaks down everything that’s happened these last couple years although I don’t like the way he handled the backlash that he got for the antisemitic comments.
Legends Will Never Die 