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Stars (¥$ song)

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"Stars"
Song by ¥$
from the album Vultures 1
ReleasedFebruary 10, 2024
Recorded2023–2024
GenreGospel
Length1:55
LabelYZY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Stars" (originally "In the Stars") is a song by the American hip hop superduo ¥$, composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign, released as the opening track on their debut studio album, Vultures 1 (2024). The song features uncredited vocals from Camper. It was produced by the duo alongside Aver Ray, Camper, FnZ, JPEGMafia, Shdøw, the Legendary Traxster, and Timbaland. Apart from Shdøw and Timbaland, the producers served as co-writers with Lucien Parker and Quentin Miller. A dark gospel track, it features a sample of "Good Luck" by Dijon. Lyrically, the song sees West and Ty Dolla Sign boasting of their accomplishments.

"Stars" received praise from music critics, who mostly praised the composition. Focus was placed on its instrumentation and some commended the vocals, although other critics found the song underwhelming. The song debuted at number 39 on the US Billboard Hot 100, alongside reaching number 17 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It charted at numbers eight and ten in Latvia and Iceland, respectively. The song charted within the top 40 of eight other countries, including Canada and New Zealand, while it reached number 26 on the Billboard Global 200.

Background

[edit]

In October 2023, Ty Dolla Sign announced a collaborative album with Kanye West. The singer revealed their duo name of ¥$, which shows the Japanese yen symbol next to a dollar sign.[1][2] 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.[1][2] In March 2024, Ty Dolla Sign acknowledged his loyalty to West for having believed in the rapper during both his successes and failures.[3]

Singer-songwriter and record producer Camper had first worked with West at the age of 20, a few years before venturing to Hawaii for recording sessions with the rapper and other collaborators. Camper said that the two saw each other on multiple occasions and remained on good terms in spite of not seeing each other for another eight years, reunited to work on Vultures 1 in Saudi Arabia from the fall of 2023 into 2024.[4][5] The producer acknowledged their growth and their time separate to come together for the album, which he helped produce, including the single "Talking / Once Again". Camper was impressed with West's bravery and ambition as he learned "how to put it into what I'm doing"; he also contributed vocals to "Stars".[5] The song was produced by West, Ty Dolla Sign, Aver Ray, Camper, FnZ, JPEGMafia, Shdøw, the Legendary Traxster, and Timbaland. Apart from Shdøw and Timbaland, the producers wrote it alongside Lucien Parker and Quentin Miller.[6] On February 9, 2024, musician Dijon posted to Instagram Stories that he was not aware of his 2019 track "Good Luck" being sampled on the song. Following the release of the album, YZY executive Che Pope responded that Dijon "should be good".[7]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]
Dijon Duenas sitting in a room on a couch
The song's faded backdrop is combined with a sample of "Good Luck" by Dijon Duenas (pictured), who was not aware of the sample prior to release.

Musically, "Stars" is a dark, slow-building gospel track.[8][9] The song has a faded backdrop, combined with a sample of Dijon's vocals from "Good Luck".[7][8] It features orchestral production, alongside drums. West's vocal pitch rises and falls, while Ty Dolla Sign contributes airy falsettos.[10][11]

In the lyrics of "Stars", West and Ty Dolla Sign boast of accomplishments from their level of fame.[8] West acknowledges the allegations of antisemitism against him, rapping that he keeps "a few Jews on the staff now".[12][13][14] He addresses attempts to cancel him and losing his contracts with major brands, dismissing the contracts that were torn apart.[12][13]

Release and reception

[edit]

On February 10, 2024, ¥$ released their debut studio album Vultures 1 independently through YZY, including "Stars" as the opening track, changing from its previously reported title of "In the Stars".[15][16][17] The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, with general praise for the composition. Paul A. Thompson from Pitchfork praised how West's singing voice changes pitch, finding this to be "at wonderful odds with [the] song's martial drums".[10] Writing for HipHopDX, Scott Glaysher observed the song's tranquillity where West and Ty Dolla Sign sound both peaceful and confident.[9] HotNewHipHop's Aron A. expressed that the song's orchestral production is elevated by falsettos from Ty Dolla Sign, who acts as "a vessel for Kanye's ear".[11]

Some reviewers were less impressed. Rhian Daly of NME highlighted the song's resemblance to "Ultralight Beam" from West's album The Life of Pablo (2016), although concluded that it fails to "burn quite as bright".[12] Michael Saponara from Billboard said that the song is darker than expected for setting the tone at the beginning of the album and serves as "more of a palette cleanser", despite noting the "poignant moment" of the Dijon sample with its faded backdrop.[8] In a negative review for Variety, Steven J. Horowitz labeled West's line about Jews as one of his "attempts to pour gasoline on the already raging fires" that is worthy of an eye-roll.[18]

Following the release of Vultures 1, "Stars" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 39.[19] It further opened at number 17 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[20] In Canada, the song debuted at number 29 on the Canadian Hot 100 and lasted for two weeks on the chart.[21] It reached numbers 30 and 34 in New Zealand and Australia, respectively.[22][23] The song performed best in Latvia, charting at number eight on the Latvian Top 20 and it similarly reached number ten in Iceland.[24][25] "Stars" also attained top 40 positions in Lithuania,[26] Norway,[27] Denmark,[28] Portugal,[29] and Switzerland,[30] while the song charted at number 26 on the Billboard Global 200.[31]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Stars"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 34
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[32] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] 42
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21] 29
Denmark (Tracklisten)[28] 30
France (SNEP)[34] 158
Global 200 (Billboard)[31] 26
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[25] 10
Italy (FIMI)[35] 92
Latvia (LAIPA)[24] 8
Lithuania (AGATA)[26] 18
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[36] 30
Norway (VG-lista)[27] 22
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[37] 30
Portugal (AFP)[29] 34
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[38] 54
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[30] 35
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[39] 9
UK Indie (OCC)[40] 6
US Billboard Hot 100[41] 39
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[42] 17

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b 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.
  2. ^ a b 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Jones, Damian (November 13, 2023). "Ty Dolla $ign shares update on new album with Kanye West". NME. Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Ju, Shirley (February 27, 2024). "Ye & Ty$ Spent 3 Months In Saudi Arabia Recording 'Vultures 1', Says Camper". The Source. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  6. ^ "Vultures 1 - Album by ¥$, Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign". Archived from the original on May 18, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024 – via Spotify.
  7. ^ a b Stutz, Colin (February 17, 2024). "Kanye's 'Vultures' Samples Including Black Sabbath Use Are Not Cleared". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d Saponara, Michael (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' Album: All 16 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Glaysher, Scott (February 11, 2024). "Kanye West Can't Shake Legacy Damage As 'Vultures 1' Struggles To Move The Needle". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Thompson, Paul A. (February 15, 2024). "Kanye West / Ty Dolla $ign: Vultures 1". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  11. ^ a b A., Aron (May 29, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign 'Vultures 1' Review". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Daly, Rhian (February 12, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign – 'Vultures 1' review: mired in misogyny". NME. Archived from the original on February 12, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  13. ^ a b Skelton, Eric (February 11, 2024). "5 First-Listen Thoughts on Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's 'Vultures 1'". Complex. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 19, 2024). "'Vultures 1': Where the New Ye Meets the Old Kanye". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Centeno, Tony M. (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign Finally Drop Their Joint Album 'Vultures Vol. 1'". ZFKK-FM. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Caraan, Sophie M. (February 8, 2024). "'Vultures, Volume 1' Album Listening Experience Recap". Hypebeast. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (February 8, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's Vultures Album Event in Chicago". XXL. Archived from the original on June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  18. ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (February 14, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's 'Vultures 1': Album Review". Variety. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
  19. ^ Zellner, Xander (February 20, 2024). "Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign 'Vultures 1': Every Song Debuts on Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 20, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  20. ^ "Music: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – February 24, 2024". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 2, 2024. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  22. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  23. ^ a b "¥$ – Stars". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  24. ^ a b "Straumēšanas Top 2024 – 7. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 7] (in Latvian). LAIPA. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "2024 7-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. February 16, 2024. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  27. ^ a b "¥$ – Stars". VG-lista. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  28. ^ a b "¥$ – Stars". Tracklisten. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "¥$ – Stars". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "¥$ – Stars". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  32. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 19, 2024. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  33. ^ "¥$ – Stars" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  34. ^ "¥$ – Stars" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  35. ^ "¥$ – Stars". Top Digital Download. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  36. ^ "¥$ – Stars". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  37. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 09.02.2024–15.02.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  38. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 7". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  39. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  40. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  41. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  42. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
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