A fleeting taste of victory, only to have it snatched away once again! After months of anticipation and frustration, Kanye West finally dropped the first volume of his album ‘Vultures’ on February 10th through his brand YZY. The album soon featured on Apple Music, spreading its wings among fans all over the world, while Spotify subscribers remained deprived of this joy. However, just hours after the rapper promoted his album on social media, Apple Music took down ‘Vultures’ from its platform. 

Has this snub affected Kanye West’s motivation? It seems like there is no way. Recently, the ‘Donda’ rapper shared a fitting response to his album being pulled off streaming platforms, while also taking a stand for his supposed rivals.

Kanye West is unfazed and undeterred by the setbacks

After Kanye West returned from Super Bowl festivities in Vegas, he stopped for an interview with TMZ. When asked for his response to streaming platforms removing his album, Ye stated in an unbothered manner, “Remove us, I like simplification”. He also confidently claimed that he is the “number one” and that everything that the streaming platforms have done has only helped him and his team. Additionally, he criticized the streaming platforms for not compensating fairly to him and his peers, including Drake and Taylor Swift. 

Kanye West took a stand for all the music heavyweights, addressing the alleged low pay provided by streaming platforms. “What about Adele…Drake..Taylor Swift?” asked the rapper. As per West’s statement, Spotify offered him “half a billion”, which was clearly not enough for the number of streams he brings. This could probably also be the reason for the rapper not streaming his album on Spotify. Nevertheless, he is still breaking records on the music streaming platform he has so many issues with. 

After taking a stand for his long-time nemesis, or what fans have made it out to be, Kanye West broke a record of Taylor Swift’s on Spotify.

Kanye West became the second artist to achieve this milestone in 2024

The musical race to the top that takes place on Spotify is no less than a Super Bowl itself. Last year, Taylor Swift became the top artist on Spotify with 26 billion streams on the platform. She also became one of the most followed artists on the music streaming giant earlier this month. And now, following the ‘Vultures’ release, Kanye West surpassed Swift as the number one global artist on Spotify. 

He is followed by Swift in the second spot, with Ty Dolla $ign and The Weeknd in the third and fourth spot respectively. Drake is also among the top players, securing the fifth spot on the list. Despite the unsaid competition between Ye and Taylor Swift, it is good to see that they both advocate for the independence of creativity and artists being free of labels. 

What do you think about Kanye West slamming Spotify and other music streaming platforms? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!