Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign Lead Billboard 200 With Controversial Album ‘Vultures’; Beyoncé Tops Country Chart With ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’

Thania Garcia Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s “Vultures” is the No. 1 album in the United States this week despite the 16-song set getting major pushback from streaming platforms for West’s antisemitic behavior. The album was temporarily removed from streaming services just a few days after its release on Feb.

9 due to a complaint from its initial distributor, FUGA. The album returned to the platforms thanks to Label Engine, the company reportedly in charge of distribution. Regardless, the album opened at No.

1 on Billboard’s all-genre-inclusive albums chart with over 167 million plays on streaming platforms and a total of 148,000 equivalent units, according to data provided by Luminate. This marks Ty’s first No. 1 album and West’s 11th.

Last year, West had been shopping for potential distributors after years of releasing music while signed to Universal Music Group. Now an independent artist, he reportedly was denied distribution services from numerous companies due to his problematic remarks. The album’s 12th track — a controversial, Taylor Swift-referencing single titled “Carnival” — also scored a Top 10 entrance on the Billboard Hot 100 at No.

3 behind Beyoncé’s country-infused “Texas Hold ‘Em” which sits at No. 2. The latter is Beyoncé’s first No.

1 country single in the U.S. — a historic feat that makes her the first Black woman to secure the spot. As Billboard reports, Beyoncé is also the first woman to have topped both Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

She joins Morgan Wallen, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus and Ray Charles are the only acts to have hit No. 1 on both charts. “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and its accompanying single “16 Carriages,” were both released during the Super Bowl.