Kanye West Becomes First Independent Artiste to Hit #1 on Spotify With His Album ‘Vultures 1’, Knocking Taylor Swift from Top Spot

Controversial American rapper Kanye West has become the first independent artiste to secure #1 on the music streaming platform Spotify, toppling Taylor Swift from her top spot.

Following a series of anti-Semitic statements, West went on a forced hiatus in recent times as he was banned from social media and shunned by many. Some thought his fall from grace was the demise of who many believed to be one of the best rappers of all time.

However, West has not quite accepted being cancelled and returned with a new album, Vultures 1, which he co-made with Ty Dolla Sign. After multiple delays, Vultures 1 was released over the weekend.

Following its release, the album quickly gained traction on various streaming platforms and secured #1 on one of the largest of them all, Spotify.

In what has been reported as a historic first, West surpassed Taylor Swift on the platform as an independent artiste to claim the top spot despite the cloud of controversy that surrounds the artiste.

Swift is mentioned on track 12 of the album Carnival, as the rapper unleashes a series of explicit lyrics. The pair are far from friends, with West known for notoriously storming the stage during Swift’s 2009 Video Music Awards acceptance speech.

After Vultures 1‘s release and streaming success, West declared that he had won while speaking with TMZ and said he survived the attempt to cancel him.