Kanye West compares himself to R. Kelly and Bill Cosby on new album

NME

Kanye West has written lyrics comparing himself to R. Kelly and Bill Cosby.

• READ MORE: With his “White Lives Matter” stunt, has Kanye West finally hit the point of no return? 

Yesterday (February 10), the rapper finally dropped his joint album ‘Vultures’ with Ty Dolla $ign, which has been released after a number of delays.

Now, Ye has referenced several controversial figures on the song ‘CARNIVAL’. In that track, Ye raps: “Anybody pissed off (Ha), gotta make ’em drink the urine (Ha) / Now I’m Ye-Kelly, bitch (Ha), now, I’m Bill Cosby, bitch (Ha) / Now, I’m Puff Daddy rich (Ha), that’s “#MeToo me” rich (Ha)”. 

It’s not the first time West has spoken about Cosby; famously in 2016, he tweeted ‘BILL COSBY INNOCENT’. The comedian was found guilty of sexual assault in 2018; his conviction was overturned in a 2021 retrial.

R Kelly meanwhile was found guilty in 2023 of six of 13 counts of owning and producing child pornography and enticing a minor. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison but he will serve almost all of his sentence simultaneously alongside the jail term he received in 2022 for racketeering and trafficking.

The lyrics are one of the many controversies West has encountered in writing ‘Vultures’. He recently stoked the ire of Ozzy Osbourne for using a sample of ‘Iron Man’ without permission, with Sharon telling West he “fucked with the wrong Jew this time”. West has since replaced the sample with a snippet of his own song ‘Hell Of A Life’, which uses a legally-cleared sample of ‘Iron Man’.

West has also faced criticism recently for the sharing photos of his wife in either the nude or revealing attire – with System Of A Down drummer John Dolmayan telling him to “show some class“, adding: “Your wife isn’t supposed to be your trophy, she’s your place of pride and dignity. This isn’t the way”.

In other news, West has hinted at a potential ‘Vultures’ world tour with Ty Dolla $ign.

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