Kanye West Likens Himself To Bill Cosby And R. Kelly In “Carnival” Track

Marc Griffin
·3 min read
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Kanye West compared himself to Bill Cosby and R. Kelly in his new “Carnival” track. Ye held a listening party for his collaborative album, Vultures Volume 1, with Ty Dolla $ign in Chicago on Thursday (Feb. 8). The event was livestreamed for fans across social media who couldn’t attend. During the ominous-looking event, Ye premiered the lyrically controversial track. West’s verse arrives halfway through the song with lyrics riddled with references to contentious male figures.

“This that Game of Thrones, Yeezy not the clones/ Elon, where my rocketship, it’s time to go home/ They served us the corn since the day we was born,” he raps. “Anybody pissed off, gotta make them drink the urine/ Now, I’m Ye Kelly, bi**h/ Now I’m Bill Cosby, bi**h/ Now I’m Puff Daddy rich.”

As he continues, Ye compares himself to Jesus Christ. But before that, you know he had to mention other “controversial” topics like the “Me Too” Movement. And how can he throw out pop culture references without mentioning Taylor Swift? So, of course, Ye alludes to his infamous MTV VMAs run-in with America’s favorite white pop star during his verse, too.

“That’s ‘Me Too’ rich/ First she say she suck my d*ck/ Then, she say she ain’t suck my d*ck/ She’ gon take it up the a** like a ventriloquist/ I mean, since Taylor Swift, since I had the Rollie on the wrist/ I’m the new Jesus, bi**h, I turn water into Cris’/ This for what they did to Chris/ They can’t do sh*t with this,” he added.

“Carnival” is powered by a sample of his song “Hell of a Life” from his critically acclaimed work, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. It also samples Black Sabbath’s “Iron Man,” laying the foundation for the composition’s dark energy. The track also features Rich the Kid, Playboi Carti, and Ty Dolla.

However, if you thought Ye likening himself to Cosby and Kelly was the most Kanye West moment, you’d be wrong. Later at the listening party, Ye previewed a track called “The King.” West is most defiant on the cut as he swears off his critics. He then labels himself “anti-Semitic,” after previously claiming he didn’t believe in the label, before the livestream was abruptly cut off. “And I’m still crazy, bipolar, anti-Semite, and I’m still the king,” he raps right before the signal went dark.

Vultures Volume 1 was set to release on Friday (Feb. 9). However, to fans’ surprise (or not), Ty Dolla $ign and Ye’s album was nowhere to be found. West previously claimed that the project would be released in three separate volumes.

In January 2024, Ye announced the proposed release dates for the first installment. He then followed up with two more release dates for Volume 2 and 3, allegedly arriving on March 8 and April 5, respectively.

Vultures was originally a standalone album. The original vision was slated to release in December 2023 but was eventually delayed. We’re sensing a pattern here.

Listen to “Carnival” above.

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