Chad Hugo, as one half of the iconic production duo The Neptunes, is used to making great music. However, unlike his counterpart Pharrell, since the duo’s split, he has remained in the background, helping other artists reach the heights of fame he did in the 2000s, one of whom is Kanye West.
Although many know Kanye West produced the bulk of Vultures 1, few know that Hugo actually helped the Chicago native with some elements of the album and made some significant contributions to one of the biggest albums of the year so far.
Earlier this month, a clip of the beatmaker and instrumentalist playing the horn over Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign’s ‘Problematic.’ Hugo is credited alongside other contributors such as 88-Keys, DJ Camper, Digital Nas and Slonka.
Vultures 1 debuted at the Billboard 200 and, according to official statistics, sold 148,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It accrued 167.78 million on-demand streams in total.
With this latest release, West now has 11 number-one albums to his name, a feat achieved by Bruce Springsteen and Barbra Streisand. The only acts that have surpassed this are Drake, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z and The Beatles.
The album was Ty Dolla $ign’s first number-one album and second Top 10 following 2020’s Featuring Ty Dolla $ign. Following the news it was atop the charts, West made a statement to Complex, stating, “It’s a beautiful time.”
Released earlier this month, Vultures 1 boasts uncredited appearances from Travis Scott, Playboi Carti, Lil Durk, Chris Brown, Freddie Gibbs, YG, Quavo, Rich The Kid and others. The project was initially only available on streaming platforms and as a digital download through the mogul’s website yeezy.com.