Music

North West Raps in Japanese on Dad Ye’s New Album 'Vultures 2'

Ye's 11-year-old daughter appears on the track "Bomb."

North West smiling, wearing a 'North Balenciaga' hoodie. On the right, the cover of "Vultures 2" which depicts a person in a black outfit holding a large printed image of a man's face
Robert Kamau/GC Images; YZY

Konnichiwa, North West!

The 11-year-old is going international with her new guest verse on the track "Bomb," off her dad’s latest album Vultures 2.

On the high-energy Jersey club track, North West greets listeners with "Ohayou gozaimasu" (good morning), "Konnichiwa" (hello), and "Watashi no namae wa North-chan" (My name is North).

It’s not clear what inspired North to drop bars in Japanese, or if her "good morning" greeting is a nod to the song from her Otou-san’s 2007 album, Graduation. However, she’s not the only artist currently making waves with Japanese lyrics.

Megan Thee Stallion’s latest viral track, "Mamushi," featuring Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba, quickly became a standout on her self-titled album, Megan, when it was released in June.

On "Mamushi," aptly named after a dangerous Japanese snake to maintain the album's serpent theme, Megan-san raps the catchy chorus in Japanese: "Okane kasegu / watashi wa star" ("[I] make money / I’m a star" in English).

The duo performed the song and its viral TikTok dance together for the first time during Meg’s Hot Girl Summer Tour stop in London last month. On Thursday, Megan released the first teaser for the "Mamushi" music video, which she filmed in Japan.

Ye and Ty Dolla Sign's joint Vultures 2 album arrived on Saturday, nearly six months after the trilogy's first installment dropped in February. Despite delays and some copyright-related issues, the first Vultures album and its lead single "Carnival" reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts.

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