Taylor Swift blocks Kanye West from keeping up Billboard hot streak

Los Angeles, California - Taylor Swift has gotten the last laugh in her decade-long feud with Kanye West after overtaking the rapper's new album, Vultures 2.

Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department blocked Kanye West (r.) from scoring a 12th consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 debut with Vultures 2.
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department blocked Kanye West (r.) from scoring a 12th consecutive Billboard 200 No. 1 debut with Vultures 2.  © Collage: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS & Avalon.red

Reputation (Taylor's Version) may not have dropped on the same day as Ye's new album, but the 34-year-old pop star still managed to spoil his latest release!

Taylor's powerhouse 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, again dominated the latest iteration of the Billboard 200, leaving Kanye's joint release with Ty Dolla $ign at No. 2.

The second-place debut officially breaks Kanye's streak of No. 1 debuts after 11 in total.

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Since its release back in April, TTPD has maintained a historic reign on the Billboard charts, only breaking its consistent dominance when it was briefly dethroned by Eminem's The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce).

The album has now spent a total of 14 weeks in the top spot.

Of course, Swifties were quick to rejoice over TTPD's victory over Vultures 2, given the infamous bad blood between Taylor and Kanye.

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Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has spent 14 total weeks at No. 1 since it dropped in April.
Taylor Swift's The Tortured Poets Department has spent 14 total weeks at No. 1 since it dropped in April.  © IMAGO / Forum

Though the feud dates all the way back to Ye's disruption of Taylor's 2009 VMAs acceptance speech, the two's drama has failed to ever truly cease.

In the new album, the Heartless rapper added a new detail to the lore with a line in Lifestyle (Demo), where featured artist Lil Wayne adds, "I twist my Taylor spliffs tight at the end like Travis Kelce."

The line may not have been an overt dig at Taylor or her NFL star beau, but fans were none too pleased with the rapper dragging her name into it.

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However, it looks like the Anti-Hero artist coyly took her own dig at Ye by releasing yet another new digital version of TTPD that included the live rendition of thanK you aIMee the day before Vultures 2 was due to drop, thus boosting her album's chart performance once again.

As pop culture enthusiasts know all too well, thanK you aIMee takes a not-so-subtle dig at Kanye's ex-wife, Kim Kardashian, who played a key role in intensifying the feud between Ye and Taylor.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / ABACAPRESS & Avalon.red

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