| "Talking / Once Again" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by¥$ featuringNorth West | ||||
| from the albumVultures 1 | ||||
| Released | February 8, 2024 (2024-02-08) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:06 | |||
| Label | YZY | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| ¥$ singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Ty Dolla Sign singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| North West singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| Talking / Once Again onYouTube | ||||
| Music video | ||||
| Talking / Once Again (Directed by North West) onYouTube | ||||
"Talking" (stylized in uppercase, single version initially titled "Talking / Once Again") is a song by the Americanhip-hopsupergroup¥$, composed of rapperKanye West and singerTy Dolla Sign. Featuring the former's daughter,North West, the song was first released as a promotional track on February 7, 2024, exclusively onInstagram,YouTube, andX. The song was later released on streaming services on February 8 as the second single from the duo's collaborative album,Vultures 1 (2024). The song was written by West and his daughter North, along with Ty Dolla Sign, Chicagoland musicianMamii,Quentin Miller, andAnt Clemons. It was produced by both West and Ty Dolla Sign, alongsideCamper,Dom Maker, Edsclusive,James Blake, andSwizz Beatz.
"Talking" was first previewed during theVultures Rave event atMiami, Florida on December 12, 2023. Only including North's verse, the preview later became a viral sound on content platformTikTok.[1][2] The song served as North's debut as a musical artist.[3] On December 29, DJ Pharris previewed the song's second half on his radio show,WPWX Power 92 Chicago, which came after speculation that the unreleased track "Everybody" would be released as a single.[4] The broadcast consisted of a loop of the "Once Again" portion, and gained attention online due to DJ Pharris shouting out the fictional character Jonesy fromFortnite near the end, which fans and publications misinterpreted as part of the track.[4][5]
The music video was teased on January 24, 2024 by West via Instagram, who posted atreatment created by North for the songs visuals.[6] West officially released the song alongside its music video on February 7, 2024.[7] It was later added to streaming services the next day.
A hip-hop song withJersey club[8] elements, the first half of the song focuses on West's daughter,North. Over production provided by West and English singerJames Blake, North introduces herself as "your bestie, miss, miss westie". North's verse is often described as a "catchy ear worm" with fun and confident lyricism.[9][10]
The "Once Again" portion of the song switches the main artist from North to Ty Dolla Sign. In his verse, Ty Dolla Sign expresses his worries for his daughter, hoping that he has been a good role model for her while asking if there's any way to stop her from growing old. He ends his verse by vowing to break his predetermined destiny, putting in the hard work to ensure his daughter has a better life than his.[11] West's only appearance is towards the songs outro, repeating the chorus from "Once Again".[7]
Writing forBillboard, Michael Saponara ranked "Talking" as the fifth best song onVultures 1. Saponara praised North for "[cooking] up an earworm of a chorus that will easily be stuck in listeners’ heads for the weeks to come." He emphasizes Ty Dolla Sign's candidness on the track, expressing his concerns for his daughter "[in the] hopes she's properly prepared with the tools to take on the world." Saponara concludes that only someone like West could've "churn[ed] a positive fatherhood anthem into a rap hit."[12]
The first music video, released alongside the "Talking" promotional single, is directed by Italian film directorsDamiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo. Matteo Cocco handled the video's cinematography.[12] The video shows shots of West and his daughterNorth, who is depicted getting her hair braided by a group of stylists. Ty Dolla Sign and his daughter, Jailynn Griffin, also appear.[9]
On April 30, 2024, a music video directed by North West was released. The video was co-directed by Aus Taylor, who had worked on multiple visuals forVultures 1, including photographing the cover art; cinematography was handled by Karim Belkasemi. It reuses the original treatment written by North in January. The visual focuses on North and her friends, hanging out while wearingVultures-themed merch.[13]
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[14] | 66 |
| Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[15] | 19 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[16] | 30 |
| Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[17] | 77 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[18] | 18 |
| Iceland (Tónlistinn)[19] | 16 |
| Italy (FIMI)[20] | 96 |
| Latvia (LAIPA)[21] | 20 |
| Lithuania (AGATA)[22] | 37 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] | 48 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[24] | 32 |
| Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[25] | 58 |
| Portugal (AFP)[26] | 33 |
| Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[27] | 46 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[28] | 69 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[29] | 14 |
| UK Streaming (OCC)[30] | 83 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[31] | 30 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[32] | 12 |
