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Talking / Once Again

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"Talking / Once Again"
Single by ¥$ featuring North West
from the album Vultures 1
ReleasedFebruary 8, 2024 (2024-02-08)
Genre
Length3:06
LabelYZY
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
¥$ singles chronology
"Vultures"
(2023) 		"Talking / Once Again"
(2024) 		"Carnival"
(2024)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Vultures"
(2023) 		"Talking / Once Again"
(2024) 		"Carnival"
(2024)
Ty Dolla Sign singles chronology
"Vultures"
(2023) 		"Talking / Once Again"
(2024) 		"Carnival"
(2024)
North West singles chronology
"Talking / Once Again"
(2024) 		"Bomb"
(2024)
Music video
Talking / Once Again on YouTube
Music video
Talking / Once Again (Directed by North West) on YouTube

"Talking" (stylized in uppercase, single version initially titled "Talking / Once Again") is a song by the American hip-hop supergroup ¥$, composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign. Featuring the formers daughter, North West, the song was first released as a promotional track on February 7, 2024, exclusively on Instagram, YouTube, and X. 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 musician Mamii, Quentin Miller, and Ant Clemons. It was produced by both West and Ty Dolla Sign, alongside Camper, Dom Maker, Edsclusive, James Blake, and Swizz Beatz.

Background and release

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"Talking" was first previewed during the "Vultures Rave" event on December 12, 2023. Only including North's verse, the preview would later become a viral sound on content platform TikTok.[1][2] The song served as North's debut as a musical artist.[3]

The music video was teased on January 24, 2024 by West via Instagram, posting a treatment created by North for the songs visuals.[4] West officially released the song alongside its music video on February 7, 2024.[5] It was later added to streaming services on February 8, 2024.

Composition

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A hip-hop song with Jersey club[6] elements, the first half of the song focuses on West's daughter, North. Over production provided by West and English singer James 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.[7][8]

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.[9] West's only appearance is towards the songs outro, repeating the chorus from "Once Again".[5]

Critical reception

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Writing for Billboard, Michael Saponara ranked "Talking" as the fifth best song on Vultures 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."[10]

Music videos

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The first music video, released alongside the "Talking" promotional single, is directed by Italian film directors Damiano and Fabio D'Innocenzo. Matt Cocco handled the video's cinematography.[10] The video shows shots of West and his daughter North, who is depicted getting her hair braided by a group of stylists. Ty Dolla Sign and his daughter, Jailynn Griffin, also appear.[7]

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 for Vultures 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 wearing Vultures-themed merch.[11]

Charts

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Chart performance for "Talking"
Chart (2024) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 66
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[13] 19
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] 30
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[15] 77
Global 200 (Billboard)[16] 18
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[17] 16
Italy (FIMI)[18] 96
Latvia (LAIPA)[19] 20
Lithuania (AGATA)[20] 37
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[21] 48
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[22] 32
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[23] 58
Portugal (AFP)[24] 33
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[25] 46
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 69
UK Indie (OCC)[27] 14
UK Streaming (OCC)[28] 83
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 30
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 12

References

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  1. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (February 7, 2024). "Kanye and North West Plus Ty Dolla Sign and His Daughter Come Together in 'Talking/Once Again' Video". XXL. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Garcia, Thania (February 7, 2024). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign Share North West-Featuring Video for 'Vultures' Single". Variety. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  3. ^ Delgado, Sara (February 21, 2024). "North West Just Entered Billboard's Hot 100 Chart". Teen Vogue. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  4. ^ Aniftos, Rania (January 24, 2024). "Kanye West Hints at Daughter North West's First Music Video on Instagram". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Grow, Kory (February 7, 2024). "North West Sings and Raps in Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign's 'Talking / Once Again' Clip". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "A deep dive into Jersey club music". The Tufts Daily. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Powell, Jon. "North West and Jailynn Griffin join dads Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign in heartfelt visual". REVOLT. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  8. ^ Saponara, Michael (February 7, 2024). "Watch North West Rap in Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Talking/Once Again' Music Video". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  9. ^ Dunworth, Liberty (February 7, 2024). "Watch Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign's video for 'Talking/Once Again' featuring North West". NME. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Saponara, Michael (February 10, 2024). "Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' Album: All 16 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  11. ^ "Ye and Ty Dolla $ign Unveil "TALKING" Video, Directed by North West". Hypebeast. April 30, 2024. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  12. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 19 February 2024". The ARIA Report. No. 1772. Australian Recording Industry Association. February 19, 2024. p. 4.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 7. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  16. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  17. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög" [The Music – Songs] (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on February 18, 2024. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  18. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 7" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  19. ^ "Straumēšanas TOP 2024 – 7. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 7] (in Latvian). LAIPA. February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  20. ^ "2024 7-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. February 16, 2024. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  21. ^ "¥$, Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign feat. North West – Talking / Once Again" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  22. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  23. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 09.02.2024–15.02.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  24. ^ "¥$, Kanye West, Ty Dolla $ign feat. North West – Talking / Once Again". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2024.
  25. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 7. týden 2024 in the date selector. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  26. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 7". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  27. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  28. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  29. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  30. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
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