Kanye West has been keeping his group of "Vultures" collaborators close, which especially includes Bump J ... because Ye is spearheading a big album release for him in 2024.
Sources close to Ye's camp tell TMZ Hip Hop ... he considers Bump J a fellow Chicagoan and hip hop legend and wants to help get his career back on track.
The bar is being set high ... we're told Swizz Beatz was the first producer to send Bump some beats, as did Metro Boomin, Wheezy and John "Juice" Harris ... all intending to help Bump create a second first impression in the industry.
Kanye produced Bump’s first single “Move Around” back in 2005, but an armed bank robbery charge forced him out of the picture while he served a 7-year prison sentence.
Bump and Kanye reconnected at the top of 2022 where he assisted Ye in co-writing on his unfinished "Donda 2" album, and later for The Game and Hit-Boy's "Drillmatic."
We're told the lead single, "Vultures" originally belonged to Bump as a solo record, and once Ye heard it, he immediately summoned Bump to join him and the rest of the gang in Tokyo to help finish his joint album with Ty Dolla $ign.
Unfortunately for Bump, Japan denied him access to the country -- due to his record -- so he returned home and later joined Ye in Italy, where they completed the project.
Bump was also part of the "Vultures" live premieres in Dubai and Miami where he rubbed shoulders with Lil Durk, Freddie Gibbs, Offset and others.
The time away helped grow Bump's street legacy in Chicago -- he influenced future Chicago rappers like G Herbo, Lil Bibby and Durk, who credits him with expanding his mind, so it was possible to have a rap career.