KAN YAY OR KAN NAY? (The Kanye West Thread)

Aside from the fact that it was hilarious, I thought he was introducing complex arguments about conceptual art as opposed to craftsmanship to a mainstream audience. Which is what America is for. To be, like, faded and behind the times, and all 19th century on our arses and trying to be modern.

But good on him for trying. Hilarious.

rubberdingyrapids said:

kanye isnt like a spike lee, someone who is always angry

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spike lee isn't always angry - that's just a tired caricature that gets endlessly repeated because he's a black person saying overtly political things. but agree with the rest of your post, which is after all making a similar point about Kanye (that there's this continual media attempt to reduce him to a caricature, in his case a jackass).

The half-interruption was genius.

Corpsey said:

Can you explain this - is Travis Scott a rich-kid or something?

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Its less an economic situation of origin and him pimping the respectability of being in Kanye's proximity to capitalize on actual innovations in rap.

Prior to Kanye's "discovery" of Scott, his sound was actually reflective of his then associate Donnis; hipster rap, generic B.O.B.-esque stuff. Post-Kanye, his first project is actually all incredibly dependent on a very Kid Cudi-like take on rap, very logical for Kanye to endorse that kind of artist, but no real place in the current climate.

Fast-forward, suddenly this kid is rapping about trapping, dreaded, shirtless and NOW frequently having Young Thug, Peewee Longway, Migos and similar artists appear on his songs which sound like their songs. Why is this so prevalent? Because Migos and Young Thug have larger national-fanbases amongst actual rap listeners, and established radio play. Travis NEEDS Radio because blogs aren't a guarantee of record sales, and don't help convince labels that Travis Scott is a worthwhile artist. You can't sell Travis "Moan about girls in space" Scott, you have to sell Travis "rapping about getting head with a Quavo hook" Scott.

However, because of Travis' experimental takes on the sound, he seems to be advancing the sounds he's leeching off. Which is fucking bullshit, putting dumb reverb on a TM88 beat hasn't improved the fucking TM88 beat at all; but no, HE isn't a musical genius, its TRAVIS FUCKING SCOTT. Because Kanye recognized "genius".

So if anyone wants to complain about Kanye, its that he has a very, VERY, VEEERY gross tendency to support appropriation of urban rap through shady industry types, and then put the fur on them. But when its time for him to support artists by giving them a feature, save for Chief Keef, where are they? OH THAT'S RIGHT. You just have them arrive in the studio and record 20 songs, and then maybe whimsically put them out, when those could maybe, JUST MAYBE, convince the greater fanbase of Kanye that don't take those people seriously "Hey... Maybe Young Thug IS a viable artist! If Kanye says so, why shouldn't I give him a shot?" and that could mean the world of difference for some of these guys.

Its 2015, I want to see less Jackas in coffins, less Bobbys in jail, and less Travis Scotts point blank period.

baboon2004 said:

spike lee isn't always angry - that's just a tired caricature that gets endlessly repeated because he's a black person saying overtly political things. but agree with the rest of your post, which is after all making a similar point about Kanye (that there's this continual media attempt to reduce him to a caricature, in his case a jackass).

The half-interruption was genius.

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kanye IS genius. i used to be a big spike lee fan, and yes, hes not always angry, though his righteous anger seemed to lapse into a kind of rent-an-outburst behaviour that i dont think did him any favours, though obv a lot of that was that his persona was popularly reduced to quotes about racism/white people (even in the last decade), and certain journalists just love angry black people for shock appeal/political point scoring/liberal sympathies while others chastise and kind of mock them for it at the same time (honestly though spike has done some of his best work since becoming less of a media personality and since becoming a bit quieter - you can say that he was made into a caricature, but he also loved that kind of attention, it just gave him fuel).

my point was that spike lee used to rile people up - he loved to provoke - and he became a caricature of the angry black man, kanye is just dismissed as being another stupid and arrogant rapper/black artist (though he is in reality extremely generous in terms of praising his peers). funny how beck is now seen as this humble little songwriter guy, while kanye is the big arrogant, stupid rapper. to be fair, kanye does do some stupid things, but he also does lots of brilliant/clever things too. and he can be arrogant, but he can be vulnerable/humble too. thats what makes him so brilliant.

Armando Ianucci should write a sketch where a group of white, mid-thirties middle class people spend their dinner party having in-depth discussions about rappers with names like Young Thug and Bobby Shmurda, and how white mid-thirties middle class people are colonising the discourse around hip-hop.

i remember seeing beck in futurama he wasnt humble at all

Patrick Swayze said:

Armando Ianucci should write a sketch where a group of white, mid-thirties middle class people who spend their dinner party having in-depth discussions about rappers with names like Young Thug and Bobby Shmurda, and how white mid-thirties middle class people are colonising the discourse around hip-hop.

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pos

Nathan Barley without the sense of humour

Armando Ianucci should write a sketch where a group of white, mid-thirties middle class people post things like

Patrick Swayze said:

Armando Ianucci should write a sketch where a group of white, mid-thirties middle class people spend their dinner party having in-depth discussions about rappers with names like Young Thug and Bobby Shmurda, and how white mid-thirties middle class people are colonising the discourse around hip-hop.

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on internet forums.

Anyway. Has anyone bothered to ask Beyonce if she appreciated West's white-knighting on behalf of her poor little marginalised female self?

would rather see a show of black people at a dinner table discussing how rap discourse is dictated by white middle class 30 somethings.

This song "Fade" has some slowed down Chicago house samples. Not on any music sharing sites yet.

trza said:

This song "Fade" has some slowed down Chicago house samples. Not on any music sharing sites yet.

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Really phoned that one in didn't he. Bassline from Fingers Inc 'mysteries of love' & vocal loop from MAW 'deep inside'. It's a bit like taking the riff from Smells like teen spirit, vocal from Good vibrations, stinking a shite vocoder on top of it and still pretending to be current king of pop.

Sectionfive said:

Really phoned that one in didn't he. Bassline from Fingers Inc 'mysteries of love' & vocal loop from MAW 'deep inside'. It's a bit like taking the riff from Smells like teen spirit, vocal from Good vibrations, stinking a shite vocoder on top of it and still pretending to be current king of pop.

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don't. get. me. started.

Gee, where does that guy get off right? Its not like you know, he's of the age group that grew up on songs like that or is from Chicago?

the new album is bound to be bad. hes too busy not just with non music stuff, but also overseeing that rihanna album and who knows what else. the travis scott is a good kanye replacement album though.

but this -

Really phoned that one in didn't he. Bassline from Fingers Inc 'mysteries of love' & vocal loop from MAW 'deep inside'. It's a bit like taking the riff from Smells like teen spirit, vocal from Good vibrations, stinking a shite vocoder on top of it and still pretending to be current king of pop.

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sounds excellent.

I just learned on Facebook that he likes nothing better than a deep delicious probing prostrate massage

and what is wrong with that?

Did I suggest that there is anything wrong with that? Certainly not. The famous 'male g spot'

gives a clue as to what sort of parties in la kanye might be into.

glad none of the songs from last year will be on the album. no more parties and true friends are incredible. seems like this is his 'back to basics' album. a way to show everyone he is still the same person, despite the overpriced trainers, the crap clothing lines, and everything else.

i had a brief fantasy that madlib did all the beats (tbh kayne mixing madlib would prob be the best outcome for madlib as a lof of his stuff sounds small and weedy).
i heard his song about kim kardashian from last year recently - 'awesome'. what is most awesome about the song is that after singing about how awesome his wife is, he starts singing about how awesome HE is. which on one hand is brilliantly ridiculous and unbelievable, but he somehow makes it sound like he is convincing himself that he is awesome enough to be with someone else who is so awesome, rather than just declaring how awesome he already is and how she should therefore be grateful to be with him. at least this is how i am reading it (if it isnt that, its just stupid and hilarious).