Just because he acts like a tool with Barbara Walters doesn't mean he is not talented. Kanye West is a breath of fresh air to a rap industry that is turning into garbage. Is what he doing completely original? Absolutely not. Its still better than the Lil Jon's, Ying Yang Twins, and all of their copy cat rappers. Unfortunately, some of his music is way overplayed (Gold Digger) but his CD's are two of my very favorites. Of course, I'm no music snob so my opinion probably doesn't count.
He's actually not bad. I've enjoyed both of his albums. Not as good as my personal favorites like Tribe, The Roots, Mos Def, Hieroglyphics, MF Doom, Blackalicious or De La Soul, but he's not nearly as bad as the other mainstream stuff.
yeah, well, nothing else was on, I suppose. BTW, I do like the Golddigger song. I just had a real problem with him going on and on about his talent, and then his freestyle just basically blew up in his face. With all of these "artists" these days getting music written for them, which I TRULY believe is the case with Kanye (especially since he was a producer), his blowhard braggodacio strikes me cold, and makes me think he's an idiot. Look. George Strait hardly writes any of his songs, and I still love his style and his performance. But if he EVER came out saying he's got all of this talent and can write anything, I would lose respect for him in a heartbeat. I'm just about positive Kanye is lying about writing his own music. He's the Milli Vanilli of songwriters, and it will be proven soon enough.
Come on...he is on freaking Barbara Walters, what can he actually flow about on there especially after people take such offense to things he says. If he went off on a political rhyme or something like that he would be hated on even more...I am sure he is watching what he says more and more closely. I've seen him flow on MTV with Common and Mos Def before his first album came out and it was sick. Why is it so hard to believe that he can write his own lyrics, just because he is a producer first? (Did Jamie Foxx not deserve his Oscar because he is a musician and comedian first?) Are all his interviews scripted also? Listen to him speak and he is obviously an intelligent person. Most interviews I've seen of him he comes across as well spoken, intelligent and charismatic (you can't fake that). I understand he also comes across as arrogant and that is probably why people hate him the most but at least he is "real" and not a phony like many other celebrities out there.
So you think he's lying to the world about writing his own songs, based on one busted freestyle attempt? Kanye is certainly a blowhard, and has an ego the size of the earth and then some. But I find it hard to believe that he's lying about the whole thing. And for those that think Kanye is a hack, need to check out his first album, College Dropout. There are at least 3 songs on there that are perceptive, insightful, and touching. And some others that are just plain catchy and well-produced.
I wouldn't be addicted to p*rnography if women would put out for me more often. It's all their fault.
on a side note, i find it kind of funny that Master Baiter would defend Kanye West in a thread about his love for p*rnography. Carry on...
Art or idiot? I cannot tell. Is trying to identify himself as a persecuted one? I believe Jesus mad no reputation for himself, rather people began to follow of their own accord. Had the printing press existed I fail to imagine it possible that Jesus would have done interviews touting himself as some celebrity, much less posing for a shot in his crown of thorns. The humility and utter suffering of Christ is not something I believe a multimillionaire rapper can identify with. It is merely a publicity stunt, and it appears to have worked. As for the p*rnography, it is suggested that most American males are first introduced to it around the ages of 5 to 8. But not every male claims, or blames addiction to p*rn on that introduction. I would submit that his father's influences, or lack thereof were more the maker of this habit. And habits are formed by choices, not forced upon us. Again, this point of the article is merely to stir up some controversy and make people talk. Mission accomplished for the Bush hater.
You and I have a totally different idea of what "obviously intelligent" and "charismatic" mean.. http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1486995/05132004/west_kanye.jhtml I love the part when he talks about the diamonds.. bright guy right there..
LOL! How shallow are you? You're judging him based on an interview? How about get some of his records and listen to them? How about reading what critics have to say about his work? The man is a legend in the music business, and most of his fame comes from being a producer, not a rapper, although he ain't half-bad there either. An unscripted moment with Walters hardly disqualifies him. He might not be a great freestyler, but it proves nothing else.
It definitely proves he is full of himself, and it infers that he's not nearly as bright as y'all think. I'm still trying to determine if he's Milli or Vanilli. Maybe I should do a poll.
I admired Kanye's talent on his 1st album, but ever since everything has gone to his head and it's not really that big of a surprise. I think to say he has no talent is wrong, he's arguably the top producer in the game and as RM95 said his rhymes are better than most of the mainstream bubble gum/gangster crap rap out there. That being said, my opinion of him as a person has pretty much plummeted over the past year. Late Registration doesn't hold a candle to the College Dropout, so that just goes to show he's getting recognition by his name alone.
Fair enough, that's why I said he doesn't particularly strike me as a great guy, but I can seperate that from the fact that he's a great artist; I do the same thing with Michael Jackson: seperate the person from his work, no one can deny that man is a genius regardless of his character or what he's done. You sure tend to rely on your instincts (or "beliefs" as you call them) a lot more than you should. He writes for some of the ebst artists in the business, then why the heck woudl he turn around and hire someone else to do his stuff? He has a distinct style that tends to reflect on his music, and if you've listened to some of his work long enough, you will be able to discern his work from most others in the industry. I am also positive you're not a great cook and you steal the recipes from someone else.
I don't even listen to Kanye but I found this quote of Fatty's hilarious. How will this "supposed lying" be proven soon?
I'm Kanye West, biggest attention w**** of the hip hop world. I'm so unoriginal that I pose as Jesus, yeah like 50 million other artists/actors/politicians before me haven't already tried that before. But please keep buying my records, and don' worry for those of you offended, I will be issuing an apology 2 or 3 weeks later where I will blame Rolling Stones for taking my picture out of context (A bird's nest fell on me while I was walking with the Rolling Stones photographer). My apology will be something along the lines of "If I have offended anyone, I am sorry". I will then giggle like a schoolgirl with the publisher of Rolling Stones about the publicity, and reappear on ROlling Stones 5 months form now looking normal and talking about all the things "I went through since the controversial cover". In the meantime, please remember to continue buying my records, at this rate I'm not sure how much more creativity is left in me.
while you failed to mention Talib Kweli or the Roots, i applaud you in your effort to name almost every entry in The Music Snob's Guide to Rappers/Rap Groups That Are OK to Say You Like. seriously, it's like there's some list out there that every single thread about rap on every single message board on the internet eventually turns to when it comes to "good rap" from back in the day that's unlike the 'crap" that's out today. even though there is plenty of music snobbery when it comes to rock, the list is never as consistent as the rap list.
Probably because the rap music I like for the most part dealt with social issues and concerns or was light-hearted stuff (like most of the Fat Boys songs or Biz Markie) and not about the bling bling or hoes or stuff like that.
