People wanted to know how I feel about this, so what the heck...
So apparently Kanye gave up on hip hop. I dunno what it is, really. Maybe it's all that time he spent with Fall Out Boy? The breakup? The glasses? Uch... Look, don't get me wrong: This new "Love Lockdown" has definitely got it's pluses. But it's not hip hop! KRS-One got it right when he said the same thing about Graduation last year.
The commercial success of T-Pain and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III most definitely impacted Kanye's (and the rest of the game's) direction. It's a shame to see hip hop degenerate and stylistically devour itself. And two of my all-time favorites -- Common and Jay-Z -- reaaaaalllllyyy need to step it up too. "Jockin' Jay-Z"? Maaan that sh*t is played out, and you know it. Sounds like something the Clipse might have hopped on a few years ago.
Maybe I should just give up on hip hop too? Oh wait! The new Ill Bill and Planet Asia records are incredible. That Capone-N-Noreaga bootleg that's floatin' around ain't too shabby either. Now that's what I call G.O.O.D. music!
So apparently Kanye gave up on hip hop. I dunno what it is, really. Maybe it's all that time he spent with Fall Out Boy? The breakup? The glasses? Uch... Look, don't get me wrong: This new "Love Lockdown" has definitely got it's pluses. But it's not hip hop! KRS-One got it right when he said the same thing about Graduation last year.
The commercial success of T-Pain and Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III most definitely impacted Kanye's (and the rest of the game's) direction. It's a shame to see hip hop degenerate and stylistically devour itself. And two of my all-time favorites -- Common and Jay-Z -- reaaaaalllllyyy need to step it up too. "Jockin' Jay-Z"? Maaan that sh*t is played out, and you know it. Sounds like something the Clipse might have hopped on a few years ago.
Maybe I should just give up on hip hop too? Oh wait! The new Ill Bill and Planet Asia records are incredible. That Capone-N-Noreaga bootleg that's floatin' around ain't too shabby either. Now that's what I call G.O.O.D. music!
could not agree and disagree more at the same time. kanye has never been stylistically by definition "hip hop" so don't hate on that. he is his own pop hop, and ain't nothing wrong with that. amazing as far as i'm concerned - whether he's bumping the bass with the vocoder or singing his heart out about love. mad props to k.w. either way.
ReplyDeletei never liked kanye
ReplyDelete1 for his attitude
2. for his music
kanye startin makin the crossover long ago.
ReplyDeletehe has forgotten where he came from, he is just as bad as jay-z.
look at the state of those glasses!
Streching the boundaries of Hip Hop is a good thing, even though it will upset the traditionalists. If the music is good, then there's no problem.
ReplyDeleteBased on Love Lockdown, it's looking a bit shaky for Kanye. But imma wait for the album before judging his latest creative move.
Kanye's hook IS that he's different to other rappers. 808s & Heartbreaks could be a triumph. Or it could flop. I for one applaud the attitude, the creative risk, because it's what makes music exciting.
Hearing new, fresh shit is what keeps me interested. I'd take that anyday ahead of rappers like 50 Cent who regurgitate the same crap every album.
This new album could be garbage, but I cant wait to find out.
Jackie: College Dropout was as "HIP HOP" as it gets, back in '04. Late Registration was too.
ReplyDeleteCryptvill: You've gotta admit that his first two albums were solid, especially College Dropout.
Cathal: LOL!
FD: ...Yup, we'll see what happens...
who cares about kanye? i don't.
ReplyDeletei didn't like him from the get go, now less after his camera incident. unacceptable.
RIDE OUT YE, RIDE OUT. DONT LET THE DOOR HITYA WHERE THE GOOD LORD SPLITYA.
ReplyDelete:P
I like Kanye as a personality because he's funny, but I'm not really into the whole emo-bitch rap
ReplyDeletebukem in '08!
ReplyDeletehttp://bangthebox.net/2008/09/bukem-meets-obama-in-orlando.html
LOL
on this paper should be written: "now i'm finally gay!"
ReplyDeleteJust because hes not screaming bars after bars into a mic doesn't make it hip hop. Hip hop is art... Hip hop is poetry... in any means necessary. Times change, people change... but the message will always be the same.
ReplyDeleteyo im down with the whole stretching hip hops boundaries part, thats what a genre needs to grow...
ReplyDeletein regards to Ivan, i will tell you the truth in that I haven't listened to his first 2 albums in a REAL good listening way, and maybe if i did, he'd build on me, but all of the music lately (eh, about past 3-4 years) that ive heard of him has just been... mediocre at best in my opinion.
I don't consider any of that shit you mentioned to be hip-hop anyway. It's just pop music. Don't cry over shit music.
ReplyDeleteI dont get this...Kanye not hip-hop? Dude tracks are blazers. He laced gutter bangers from Scarface to Beanie. People complain about rappers not being creative and then when someone decide to step out "the box" then he's wack?
ReplyDeleteAs far as his attire, who cares? Remember Grandmaster Flash & Melle Mel wearing sequin and glitter and Dr. Dre rockin make-up and lipstick and everyone agree they're hip-hop.
Kanye is hip-hop cuz:
ReplyDelete1, Tracks are always on point
2, Lyrics are dope
3, His stage performance is crazy!
hip-hop will have its highs and lows. but let's not fall for the lie that kanye's lyrics are always dope. if you want to hear some fresh good music, pick up that Reks CD, Grey Hairs. Now, THAT is some good music.
ReplyDeleteJockin Jay-Z is wack?? I like the sample... somebody should have thought of that a long time ago but no one did... the beat hits hard... the verses are tight to me... much better than kingdom come stuff...
ReplyDeleteThat Jockin Jay-Z is dope I don't care what nobody says!!! And nothin' is hip hop to KRS-One except his music!! Graduation was tight! Man Weezy already did that with that prostitute song where he song the whole song and nobody criticized that wack ass shit like this Kanye song! And it's no different than Dre 3000 singing on Love Below
ReplyDeleteJustin Time: You're talking 'bout tracks that's 5 years old (or more)!
ReplyDeleteanon: Saying that "Jockin' Jay-Z" is better than "Kingdom Come stuff" is not enough reason to like it... Anything "decent" is better than KC.
kanye is a joke. we shouldn't pay attention to this clown. contrary to what he likes to portray i think he's becoming his own worst enemy. i see this guy in the media and he has this stepin fetchit (look him up if you don't know) quality.
ReplyDeletelook at that clown suit he has on. white gloves and all. ignore these corporate clowns please. they only want our money. that vocoder shit ain't art. it's easy.
yea i cant wait for that new ill bill myself
ReplyDeleteHOWEVER- i havent given up on kanye yet ;)
Another vote for Jockin Jay-Z for me. I know its not ground breaking but that shit bangs in my car.
ReplyDeleteI hope the vocoder craze dies soon though. I hated when Teddy Riley used in back in '95. And I really hated it when that Cher song back in '98 was EVERYWHERE.
It seems that lots of rappers are just frustrated singers, so they use this shit to sound 'nice'. How many rappers are tryna sing? Ja Rule, Snoop, Nelly, Wayne, Kanye...
hes a sell-out and its nothing to do with pushin musical boundaries, hes just makin pop music! and the new song wack as hell!
ReplyDeletealso upcoming concerts grandmaster flash - 20 euro
kanye west - 65.70 euro
wat a fukin rip off!!!!!!!
kanye west - 65.70 euro
ReplyDeleteYeah, but Kanye got lights. LIGHTS! LOTS OF LIGHTS!!!
They gotta be worth the extra euros...
this discussion reeks of tall poppy syndrome - just chop down the one who achieves
ReplyDelete"Achieves" what? Commercial success at the expense of quality? I'd beg to differ in every one of such instances.
ReplyDeleteAchieves and contributed a shit load more than you and I Ivan (no offense intended) and not at the expense of quality either. He is hardly pumping music out mediocre hip-hop everyday. Based on this one track (agreed verging on wackiness) this just seems way too harsh and undeserved. Lets judge the album.
ReplyDelete"He is hardly pumping music out mediocre hip-hop everyday."
ReplyDeleteA. It is mediocre and B. it's not even "hip hop". It's some weird attempt at sounding "out there" and it just falls flat. You can't tell me that sh*t's as real and powerful as "Through the Wire" or "Diamonds from Sierra Leone".
"Based on this one track (agreed verging on wackiness) this just seems way too harsh and undeserved. Lets judge the album."
That didn't stop critics for going after The Roots with that sh*tty "Birthday Girl" song. And it's a good thing they did! If the album sounded more like that, they would have lost a loooootttt of fans. Sure, they would have picked up a bunch of Fall Out Boy groupies, but is it worth it? Not in my book...
I always tell people: stop paying attention to creative people's personal lives. If you know what every actor, singer, or whatever thought, you'd hate all of them. Kanye's no exception. The guy is obviously a douchebag but he makes great music. So I dismiss anything he does outside of music. Don't pay attention to it. I let the work speak for the artist.
ReplyDeleteNow...if the next album is all singing? It'll be the first Kanye album I don't buy. I want to hear the quantum leaps in beatmaking and the fun rhymes, but I don't wanna hear that idiot sing. I want hip hop.
yeah, this comment section, mostly, and blog post is a perfect example of little kids being hip hop elitist. thanks for reminding me what not to be like. i can hear the waterfall behind your ears from here.
ReplyDeletedude, you need to sit down
ReplyDeleteDon't worry Ivan, not all anonymi are bad
LOL @ "anonymi"
ReplyDeleteThe text was photoshopped.
ReplyDeleteLook at the resolution and how the paper is bent
but the text is flat.
The text was photoshopped.
ReplyDeleteLook at the resolution and how the paper is bent
but the text is flat.