Kanye West

He’s a producer first and a rapper second. Most of his lyrics are ghostwritten.

This is to say, I wish he was trying to be more disruptive and out-there with his productions instead of trying to do it with his words. He’s bad at the latter and he could be brilliant at the former.

At least get one of his ghostwriters to help him writing those insane speeches. I’m sure a good writer could’ve organized and phrased the whole ”slavery was a choice” fuck-up into something perhaps meaningful and interesting. Something something about how when your mind is free your body can never truly be enslaved or some other fighting words mumbo jumbo that could sound inspiring instead of troublesome.

Mad genius Kanye isolated from the world at his studio in one of his mansions or on a ranch in the middle of nowhere with a laptop creating albums that alienate his fanbase is a better look than Crazy Kanye isolated from the world wants to express his take of what the country should because he half-read a conservative thinkpiece while getting high in one of his mansions, and procedes to make uninformed statements on twitter that alienates his fanbase.

Ironically this is the year he has released the most music but most of it feels half-cooked ideas. He’s not into doing the thing he’s actually good at and seems to prefer the attention from making tunnelvision comments. By the current standards he’d make a good president.

At any rate what a waste.

https://pitchfork.com/news/lana-del-ray-confronts-kanye-over-trump-support/

then he stopped for a half hour and lectured us about how he designed the mountain. "this shit is, like, well thought out."

why is that good?

Had a laugh at local anchor Rhonda Walker following a report his name change this morning with "maybe we should start calling him Perri-ye"

The Kanye album finally dropped! I guess he changed the title and cover at the last minute pic.twitter.com/To7WQih11V

— pixelated (something halloween-related) (@pixelatedboat) September 30, 2018

then he stopped for a half hour and lectured us about how he designed the mountain. "this shit is, like, well thought out."

Ah, the rambling mid-concert diatribe: the mark of the truly great artist.

I never said he was a great artist or a genius, I said there is “something there” in the music that’s compelling and it’s a shame that the grandiosity has squeezed out other aspects of his personality. The yeezus tour, speech and all, was compelling — back then there was something to admire about his creativity energy and willingness to risk embarrassment, even if the whole thing was ridiculous.

There are worse things than being ridiculous.

Embracing right wong talking points about how democrats are the real racists is an example of a worse thing.

100% agree.
If anything, my appetite is always for more ridiculousness in art. Or, rather, what might be perceived as ridiculousness by folks who get upset when something changes.
Also, the Life of Pablo tour was probably the best arena show I've ever seen. There's def something incredibly special there at times.

Fuck all the right wing bullshit and historically misinformed ignorance though.

Honestly, West's transformation into a clownish MAGA provocateur is just funny to me. I used to be baffled by his music, because I never liked any of it and couldn't figure out why anybody else did. And sometimes he was actively annoying. Like, to pick one petty example, calling his album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy really bugged me, because those adjectives are things you wait for someone else to use to describe your work. Calling something you have created "dark" and "twisted" is adolescent try-hard bullshit; it's one step short of posting a picture of yourself wearing the makeup from The Crow. But whatever. He's getting older, he's running out of ideas...this is how it goes. Rap is cruel to the elderly.

I never liked any of it and couldn't figure out why anybody else did

...

From the guy who brought you "Buy any jeans necessary"...

Had a laugh at local anchor Rhonda Walker following a report his name change this morning with "maybe we should start calling him Perri-ye"

― BrianB, Monday, October 1, 2018 10:09 AM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lmfao Rhonda!

I never said he was a great artist or a genius, I said there is “something there”

― Trϵϵship, Monday, October 1, 2018 5:20 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

https://img.fireden.net/v/image/1453/45/1453450105743.gif

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/WelloffEvenEmeraldtreeskink-size_restricted.gif

Jerry otm

i apologize profusely for ever liking kanye west's music and expressing concern for him at a time when he is, by his own admission, suffering from mental illness

such a horrible horrible thing

I never said he was a great artist or a genius, I said there is “something there” in the music that’s compelling and it’s a shame that the grandiosity has squeezed out other aspects of his personality. The yeezus tour, speech and all, was compelling — back then there was something to admire about his creativity energy and willingness to risk embarrassment, even if the whole thing was ridiculous.

― Trϵϵship, Monday, October 1, 2018 5:20 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

There are worse things than being ridiculous.

― Trϵϵship, Monday, October 1, 2018 5:21 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Kanye is ridiculous but that's ok because mental illness? That is you "expressing concern" for him?

we're talking about him = mission succeeded

I heavily suspect this is all a PR stunt, after all he is married to a family that know how to make headlines out of nothing.

Him being an eccentric and him having mental illness are different things. Right now he is not making any sense and seems out of control, which is different in the past, when he had a willingness to embarrass himself in the course of trying new things. Different traits, different phases of his career.

im with treeship, i agree that the megalomania and ridiculousness is compelling, and was a big part of yeezus & tlop obviously. ymmv but it doesn't strike me as any different than rockstars posturing or destroying their gear, the spectacle is fun. artists don't have to be moral leaders

So you're giving him a pass? Because he was "willing to embarrass himself in the course of trying new things"? That's a free hall pass he doesn't deserve imo. Is his slavery denying crap also part of this "different phase"?

Y'know I heart u Treesh but you bring me down, man.

ymmv but it doesn't strike me as any different than rockstars posturing or destroying their gear, the spectacle is fun. artists don't have to be moral leaders

― flappy bird, Monday, October 1, 2018 8:21 PM (three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Really? "The spectacle is fun"?! Wow...

The confused musician with serious issues, wearing a MAGA hat and a Kaepernik shirt at the same time, ranting about his love for Donald fucking Trump: no problem, the spectacle is fun!

Jfc

US Politics October 2018: The Spectacle Is Fun

LBI, how is different than Silverfuck in 1996? or I Am One during the Siamese Dream tour?

Exactly. I’m not selling kanye 2020 merch and i never use the word “genius.” But there has always been something honest about his music, for all its groanworthy moments, and, even now, this tendency isn’t totally gone. Flawed as “ye” was as a statement i felt like it was very kanye to trust his audience enough to try to talk about his mental illness.

You misunderstood how I meant “ridiculous” bc you assume I believe the highest human aspiration should be to have some grim victorian dignity. Kanye never had that. He never claimed to—on his second album he made self deprecating references to “throwing tantrums” like he is “three years old.”

Clearly with the MAGA stuff he is lost and the vulnerability that’s always been there has a darker, more concerning edge. I feel like that’s regrettable and I hope he can sort it out.

the spectacle i was referring to was the yeezus & tlop arena tours, which Treeship cited as compelling and JCLC asked why. xp

Xp flappt, i didnt think there were other posts bc i am on mobile

I have nothing positive to say about post-MAGA kanye. now even the music fucking sucks

xp u good

And yeah as flappy said i dont find anything fun about what is happening now.

LBI, how is different than Silverfuck in 1996? or I Am One during the Siamese Dream tour?

― flappy bird, Monday, October 1, 2018 8:27 PM (six minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Uhhhh.... You are beyond kidding me.

the tour merch that had the fuckin stars and bars on it was 2013, dude is the rap version of Boyd Rice doin the "oooh...am I a nazi, or just ~interested in their iconography?" shit

Otm. Which isn't all that interesting.

ymmv but it doesn't strike me as any different than rockstars posturing or destroying their gear, the spectacle is fun. artists don't have to be moral leaders

No, they don't. But when they declare themselves to be moral leaders they're open to criticism as such. And West is attempting to declare himself a moral/philosophical leader - at one point he was planning to turn his tweets into a self-help book, remember? So it's perfectly OK to point out that his political philosophies are bullshit and that he seems like a dude who's genuinely fucked in the head and has no idea how to read a room or really to relate to anyone but himself, in a way that you wouldn't do with, say, Thom Yorke.

“I love it” is a banger

“I love it” is a banger

― ILX’s bad boy (D-40), Monday, October 1, 2018 12:01 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

lol after i heard it i was like "i bet deej will like this"

sorta kanye's ultimate "making a dumb idea way dumber" moment

the clean version is butchery

I’m still laughing about “Yilbert”

/ymmv but it doesn't strike me as any different than rockstars posturing or destroying their gear, the spectacle is fun. artists don't have to be moral leaders/

No, they don't. But when they *declare themselves to be moral leaders* they're open to criticism as such. And West is attempting to declare himself a moral/philosophical leader - at one point he was planning to turn his tweets into a self-help book, remember? So it's perfectly OK to point out that his political philosophies are bullshit and that he seems like a dude who's genuinely fucked in the head and has no idea how to read a room or really to relate to anyone but himself, in a way that you wouldn't do with, say, Thom Yorke.

maybe you should wonder why you're giving a pass to/supporting tinfoil hat right-wing conspiracy theorist jerk narcissists

esp when it's right there front and center in their work

I'm really looking forward the meeting of Kanye West and Jordan Peterson. That's a collision bound to happen.

I never defended Corgan or Kanye's right wing rants, Shakey. I defended delusional narcissism in service of great rock spectacle. Kanye wasn't right wing in 2014, and Corgan was completely apolitical until like 6 years ago. like I said YMMV with that kind of energy from a performer!