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| Berry, Elvis, Beatles, Jackson, Cobain... Kanye? | |
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| Topic Started: Jun 18 2013, 09:31 AM (177 Views) | |
| Falconias | Jun 18 2013, 09:31 AM Post #1 |
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Was Once President of Europeia
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Every generation of music in modern history has had its leader, its voice, or a small number of these voices that were ahead of their time and influenced pop culture as a whole. The 40s had Chuck Berry and Frank Sinatra. The 50s had Elvis Presley. The 60s had the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. The 70s had Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. The 80s had Michael Jackson. The 90s had Kurt Cobain, Britney Spears and Eminem. But beyond? First, let it be known I'm not much of a rap or hip-hop person. I tolerate all kinds of music from country to death metal but I really only listen to alternative rock, post-hardcore, metalcore and post-rock. My favourite bands by a considerable margin are Brand New and Sigur Ros. That being said, I have my selections among rap - I prefer 90s to early 2000s gangsta/hardcore rap (Notorious BIG, Tupac, Dr. Dre, Ludacris, etc). I'm not a huge fan of Eminem but I respect him as an artist as he carved out his own white niche among a crowd of blacks and paved the way for people like Macklemore to become successful. One artist is clearly on top now though - Kanye West. His last two albums have been nothing short of brilliant. In 2010 he released My Dark Beautiful Twisted Fantasy, which if you haven't heard already you have done your ears a disservice. The album flows front to back and knocks on the doors of a lot of genres - "Lost in the World" samples Bon Iver, for example. The clear cut best song on the album was "Runaway" - an epic ballad that really strikes you when you didn't expect it on the album. It was never made for mainstream radio, but is accepted as the strongest track on the album. If you haven't watched his short film Runaway though, I highly recommend you give it a chance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA You might not like it, but by the end of it you will certainly accept Kanye West is not an ordinary rap artist. The only flaw about My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is that it was a commercial album. There were 2-3 songs on it that were made for radio, and to nobody's surprise, "All of the Lights" won for rap song of the year despite "Runaway", "Lost in the World" and "Dark Fantasy" clearly being stronger tracks. None the less, multiple critics expressed shock when the album didn't win Album of the Year, let alone the fact it wasn't even nominated. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was selected as Album of the Year by a number of major publications including Billboard, Time, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, and Spin Magazine. Not many accolades bigger than getting selected by those 5. What we saw though, was a shift in the hip hop genre. Following My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, multiple "dark" hip-hop or alternative rock artists came to the forefront: The Weeknd, Frank Ocean, Lana Del Rey, The Neighbourhood, MS MR. Even Justin Bieber started to become darker. I would strongly argue that this transgression came as a result of Kanye West, because I fail to trace the trend back to anyone other than Kanye West in 2010. Today is the release of Kanye's new album, Yeezus. I've listened through it about 4-5 times, and with every listen my appreciation grows. It is not an easy album to listen to; it is dark, harsh, and rejects any genre with abrasive power. It is not hip-hop; it is not rock; it is not anything. Somewhere in between the industrial boom of Nine Inch Nails, the minimalist techniques of The xx, the crooning of Frank Ocean and the sampling technique of Brand New lies this bizarre and jarring album. There are tracks such as "Hold My Liquor" that draw influences from artists like Pink Floyd, with the minutes-long synthesizer solo. But upon extensive review, I realize: there is not an ounce of commercialism in this album. Nowhere on this album is there a marketable hit, a runaway radio summer smash; instead, there is a consistency from back to front in the experimental and abstract darkness. Kanye West is at his best in lyricism; there is a substantial amount of brilliantly placed metaphors and clever linguism. What is truly remarkable about Kanye West to me, however, is how his ego does not annoy me. There is literally a track called "I Am A God" on this album, and yet, I don't roll my eyes. Somehow, Kanye has earned the authority to refer to himself in such ironic egocentrism; ironic, as often his placing of himself on a pedestal is in fact a parody of himself. You would understand this if you listen to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, where his self-depreciation comes to a head on "Runaway". In a way then, one could argue My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was nothing more than an epic introduction to where Kanye really wanted to go in Yeezus. I would be surprised if Kanye West wins the Grammy for Album of the Year, but not because he does not deserve it. I would be surprised, because it would almost be presented begrudgingly; it would be an award for Kanye, master of his kingdom and domain, for writing music about how great he is, on the same stage where he interrupted Taylor Swift. I simply cannot see it happening. Make no mistake though - Yeezus is, if not the greatest album of the year, it will certainly prove to be the most influential, and we will see a darker shift in hip-hop and alternative rock and an increase in the use of synthesizers. In my opinion, Kanye West is the most influential musician of this generation, whether we choose to accept it or not. Tracks to listen to in bold 1. On Sight 2. Black Skinhead 3. I Am A God 4. New Slaves 5. Hold My Liquor 6. I'm In It 7. Blood on the Leaves 8. Guilt Trip 9. Sent It Up 10. Bound 2 Major reviews: Pitchfork - 9.5 / 10 "Cohesion and bold intent are at a premium on Yeezus, perhaps more than any other Kanye album. Each fluorescent strike of noise, incongruous tempo flip, and warped vocal is bolted into its right place across the album's fast 40 minutes." Rolling Stone - 4.5 / 5 "A brilliant, obsessive-compulsive career auto-correct... Every mad genius has to make a record like this at least once in his career – at its nastiest, his makes Kid A or In Utero or Trans all look like Bruno Mars." New York Times - "Deploying anything from a Hungarian progressive-rock band to the rasp of dancehall, the album is one long, efficient, inventive kick in the head." |
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Definitely not a defender spy The Democratic Anarchy of Falconias Founder of the Most Glorious UCR, Equinox
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| PASD | Jun 18 2013, 09:54 AM Post #2 |
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Fancy Title Here
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I downloaded Yeezus when it leaked on Friday. It has to be one of the best hip-hop albums I have ever listened to. It is Album of the Year till Magna Carta Holy Grail by Jay-Z drops July 4th. |
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It’s for the best you didn’t listen It’s for the best we get our distance | |
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| Falconias | Jun 18 2013, 12:43 PM Post #3 |
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Was Once President of Europeia
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Agreed. Jay-Z's will undoubtedly be more commercially successful, but Yeezus cannot be forgotten by music publications and at the end of the day I think Yeezus will come on top as the better album (but again, waiting for Jay-Z) |
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Definitely not a defender spy The Democratic Anarchy of Falconias Founder of the Most Glorious UCR, Equinox
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| Isidor C. Somerset | Jun 18 2013, 06:22 PM Post #4 |
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Earl
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Have to commend the well thought out breakdown, and have to say I agree. First time listening through was a bit odd, but after that it was just a great listen all the way through. Been a big fan of Kanye for a while now, and this album just reinforces it. |
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Isidor Casimir Somerset Prince of Balder Keisari of Asgard | |
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| Ryka | Jun 18 2013, 09:41 PM Post #5 |
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I'm not a hip-hop/rap person, but after that review I feel compelled to give the album a go. Thanks for the thoughtful recommendation and informed review. (Felt like I was reading Spin).
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| Falconias | Jun 19 2013, 10:31 AM Post #6 |
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Was Once President of Europeia
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Thanks all for reading. |
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Definitely not a defender spy The Democratic Anarchy of Falconias Founder of the Most Glorious UCR, Equinox
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| Ravenna | Jun 23 2013, 02:16 PM Post #7 |
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Earl
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![]() Guy who named his own daughter "North West" and is a partner of Kim Kardashian? Good joke
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Alissa Fontainon Curriculum Vitae
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| Isidor C. Somerset | Jun 23 2013, 08:45 PM Post #8 |
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Earl
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Yeah speaking of North West...does that mean NES is related to Kanye xD |
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Isidor Casimir Somerset Prince of Balder Keisari of Asgard | |
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