Tag Archives: kanye west

Are You Watching The Throne? Probably Not For Long

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We used to care...now we're just rich and bored so we made a rich and bored album.

This past Monday, Jay-Z and Kanye West’s joint venture, Watch The Throne, hit iTunes, much to the chagrin of independent outlets and retailers everywhere. I can’t really say that I was anticipating it since I hated the song, “H.A.M.” since it, well, sucked and “Otis” sounds like a song that’s supposed to be dope but the beat blows. I will say that nobody does “swag rap” better than Jay or Kayne. Well except Biggie. And Big Daddy kane.

But last I checked they were both dead.

Let’s just put this out front. Jay is my favorite rapper of all time. Kanye, right now, is probably right behind him as my favorite rapper of the right now. I feel like Kanye is way more important to pop-culture than Jay is and ultimately more relevant but that’s neither here nor there. I’m also a huge fan of Kanye’s artisticness. You can’t convince me that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (MBDTF) isn’t one of the best albums to come out in the past ten years. Point is, I’m a big fan of both of these to. So I don’t say this lightly…but…

…Watch The Throne kind of isn’t dope.

It’s not to say that it’s not a solid album. It is. It’s just that there’s very little on this album that I’ll ever really want to listen to again. In fact, the ONLY songs I’ve listened to on repeat are “Nigg*s In Paris” and “Gotta Have It” which might bet the least Neptune’s sounding Neptune’s beat in a long long while. Everything else can go. I wish somebody would make those songs into birds so that they could fly, fly far far away. Like “Made In America” featuring everybody’s favorite singer du jour Frank Ocean. My god is this song gay. You know, I honestly didn’t think that Jay could make worse songs than that terrible song with Usher and Beyonce from Kingdom Come but apparently he wanted to assure us that he could. It just sounds so…so…gay. I’m fairly sure they’re going to have to release “Lift Off” featuring Beyonce as a single for that very reason and it is also on some ducksauce.

You know what…forget the track by track sh*t. Here’s the problem with this album. Actually there are two. 1) This isn’t a Jay and Kanye album…it’s a Kanye album featuring Jay. It’s too musical to be a Jay album. Period. It’s got the Kanye imprint all over it. Kanye is an artist at this point, hate him or love him. Jay on the other hand is and will always be a rapper. No matter how emo a beat he tries to rap over or how “different” sounding the beat, ultimately he’s a rapper. And that comes thru as Jay seems, in my opinion, to be more or less of an afterthought a lot of times. It’s not that he’s not delivering Jay verses (lazy as they may be), its just that he’s too cool to be on some music sh*t. Kanye sounds like he cares WAY more than Jay does to be rapping on this album. Which leads to the second problem… 2) I kind of feel like Kanye didn’t care that much or was bored but finished it anyway.

For all of his faults, one thing you’d never fault Kanye for is not having a dope ear for cohesion and putting together an outstanding product. He always seems to want to make a classic album even though 808s and Heartbreaks was far from that. But at least he swung for the fences by changing up his whole sound and innovating. This album really to me sounds like a lazy version of both Blueprint 3 and uber leftover beats from MBDTF that weren’t good enough to make that album in any way shape or form.

[Sidenote: There is something to be said though that the only comparison's that hold water with these two are their own bodies of work. That can't be stated enough.]

I mean, it doesn’t even sound as good sonically as MBDTF…an album that came out almost a year ago. That album sounded beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. You’d think that if anything, sonically it would be on the same level but it’s not. Which is the rub, its not that the album isn’t decent. It is. It’s just that nobody’s going to be talking about this album once they run out of songs to release.

You know what, here’s how I can sum up this album…Rick Ross wouldn’t rap on any of this sh*t except maybe ONLY “N*ggas In Paris”. I can hear Rick Ross murdering that beat. I honestly feel at this point Rick Ross knows how to pick music and sounds that compliment exactly what he’s trying to do. He knows how to make epic sh*t. If Rick Ross is getting on your sh*t, it’s because it’s a motherf*cking monster. Pun intended. He would have gotten on ANYTHING on MBDTF. I feel like he probably was cool on everything on this album.

In fact, my favorite parts of the album are the beat change-ups similar to MBDTF which feature, surprisingly very little rapping and I’m not upset about it.

Not to mention this being the least relatable album I’ve ever listened to or the fact that Jay and ‘Ye both sound a little…off….trying to rap about social issues, an area Jay has proven to struggle in the past, though I like “New Day”, but again, Kanye’s verse seems more…better. Real talk, I’d be lying if I recited any of these lyrics as my personal mantra. I can’t even fake 90 percent of this sh*t.

I know a lot of people love it, and that’s good. Hell, I paid for it already and want a physical copy. I’m a fan but I probably won’t be listening this too much longer and I think that goes for most people. For two individuals who seem to care about their legacy, I’m just surprised that they’d release an album that neither adds nor detracts from it. This joint just exists until we forget about it. It’s like a David Guetta song. Or Lady Gaga music. Or LMFAO. It’s pop music with hard drums. And soft songs. Because it’s Jay and ‘Ye I want to love this, but I’m over it already.

D’oh well. On to the next one.

Oh, and one more question…how the f*ck does Swizz Beatz go so much production work and so many random features? Who does he have naked pictures of? Inquiring minds would like to know.

What’s your take? Are you watching the throne?

Talk to me.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka PANYE EAST aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

A Different World?

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It’s no secret that I attended an HBCU. I went to the one that everybody either loves or hates but everybody wants to be like. (Girl) You know it’s true, ooh ooh ooh, I love you.

And do you know why I love you?

It’s because we’re marriage material.  Straight up, like that. Ask ya mama.

Anybody who went to an HBCU will tell you that its like living in a bubble. It’s pretty much a false representation of what the real world looks like. In fact, the real world looks nearly exactly opposite of an HBCU – a place where all the ninjas read and aren’t afraid of information. We all hope that when we leave we’ll enter a world where life was exactly like college but it never is…

…which is why so many Black women who graduate stay single for so long. The second we graduate, there is a significant power shift from the women dominated-choice-is-yours to the male-centric-its a thousand yous and only one of mes dynamic. But that’s not what this post is about. See, I had a revelation recently. A realization, if you will. Plymouth Rock landed on me something fierce and it took three Muslims and two Pac’s to show me the way. You see, I discovered that life at PWI (predominantly white institutions) wasn’t like life at HBCUs.

I knew that, but I didn’t really know that. Nahmean?

See, I assumed that all Black folks shared the same college experience, but that’s not true. Who knew? And what am I talking about? Glad you asked. Here are some assumptions I made about all ninjas in college.

1) Everybody’s college goal wasn’t to live life like A Different World

Nearly all of us that went to HBCUs went and had some expectation of it being something like A Different World. Hell, my experience was a lot like that. Do you know that I recently met somebody who who couldn’t remember Whitley OR Dwayne Wayne’s name? She told me that she’d seen the show but never really got into it. Floored me like four shots of Patron and a Rihanna rendition of “Lift Every Voice And Sing”. I just assumed that all Black folks wanted that life. Apparently I was wrong. And if two wrongs don’t make a right, and three rights make a left, upside down and inside out is the same things as back back, forth and forth, then I’ll be a monkey’s uncle. Bubbles.

Sidenote: What the f*ck is up with Kanye’s videos for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy?  Who would have thought his 34 minute mini-movie would be the best video to come out of the whole thing? The absolute best thing about the “All Of The Lights” video is Rihanna’s boobs. Man, they look lovely. I would propose to them, and even if they told me no, I’d say thanks for the opportunity. Other than that, the video, though colorful seems like it needs to come with a warning because of the epileptic seizures it’s sure to cause. Oh, and Kanye needs a fashion intervention. Thank you.

2) That everybody sat around watching movies like Love Jones, The Best Man, Friday, Thin Line etc…

We pretty much only watched Black movies on repeat. In case you aren’t aware, Champ really liked Love Jones and just saw it for the first time. Which he’s made sure to let us know a few times. He also hasn’t seen a plethora of other movies that were just standard fare at my HBCU and I’m sure were at others. If a Black movie came out, we all went…together. Like we shut sh*t down in the A. The Wood? Check. Love & Basketball? Check. Stomp The Yard? Check. We might think they suck, but we’re gonna go see them and watch the over and over. I thought all ninjas did that.  I mean, we all Black.  Ise ‘ron.

3) College was littered with poets and “Sanctuary” style events

I can’t tell you how many sh*tty poets were running rampant at my and other HBCUs. It’s like an HBCU rite of passage: thou shalt attempt to be a poet. Everybody is required to write at least one poem in order to graduate. Every Tuesday, we had some kind of poetry event, not to mention our Underground Live events. Random celebs would just come chill. It’s where I learned to add “fallacy of reality” and “virgin to the mic” into my lexicon and realized that I needed to talk about my soul a lot. That’s what ninjas at HBCUs do, we talk about our soul.

4) Experiment with religions that contradict your upbringing

If you went to a school upnorf, chances are you there were a few 5 Percenters on your campus. I went to an HBCU, there was like a 5 Percenter smoker, BBQ, and bake sale. We had so many random “religious” organizations and pseudo-spiritual ninjas running around. And these would be the dudes shouting down the white man….except for their white mothers. Let’s just say, there was a noticeable population of “spiritual” ninjas who nobody took serious. I’m not sure if this happens at PWIs but I figured, ya know, there were ninjas named Golden Sun on EVERYBODY’s campus.

5) Spend seven years in undergrad

Um…#hbcushotsfired?

Anyway, my people, my people, are there any assumptions you had about the opposite situation (HBCU vs PWI) that you may have found out just wasn’t the case?

When did you fall in love with hiphop realize that Black folks weren’t monolithic?

Talk to me.

-VSB P aka HBC P aka THE ARSONIST aka lower.case.p aka GIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

10 Thoughts About Kanye West and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy When The Rainbow Isn’t Enuff

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Let’s start at the beginning – this album is a classic. And if the term classic is too nebulous for  you or you think that no album can be called as such until its lasted the test of time, then let’s just call a spade a spade…

…the only person who could even come close to making an album better than this is Kanye West. Not Dre. Not Jay. Not Lil Wayne. Nope, Kanye’s only competition at this point is himself. Lucky for him that’s probably still too much competition for him so he’ll probably  have a heart attack challenging the mirror to an album-off, die of exhaustion, and then go down in the annals of rap history as the best producer of all time. OF ALL TIME!!!!

Now that we’ve got that out of the way here are 10 things to think about.

1) This album really is the best produced piece of work I’ve heard in years. Kanye swung for the fences and might finally get that Grammy for Album of the Year that he wants so badly. Dramatic production, actual musical arrangements, crystal clear mixing, full and developed compositions, technically sound, risky, etc. In a time of what seems like the most minimal beats possible catching our imagination, Kanye does the complete opposite and gives the most body and volume we’ve heard since Dr. Dre produced Doggystyle and The Chronic.

2) Which leads to this minor problem – just minor – Kanye gets lost a lot in the music. It’s so heavy on the production side that Kanye almost becomes an afterthought, which is easy when he stops rapping 3 minutes into a song that lasts for 7 minutes.

3) If the only song on this album was “All Of The Lights” I’d still say it was a classic album and would go on the television circuit and say it over and over again. I can’t tell you how much I love this song. I want to fornicate with it and make little flourescent children. I want to sing sweet lullabyes to it while I rescue Chilean miners. I want to sweep with it while I put on an apron that says #1 Booklover. I hope to one day feel about a woman the way I feel about this song.

4) The aforementioned song would be even better if Kanye rewrote his verses. Instead of an odd song about baby-daddy situations on one of the most triumphant beats ever, perhaps he could write about something more fitting, like himself. He does that so well, why pick THIS song to take off?? That Kanye, what a card!

5) I have to wonder why he gave it such a gaudy title. Most classic albums – and I’m sure if anybody knew what he was doing it was Kanye – have very easy to state short album titles (nowadays anyway). Like The Blueprint, Aquemini, etc. Like how do we even shorten this. We’re ninjas, we call ninjas named DJ “D” for short. Do we call it Fantasy? My Beaut? Darky? Sexxy Two Piece? Me no know. And why now does he decide to go gaudy after the rest of his albums had rather pointed titles.

6) Kanye has officially placed himself in a lane all by his lonesome. There is no other producer out there who can say they are doing what he’s doing. I felt like the Quincy Jones/Stevie Wonder comparisons were premature before. Now they’re apt. And for you geniuses out there, that’s not shorthand for apartment.

7) I have no idea why “Monster” AND “So Appalled” made this album. Not together. It reminds me of the time in college when these twins wanted to be Kappas. They were carbon copies of the eachother down to the grades. So for that line (which was only taking 5 seniors and they were seniors), either they took both and lose out on somebody else or none. Like how do you distinguish between ninjas who were literally the same. That line? Choose neither. Kanye did the opposite.

8 ) I’m vastly underwhelmed by the Pusha T experience thus far. But in fairness, I never liked him that much to begin with. He’s rather boring and you could replace him with any other rapper and probably have gotten more excitement. Except something called a Cyhi Da Prince who adds nothing either. No jester.

9) I’ve honestly never been as impressed with an album as I am with this one. In fact the only word I could mutter after listening it through the whole way through the first time was “f******************ck”. I actually yelled out my car to an old white lady, “was that as good for you as it was for me?”

I got her number.

10) I think Kanye leaked this album himself. For three reasons: 1) It’s the clean version; radio stations can (and have) run hogwild with the sh*t well before its release and drum up more excitement; 2) Kanye ain’t even the least bit pissed and  has been on Twitter telling folks his favorite songs; and 3) Kanye isn’t as concerned with money as he is his legacy so he can do that and realize people will still purchase it. He’s one of a few artists that will sell ESPECIALLY once people hear how great it is. Plus he’s already rich and dates racially ambigious birds AND women.

Oh, and listening to this album does not make his video make any more sense. But the music is as brilliantly vivid as the imagery and color he used in the video.

Thank you Kanye for making an album that I want to lay down and caress and touch and massage. I’d lick this album’s toes. Thank you Kanye for making me want to lick toes.

Any thoughts? I know you heard it. And if not? Holler at somebody.

-VSB P aka THE ARSONIST aka MR. OH SO SEXXY aka JUST LIKE DADDY aka GIIIIIIIIIIIRL HE A 3

A Minute-by-Minute Recap of Kanye West’s “Runaway”

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00:06: “Runaway” opens with an obviously disheveled Kanye running to or from something—a perfect analogy for my thoughts about this “full-length film”.

While my feelings about Kanye are well-documented, I wasn’t in love with the idea of spending a half hour watching what I knew would be a buffet of barely coherent and creative justforthesakeofbeingbarelycoherentandcreative-ness, and I stayed away from the Saturday premiere. Aside from a couple private conversations, I also didn’t read anything about it either. (and I actually still haven’t)

But, between me not wanting to not be able to add anything to the inevitable myriad “Runaway” conversations (and references) that’ll occur in the next few weeks and an unexpectedly strong sense of pop culture arbiter obligation, I finally relented and watched all 34 minutes and 33 seconds of it Tuesday afternoon. Basically, I was too curious and too conceited to stay away any longer.

As far as Kanye’s actual running, the best way to describe it would be that his stride reminds me of an opening scene in a random Jim Carrey-ish movie where a down-on-his-luck Jim Carrey-ish character is late for a job interview and is trying to catch a bus that the audience (and the snickering bus passengers) knows he has no chance in hell of actually catching; a scene establishing the Carrey-ish character’s down-on-his-luckedness. These scenes usually end with the Jim Carrey-ish character either falling in a puddle or getting tripped by a sassy old lady’s cane. (The old lady also usually says something like “Watch it, buddy“)

Neither happened in “Runaway”.

00:24: As what looks to be a comet falls from the sky, Nicki Minaj begins her 23 second long narration, starting in a standard Old English accent (think of how “The Canterbury Tales” are supposed to be read aloud), but breaking into standard Old Hoodrat once she starts rhyming. This obvious, Costner-esque break (and the fact that she’s even doing this narration) endears her to me even more. As much as it pains me to say it, I’m officially a member of Team Nicki. Please shoot me.

00:47: We finally hear some Kanye music, as “Runaway”—the opening track on his upcoming “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy“—plays in the background while Ye is speeding through a psychedelic forest while driving a car that definitely was a part of my Hot Wheels collection in 1986. I’m already extremely annoyed by everything that’s going on.

And, between the production costs of this “full-length film” and the 1001 guest appearances he’s had on the 501 songs he’s released in the past two months, I’m also extremely curious about how much money he’s spent creating and promoting this album. Maybe his beautiful, dark, and twisted fantasy is to file for bankruptcy.

03:00: Kanye gets out of his car to investigate a mysterious creature lying unconscious in the middle of the road. The creature is surrounded by tree limbs, fire, and homosexual deer. Basically, it’s just like Easter at Bishop Long’s mansion! (Too soon?)

Anyway, it’s obvious the creature in the middle of the road was the streaking comet from earlier. It’s also obvious at this point that Kanye truly does watch a lot of porn.

05:10: It’s at this moment that I figure out the “creature” is a Phoenix—a mythical sacred firebird that can be found in the mythologies of the Persians, Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Chinese, and (according to Sanchuniathon) Phoenicians. (And people said the Greek Mythology elective I took my sophomore year was a waste of time. Ha!)

I’m also finally able to accurately identify the actress cast as the Phoenix—former Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks. She has nice boobs, I guess.

Ebanks is also one of Nick Cannon’s ex-girlfriends (they were engaged), a fact that brings me to another point. There are certain men—Derek Jeter, Lil Wayne, Justin Timberlake, and John Mayer, to name a few—usually cited when people talk about famous male celebs who’ve been romantically linked with numerous different desirable female celebrities. Yet, despite the fact that he’s been linked to Selita Ebanks, Zoe Saldana, Christina Milian, and Mariah Carey, no one ever seems to put Nick Cannon in that category. This lack of recognition for Nick the Quick bothers me much more than it probably should.

06:04: In a sequence even weirder than the sentence I’m going to use to describe it, “Runaway” goes from “eh, whatever” to “this is kind of awkward” to “this is kind of, for lack of a better term, pornographic” in less than 30 seconds as Ebanks’ Phoenix (from this point on, I’ll just refer to her as “Phoebanks”) sits on a bed and thrusts her bare chest skyward, convulsing orgasmically as Kanye hunches over a beat machine and manically cuts up “Power”. At one point during this orgy of extremely contrived autoerotic imagery, Ebanks stares into the camera so intensely that I actually blush and start loosening my tie. (I was wearing no tie, by the way)

I also finally get it.

Kanye is completely obsessed with the idea that he and his music can make any woman orgasm. I think he thinks he surpasses the Washington Monument as the world’s preeminent phallic symbol, but the angst in his music (and in his “art”) stems from his frustration that every woman in the world doesn’t see him that way. While Lil Wayne wants to f*ck every girl in the world, Kanye really, really, really just wants them all to believe he’d give them the best orgasm they’ve ever had if they allowed him to.

7:30: While “All Of The Lights” plays in the background (a song which was originally titled “Ghetto University” on each of the 123 Kanye mixtapes I’ve downloaded in the past five weeks), the scene then segues into a fireworks display and parade, with the head of Michael Jackson and a golden statute of a winged Kanye don in a white cloth robe serving as some sort of pagan God/parade balloon float mash-up. Although I don’t believe Kanye’s in the Illuminati, I’m pretty certain their resume, application, and interview process looks something like this.

10:28: My 2nd favorite G.O.O.D. Friday track—“Devil In A New Dress”—begins as Kanye, Phoebanks, and a bunch of niggas from Detroit sit at a giant all-white table to eat. Also, in a detail sure to further convince Michelle Malkin of the evils of hip-hop culture, they’re being waited on by the country’s whitest catering crew.

13:52: During easily the stupidest sequence in this entire “full-length film”, Kanye performs the title track while accompanied by ballet. At this point, even Nathan Lane is probably sitting at home watching it and thinking to himself “Damn, that was some gay-ass shit.”

Between this, the VMA’s, and SNL, there’s a chance I’m just not smart enough to get his “Runaway” performances. There’s also a chance that Waka Flocka Flames and Willow Smith will collaborate for a track titled “My Little Bitches”. My point? F*ck chances, and f*ck each of these stupid-ass “Runaway” performances. (adding insult to injury, I actually like the song)

23:43: Phoebanks freaks out as the main course is finally served, AND IT’S A BIRD!!!!!!!! AND, SHE’S A BIRD!!!!! THIS MEANS SHE ISN’T FIT FOR THIS WORLD!!!!!

26:00: Kanye and Phoebanks have their first actual conversation as she explains why she can’t stay on Earth. If the metaphor for Kanye’s feelings about his place in the universe was any more obvious, it would be giving me a lapdance and writing this entry.

Directly after this conversation, Kanye and Phoebanks have the type of sex the Jetsons probably had when they conceived Elroy.

28:00: The “full-length feature” ends as Phoebanks leaves the planet to the chorus of my third favorite G.O.O.D. Friday song—“Lost In The World”—while Kanye keeps on running. I hope he catches that bus.

Although I have my aforementioned theories, I really have no idea what the hell Kanye is trying to do. Despite his seemingly forced eccentricity, he still compels us because he’s completely impervious to prediction; we pay attention because we have no f*cking clue what he’s going to do next. None.

But, I do know one thing: I can’t wait to buy (yes. buy!) this album, so whatever it is he’s trying to do, it’s working.

—The Champ

Why Kanye Matters so Gotdamn Much

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Panama: so i know a lot of women who absolutely love kanye west and i can honestly say i dont get it. like i cant tell if they want to be with him? or if his swag is attractive to them or what…

kanye being an attractive human being is an oddity to me

Champ: i think they like what he produces and what he’s capable of producing more than anything else
the art more than the artist
i mean, i guess that explains why guys like paul mccartney and lyle lovett have had their pick of beautiful women
the idea of kanye matters more than he does
well, not more, but just as much
women love big ideas and potential more than they love us, lol
and kanye is a big f*cking idea
Panama: that is true
Champ: but yeah, you’re right. he’s a sex symbol who women don’t seem to want to have sex with
its weird. i’ve never believed any of the “kanye’s gay” rumors, but i have a hard time believing he was sleeping with amber rose, or anyone for that matter
Panama: good point
Champ: but, he’s also admitted to a porn addiction, and i’ve heard from a few sources that he’s not particularly shy about whipping it out in public, lol
Panama: apparently a lot of guys aren’t
i’ve had chicks tell me numerous times of dudes i know who they’ve been with on some one-on-one hang shit and dude will just pull his shit out
Champ: i knew a guy in college who’d hand women business cards with a pic of him holding his wang
i always wondered who took those pictures for him
Panama: lol

Midway through our latest podcast, I made a completely extemporaneous remark about Kanye West being one of the most important black people in the world; a statement so extemporaneous and unexpected you can hear the shock in my own voice when I said it. This surprise was largely based on the fact that I didn’t believe a single word of what I had just said.

But, because the verbal edit button–a device allowing you to delete reckless things you’ve said before anyone actually hears it–hasn’t been invented yet, I went full speed ahead, citing Kanye’s pandemic effect on our culture as proof of my statement’s truth. Surprisingly, the more I spoke, the more I realized this theory wasn’t that far fetched. Culture–the way we behave, how we interact, and what we believe–f*cking matters. And, regardless of how superficial you consider their particular contributions to be, our living and breathing cultural determinants–our Jay-Zs’, our Kardashians, our Beyonces–f*cking matter too.

Kanye, his brand of unabashed and simultaneously insecure self-confidence, and the art this volatile mixture created, has done more to spearhead this current era of hip-hop androgyny we live in than any other entity. Ironically, this makes him a bit of a throwback. His visceral emoting and occasional bouts of hyper-heterosexual aggression hearken back to the 80′s, when lascivious and sexually ambiguous performers such as Prince, Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, and Boy George ruled the airwaves. I’m not suggesting Kanye is in fact bi or homosexual, but his particular type of emotiveness is unlike any we’ve seen in hip-hop, and by osmosis he’s helped to pave the way to mainstream acceptance and embrace for (among other things) Drake, skinny jeans, Lady Gaga, Rhianna, blazers, Nicky Minaj, eyeglasses, B.O.B., blogging (yes. blogging), Lil Wayne, frohawks, and Twitter.

Despite all of this, I’ve always wondered what exactly it is about Kanye that allows him to wield such a cultural influence. How the hell does this tiny guy from the Chi have so much power? While his persona is (somewhat) original in a hip-hop context, the characteristics contributing to this persona are completely unoriginal. His critically lauded sample-heavy and soulful production is somewhat of a copy of music the RZA was making in 1995. While he’s definitely improving as a rapper, he’ll never be confused for a “natural” like a Nas or even a Scarface. And, by the time “The College Dropout” was released, the emotive eccentricity and eclecticism he’s known for had already been “done” (and, arguably, done better) by Andre 3000. He’s basically an HD compatible betamax.

The insane buzz over his two relatively underwhelming new singles (“Power” and “Hear Me Now”. Although, I have to admit I love “Hear Me Now” and the “Power” remix) have helped me figure it out: It’s not Kanye himself as much as it’s the idea of Kanye–and what we think he’s capable of–that matters so gotdamn much. This explains why each of his albums (even the sucky ones I eventually allowed to grow on me) are cultural landmarks even among those who love hip-hop but hate him and/or his music. This helps me understand how we’ve allowed a man who has made entire albums based around the idea that college is a sham and publicly admitted to not reading books (ha!) to be the de facto musical spokesperson for the young and college educated African-American. This even explains why (many) women are completely infatuated by him despite the fact that they probably wouldn’t sleep with him if given the chance.

With Kanye, it’s not so much about who he is or what he’s accomplished as much as it’s who we want him to be and what he just might do. While he has definitely produced, the power we’ve given him lies in the fact that his otherworldly range of personality makes him potential personified, and this makes him completely unstable and completely impervious to prediction—exactly like culture. He’s a living and breathing cultural cipher for our Id’s and expectations (whatever they might be), and he matters so gotdamn much because we need him to.

—The Champ

***By the way, If you haven’t done so yet, check out “The Black Blog Tea Party“, The Champ’s latest piece at Clutch Magazine***