OK, OK … I’ll bite. We got an e-mail from the good folks at XO Publicity about a new song their client Ben Sollee just released called, “Dear Kanye.” Judging from the subject line (”Ben Sollee Disses Kanye West – First Folk Hip Hop Battle!” Yep.) the song is apparently a diss track. From Ben Sollee. Who plays a cello. But, like I said, I’ll bite. I’m the resident Kanye apologist in this corner of Blogafrica, but he’s really taken the whole ego thing a bit far lately. So, I bravely stood tall in the face of two things that frighten me to no end – the cello and folk music – and I folded like a cheap tent. (more…)
Ben Sollee vs. Kanye West. Yawn.
Tha Carter III: More Lil Wayne, Less Pop Please
As with all things Lil Wayne, you always end up having to take the good with the bad: Dude is undeniably talented, but he’s also a bit of a trainwreck. His swagger and magnetic personality are most of what makes him great, but it also causes him to take things a bit far, like claiming he’s the best rapper alive. As we’ve discussed before, “Favorite Rapper Alive” may be more appropriate.
All that said, as a complete hip-hop package (for commercial rappers anyway), he’s about as good as it gets – he’s a really good MC and he’s completely unafraid to let his freak flag fly and take chances. And on Tha Carter III, that’s when Wayne’s at his best.
The Worst Music Blog Ever: KanyeUniverseCity.com
Need a new sauna? Maybe you’re looking for that Estrella table featured in Dwell Magazine? No, you came to Kanye West’s blog because you were wondering what home entertainment system to purchase (he ONLY uses Bang & Olufsen).
I guess it’s no surprise that Kanye West is absolutely insane, but his blog only confirms it. Never in my life have I seen such an awesome display of shameless plugs for random products – everything from upcoming movie trailers and grills to desk lamps and LEGO’s line of gun replicas. You can even book flights, hotel rooms and rental cars through “Kanye Travel Ventures.”
Ladies and gentlemen, Kanye’s integrity is now completely for sale. (more…)
Kanye Hands
I’m not a big fan of Kanye’s rapping (I think I’m the only one out there that doesn’t like any of his albums), but the man is clearly one of the best producers out there.
Preferences aside, this is a damn cool video. Not only did he use a great sample from Daft Punk, he updated their fan videos:
Totally unrelated Kanye West story after the jump. (more…)
A Fan’s History of Hip-Hop
[Editor's note: We'd like to welcome Uncle Corey to our band of brothers here at the Stranger Dance. Besides being a certifiable life-long music lover and all-around brown-bear-cub-like nice guy, he also spent the better part of his 20s working for a host of newspapers across Washington and California, so he'll hopefully bring some kind of journalistic credibility to what we do here.]
It always bugs me out when I’m talking about music to someone younger – especially a music lover – and I ask if they like a band from 10-15 years ago and, in return, get a blank stare: “I’ve never heard of them.” It’s weird, especially since I grew up in an era where I grew up on my parent’s music (’60s and early ’70s rock), was weened off of that (’80s pop radio – but only for a year or two), then branched off on my own (thank you Run D.M.C.). Apparently the time-lined introduction to music doesn’t happen anymore.
So, before I digress too much more and end up yelling at those young punks to get off my lawn, I’ll get to the point. I love rap (or hip-hop, whatever your Hipster Dialect-o-Tron 3000 requires you say), I have since lo, that fateful day in 1985, when I heard Run D.M.C.’s “King of Rock” and had my first “Holy shit!” moment with music that didn’t involve Michael Jackson’s Thriller. I’ve loved it ever since, in all it’s twist, turns and incarnations. Old-school, basic shit? Fuck, and yeah. Pop rap? “Summertime” was a great song and fuck you if you’re too cool to recognize it. Black militant rap? Let me dig out my red, yellow and green Africa pendent. Gangsta rap? The fuck you looking at, bitch? Point is, unless it’s total bullshit, I can handle it.
My question, though, is when was the golden era of rap? Join me, won’t you, after the jump and we can discuss.
