Derrik J. Lang
Kanye West says he's not concerned about whether his new album is a blockbuster, because he's made "great art" — and he feels really good about it.
West's new CD, "808s & Heartbreak," was released Monday. It's a departure for the 31-year-old rapper because it mostly features him singing.
West says he was ready to take a risk and he thinks it paid off.
Says West: "You know people sometimes don't understand great art when they first hear it, but I am very confident in it. Whether it sells as much as the last one, or way more, I feel like I am just successful in doing something I felt really good about."
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On the Net: http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/
Showing posts with label Kanye West. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kanye West. Show all posts
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Kanye West's Elvis Presley Complex
Los Angeles (E! Online) – As you may have heard, Kanye West announced at the American Music Awards that he wants to be the next Elvis Presley. Then West had to take it even further.
"When I said the statement, 'I want to be Elvis,' I really should have thought that out more because that statement was actually really incorrect," West told E! News' Ryan Seacrest Tuesday. "Actually, the true statement was 'I want to be better than Elvis.' "
So does West have what it takes to get anywhere near Elvis' stratosphere? We talked to some industry insiders to find out...
"Kanye is one of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world right now," says Emil Wilbekin, editor-in-chief of urban lifestyle magazine Giant. "But I do believe he has delusions of grandeur."
Wilbekin goes on to say, "I think Kanye is hugely self-absorbed, and I think that he thinks he could be bigger than Elvis. Kanye is very much concerned with how big he could be, how much music he can make and how many awards he could win."
It's that oversize ego that's propelled him to the top of his game, says Hillary Crosley, R&B/hip-hop correspondent for Billboard. "People find it so amusing that he takes it so seriously," Crosley says. "If he didn't have the ego, he wouldn't make it as far as he has."
Cory Cooper, a noted Elvis historian, says he's impressed with West's goals, but he needs a reality check.
"Even though Mr. West has a fantastic idea of what he aspires to become, he nor any other performer, past, present or future will ever accomplish Presley's unparalleled career," Cooper writes in an email. "Elvis stands alone. With all due respect to Mr. West, Elvis Presley is not called 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll' for nothing."
No one argues that West is a not a great musician, but Presley was more than just hit records. He not only crossed over into many genres (pop, rock, gospel, country), but he was also a true movie star. "He definitely needs to get himself outside of the hip-hop world in order to be spoken of in the same terms of Elvis," says Chuck Arnold, music critic for People. "I think that's what he's starting to do with singing—well, what you would call singing with the help of technology."
Wilbekin agrees. "Elvis had gospel and country music behind him and Hollywood behind him," he says. "Kanye just has hip-hop right now.
"He hasn't really done acting, aside from Saturday Night Live."
West did have a Hollywood project in the works. He was developing a Curb Your Enthusiasm-like series for HBO. However, it's reportedly been shelved. "I think it was too hard-core for HBO," writer and producer Larry Charles told ComingSoon.net early last month.
Billboard's Crosley says with a laugh, "Maybe he's secretly taking acting lessons."
We could hear Kanye now: "I want to be the next Marlon Brando."
Or as Los Angeles Times pop critic Ann Powers says, West should just be, well, West: "Kanye is excellent at being himself," she says, "and he is unique, so maybe he should be happy with that."
—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira
··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com
"When I said the statement, 'I want to be Elvis,' I really should have thought that out more because that statement was actually really incorrect," West told E! News' Ryan Seacrest Tuesday. "Actually, the true statement was 'I want to be better than Elvis.' "
So does West have what it takes to get anywhere near Elvis' stratosphere? We talked to some industry insiders to find out...
"Kanye is one of the biggest hip-hop stars in the world right now," says Emil Wilbekin, editor-in-chief of urban lifestyle magazine Giant. "But I do believe he has delusions of grandeur."
Wilbekin goes on to say, "I think Kanye is hugely self-absorbed, and I think that he thinks he could be bigger than Elvis. Kanye is very much concerned with how big he could be, how much music he can make and how many awards he could win."
It's that oversize ego that's propelled him to the top of his game, says Hillary Crosley, R&B/hip-hop correspondent for Billboard. "People find it so amusing that he takes it so seriously," Crosley says. "If he didn't have the ego, he wouldn't make it as far as he has."
Cory Cooper, a noted Elvis historian, says he's impressed with West's goals, but he needs a reality check.
"Even though Mr. West has a fantastic idea of what he aspires to become, he nor any other performer, past, present or future will ever accomplish Presley's unparalleled career," Cooper writes in an email. "Elvis stands alone. With all due respect to Mr. West, Elvis Presley is not called 'The King of Rock 'n' Roll' for nothing."
No one argues that West is a not a great musician, but Presley was more than just hit records. He not only crossed over into many genres (pop, rock, gospel, country), but he was also a true movie star. "He definitely needs to get himself outside of the hip-hop world in order to be spoken of in the same terms of Elvis," says Chuck Arnold, music critic for People. "I think that's what he's starting to do with singing—well, what you would call singing with the help of technology."
Wilbekin agrees. "Elvis had gospel and country music behind him and Hollywood behind him," he says. "Kanye just has hip-hop right now.
"He hasn't really done acting, aside from Saturday Night Live."
West did have a Hollywood project in the works. He was developing a Curb Your Enthusiasm-like series for HBO. However, it's reportedly been shelved. "I think it was too hard-core for HBO," writer and producer Larry Charles told ComingSoon.net early last month.
Billboard's Crosley says with a laugh, "Maybe he's secretly taking acting lessons."
We could hear Kanye now: "I want to be the next Marlon Brando."
Or as Los Angeles Times pop critic Ann Powers says, West should just be, well, West: "Kanye is excellent at being himself," she says, "and he is unique, so maybe he should be happy with that."
—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira
··· THEY SAID WHAT? Get today's most commented stories now at www.eonline.com
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Top Ten Reasons Why Kanye West Is a Douche
Kanye West is a douche for many, many reasons, but it is easy to falter and find yourself thinking "Man, that Kanye's a pretty wicked dude". It happens to the best of us, we falter at times, but it shouldn't have to happen. I have narrowed the proofs of his douchiness down to a ten-point emergency checklist that folds easily into your pocket or wallet for those times when his blinding douchebaggery eludes you.1. He douched out at the Grammy's when he took the stage to accept his award, refused to leave the stage when his time was up, and then actually told them to stop playing the get-off-the-stage music so that he could keep talking. Me Kanye. I bes vewy, vewy important.
2. His new album, due out on November 24th, is a departure from his usual style, as he sings more than he raps. That is all good and well, because he is a talented musician, but then he had to go and douche it up by saying that this change in style is an attempt to challenge the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Paul McCartney, who he describes as "those artists in black and white photos", because taking a crap on music legends serves to make Kanye's genius obvious to all and sundry.
3. In a recent interview, Kanye said, and I am not kidding: "I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice. It's me settling into that position of just really accepting that it's one thing to say you want to do it and it's another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan."
4. In that same interview, he showcased his inveterate respect for other performers by slamming Justin Timberlake: "There were people who had the potential to do it but they went on vacation, so when Justin went on vacation I made albums, and it just came out to be that."
5. Kanye pulled the race card when it was announced that Britney Spears would be hosting the 2007 Video Music Awards. "I can’t believe she would perform. She hasn’t had a hit record in years. Maybe my money’s not right. Maybe my skin’s not right." Riiiiight, that's it.
6. In an interview with Tim Westwood, Kanye said "I'm doing pretty good as far as geniuses go... I'm like a machine. I'm a robot. You cannot offend a robot... I'm going down as a legend, whether or not you like me or not. I am the new Jim Morrison. I am the new Kurt Cobain... They feel like, yo, you know 'he's got a God complex, because he said if they wrote the Bible again that he would be in it'. Duh, yeah, I would be in it. I feel like I'm one of the more important people in pop culture right now... The Bible had 20, 30, 40, 50 characters in it. You don't think that I would be one of the characters of today's modern Bible? And people have their own forms of bibles now. It's a new day and age..."
Watch the interview here.
Somehow, I just don't think Kanye's going to be my new personal Jesus.
7. In a display of extremely douchey poor sportsmanship, he now claims that the MTV awards shows are fixed, because how could the "voice of this generation" lose otherwise?
8. There are ten Facebook groups that come up when you use the search terms "Kanye West douche".
9. Kanye West blogs up a storm. Mostly he's fairly boring, but he drops these gems once in a while that turn being a douche into a spectator sport.
10. When his video for "Touch the Sky" did not win at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Kanye publicly expressed his incredulity. "It took a month to film; I stood on a mountain; I flew a helicopter over Vegas. I did it to be the king of all videos and I wanted to walk home with that award," he complained. Kanye? Whining about how you are not the most popular will not work to make you more popular, but it will get you a "Top Ten Reasons Why Kanye West Is a Douche" checklist. Congratulations. Source: mamapop.com
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