Kanye compares himself to the GREATS.
Wobbie
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"I wake up in the morning just thinking about which stereotypes I want to break … I see artists like Beyoncé, Alicia Keys, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Chris Martin all in the same room, and we're going to push this music to the point where it was like in the sixties, in the seventies, where you talk about Led Zeppelin and Hendrix and the Beatles. We will be the new Beatles, the new Hendrix. They say in every other industry, you're supposed to do better than the past. Like, computers should get smaller and faster. But whenever you say, 'I want to be Elvis,' they say, 'What's wrong with you?" —Kanye West at the American Music Awards.
Yeah, dude, whatever. I'm sure your name will be at the top of the list when they discuss the all-time greats, 50 years from now............. you and Rihanna!
Yeah, dude, whatever. I'm sure your name will be at the top of the list when they discuss the all-time greats, 50 years from now............. you and Rihanna!
If I had known then what I know now...
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what a tool
ahhhh...way to push that envelope, Kanye!
first thread i noticed....look if you like the guy, great....enjoy....but this guy's ego is way out of hand
So was John Lennon's. So were countless numbers of musical greats over time. Personally, I'm happy to see someone not afraid to say he wants to be great. I'm tired of people staring at their fucking shoes and mumbling about how unworthy they are. It's not humility, its fucking annoying. Give me an artist willing to bring some fucking attitude and swagger back into music, someone willing to push himself constantly to be the best. Even if s/he falls short, at least they're fucking trying.
Here's one from yesterday. I liked Jimmy Kimmel's response to Kanye:
"Elvis died on the toilet with half a jelly doughnut in his mouth. You may want to rethink that."
Ego goes both ways. If you're the shit, it is entirely justified to have that ego and that swagger, and it even will help improve your appearance. Also, people who feel like they are great often have the ability to reach for greatness. Problem is, you have to be good, because if you have an inflated sense of yourself and you suck, it's only going to come off that much worse. John Lennon had the ego but he also had the goods. I don't see Kanye's talent backing up his ego. If it did, fine. But as of now he comes off as a mediocre talent who thinks he's God's gift to music. And that would irritate anybody.
said it better than i could
As big of a dickhead as I think he is, I really didn't take offense to him saying he wants to be Elvis because, I guess, I know he never will be in the same realm. I don't regard Elvis that highly either to tell the truth.
So, I think his point was a good one....its just a dream that will never be achieved by Beyonce and that group of yahoos he mentioned. I mean he threw Chris Martin in there for Christ sake....really?
They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
that's a good description...shallow....:)
There are a lot of people who would disagree. I'd take his albums over the entire first half of the Beatles catalogue. He's done a damn good job of taking rap beyond the gangsta bullshit or the fringe, preachy consciousness stuff. Few rappers can match Kanye for the line he walks between self deprecation and boasting. His talent speaks for itself, and the fact that he hasn't won over a bunch of crackers who aren't willing to listen to any rap at all with an open ear anyway doesn't mean shit.
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Well, I'm sure there are alot of people who disagree. He keeps going to number one, so he has some fans. But I think you're overreaching if you're limiting to his critics to being "a bunch of crackers who aren't willing to listen to any rap." I mean, many people think he sucks, including me, and have good reasons for feeling this way.
The difference between people like the Beatles, Elvis, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, etc. etc. is that despite the egos, the superstar status they claimed occurred naturally because of both the quality of their work, their personalities, and of course, being in the right place at the right time with the right sound. Kanye seems to not be fitting naturally into this progression, and is therefore trying to push the point. You can't push yourself into being a cultural phenomena; it's due in large part to extremely hard work on the artist's part, but too many things are outside the artist's control. So now, instead of Kanye's music being the story, it's ridiculous comments like this one. Instead of being the cultural phenomena he clearly wants to be, he's going to become known as the rapper who thinks he's as big as Elvis.
Forget about trying to be this generations Elvis...or The Beatles.
It's never going to happen.
Kayne should concentrate on backing up his over-inflated ego, and God Complex with some actual relevant music.
His music is genre specific and hardly has the cross-over appeal and success that both Elvis and The Beatles were able to obtain.
In my world...his music means fuck all...it is nowhere near groundbreaking, or reveloutionary. He's just pushing the same tired wheel down the same tired road.
This chump needs to understand that right now...this day and age...he only exists as flavor.
His flavor won't last...
Kayne will be spit out like the rest of the bubble-gum pop factory that he named in his acceptance speech.
They'll all be dried up gum on the sidewalks of music history.
His art will be consumed, and purged.
He'll be lucky if we even remember his name.
He had quite a bit of success before he started saying things like this. I'd compare him to Axl Rose. He's got a massive ego and a lot of people hate him, but there's no denying his impact or contributions to music. I'd say he has fit right in... as hip hop was finally being acknowledged in pop culture as more than just thugs, he stepped forward with music that had production to rival the generic beats of those rappers and lyrics that were intensely personal and transcended the genres limitations. Jay-z was brought back from fading mediocrity by Kanye's skills on the Blueprint album.
Of course, there is no proof like time, but I'd say his legacy looks pretty safe so far.
They say every sin is deadly but I believe they may be wrong...I'm guilty of all seven and I don't feel too bad at all
Well, even if this is the case, Axl Rose is a long way from the Beatles. Does he have an impact, although, to the extent that you are claiming? I mean, Elvis, the Beatles, Dylan etc...these bands/artists turned music and their respective genres upside down. What exactly is the impact Kanye West has had on pop culture? If you dislike him, he's had a few shitty extremely popular singles and some crappy albums. If you like him, he's had a run of great singles and great albums. I don't see him having this massive effect on pop culture like those whom he was comparing himself to. I'm sure he wants to have that effect, but like I said, that's not entirely within his or anyone's control. You mentioned the work he did on Jay-Z's album; that's talking talent, not impact. So that's Jay-Z's victory, not Kanye's, although he was an important part of it. He may be a great producer, but I can't name many producers that personify the cultural zeitgeist. I wouldn't say many people's opinion of hip-hop has changed besides the unfair stereotypes people have of it due to what's popular in the mainstream. So Kanye didn't change the public perception on that either. How exactly has he revolutionized our culture, like many of the other artists mentioned in this thread?
1. I can speak that for me personally, I'd never have listened to hip hop if not for Kanye. He provided a very accessible and excellent starting point into the genre.
2. I would argue that none of those people particularly revolutionized our culture either. Let's be frank, they were rock stars, not revolutionaries. The Beatles were great and all, but they opened up the music world. They didn't exactly end racial discrimination like MLK did or anything.
3. That said, I wouldn't say he's as good as the Beatles or their ilk. But that doesn't mean I don't admire the fact that he's trying more than anyone else out there to pursue that kind of greatness. Even if he falls short, there's a lot to be said for that kind of ambition. I respect Radiohead for similar reasons, even though I'm not huge on their music and think Thom Yorke's a douche. There is a distinct shortage of high profile musical acts that are serious about pursuing greatness and trying new things. Most just hit big and stick to their formula.
1. That's good, but I don't know if you could apply that to society at large. He clearly wants to be a Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, etc. type that bridges all races, cultures, countries, etc. etc. but I don't think he does. And I think that's frustrating to him, since he clearly has a high opinion of his own work, so he makes boneheaded comments like this one. The problem now is that Kanye's music is no longer the story, but his big mouth. I don't think I've read a Kanye-related story in the past few years that wasn't about his ego or something he'd said.
I think now instead of being part of a cultural movement, he's become a stereotype, fulfilling the role he has gotten in the mainstream as the rapper with the big mouth who says stupid stuff. Which is fine if that's the role you want to play, but it's not a good way for an artist who wants to be a signature part of the cultural zeitgeist to go about doing it. If this keeps going on, no one will care about his music twenty years from now. He'll be known, if at all, for comments like the one in the original post. He should get away from that if he wants to be remembered for music.
2. I don't think I said any of them had stopped racism (although all of those artists I mentioned were able to transcend traditional barriers like race, class, etc). I think Kanye has been somewhat successful at this, for he looks like he's made strides in a culture where rock music and rap music has become unfortunately and extremely racially segregated. Then again, so has Jay-Z and so has Eminem. So Kanye West can't lay claim to that trait alone. But those artists we're speaking about all had a profound impact on "popular" culture, pop culture. I'm just not seeing that with Kanye. He's big, but he's not that big. He's not near the notoriety and impact on pop culture that Eminem was, for example, just six, seven years ago. And I wouldn't put Eminem anywhere near the impact of guys like the Beatles, etc.
3. I think many artists and musicians aim for that kind of greatness, but they simply don't talk about it as much. Radiohead clearly want to be the best band in the world, and they're doing it well because they're fitting a round peg into a round hole. Kanye West is trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. He clearly wants to be the king of pop culture for this decade, and since pop culture doesn't respond to his every whim he throws hissy fits. Which, despite his unarguable talent, is in my opinion fairly dumb.
You make some good points there. I do think his mouth could get him into trouble, but I still respect and admire the drive the guy has. The greats are always on the temperamental side
Okay I've skimmed this entire thread but here's my 2 cents.
West is very egositical, but why laugh at him? You say this is impossible - why? All four of his albums have been critically acclaimed and he sells absoutely tons of records. Why do people constantly think that nothing can beat The Beatles or Elvis or Hendrix or whatever the baby boomer generation is putting on a pedestal at the moment?
And to be honest, if you're not gonna listen to somebodys music becuase theyre an arrogant twat in real life, then you better start throwing away your Beatles albums.
I doubt he's going to be breaking new ground though. But hey, can't knock a guy for trying.
i may not like all of kayne's music but i like the attitude. reminds me of OASIS.
- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
Like I said, I'm sure there are many musical artists out there that do want to be the best, but are not so public about such ambitions. Why are we to assume that Kanye West is the only one with big hopes and ambitions because he's the only one running his mouth? Also, this discounts the many bands and artists that have stayed small for legitimate reasons (such as Sonic Youth, Sleater Kinney, etc) and have still managed to be some of the greatest bands of their time.
Oasis is actually I think a good example of why Kanye doing what he's doing with stuff like this is a bad idea. Remember What's The Story? Had like three top ten singles, Champagne Supernova, Wonderwall, etc. These guys were on top of the world, and then what happened? Bad press, stupid public stunts, needless feuds with other artists. Now what? They're a joke, and the only way they can get into the papers is if Noel tries to be 'controversial.' I don't have a problem with the attitude, but it's their music that suffered. So you need to have good music, and you need to not let your publicity take the focus away from the music. That's what Oasis did, and that's what Kanye does. If he follows that route, even if he does have such influence he will lose it and become what Oasis is now; playing big venues with a devoted fanbase and selling a respectable amount of albums, but being nowhere near that 'game-changing pop culture event' they wanted to be.
i agree with alot of what you say here and thats why i wrote (whatever the best means) some look at being the best means selling CDs, some say that being the best is the influence. however, and i am talking abotu myself personally, i like bands that say we want to be the best in whatever way they see being the best in public. i remember Bono saying something an di knwo that i am going to get ripped for saying Bono but he said that and i am paraphasing here. bono said that this notion of not wanting to be teh best an dhaving teh confidence of saying it is a rock music issues but in rap which is grown out of teh street they don't understand this concerpt. i tend to agree with Bono
- Soren Aabye Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
If you haven't got anything nice to say about anybody, come sit next to me."
- Alice Roosevelt Longworth (1884-1980)
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... and I still think Drive-By Truckers are better.
I'm not a fan of Kanye when words are coming out of his mouth. Be has a way with publicity. That's the name of the game, I guess.
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The "name of the game" with Jimi was MUSIC!
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