# Do you like Kanye West?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [February 15, 2016, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228 "2016-02-15T22:08:15Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 6
### Author:  [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/101 "2016-02-16T17:51:46Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#):
>
> …
Shit, I was just getting used to sharks with friggin lasers, and NOW I have to learn about laser spiders??
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### Author:  [@RobDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RobDog)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/102 "2016-02-16T17:52:52Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#):
>
> I like his music.
>
> I love his persona. He’s the guy who gets a rise out of all the squares.
Yeah. He’s really hepped up to the rebop daddy-o.
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/103 "2016-02-16T17:54:49Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#):
>
> Sure. My point still remains… it’s not some obscure reference you couldn’t possibly have ever heard of. It’s popular enough to have it’s own thread in here.
A thread that I wouldn’t have had the slightest bit of interest in opening. Popular in other places on the Web? Maybe. I sure don’t recall seeing anything about them. And, since I do not enjoy those types of movies, there is no reason that it would elevate my interest even if I did see something about them.
Meh. Google Raid movies 668,000 results. My own somewhat unusual real name 441,000 results. Our man Kanye West gets 170,000,000.
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### Author:  [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_Arachnid_Laser_1)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/104 "2016-02-16T17:57:36Z")
> [@enipla](#):
>
> A thread that I wouldn’t have had the slightest bit of interest in opening. Popular in other places on the Web? Maybe. I sure don’t recall seeing anything about them. And, since I do not enjoy those types of movies, there is no reason that it would elevate my interest even if I did see something about them.
>
> Meh. Google Raid movies 668,000 results. My own somewhat unusual real name 441,000 results. Our man Kanye West gets 170,000,000.
Oh, sure, I wasn’t trying to imply that the Raid series is as popular as Kanye. But it’s hard to find popular Indonesian stuff.
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### Author:  [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/105 "2016-02-16T18:02:59Z")
How about Dian Sastrowardoyo?
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### Author:  [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/106 "2016-02-16T18:09:09Z")
> [@Go\_Arachnid\_Laser](#):
>
> Oh, sure, I wasn’t trying to imply that the Raid series is as popular as Kanye. But it’s hard to find popular Indonesian stuff.
I can’t imagine any situation where I would look for popular or unpopular violent Indonesian martial arts films.
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### Author:  [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/107 "2016-02-16T18:09:18Z")
I think Kanye just might be the greatest _collaborator_\* in the history of modern pop music, with much of his music not even being Kanye at all. “Monster” is a great song, but Nicki Minaj just _owns_ it.
And, yes, he is a complete douchbag, the likes we haven’t seen since Frank Sinatra. So many people hated Frank for not entering WW2/Ava Gardner/his stupidly rude comments\*\*/his Italian heritage/his lifestyle/leaving his wife and kids/his liberalness/etc, that it’s a wonder he sold any records. 😉 And, judging by this poll, so it seems the same for Kanye.
\*And throwing up a list of names won’t necessarily disprove this, btw.
\*\*Like that time he criticized the USO.
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### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/108 "2016-02-16T18:15:28Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> Yeah, right, I totally believe you’ve never heard Gold Digger on the radio (or TV, or anywhere else).
I haven’t, as far as I know.
We don’t all listen to current popular music. It _is_ possible to exist without knowing anything about the Kardashians or current music or the latest crop of attention-whoring “stars”.
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### Author:  [@scabpicker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scabpicker)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/109 "2016-02-16T18:20:43Z")
So, if Kanye’s a musical genius, what’s his musical innovation? Awards and record sales do not apply to this question.
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### Author:  [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/110 "2016-02-16T18:20:56Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#):
>
> The Wife and I just watched the latest SNL and Kanye was the musical guest. This is the first time I have consciously listened to one of his performances. Does he always use that much auto-tune?
Auto-tune is why I stopped listening to pop music.
Also the use of “unnnhhh, unnnhhhh” in songs, replacing “ooooh” or “baby”. “Unnnhhh” sounds like the singer is trying to crap.
> [@Procrustus](#):
>
> At the risk of sounding even older than I am, fuck that. I don’t give a shit about opera, mime, soccer, Kanye West, Raid movies (never of heard of until just now), and about 10,000 other things other people enjoy. I’ve got a limited number of years left, and I’ll be damned if learning about\* global culture\* is on my bucket list. I’m happy people have found things they enjoy. I’ve found things I enjoy. We don’t all have to know the same people or be aware of the same music.
Marry me, please.
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### Author:  [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/111 "2016-02-16T18:23:40Z")
> [@WotNot](#):
>
> You know, I thought I must have done, because I could quote lyrics from it, but I just listened to it on YouTube, and… nope, never heard that before. Turns out I’ve just read enough references to it on the internet to fool my brain. _Maybe_ I heard a short clip of it at some point?
I’ve never heard it either, except for the Weird Al version. As far as I know, I’ve never heard anything he’s done, and I don’t feel like I’m missing anything. I don’t care if it’s the best music on earth (and I doubt it’s half as good as he claims it is), he’s so much of a d-bag that I have no desire to support him in any way.
I wish him good health, a long life, and utter obscurity.
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### Author:  [@stillownedbysetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stillownedbysetters)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/112 "2016-02-16T18:40:14Z")
It would be impossible for me to like him as much as he likes himself. Therefore, I won’t try.
I might be able to summon some tepid admiration for his production skills, but his own music, blehh, not my thing at all. His fashion line? pullleeeze. And that permanent “I just ate dog doody” expression and bad attitude. Nope, honey, you’ve gotta be John Lennon to get away with that. And you’re not.
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### Author:  [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/113 "2016-02-16T18:45:40Z")
[Kanye Sues Weird Al For Not Parodying His Music](http://dailycurrant.com/2014/07/23/kanye-sues-weird-al-for-not-parodying-his-music-2/)
> [@](#):
>
> In a suit filed this morning in a Los Angeles Superior Court, West seeks $20 million, claiming “severe mental distress” after not being parodied on Yankovic’s latest album, _Mandatory Fun_.
Yes, It’s _The Daily Currant_. Yes, I know it’s a phony news story site.
Yes, the headline could be mistaken for a real story because it’s not that far off. 😃
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### Author:  [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/114 "2016-02-16T18:53:41Z")
> [@running\_coach](#):
>
> [Kanye Sues Weird Al For Not Parodying His Music](http://dailycurrant.com/2014/07/23/kanye-sues-weird-al-for-not-parodying-his-music-2/)
>
> Yes, It’s _The Daily Currant_. Yes, I know it’s a phony news story site.
> Yes, the headline could be mistaken for a real story because it’s not that far off. 😃
Heh.
In the interest of fighting my ignorance, I just went to YouTube and listened to the original of “Gold Digger” (the “dirty” one so I got the full effect).
Wow. If this is what’s considered exceptional talent, then I must be a Martian. That seriously sucked. I liked the Weird Al version (in one of his polka medleys) about 1000% better.
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### Author:  [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/115 "2016-02-16T18:55:23Z")
Solid yes vote from me.
I like his music.
As a person, I think he is absolutely, positively, out to lunch. I also believe that _some_ of that is performance. There’s some genuine, dingbat jackass in there too, I think the lines shift.
And, he inspires great things like this: [You Can Buy Embroidered Kanye West Tweets](http://www.buzzfeed.com/lyapalater/you-can-buy-embroidered-kanye-west-tweets#.nt0G4oxYe)
(I feel the same way about the water bottles on airplanes.)
Every once in a while, I feel badly for him because I think his persona has gotten out of control to the extent where he can’t make a valid point because it will only be lost in his own noise. Then I remember how much money he has, and I don’t feel badly about this at all.
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### Author:  [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/116 "2016-02-16T19:24:46Z")
> [@delphica](#):
>
> \
> Then I remember how much money he has, and I don’t feel badly about this at all.
I have trouble believing most anything I read about him.
But I have seen some very strange stories recently about how he is millions in debt and has asked some famous billionaires to fund him. Mark Zuckenberg for one. If true, that calls into question the idea that he has a lot of money.
> **[Kanye wants Facebook, Google founders to invest in his company | CBC News](https://www.cbc.ca/news/trending/kanye-best-in-world-1.3448822)**
>
> While many initially suggested his request for money was a joke, Kanye West has since doubled down on his $1 billion proposal to Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Do you really believe he has a lot of money? I know he has reportedly sold more albums than many other people. But recent stories in the news media really make it seem questionable that he still has a lot of money. Could he really be essentially bankrupt?
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### Author:  [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/117 "2016-02-16T19:55:27Z")
> [@Charlie\_Wayne](#):
>
> Do you really believe he has a lot of money? I know he has reportedly sold more albums than many other people. But recent stories in the news media really make it seem questionable that he still has a lot of money. Could he really be essentially bankrupt?
That is an excellent point. I confess I’m unclear sometimes on what it means for celebrities to be bankrupt, does it mean the same thing it means for random people like me? I’m assuming he still has a roof over his head, and he’s not going to be worried about how to feed his children.
I will, though, amend my statement to read “Then I remember how much money he has had access to, and I don’t feel badly about this at all.”
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### Author:  [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/118 "2016-02-16T20:00:21Z")
> [@scabpicker](#):
>
> So, if Kanye’s a musical genius, what’s his musical innovation? Awards and record sales do not apply to this question.
It has been widely reported that Kanye West has changed the trajectory of hip-hop music at least 3-4 times (one article mentioning this: [Power: The Three Kanye West Albums That Changed Music | HipHopDX](http://hiphopdx.com/editorials/id.2877/title.power-the-three-kanye-west-albums-that-changed-music) ). A number of his albums have been incredibly innovative and, at times, launched almost entirely new genres of hip-hop - the soul samples of College Dropout, the orchestral backgrounds of Late Registration, the dance electronica of Graduation, the moody introspective electronic sound of 808s and Heartbreaks, the grandiose layering and more layering of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time), the sparse minimalist electronic of Yeezus. It can be said that The Life of Pablo is the first Kanye album that doesn’t attempt to chart a new course for hip hop music.
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### Author:  [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/119 "2016-02-16T20:15:20Z")
Music is fair. The person, I hope it’s just an act. Otherwise he is one delusional SOB.
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### Author:  [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)
#### Post date: [February 16, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-like-kanye-west/746228/120 "2016-02-16T20:39:52Z")
Contributing…
I hate Kanye as a person, he seems like an immature troll and attention whore. As a musician, I’ve tried listening to his music and find it as much of an unremarkable cookie-cutter overproduced near-parody of the hip-hop genre as it is a supposed influence. 99% production and image, 1% musicianship.
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