I don’t like his music, but that’s just personal taste.
As for him personally, I think he’s a narcissistic self-involved asshole douchebag.
I voted ‘yes’ without reading the posts in this thread. I prefer to judge celebrities based on how I feel about their art. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is on my personal all-time Top 10 albums list.
He puts out a great tune every year or two, sometimes more than one. He is otherwise insufferable.
Oh please, if I have heard him, I wouldn’t know it. Is he a rapper?
That’s… not a good thing. There’s people in remote Indonesian villages who know about Kanye West. At some point being this disconnected from the zeitgeist is something you should really, really, consider looking after.
I’m not quite at “Who?” level nor am I 100% indifferent but I don’t have enough familiarity to answer “yes” or “no” either.
1st awareness of the fellow was a subway ad he had running, pretending to be an ad for a pill that guys could take — “Be Kanye” — so that when they were in a situation where they were just insufficiently cool to manage matters, they could take the pill and… yeah you get the idea…
I thought it was quite clever and cute.
Since then my familiarity with him has mostly consisted of hearing about ridiculously overstepping statements he’s made, usually regarding some other performer and how that other performer should either be viewed as the absolute best in their league or else should shut the fuck up. I’m pretty sure the one he was on about as soon good everyone else should go home and quit performing was Beyonce.
Not so clever and cute. Being ridiculously over-the-top about yourself can be entertaining, but the latter behavior sort of taints how people react to other performers. (Admittedly I don’t know how Beyonce feels about it).
** scrolls upthread to find out who Gold Digger is and what he or she has to do with Kanye West **
That’s what I was coming in to say. That, and I’m indifferent.
Obviously most people have heard of him, but the media market today is so fragmented and so focused, that nobody really listens to anything they don’t want to listen to. Avoiding new music, good or bad, hasn’t been this easy since the 19th Century.
I’m really curious about the 12 people who clicked on a link marked “Do you like Kanye West?” while apparently never hearing of him before in their entire lives.
Is it so shocking that some of us don’t listen to the radio? That’s what I have an iPod for, so I can listen to all music I like!
No, I don’t like Kanye. I think he’s a total tool who thinks he’s special and has no idea what real life is really like. I don’t listen to his music and it was actually on the Dope I realized he is a musician; I had no idea before that. I know he’s a big backer of Beyoncé only because of that kerfluffle and he’s related to the Kardashians, married to Kim, right?
But I’m annoyed that he gets any press at all. He’s just not worth it. I also don’t understand at all why it’s so important I know who he is. Who gives a shit? There are about a million things going on in this world and he is not one of the things on my important list. I can only concentrate on so much.
Oh, I’ve heard of him. Married to KimK. I’ve just never heard his music. At least as far as I know.
** Goes off to YouTube to hear a song called “Gold Digger” by Kanye West **
Hmm, kinda retro. Reminds me of stuff I used to hear the black kids playing when I was in Junior High in the early 70s. I think it’s the mimimalist accompaniment and the comparative complexity of the vocals. It’s also reminiscent of really retro stuff, chain-gang stuff like Harry Belafonte doing “Sylvie” or “Tol’ My Captain” from way the fuck back when.
Is Kanye doing both of the voices, or is his the one singing the high-pitched “give me money”, or the one doing the more raplike low stuff interspersed on top of it?
I wouldn’t go out and download it, but it ranks favorably against a lot of what passes for music these days.
Didn’t get enough of the lyrics to have a clear sense of whether it’s misogynistic or just a wary guy watching out for himself or whatever.
The “give me money” bit is sung by Jamie Fox
Honest question: why? and I actually lived in Indonesia for while, working in some pretty remote villages. I’m willing to bet that I know more about their culture than you do, is that important? Why is it just a one way flow from America to remote Indonesian villages that matters?
I reject the current zeitgeist and substitute my own, which includes Electro Swing music and martinis.
I’m sure I can’t identify a single one of his songs, so all I know about him are stories about his ridiculous public statements. Maybe he’s said some smarter things too that haven’t had an press coverage.
He’s an asshole personally, but its a weirdly open asshole - arrogant, but mostly because he’s trying to make up for being highly insecure and he’s quite open about that.
However, the dude IS a musical genius. Has an amazing run of ridiculously good albums - even the one that was considered his clunker is now incredibly influential (can you imagine Drake existing without “808s and Heartbreak”?). Just an absolutely incredible talent.
Because there is such a thing as a global culture. Particularly this century. And that includes knowing both about Kanye West and about the Raid movies. Not knowing this stuff makes you culturally poorer, not better.
Raid movies? (Google )
Okay, another thing I am too damn old to notice.