Discover the Loaf

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Kanye West - The College Dropout singles

Through The Wire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvb-1wjAtk4
Chaka Khan - Through The Fire
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dmFl85jn7Q
Slow Jamz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrMrqBcv6Mk
All Falls Down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kyWDhB_QeI
Jesus Walks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYF7H_fpc-g
The New Workout Plan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylT16QB6Uig
Spaceship
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGM6N0qXeu4
Two Words
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkFOBx6j0l8

72. Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004) & Late Registration (2005)

Kanye West is important for changing the modern hip-hop song in both sound and attitude, he is also an interesting and conflicted modern superstar.

Citing influences spanning soul, indie, rock, classical, jazz, but especially the productions of the RZA for Wu-Tang, and the rappers ODB and Ghosface (who share a certain imbalance with Kanye) and the trip-hop of Bristol, especially the later orchestrated Portishead.

West first came to attention following his stellar work on Jay-Z's The Blueprint, especially Takeover, which along with his subsequent work seemed to be an exercise in how little you need to do, many tracks simply a soul song sped up and sampled (not seen since the heady days of 91-93 British 'Ardcore you know the score), this providing the entire track other than drum programs and lyrics, but still working brilliantly, like the audacity of those graffiti artists who just tag onto someone else's work and claim it as their own (albeit with inarguable style and grace), or the character prints by Andy Warhol. West has a untypical background for an accepted hip-hop artist, his parents were black professionals (and radicals), and West attended school in Atlanta, GA gaining good grades and a place at art college where he dropped out to pursue music. Following his production success for Jay-Z he wanted to become a rapper/producer, but was turned down by Roc-A-Fella due to his non hip-hop image, which still rankles some hardcore heads, what with his normal size trousers, exploratory subject matter, embrace of indie culture and speaking out against homophobia.

The first single Through The Wire was inspired by a car crash that resulted in Kanye having his jaw wired shut, thus providing the subject matter and vocal slur of the song, the music was an extended sample of Chaka Khan's Through The Fire, sped up. The College Dropout came next, and outdoes Jay-Z's 73rd position by Kanye's self-conscious, everyman, human persona, whilst still retaining a good dose of hip-hop arrogance, pretension, self-glorification. Contradictory but more interesting than the seemingly infallible glistening robot Jay-Z.

The last track on The College Dropout is Last Call, a 12min non rapped overlong acceptance speech for a non existent award, which most artists would have buried in the hope it would never be heard, containing such details as going with his mum to IKEA to buy a bed and putting it together. Always too much, but never enough.

Late Registration basks in the success of 2004, adding instrumental flourishes and orchestral grandiose arrangements to the formula. Containing the massive hit Goldigga (better in it's non explicit edited form, with the Broke, broke).

Kanye West raps political, personal and his ideas remain conceptually more interesting than 99.9% of music from other supposedly more challenging genres. Jay-Z used it, but perhaps Damien Hirsts diamond encrusted skull is more representative of Kanye West's art, at once hideously opulent and crushingly self-conscious, evidenced by all those public outbursts at award ceremonies and endless sincere apologies 'George Bush don't like black people', fallible and unpredictable, the diamond skull made flesh.

Monday, 6 September 2010

Jay-Z influences

73. Jay-Z - Big Pimpin' (2000), The Blueprint (2001)

Prior to the double whammy of Big Pimpin & The Blueprint you could be forgiven for thinking that Jay-Z was tired. Massive sales & entrepreneurial activities were pursued whilst the musics synth led Puffy style and ever more sentimental cash cow hits, from sampling Anne (which only a Hip-Hop act could get away with), to the unforgivable Oliver sampling Anything, failed to provide a way forward.

However it would be foolish to write off a hardcore hustler, especially one with such impeccable taste.

Jay-Z seemingly worked towards hip-hop success since birth, from the Macy projects, surrounded by hip-hop culture, annoying siblings with drumming on tables and blasting beatboxes, guesting as a youth with local rap talent, including a stint as a member of Big Daddy Kane's crew. Beginning with a tongue twisting flow, popular at the time with Busta Rhymes' Lords Of The Underground and Das Efx. Eventually refining his skills through many guest spots and posse cuts. 1996 debut Reasonable Doubt set out Jay's black capitalist chic with Black Republicans, a Hop-Hop folk trope which had been building for some time, the gist of which is that capitalism and gangsterism have more than superficial similarities, and carried to it's logical conclusion, there should be no reason that regardless of institutionalised racism black ghetto dwellers can get rich, famous and payback, by following rigid street/capitalist codes, because that is how the world is ruled anyway right?

Musically this resulted in a hands off approach to killing people (unlike say the Geto Boys or Big L), brand name obsession and an inability to show emotion outside of music, because emotion is like bad for business, whereas emotion in music is like good for business. This apparent cynical and mercenary approach was held up like a badge of honour by Jay-Z, and with the self confidence came more assured rhyming flow, relaxed, logical and cold enunciation of a man who knows he's right.

Jay-Z's best period was at the turn of the century, firstly with UGK and Timbaland, Jay used indian flute sampling, syncopated beats and sounded completely at ease over them, this was a period when mainstream hip-hop production was as futuristic as anything found in British IDM electronica, as producers atomised soul to produce rhythms seemingly from hiccups, pings, exotic instruments (R Kelly made a beat from the sound of a tap dripping around this time).

The Blueprint added to this by utilising new producer Kanye West who revolutionised hip-hop, by retreating from synth led production, and returned to samples. However, unlike stuttering RZA beats, he used lengthy soul samples, gives the music an epic and lush soulful feel, unlike previous hip-hop. Jay himself rose to the challenge with great concepts (Song Cry), and brutal battle raps, Takeover slays Mobb Deep's Prodigy and Nas with the career topping third verse. Although Jay's rhymes don't stand up to close scrutiny the drama cannot be denied. This album won grammys and sold 450,000 in USA first week despite being released on 9/11.

There is a fine balancing act in Jay-Z's art, having an mercenary business attitude works when people like your work, and so far his taste and talent for finding the best beats (Puffy, Neptunes, Timerland, Kanye), guesting on the biggest hits (Riannah, Beyonce, Alicia Keys), and picking (and winning) the crucial battles (Nas, Glastonbury), has not failed him yet. However there is a danger that he may become the mainstream (hello Coldplay) rapper it's safe to like and lose the confrontation and drama of his best work. The other bigger danger is that he stops highlighting the inherent criminality of capitalism (intentionally or not) and becomes simply a mercenary capitalist. Jay-Z is the king of New York, and the archetypal post 9/11 NY rapper. He could learn a lot from looking at the careers of former King of New York, Frank Sinatra.

Discover the Loaf

Thursday, 9 September 2010

Kanye West - The College Dropout singles

72. Kanye West - The College Dropout (2004) & Late Registration (2005)

Monday, 6 September 2010

Jay-Z influences

How to create a Jay-Z song

Jay-Z Blueprint vids

Jay-Z - Big Pimpin vid

73. Jay-Z - Big Pimpin' (2000), The Blueprint (2001)

Top 100 Records of the Noughties

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