Could reviews like this be part of a broader agenda of distracting the enemy (including folks like us) through provocation by intentionally inane -- but ultimately totally irrelevant -- opinion pieces? Is writing informed, angry letters to the editor going to help in any way? Is it better to ignore them? What a mess...
Ironically, singer Brandy makes an appearance on one track, even though she was dumped from the new collection of Ray Charles "duets."
The producers evidently didn't think she was hip enough to remain with Charles on record. Now she's on the No. 1 album in the country.
There are plenty of other collaborators on "Late Registration" since West, you know, like Sean "Diddy" Combs and other rap entrepreneurs, does not actually sing.
Because of this, the multi-talented John Legend makes not one, but two appearances as a guest vocalist. In those cases, Legend was hired to perform by West. So too were back-up singers Tony Williams and Keyshia Cole, as was Maroon 5's Adam Levine.
But wow — look at the sampled singers. Besides Bassey, there's Bill Withers (a track of his called "Roses" is included), as well as the KayGees, Etta James on "My Funny Valentine," Orange Krush's 1982 recording called "Action" and Natalie Cole from a Michael Masser/Gerry Goffin song called "Someone That I Used to Love."
Gil Scott-Heron, a legendary performer about whom West's fans probably know zilch, is an integral part of "Late Registration" on his sampled "Home Is Where the Hatred Is." There's also an appearance by Hank Crawford on "Drive Slow."
Will all these people be listed as Grammy nominees when the time comes? If there are winners, will they all be included? That's something I'd like to see.
I dunno if I can speak for all europeans, but seriously, people listen to this O'Reilly dude? Shit sounds like a friggin comedy central show to me sometimes... wait, make that all the time.
Second point, New Orleans is not about race. It's about class. If you're poor, you're powerless, not only in America, but everywhere on earth. If you don't have enough money to protect yourself from danger, danger's going to find you. And all the political gibberish in the world is not going to change that.
you know i'm actually in agreement with him here. his solution is dissolving the government and having private corporations run everything. you know how much big corporations care about poor people right ? my solution is having a system of government that distributes the wealth more evenly.
Second point, New Orleans is not about race. It's about class. If you're poor, you're powerless, not only in America, but everywhere on earth. If you don't have enough money to protect yourself from danger, danger's going to find you. And all the political gibberish in the world is not going to change that.
you know i'm actually in agreement with him here. his solution is dissolving the government and having private corporations run everything. you know how much big corporations care about poor people right ? my solution is having a system of government that distributes the wealth more evenly.
Here's where all the right-wingers scream "communist!" at you at the top of their lungs. Because red scares are very fashionable these days.
I dunno if I can speak for all europeans, but seriously, people listen to this O'Reilly dude? Shit sounds like a friggin comedy central show to me sometimes... wait, make that all the time.
*edit* please break this down for us...
It's like Howard Stern. His core audience actually hates him.
I dunno if I can speak for all europeans, but seriously, people listen to this O'Reilly dude? Shit sounds like a friggin comedy central show to me sometimes... wait, make that all the time.
*edit* please break this down for us...
It's like Howard Stern. His core audience actually hates him.
Hahaha, word. Anytimie O'Rielly or Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter or Rush or any of those hard-right douchebags starts prattling on about their ratings or book sales or whatever, I'm reminded of a classic headline from The Onion:
Two-Thirds of KKK Rally Attendees Actually Undercover Reporters
As he made his unscripted remarks about race, he was sporting his usual Ralph Lauren Polo ensemble. These would be the same clothes worn by President Bush's Kennebunkport relatives as they gaped at their television sets.
dumb
Gil Scott-Heron, a legendary performer about whom West's fans probably know zilch
There are plenty of other collaborators on "Late Registration" since West, you know, like Sean "Diddy" Combs and other rap entrepreneurs, does not actually sing.
That's because he, you know, raps.
best line in the article. I like dude's logic--"obviously you couldn't make an entire album of just rapping!"
He's actually attempting to be sneaky while meaning: "Kanye is rich, well-attired, and well-situated and therefore has no right to be an upset nigger."
My name is Steven Davis. I work in Corporate Communications at Newscorp. in Los Angeles.
I am writing you after reading your article on Kanye West. I will be blunt - I found your article to be racist, uninformed, and poorly written.
Name dropping sampled artists on "Late Registration" does not mask your ignorance of Hip-Hop culture and only acts to bring to the surface the racist undertones in your snide jokes and comments.
This article is far removed from your gossip column, but still you wrote it just as carelessly - like it was just mindless fodder for gawker.com for which I do normally find an appreciation. But, this article should have been written with deeper issues in mind. This article is not about Jamie Foxx "revving" up Kanye to speak his mind. You see the bigger issues here don't you? Am I right to say that you know Kanye's words had nothing to do with Jamie Foxx and his other celebrity friends? You saw on Fox News the thousands of black people coming out of the projects standing on the Slidell interstate exit with no food, no water, no medicine, and no instructions on where to receive help. Shepard Smith implored city officials, FEMA, the National Guard, the President, whoever to come and get these people off of that bridge and take them to safety. You saw the people suffering didn't you? But it took Jamie Foxx to get Kanye to speak his mind? You really decided to stick by that angle? Bang up reporting Roger.
You described Kanye's most recent album as "a con job" ...
I don't quite understand who is being conned. The use of sampling in Hip-Hop music goes back to its first recorded tracks. When Kanye West pays for the publishing rights of John Barry's "Diamonds are forever," he is not trying to pull the wool over his listener's eyes and pass the sample off as his own. He is using this sample to paint a much larger picture.
Since you enjoy insulting your reader's intelligence, allow me to insult yours for a moment...
You probably listened to "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and only heard the sample - using it to prove your asinine point that Kanye West is conning his listeners. But, anyone not focused on spreading bigotry would have noticed "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" is a rather scathing and self analytical look at the Diamond mining industry, its corrupt methods and abuse of Africans, and the role diamonds and jewels play in Hip-Hop culture and most importantly in Kanye's own life.
But Roger, I think you really realized what this song was about and why Kanye used this sample. Because the same people you insulted, who didn't pick up on the origin of the John Barry sample or the Gil Scott-Heron sample, most definitely knew what this song was about with or without knowing the complete origin of the track's beat. I think you insulted your own intelligence when you wrote this article and showed the shaky nature of your journalistic integrity.
Hip-Hop music is a language written on the fabric of blues, jazz, soul, rock n' roll, and rhythm & blues. It's born in the history and way of life of its listeners. And it's a history that dates back before the birth of most of its more recent listeners. So when I don't know I'm listening to a John Barry sample, I know I'm listening to a song about a conflicted culture, a troubled world, and a frustrated man.
Your comparison or perhaps failed literary illusion of Kanye West and George Bush's family in Kennebunkport is fruitless and just silly. They do perhaps both wear polo shirts on occasion though.
That is true that Kanye West is in fact not Chuck D nor the rap group N.W.A. I guess you bring it up because Kanye West does often rap on political topics and socially conscious issues, but with the article you threw together, you would only know that Kanye West can indeed not sing. Your review of a rap album doesn't mention a single line of the rapper's lyrics.
And I too enjoy Alicia Keys, but Kanye West has "cleverly constructed" songs for her as well.
And why do you like Brandy so much?
I work in public relations. I see dozens of letters of complaint every day. Some of these letters are poignant and timely, other letters find their point lost in passionate and angry conspiracy theory ridden ramblings, and some letters are simply full of expletives. That said, I am sure your inbox is full emails like these every day, so thanks if you read this far. I know you do not respect Kanye West's words, which is fine - but please respect your own and don't disrespect a culture you know nothing about especially during a time when music like Kanye's is helping to uplift people who have lost everything.
My name is Steven Davis. I work in Corporate Communications at Newscorp. in Los Angeles.
I am writing you after reading your article on Kanye West. I will be blunt - I found your article to be racist, uninformed, and poorly written.
Name dropping sampled artists on "Late Registration" does not mask your ignorance of Hip-Hop culture and only acts to bring to the surface the racist undertones in your snide jokes and comments.
This article is far removed from your gossip column, but still you wrote it just as carelessly - like it was just mindless fodder for gawker.com for which I do normally find an appreciation. But, this article should have been written with deeper issues in mind. This article is not about Jamie Foxx "revving" up Kanye to speak his mind. You see the bigger issues here don't you? Am I right to say that you know Kanye's words had nothing to do with Jamie Foxx and his other celebrity friends? You saw on Fox News the thousands of black people coming out of the projects standing on the Slidell interstate exit with no food, no water, no medicine, and no instructions on where to receive help. Shepard Smith implored city officials, FEMA, the National Guard, the President, whoever to come and get these people off of that bridge and take them to safety. You saw the people suffering didn't you? But it took Jamie Foxx to get Kanye to speak his mind? You really decided to stick by that angle? Bang up reporting Roger.
You described Kanye's most recent album as "a con job" ...
I don't quite understand who is being conned. The use of sampling in Hip-Hop music goes back to its first recorded tracks. When Kanye West pays for the publishing rights of John Barry's "Diamonds are forever," he is not trying to pull the wool over his listener's eyes and pass the sample off as his own. He is using this sample to paint a much larger picture.
Since you enjoy insulting your reader's intelligence, allow me to insult yours for a moment...
You probably listened to "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and only heard the sample - using it to prove your asinine point that Kanye West is conning his listeners. But, anyone not focused on spreading bigotry would have noticed "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" is a rather scathing and self analytical look at the Diamond mining industry, its corrupt methods and abuse of Africans, and the role diamonds and jewels play in Hip-Hop culture and most importantly in Kanye's own life.
But Roger, I think you really realized what this song was about and why Kanye used this sample. Because the same people you insulted, who didn't pick up on the origin of the John Barry sample or the Gil Scott-Heron sample, most definitely knew what this song was about with or without knowing the complete origin of the track's beat. I think you insulted your own intelligence when you wrote this article and showed the shaky nature of your journalistic integrity.
Hip-Hop music is a language written on the fabric of blues, jazz, soul, rock n' roll, and rhythm & blues. It's born in the history and way of life of its listeners. And it's a history that dates back before the birth of most of its more recent listeners. So when I don't know I'm listening to a John Barry sample, I know I'm listening to a song about a conflicted culture, a troubled world, and a frustrated man.
Your comparison or perhaps failed literary illusion of Kanye West and George Bush's family in Kennebunkport is fruitless and just silly. They do perhaps both wear polo shirts on occasion though.
That is true that Kanye West is in fact not Chuck D nor the rap group N.W.A. I guess you bring it up because Kanye West does often rap on political topics and socially conscious issues, but with the article you threw together, you would only know that Kanye West can indeed not sing. Your review of a rap album doesn't mention a single line of the rapper's lyrics.
And I too enjoy Alicia Keys, but Kanye West has "cleverly constructed" songs for her as well.
And why do you like Brandy so much?
I work in public relations. I see dozens of letters of complaint every day. Some of these letters are poignant and timely, other letters find their point lost in passionate and angry conspiracy theory ridden ramblings, and some letters are simply full of expletives. That said, I am sure your inbox is full emails like these every day, so thanks if you read this far. I know you do not respect Kanye West's words, which is fine - but please respect your own and don't disrespect a culture you know nothing about especially during a time when music like Kanye's is helping to uplift people who have lost everything.
Best,
Steven Davis
That's brilliantly scathing right there.
DocMcCoy"Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,913 Posts
My name is Steven Davis. I work in Corporate Communications at Newscorp. in Los Angeles.
I am writing you after reading your article on Kanye West. I will be blunt - I found your article to be racist, uninformed, and poorly written.
Name dropping sampled artists on "Late Registration" does not mask your ignorance of Hip-Hop culture and only acts to bring to the surface the racist undertones in your snide jokes and comments.
This article is far removed from your gossip column, but still you wrote it just as carelessly - like it was just mindless fodder for gawker.com for which I do normally find an appreciation. But, this article should have been written with deeper issues in mind. This article is not about Jamie Foxx "revving" up Kanye to speak his mind. You see the bigger issues here don't you? Am I right to say that you know Kanye's words had nothing to do with Jamie Foxx and his other celebrity friends? You saw on Fox News the thousands of black people coming out of the projects standing on the Slidell interstate exit with no food, no water, no medicine, and no instructions on where to receive help. Shepard Smith implored city officials, FEMA, the National Guard, the President, whoever to come and get these people off of that bridge and take them to safety. You saw the people suffering didn't you? But it took Jamie Foxx to get Kanye to speak his mind? You really decided to stick by that angle? Bang up reporting Roger.
You described Kanye's most recent album as "a con job" ...
I don't quite understand who is being conned. The use of sampling in Hip-Hop music goes back to its first recorded tracks. When Kanye West pays for the publishing rights of John Barry's "Diamonds are forever," he is not trying to pull the wool over his listener's eyes and pass the sample off as his own. He is using this sample to paint a much larger picture.
Since you enjoy insulting your reader's intelligence, allow me to insult yours for a moment...
You probably listened to "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and only heard the sample - using it to prove your asinine point that Kanye West is conning his listeners. But, anyone not focused on spreading bigotry would have noticed "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" is a rather scathing and self analytical look at the Diamond mining industry, its corrupt methods and abuse of Africans, and the role diamonds and jewels play in Hip-Hop culture and most importantly in Kanye's own life.
But Roger, I think you really realized what this song was about and why Kanye used this sample. Because the same people you insulted, who didn't pick up on the origin of the John Barry sample or the Gil Scott-Heron sample, most definitely knew what this song was about with or without knowing the complete origin of the track's beat. I think you insulted your own intelligence when you wrote this article and showed the shaky nature of your journalistic integrity.
Hip-Hop music is a language written on the fabric of blues, jazz, soul, rock n' roll, and rhythm & blues. It's born in the history and way of life of its listeners. And it's a history that dates back before the birth of most of its more recent listeners. So when I don't know I'm listening to a John Barry sample, I know I'm listening to a song about a conflicted culture, a troubled world, and a frustrated man.
Your comparison or perhaps failed literary illusion of Kanye West and George Bush's family in Kennebunkport is fruitless and just silly. They do perhaps both wear polo shirts on occasion though.
That is true that Kanye West is in fact not Chuck D nor the rap group N.W.A. I guess you bring it up because Kanye West does often rap on political topics and socially conscious issues, but with the article you threw together, you would only know that Kanye West can indeed not sing. Your review of a rap album doesn't mention a single line of the rapper's lyrics.
And I too enjoy Alicia Keys, but Kanye West has "cleverly constructed" songs for her as well.
And why do you like Brandy so much?
I work in public relations. I see dozens of letters of complaint every day. Some of these letters are poignant and timely, other letters find their point lost in passionate and angry conspiracy theory ridden ramblings, and some letters are simply full of expletives. That said, I am sure your inbox is full emails like these every day, so thanks if you read this far. I know you do not respect Kanye West's words, which is fine - but please respect your own and don't disrespect a culture you know nothing about especially during a time when music like Kanye's is helping to uplift people who have lost everything.
Best,
Steven Davis
It's also worth considering how Friedman (who I think is a weapons-grade turd, btw) uses "What's Going On" as a touchstone of black musical auteurism in his piece. I wonder when (if ever) was the last time he browsed the writer credits of that record?
Comments
nice try liberals.
He's really making the 50's of the rap game look mad little dude-ish
*edit* please break this down for us...
you know i'm actually in agreement with him here. his solution is dissolving the government and having private corporations run everything. you know how much big corporations care about poor people right ? my solution is having a system of government that distributes the wealth more evenly.
Here's where all the right-wingers scream "communist!" at you at the top of their lungs. Because red scares are very fashionable these days.
It's like Howard Stern. His core audience actually hates him.
Hahaha, word. Anytimie O'Rielly or Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter or Rush or any of those hard-right douchebags starts prattling on about their ratings or book sales or whatever, I'm reminded of a classic headline from The Onion:
Two-Thirds of KKK Rally Attendees Actually Undercover Reporters
dumb
and dumber
best line in the article. I like dude's logic--"obviously you couldn't make an entire album of just rapping!"
He got that part right.
I'm sure Roger Friedman keeps "Winter in America" in heavy rotation.
Holy shit, BOOYAH...
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hello Roger,
My name is Steven Davis. I work in Corporate Communications at Newscorp. in Los Angeles.
I am writing you after reading your article on Kanye West. I will be blunt - I found your article to be racist, uninformed, and poorly written.
Name dropping sampled artists on "Late Registration" does not mask your ignorance of Hip-Hop culture and only acts to bring to the surface the racist undertones in your snide jokes and comments.
This article is far removed from your gossip column, but still you wrote it just as carelessly - like it was just mindless fodder for gawker.com for which I do normally find an appreciation. But, this article should have been written with deeper issues in mind. This article is not about Jamie Foxx "revving" up Kanye to speak his mind. You see the bigger issues here don't you? Am I right to say that you know Kanye's words had nothing to do with Jamie Foxx and his other celebrity friends? You saw on Fox News the thousands of black people coming out of the projects standing on the Slidell interstate exit with no food, no water, no medicine, and no instructions on where to receive help. Shepard Smith implored city officials, FEMA, the National Guard, the President, whoever to come and get these people off of that bridge and take them to safety. You saw the people suffering didn't you? But it took Jamie Foxx to get Kanye to speak his mind? You really decided to stick by that angle? Bang up reporting Roger.
You described Kanye's most recent album as "a con job" ...
I don't quite understand who is being conned. The use of sampling in Hip-Hop music goes back to its first recorded tracks. When Kanye West pays for the publishing rights of John Barry's "Diamonds are forever," he is not trying to pull the wool over his listener's eyes and pass the sample off as his own. He is using this sample to paint a much larger picture.
Since you enjoy insulting your reader's intelligence, allow me to insult yours for a moment...
You probably listened to "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" and only heard the sample - using it to prove your asinine point that Kanye West is conning his listeners. But, anyone not focused on spreading bigotry would have noticed "Diamonds From Sierra Leone" is a rather scathing and self analytical look at the Diamond mining industry, its corrupt methods and abuse of Africans, and the role diamonds and jewels play in Hip-Hop culture and most importantly in Kanye's own life.
But Roger, I think you really realized what this song was about and why Kanye used this sample. Because the same people you insulted, who didn't pick up on the origin of the John Barry sample or the Gil Scott-Heron sample, most definitely knew what this song was about with or without knowing the complete origin of the track's beat. I think you insulted your own intelligence when you wrote this article and showed the shaky nature of your journalistic integrity.
Hip-Hop music is a language written on the fabric of blues, jazz, soul, rock n' roll, and rhythm & blues. It's born in the history and way of life of its listeners. And it's a history that dates back before the birth of most of its more recent listeners. So when I don't know I'm listening to a John Barry sample, I know I'm listening to a song about a conflicted culture, a troubled world, and a frustrated man.
Your comparison or perhaps failed literary illusion of Kanye West and George Bush's family in Kennebunkport is fruitless and just silly. They do perhaps both wear polo shirts on occasion though.
That is true that Kanye West is in fact not Chuck D nor the rap group N.W.A. I guess you bring it up because Kanye West does often rap on political topics and socially conscious issues, but with the article you threw together, you would only know that Kanye West can indeed not sing. Your review of a rap album doesn't mention a single line of the rapper's lyrics.
And I too enjoy Alicia Keys, but Kanye West has "cleverly constructed" songs for her as well.
And why do you like Brandy so much?
I work in public relations. I see dozens of letters of complaint every day. Some of these letters are poignant and timely, other letters find their point lost in passionate and angry conspiracy theory ridden ramblings, and some letters are simply full of expletives. That said, I am sure your inbox is full emails like these every day, so thanks if you read this far. I know you do not respect Kanye West's words, which is fine - but please respect your own and don't disrespect a culture you know nothing about especially during a time when music like Kanye's is helping to uplift people who have lost everything.
Best,
Steven Davis
It's also worth considering how Friedman (who I think is a weapons-grade turd, btw) uses "What's Going On" as a touchstone of black musical auteurism in his piece. I wonder when (if ever) was the last time he browsed the writer credits of that record?