Kanye West

[Perfxion 0]

Lets see if I can get a rap discussion here on TSM...

 

I got the Kanye West CD the other day, It is now one of me favs in the last few years. Excluding the skits, the CD is near flawless. Not one bad song on the whole CD and nothing that most people bash about rap is on the CD.

 

Fav 5 tracks are: "We Don't Care"(with the first two skits makes this fucking funny), "Jesus Walks", "Get Em High", "Through the Wire", and "Never Let Me Down"

 

I would rate this better than 50's CD easily. I would put this on Jay's Reasonable Doubt as in a great CD that might get sleeped on by people.

[Giuseppe Zangara 0]

I'll import what I said over at SNKT:

 

Too many skits. The "School Spirit" track--which is weak to begin with--is bookended by a pair of painful skits; the equation of a college graduate = loser virgin is mind-boggling. That's great that Kanye West is having successful career in hip hop, but, college or no, most people will not find himself in West's position. Plus, what's with the long, TRL-shoutout at the end of "Last Call?" I don't give a fuck what kind of shoes Jay-Z was wearing West told him that he, Kanye, can rap.

 

That crap aside, there's a lot to like on this album.

 

I really do like this album a great deal, but it's quite flawed.

[Ripper 0]

I like basically every track on the Cd, although one or two of the skits could have been gone..(expecially the one about the 50 year old virgin...who has a son named Jimmy...WTF?)

 

Musically, I think you have to look long and hard to find the flaws in this. Just use the skip button over the skits and you have one fuck of a Cd.

[ant_7000 0]

I haven't heard the whole album, but the 5 songs I heard from him I liked.

[Henry Spencer 0]

Good album, agree about it having too many skits.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

You'll find that most peeps here think that all rap is mindless trash, but of course, that's just what the mainstream rap appears to be on the surface (for the most part). That said, this isn't one of them. He's becoming more mainstream, but this is an album that's quite far from mindless and cliche.

 

I love the concept of the album, being a first year and less than enthusiastic college student, myself. I think that's what a lot of people are failing to see here when they complain about the amount of skits. Yes, there are quite a few on there, and possibly too many, but they all tie in with the concept of the album. It's not like most rap albums that offer skits that have nothing to do with the rest of the album and are often just their failed stab at being humorous. The skits on this CD aren't exactly what I'd call great, since I usually skip over them, having heard them already. However, they all serve a function and while many may think that the message gets redundant or a bit far-fetched, you've gotta remember this is a concept album. The two Graduation skits compliment We Don't Care nicely, and the Pomp and Circumstance theme in the background of Track 3 is simply beautiful. Any real musician or music fan would appreciate it.

 

The skits that accompany School Spirit are funny overall, and while many will complain that going to college is a great way to get laid and get an education that will pay off financially in the end, you've gotta note the many exceptions to that notion. There are a lot of college students who get so wrapped up in their studies that they basically cancel everything else out of their life and in the end, what do they have to show for it? A lot of degrees with no guarantees that they can even find a job. And let's not forget a sizable debt for most kids. Granted a degree will definitely help out in many cases, but there's still nothing that promises you you can find a high-paying job just because you've got some degrees, especially with the economy the way it is currently.

 

As far as the stellar tracks on the album go, I think while most of them are at least worth a listen, the standout ones at this point include We Don't Care, Spaceship, Never Let Me Down, Get Em High and Last Call. The two singles that are in heavy rotation are solid, but with Through the Wire being in pretty heavy rotation since October in my house, it's grown a bit thin. Slow Jamz is also a strong track, but the oversaturation of it in the past two months has really taken a lot of its luster away. Honorable mention goes to Jesus Walks and Two Words, a pair of songs that most are praising as some of the best on the album, but don't do a whole lot for me (although the message in the former is pretty interesting).

 

We Don't Care offers up a catchy hook and plenty of memorable lyrics throughout the three verses (Some of them dyslexic / They favorite 50 Cent song 12 Questions). Spaceship also offers up a catchy and soulful hook. Never Let Me Down was one of my favorite tracks when I heard a rough cut of the album in early January, and it's still a good listen. Get Em High is easily my favorite difference between the rough cut and final cut of this album. It's a little less intelligent than the others, but has the best beat of the album, in my opinion, one that hooks you immediately. Talib Kweli and Common offer up okay verses on the track, although Common's disapoints a bit, considering what he's capable of. Last Call has gotten a lot of flack for being too long and being nothing but West giving his life story over the continous beat of the song. I really like it up until it hits that point and while his story isn't dull, I only listened to it the first listen. I usually just go to another track once the true song ends and the banter begins.

 

The New Workout Plan seems to be the favorite track to bash off of the album, and I'm not sure why. It's a bit corny, but it's still got some nice production value and has one of my favorite lines on the entire album (Ooo girl your breath is harsh / cover yo mouth like you got SARS). I don't care for the second half of the track, but it's all good before that point.

 

Breathe In Breathe Out is probably the only track on the entire album that I just can't stand. I'm so sick of Ludacris at this point it's not even funny. The guy has basically decided that he can phone everything in now and no one's gonna call him out on it. Not to mention his actual voice sounds like absolute shit, which I'm not sure if it's intentional or not, considering the subject matter of the bland track.

 

One track I wish they had kept on the final cut was Home, which was the last song on the rough cut of the album. It's definitely one of the stronger songs from either version and would've fit on the album much better than the lame Luda track. I was glad, though, to see that they had ditched The Good, the Bad, the Ugly, a song that I could barely sit through whenever I tried to listen to it.

 

Overall, easily the best hip-hop album of the young 2004. It's likely to become one of those classic essentials in every hip-hop collection, and it's nice to finally see some of the non-cookie cutter hip-hop getting some mainstream play.

[Papacita 0]

I've expressed my love for this album here and over at SNKT. "Workout Plan" and "Get Em High" are my favorite tracks, and I'm seriously feeling "Spaceship" for what it's worth. I've been playing it almost non-stop for like the last two weeks. Easily my favorite album right now...possibly my favorite of the last year or two.

 

I read over at hiphopgame.com that due to the success of College Dropout, Roc-A-Fella and Interscope are considering giving Kanye his his own label.

 

Thoughts?

[Bruiser Chong 0]

I read over at hiphopgame.com that due to the success of College Dropout, Roc-A-Fella and Interscope are considering giving Kanye his his own label.

 

Thoughts?

Considering that he's been pretty much on fire and the man behind a ton of hits over the last two years, I think it's safe to say that such a move wouldn't be a bad call. He's in a great position where he's multi-talented and doesn't have a huge ego (yet), so the possibilities are really broad at this point.

[Steviekick 0]

The New Workout Plan seems to be the favorite track to bash off of the album, and I'm not sure why.  It's a bit corny, but it's still got some nice production value and has one of my favorite lines on the entire album (Ooo girl your breath is harsh / cover yo mouth like you got SARS).  I don't care for the second half of the track, but it's all good before that point.

 

My probelm witht he song is that every other son he's released has been really good, and I think that putting out a novelty single isn't the best idea. It doesn't matter if they give him his own label, it's just an extension of his current one.

[lomasmoney 0]

I don't actually have the real release of the album, but I do have the rough cut that was leaked a while back, and it's very good. Much Much better than 50" So gangsta even though I am basically trying to be a harder LL Cool J" Cent's first CD. Whenever I get a chance to go out to Best Buy or somewhere I will pick it up for sure.

[lomasmoney 0]

yeah and Luda is almost on Snoop level's of phoning it in. Snoop who basically stopped trying around 96, is a guy who can bring it when he wants but just doesn't. While Luda isn't good as Snoop lyrically he just seems to rely on his name and comedy to sell now.

[ant_7000 0]

^Naw Snoop phoned it in after Doggystyle, and basically living off the Minstrel Pimp gimmick. Luda has some skill, but he is Punchline and Metaphor bandit.

[Edwin MacPhisto 0]

I haven't heard of anyone not liking this album, and I talked about in the little thread we had going in hardcore. I think it's the best rap album I've heard since The Blueprint and speaks very well of Kanye's future if he's doing this well straight out of the gate. That it's sold about a million copies in three weeks also speaks pretty well.

 

The skits that accompany School Spirit are funny overall, and while many will complain that going to college is a great way to get laid and get an education that will pay off financially in the end, you've gotta note the many exceptions to that notion. There are a lot of college students who get so wrapped up in their studies that they basically cancel everything else out of their life and in the end, what do they have to show for it? A lot of degrees with no guarantees that they can even find a job. And let's not forget a sizable debt for most kids. Granted a degree will definitely help out in many cases, but there's still nothing that promises you you can find a high-paying job just because you've got some degrees, especially with the economy the way it is currently.

 

The ideology in those skits is stupid enough - his view of college and the one you're suggesting is way out of touch and focuses on a minority, especially in a society where that very economy is making it almost necessary to have a degree to get any sort of good job. What really gets me is the saturation of skits. That stretch in the middle is really a killer - in 6 minutes, half are skits. Way too much unless we're talking about "The $20 Sack Pyramid."

 

I actually very much like the first School Spirit skit for the delivery of the last line ("But I could up all the change in your purse...very fast"), but the 2 minutes of downtime after "School Spirit" the song is just murderous. "Last Call" is cute once. The version of "Slow Jamz" isn't quite as good as the Twista version - it goes on too long. Overall I frickin' love it, though.

 

Favorite tracks at the moment are probably "Two Words" and "Family Business," which is the best soulful rapper track in some time.

[Bruiser Chong 0]

The ideology in those skits is stupid enough - his view of college and the one you're suggesting is way out of touch and focuses on a minority, especially in a society where that very economy is making it almost necessary to have a degree to get any sort of good job. What really gets me is the saturation of skits. That stretch in the middle is really a killer - in 6 minutes, half are skits. Way too much unless we're talking about "The $20 Sack Pyramid."

 

I agree that it's a view that's pretty over-the-top, but I still think a good basic point is made. Even though having a degree is a necessity in almost any well-paying job today, there are still a lot of people with degrees who are having trouble finding work. I'm not scholar on world issues, but I do know that much.

 

Other issues covered in those skits like picking up bad habits is something I also see to be true. Like I said earlier, I'm a college student myself, and while it's only community college, I've still had enough exposure to people my age picking up these bad habits because of the new freedom that college offers (those who go away to college, that is). It's not necessarily the fault of the colleges, but the lack of supervision and enforcement really allows for a great deal of these kids to fall into damaging habits, with many of them never being able to shake them. I don't mean to come off sounding like a wet blanket, but that's what I see around me and Kanye touches on that in the first School Spirit skit.

 

And I agree, while I don't find the skits to be as damaging to the album as others, they do disrupt the flow of it at times, although one could argue that they're needed to add that extra dimension to it and are what completes the primary message being delivered.

 

The bridge on the final cut version of Slow Jamz is quite long, which is why I don't see why West didn't just hang onto the version from the rough cut, which had one, albeit, a much shorter and more succent one.

[Ripper 0]

That instrumental on track3 (after fake Bernie Mac kicks him out of college) is one of the more amazing things on the album. It is short but just plain genious.

 

I like All Fall Down(it think that is the name..the song with the sped up Laryn Hill sample) and love Spaceship's hook.

 

Mos Defs verse in Two Words is what makes that song amazing to me.

 

I can't say there is a song on the whole album I don't like (Although, I could've done without Luda, the song was still okay)

[Papacita 0]

It doesn't matter if they give him his own label, it's just an extension of his current one.

 

You know, while we're on that, maybe somebody can explain to me why there are so many damn labels around now, most of which are an extension of a larger label. I mean, it's getting to the point where everybody and their mom is gonna has a label.

[ant_7000 0]

It doesn't matter if they give him his own label, it's just an extension of his current one.

 

You know, while we're on that, maybe somebody can explain to me why there are so many damn labels around now, most of which are an extension of a larger label. I mean, it's getting to the point where everybody and their mom is gonna has a label.

I'll try break it down for ya: Roc-a-fella is subsidairy (sp?) to Def Jam which is own by I believe by Universal BMG. The Roc-a-fella is not a major it more of a indie label. The reason why everyone has their own imprint is just way to make more money. For example like Jay-z is a Def Jam artist, some his (depends on units sold) albums sale profits goes directly to Def Jam, so when he created the Roc-a-fella he could sign anyone to the Roc and get profits from his Roc artists. Its like a Pyramid Scheme. The reason why all these indie labels sign on to Major labels because of the Distrubution.

[Perfxion 0]

Look at it this way:

Universal owns aftermath.

 

Dre owns Aftermath, and all artist on his label give a part of the profit to him. Shady records is owned by Eminem, but under Aftermatch.

 

Eminem gets all profit from Shady records. IE artist like: 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and D-12. G Unit is owned by 50 Cent, but under Shady/Aftermatch.

 

50 Cent gets all profits from G-Unit records. IE artist like: Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, BG, and G-Unit. It helps get a profit off their own music by producing it. That is why 50 Cent is the producer of "Beg for Mercy".

 

Def Jam is harder since it (1)Def Jam, (1.5)Def South, (1.5)Def Soul (1.5)Island Def Jam (2)Roc-a-fella , (2)Ruff Ryderz (3)D-Block[under ruff] (2.5)Dessert Storm, (3) State Prop[under roc], (3) Bleek's label[under roc], ect. ect. ect.

[Steviekick 0]

actually, it's

Island Def Jam than Def Jam.

[Ripper 0]

I thought that Roc-a-fella just had its distribution deal through Def Jam.

[BUTT 0]

Look at it this way:

Universal owns aftermath.

 

Dre owns Aftermath, and all artist on his label give a part of the profit to him. Shady records is owned by Eminem, but under Aftermatch.

 

Eminem gets all profit from Shady records. IE artist like: 50 Cent, Obie Trice, and D-12. G Unit is owned by 50 Cent, but under Shady/Aftermatch.

 

50 Cent gets all profits from G-Unit records. IE artist like: Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, BG, and G-Unit. It helps get a profit off their own music by producing it. That is why 50 Cent is the producer of "Beg for Mercy".

 

Def Jam is harder since it (1)Def Jam, (1.5)Def South, (1.5)Def Soul (1.5)Island Def Jam (2)Roc-a-fella , (2)Ruff Ryderz (3)D-Block[under ruff] (2.5)Dessert Storm, (3) State Prop[under roc], (3) Bleek's label[under roc], ect. ect. ect.

So Dr. Dre doesn't make any money from Shady Records?

[ant_7000 0]

I thought that Roc-a-fella just had its distribution deal through Def Jam.

It still does, Ruff Ryders/D-Block are not with Def Jam they're with Interscope. I don't think they have a Def Jam South or Island division anymore. DMX has a solo deal with Def Jam. Dre probably gets a share of Shady records profits, like Interscope gets Aftermath/Shady Profits.