Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Kanye Wes-What are you doing?!

If you know me well, you probably know that I am one of the biggest Kanye West fans you would ever meet. Whether it's his distinct production or his flow on his own records, I love his music. But what Kanye did on Sunday during the MTV VMAs made me lose all respect I had for him.

I think we all know the story.

VMAs. Taylor Swift wins one, going against the likes of Beyonce and Kelly Clarkson. Goes upstage to say her speech. BAM! Kanye comes out of nowhere, takes the mic, and basically says, "Beyonce made a better video; you shouldn't have won." And then he leaves Swift speechless (Haha. Literally, get it?). Thankfully, Beyonce (who also one a VMA for "Single Ladies"), when accepting the award said that winning one is a special memory, and so she called up Taylor to the stage. Beyonce, you're awesome.

What Kanye did was terrible, so he "apologized" on his blog. Using all-caps (well all his posts are in caps, but I digress). And it did not seem the least sincere.
I guess he kind of saw this, so he posted another blog entry, this time conventionally capitalized, and said that he felt like Ben Stiller in "Meet the Parents" when he messes everything up and Robert De Niro tells him to leave the house. A little better...?
On Monday, Kanye, Jay-Z, and Rihanna were set to appear to perform "Run This Town" in the Jay Leno show. But before that, Kanye came and sat with Leno and apologized. He said he knew after a point that it was wrong and that he is sad that he hurt a talented singer.
You can watch the 3-minute clip here:



Whatever it is, I think this was a much more genuine apology, but I won't be totally sold unless Kanye personally does so to Taylor. But this is a start.

Sigh. Kanye, Kanye, Kanye. What happened to the down-to-earth artist who's music I fell in love with back in '04? The last few years have been rough, I understand. But he has to keep it under control.

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Hip-Hop Update!

Ok, so yesterday (September 11, 2009) Jay-Z's new album, "The Blueprint 3" released. I already heard the album in it's entirety before (as it leaked), but I decided to actually buy the album. Using my trusty iTunes gift card (yes, I am cheap haha), I bought the iTunes LP deluxe version of the album.

And it is amazing. The tracks are okay when you first listen to them, but they grow on you and Jay-Z's wordplay is strong as ever. Production credits include Kanye West, No I.D., Timbaland, Swizz Beats, and The Neptunes. I might post a track-by-track review soon, but trust this album is good. It's Jay-Z's message to the future of hip-hop.
The iTunes LP version has many special features, like a whole new interface (with the primary colors being white and red, like the amazing album cover), lyrics for each song, an exclusive 30-minute interview, 2 music videos, Behind-the-scenes footage, and photos. The whole thing is $16.99, and it is pretty worth it. I suggest, if you are a fan of hip-hop, go out and buy this album (or go on iTunes) to support Young Hova.

On another note, KiD CuDi's album "Man on the Moon: End of Day" leaked a few days ago, and this album is also fire. CuDi's flow is a sing-rap style and it is really good. The tracks have amazing production value and it is sure to make its mark.
Listening to it makes me feel all trippy and stuff. Haha

So that's an update from the world of hip-hop.
Sorry I haven't been posting lately, I've been rather busy...
Anyways I got an email with some company asking me to place ads on this site. Do I get some type of commission? I have to find that out.

Now, go to iTunes!