kanye west...
Kanye West…
One of the few truly unique hip-hop artists to revel atop the commercial
side of the industry during the early 2000s, Kanye West spent most of his time producing flavorful hits for Jay-Z and other top-tier rappers, yet he eventually
seized the opportunity to launch his own rapping career as well. Granted, West himself wasn't a phenomenal rapper, but he had a lot going for him. For one, he was
witty, coming up with off-the-wall lyrics like "She's got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson" that
were smart and funny at the same time, even if they didn't employ elaborate rhyming schemes à la Rakim or street-prophet motifs à la Nas.
Secondly, he had a singsong flow that made him seem like an Everyman rapper as if he were your homeboy from down the street (or perhaps you yourself),
even though he was, in fact, a seasoned rapper who'd been spitting game since he first heard Run-D.M.C. way back in the day. Moreover, his beatmaking
skills were peerless: a trademark pitched-up, chopped-up use of somewhat recognizable samples for his hooks, and a likewise trademark stutter-step
drum-programming touch for his rhythms -- a simple yet potent combination. And lastly, because of his hitmaking credentials, he had ties to some
of the top names in the industry, from Jay-Z and Ludacris to Dame Dash and Jamie Foxx, all of whom helped West get his solo career off the ground with a bang.
That bang happened during the opening weeks of 2004, when not one but two songs featuring him as a rapper ("Through the Wire" and "Slow Jamz") were
downright ubiquitous, saturating music-video television and urban radio all the while skyrocketing to the top of the charts.
Of course, West was no stranger to success, having produced hits for years, but suddenly he wasn't just an in-demand producer -- he was It, the latest
in a long line of momentarily brand-new, red-hot rappers thrust into the mass-media spotlight. Yet at the same time, West wasn't your ordinary superstar
rapper. Again, he was very much your Everyman rapper, relying more on his wit and his earnestness (and his own beatmaking) than the usual
cocktail of sex, drugs, violence, and street dreams (though he did have a good car-accident back-story) -- all of which, of course, was refreshing circa
2004 in the wake of 50 Cent.
One of the few truly unique hip-hop artists to revel atop the commercial
side of the industry during the early 2000s, Kanye West spent most of his time producing flavorful hits for Jay-Z and other top-tier rappers, yet he eventually
seized the opportunity to launch his own rapping career as well. Granted, West himself wasn't a phenomenal rapper, but he had a lot going for him. For one, he was
witty, coming up with off-the-wall lyrics like "She's got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson/Got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson" that
were smart and funny at the same time, even if they didn't employ elaborate rhyming schemes à la Rakim or street-prophet motifs à la Nas.
Secondly, he had a singsong flow that made him seem like an Everyman rapper as if he were your homeboy from down the street (or perhaps you yourself),
even though he was, in fact, a seasoned rapper who'd been spitting game since he first heard Run-D.M.C. way back in the day. Moreover, his beatmaking
skills were peerless: a trademark pitched-up, chopped-up use of somewhat recognizable samples for his hooks, and a likewise trademark stutter-step
drum-programming touch for his rhythms -- a simple yet potent combination. And lastly, because of his hitmaking credentials, he had ties to some
of the top names in the industry, from Jay-Z and Ludacris to Dame Dash and Jamie Foxx, all of whom helped West get his solo career off the ground with a bang.
That bang happened during the opening weeks of 2004, when not one but two songs featuring him as a rapper ("Through the Wire" and "Slow Jamz") were
downright ubiquitous, saturating music-video television and urban radio all the while skyrocketing to the top of the charts.
Of course, West was no stranger to success, having produced hits for years, but suddenly he wasn't just an in-demand producer -- he was It, the latest
in a long line of momentarily brand-new, red-hot rappers thrust into the mass-media spotlight. Yet at the same time, West wasn't your ordinary superstar
rapper. Again, he was very much your Everyman rapper, relying more on his wit and his earnestness (and his own beatmaking) than the usual
cocktail of sex, drugs, violence, and street dreams (though he did have a good car-accident back-story) -- all of which, of course, was refreshing circa
2004 in the wake of 50 Cent.
