A kung fu fighter in a disco

West is nob but even he can't balls up the best song on Discovery.

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Erm he can by SLOWING IT RIGHT DOWN!

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Am I right in thinking that DP initially refused to clear the sample because they thought the first version was rub and made him go back and do it again?

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It's Daft Punk ballsing Kanye up more like!

I keep seeing people (Brits, never Americans) dissing Kanye for being "a nob", "arrogant", etc - I don't understand why this is so important? Or indeed how it makes him different to 90% of pop stars?

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I don't think yr reading me right Lex - Kanye's arrogance needles me cos it's quite matter-of-fact, drably presented, he's got a big ego but it's a really efficient, boringly businesslike one on this track at least, I'm happy with my pop stars to have towering egos but I expect a bit of fire and craziness in there, not this "oh come on girl I can't wait all night you know" tone, it sounds like he's NAGGING her, it's how I expect premiership footballers chat ppl up!

The same matter of fact tone works really well when he's doing storytelling or slyly working his way to punchlines (eg on Gold Digger), so it's a case of a good tool not being right for this particular job.

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ha I actually find his matter-of-fact arrogance a quite interesting take on the usual braggadocio - but it bothers me that it's becoming a meme, a default dismissal of Kanye, based on what he's like in interviews of all things. who on earth cares what people are like in interviews? And these same people will lap up what Lily Allen does...

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Well I think it's cos he presented himself as a bit 'conscious' and I guess the people who like conscious don't like arrogant? But this is projection on my part really, who knows why folk like Kanye West, I just want another song by him I like as much as Gold Digger thx.

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chezghost.livejournal.com

I think he's quite boring on record now and what he's saying is boring too - he reminds me of late 90s Diddy, consumed by their own hype, struggling to come to terms with their status so just keep talking about it on and on. WHO CARES, give us some better beats at least. Diddy did get better tho.

I don't hear him and think 'oh that's a good line' or whatever but perhaps I'm not listening enough.

'Or indeed how it makes him different to 90% of pop stars?'

He is the first big star since ODB to storm on stage at an awards show to complain about not winning the gong he was up for. I can't remember if Wu-Tang were actually nominated at the time ODB did it (hope not as this would be much better :D) but rather than being outrageous, funny or whatever it just seemed really cheap and desperate and it really put me off him.

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How can someone's drunken behaviour at an awards show put you off their music?! I mean, it's not something I'd condone, but it doesn't have any bearing at all on the music. My suspicion has long been that a goodly proportion of people who bang on about Kanye's arrogance ruining his music don't like him to begin with anyway.

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chezghost.livejournal.com

I didn't say it put me off his music, just that it put me off him! The music is a separate issue but I've not been feeling his stuff lately anyway. I liked 'Brand New' last year tho he was the worst thing on it. I liked 'Diamonds From Sierra Leone' tho he was the worst thing on that too! No probs with him on 'Gold Digger' at least. He's regularly criticised by people as an average rapper/lyricist and I guess I agree so whether I like what he's doing usually just comes down to the jams.

Things I do like about him: good suits, the whole bear thing - sort of, just because it's somewhat different imagery for hip-hop artist - his face is not on his actual record covers - so much for the inflated ego eh?

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Or indeed how it makes him different to 90% of pop stars?

You're right, its no different. It's just when I first became aware of him he seemed quite interesting and then recently I've seen a couple of interviews with him acting like a stereotypical arogant cock. I should have learnt by now.

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"stereotypical" of what? hip-hop? Arrogant public personae are totally essential to hip-hop though, I love all the bragging and boasting that goes on and I wouldn't call any of the protagonists nobs because of it. I do think Kanye is very interesting, while also being v arrogant, because of his preppier background, and the way he engages with Big Issues - he's very flaky about them, the way he wrestles with his sense of morality (about Christianity, blood diamonds &c &c) is really compelling.

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This is why I don't like him Lex - his "wrestling" is just beating himself up a bit then doing it anyway AFAICT, not v interesting for this listener, I expect a track with him "wrestling" over buying Peruvian asparagus in Waitrose before long.

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That's exactly what I identify with!

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Sure but you don't even BLOG about it much less make ponderous hip-hop tracks.

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Stereotypical of the way most successful musicians act when they are interviewed. Like everything is beneath them. Now you are right that this is part and parcel of the game but I do find it a turn off. Perhaps i am just a bloody hippy.

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I never mind how people act in interviews! And I really like popstars acting as if everything is beneath them on record, it's better than being a wimp.

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