What really resonates with me is the 2008 platinum-selling hip-hop album “808s & Heartbreak” by American rapper and producer Kanye West. Kanye is someone driven only by ego, in other words, a human pop star. Unfortunately, at the time, he and his fiancée broke up and his mother, Donda West died from complications after cosmetic surgery. Kanye blamed himself for his mother's death and went into a deep depression. Talking about his own pride, wealth, and quest for glamour and celebrity. What does he do? He makes “808s and Heartbreak,” which as the title shows is an electro-pop album filled with pain, sorrow, and regret. On “808s & Heartbreak”, Kanye sings everything through auto-tune instead of rapping, a decision that turned some people away from listening. …show more content…
Kanye's singing is shaky, which is why he relies so heavily on auto-tune.
But it works here as a crutch. Kanye can't really sing, but he's not trying to. T-Pain showed that auto-tune doesn't just turn flat notes sharp, it's for enhancing vocal expressiveness. Like all Kanye West songs, they are about the experience of Being Kanye West. His music is about being a specific celebrity. Sure, other rappers put biography into their songs, but they work in and out of character. Kanye, on the other hand, is one of the few hip-hop artists without any characters or gimmicks. But the album is much bolder and deeper than it would first appear. The poppy sound of “Heartless”, the pounding drums on "Love Lockdown", the harmonic strings on "RoboCop", the busy city sounds of "Street Lights", and the synth on "Coldest Winter" are the highlights, even though they are subtle. From Kanye’s vocal delivery, to the rhythm bursts of static and chilly ’80s
synths. “808s & Heartbreak” is Kanye’s darkest, most emotional album. What makes it so good is that it shows a vulnerable side of Kanye that wasn't really on any other albums. It gives themes of isolation, heartache, and loss. The album alone has inspired countless artists such as: Drake, The Weeknd, Kid Cudi and many more. Showing that hip-hop does have a soft side and isn’t always so rough around the edges. It spans away from the stereotypical hip-hop album and shows a more open, alternative side of the genre itself. Giving it a wider audience to listen and experience a new sound. I resonate with it so much because I’ve experienced feelings of loss and heartache before in my life. Music has been my only outlet in life and this album seemed to understand how I was feeling. Being a young music artist myself, this album makes me want to write better music so that I can make people feel like this album made me. Music is the best kind of healing because someone can express how they feel in a rhythmic sense; it makes others feel like they’re not alone with their problems. It inspires others to do the same thing as well.
In his most recent album, Kanye West raps, “Now if I fuck this model/ And she just bleached her asshole/ And I get bleach on my T-shirt/ I 'mma feel like an asshole.” He suggests that it is the girl’s fault for getting bleach on his tee shirt, which she only did to make herself more sexually appealing. This misogyny in hip-hop culture is recognized to bring about problems. For instance, the women around these rappers believe they can only do well in life if they submit themselves to the men and allow themselves to be cared for in exchange for physical pleasure. In her essay, “From Fly-Girls to Bitches and Hoes”, Joan Morgan argues that the same rap music that dehumanizes women can be a powerful platform for gender equality if implemented correctly.
I was so interested in the truth that I suspended my assumptions about West as I pursued more information through research, giving me an objective lens. It truly rattled me to have been so wrong in my assumptions, it felt weird to know that because of something I didn’t know, I had believed something. It genuinely shook my self-confidence. I really prided myself on my knowledge of Hip-Hop, I thought I knew all the classic albums, how could I have overlooked this one for so long? So, jolted by this sting of self embarrassment, I searched further, I wanted to know what else I had been oblivious to. It became increasingly clearer to me that there were two completely opposite views about Kanye, the more popular view: he’s a worthless egotistical pop star, who’s created nothing of value, and, as I was shocked to learn over time, the informed view, and the truth, that he was and is one the most influential artists of the 21’st
Kanye Omari West, rapper, producer, professional celebrity, and with an ego to match, has forced himself into the limelight of the music industry. Kanye West has made a lasting impression on all of those around him, whether it be a good one or bad. With seven full length albums, a multimillion record label company, and a successful fashion business all under his belt, it’s fair to say that Kanye has done his fair share of creating. Over the last twelve years Kanye went from a young Chicago kid just trying to get his flows off, to one of the most decorated musicians of all time. With over 20 Grammy’s and 3 of his albums ending up on the Rolling stones “500 greatest albums of all time”. He has continuously created, entertained, and spoken his mind for years. Whether it be “George Bush does not care about black people” or “Taylor imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had
Both of these Kanye West Albums are great albums that will always show the talent Kanye has. It is clearly shown the progress and change he has made as an artist, not just through his music, but it is clearly shown in the album cover as well. The first album is dark, almost creepy like with the bear having a confused of scared look to him. However, the Graduation album has life to it through the expressions and very bright and vivid colors. It expresses Kanye Wests’ creativity that has been developed over the few years between the albums, and the excitement he has for his future career
Some weaknesses of James McBride’s “Hip Hop Planet” include its cynical tone and his attitude towards the musical side of Hip Hop. McBride opens the essay with a reflection on what his ultimate nightmare is. He showcases the Hip Hop community in a negative light with phrases like, “music that doesn’t seem to be music—rules the world” (McBride, pg. 1). This starts the essay off negatively because it misleads the reader by letting them think he is not a supporter of the Hip Hop movement. As you read the entire essay you realize this is not the case. The article itself isn’t very inviting because tone of the entire essay is very cold and cynical. He also doesn’t agree with the typical Hip Hop sound saying things like, “It sounded like a broken record” (McBride, pg. 1). The sound of Hip Hop music is what helps define it and is a crucial aspect of
He uses specific tone through his text his tone is meant to inform and persuade giving him creditability towards his argument. He uses pathos through his text by saying the way music makes people feel a certain way and understand the argument making it stronger, he also uses the story of his mothers death to play with the readers emotions. He uses words like ghetto, Blacks, love , soul, gangsters, etc to show persuade the audience and she if the emotions of the reader would be affected. He then brings in ethos by using creditable mentions of Fetty Wap and statistics like “At the time of this writing, “Trap Queen” is the #2 song in America. To have the #2 song in America is to hit pretty much every demographic…” To provide the audience a sense of trust with him making his argument gain power. He also includes tweets to validate his argument and create stronger support from his intended audience and giving the audience a sense of
It starts by describing a young woman in college, stating, “she has no idea what she’s doing in college, the major she majored in don’t make no money, she won’t drop out, her parents will look at her funny (West).” By doing this the song establishes that this woman wants success but she doesn’t know how to obtain it since she was basically pushed into pursuing a career in college that she was unsure of in order to obtain success. The song furthers the story of the woman when she states that she gives up and goes on to say that her tuition money is enough to buy a few pairs of new shoes. The desire for success and frustration of not being able to achieve it, is what essentially leads the woman of taking this shortcut of dropping out of school to acquire material possessions in the “now” instead of the slower more standard route of finishing her education and finding success through that. Kanye West then describes in the song his addiction of material possessions when he began to acquire wealth from his music career. He says in the song “Man I’m so self-conscious, that’s why you always see my with one of my watches,” showing that he took the route of obtaining material possessions as soon as he acquired money to try and show others his success (West). He furthers this point by stating “then I spent 400 bucks on this, just to be like, you ain’t up on this,” showing it wasn’t just one instance, but a constant reoccurrence of showing off his material possessions to constantly try and present himself to others as
“Kanye Ran onto the stage saying, ‘I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!’” (Top 10 Outrageous Kanye West Moments), says Kanye West at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after Taylor Swift had just won “Best Female Video.” People that are like this have typically not always been this way. They were probably raised as a polite and respectful person before they were exposed to fame and fortune, and other “celebrities,” making them feel like they are the only people on the planet. Causing them to do things like that. Although, Kanye West is an amazing musician based on his 14 Grammy Awards and multiple albums going “Double-Platinum” (Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan). He fell victim to fame and fortune, and turned into an arrogant and overconfident person making him more popular and praised among media. But looked down upon by everyday people. Kanye Omari West, born on June 8th, 1977, is a world famous rapper who, like all other celebrities, started out like a nice person who made nice music for nice families to listen to. West was a confident and competitive person even as a child, “He was determined even then to get out of his crib and be free, even if he split his head in the process—and he did. He has fought ever since to do exactly what he wanted to do—no matter what,” says Donda West, his mother in her book, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar. By the time West was ten, he was already creating his own raps, and according to the people around him, he was pretty good at it even at that young of an age. (Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan) West was not too interested in school as he grew up, but he was able to get by because of his talent. If he dropped out of one ...
...orgettable. Research shows that “There’s this unifying force that comes from the music and we don’t get that from other things.”(Landau) Bruce Springsteen is a great storyteller and has captured some of the experiences of the American working class. Even when the lyrics are dark or the subject matter is depressing, he manages to provide hope, too. For as long as I can remember, my mother has been playing Springsteen’s music. When I hear a song of his now, it reminds me of driving down the road with the windows down belting out a song with my mom. As Dave Marsh from Creem Magazine prophetically wrote in 1975, “Springsteen’s music is often strange because is has an almost traditional sense of beauty, an inkling of the awe you can feel when, say, first falling in love or finally discovering that the magic in the music is also in you.” (Bruce Springsteen Biography 2)
Kanye Omari West, an icon of hip-hop, pop culture, fashion and music in general. Kanye Omari West, a person belittled against and a person subjected to a life of racism and hate. Born on June 8th, 1977, Donda West, West’s mother, always knew he was destined for greatness, but did she know her son would turn out to be the Kanye West, a man lacking the respect he deserves for transforming a big part of the music we listen to on this very day? West came onto the scene in the late nineties but didn’t release The College Dropout until 2004, an album that took everybody by surprise. Kanye West changed the gangster filled rap genre by releasing his positive, soulful debut album, changing the way rappers dress, and paving the way for a whole new style of introspective lyrics and soul-inspired rap production in the mainstream.
He may just seem like another rapper to you but if you actually listen to his lyrics you can see he’s not like any rapper out there. His name is Kanye West and he was born in Chicago Illinois. He grew up in the “ghetto” and learned to appreciate life. He didn’t learn to really, truly appreciate life until October of 2002. Driving back to his hotel late one night after a recording session, the new-coming rap/hip-hop artist was involved in a devastating, near fatal car accident. The crash left him with a broken jaw in three places and an appreciation for life. Just weeks after being released from the hospital he recorded his first major hit, “Through the Wire,” with his mouth still wired shut. He records every song like its going to be his last song and that makes every song better than the last. He’s not only a rap artist but also a producer. He has been responsible for being behind songs like Jay-Z’s Izzo, Girls, Girls, Girls, The Takeover, and 03 Bonnie and Clyde.
He notices common traits in the majority of rap hits released by major producers and studios. Through the use of misogynistic and sexist language, discussion of violence and wealth, most rap songs revolve around a centralized theme. While Byron’s film was created in 2006, many if not all of the topics mentioned in his film are still present in today’s Hip-Hop music. Granted, there are exceptions, but the number of conscious rappers/ rap songs is largely outnumbered by those who rap about the same, problematic topics.
An icon for decades, legend for an eternity, Michael Jackson’s impact on the world continues to thrive as a silhouette amongst pop culture. His music has influenced many people to "Xscape" from the deceptions of all the "Dirty Diana[s]. " Yet, his talent has encouraged people to "Scream" through all the "Thriller[s]" they receive as his stardom illuminates the stage as the "Smooth Criminal" of performances. His songs vary from selections that you can "Jam" to, those that promote tough love and adornment, while some are advocates for equality. Jackson is and will remain one of the most profound superstars of his time and one of the most dynamic artists in "History."
Kanye West’s hit single “Heartless” broke genre barriers with its mix of pop, hip-hop, and R&B. The appeal of the song comes from the base of a common 4/4- times signature, and accented keyboard notes interwoven
he has rhythm. I think the lyrics to the song are quite a strong point