Kanye @ SXSW 2011?

Rumors are circulating that Kanye West will be making an appearance in Austin, TX at SXSW this year playing at the Vevo Power Station at midnight. The video below is what has caused all the speculation, as you can hear the opening notes to Kanye's hit "Runaway" as the video ends.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Revelation

Not sure how many of you have heard Kanye’s new album, but it’s pretty damn good if you ask me. A lot of people say it’s his best. I haven’t given it enough spins to justify that yet; however it’s definitely got the lyrics as well as the production to compete with College Dropout and Late Registration. With that said, I think it’s about time everybody give Ye his props and recognize him as one of the great influences ever when it comes to this rap shit. I know what you’re thinking. That I’m just excited about the new album and I’m writing this on a musical high. But if you take a closer look at his rap sheet, there’s no denying the facts. Shall we explore?

First off, the guy makes good music and he does so on a consistent basis. Unlike some of the guys considered legends today, he’s never dropped a bad album. Even 808’s & Heartbreaks; for what it was, it was an okay album. He doesn’t have any frisbees like “Kingdom Come” or “Nastradamus”. The man has a brilliant catalog with certified classics that are accepted by media critics and hip hop heads alike. And I mean real hip hop classics, not these “new classics” that people are claiming like “Tha Carter 3” which, let’s be honest, was mediocre at best. And I’m being nice about that one.

Some people say he’s really not great in the technical aspect of rapping. Well neither was Tupac. Yeah, I said it. But you know what people love most about Tupac was his passion and the presence he brought to the mic. Don’t try to tell me that Kanye isn’t one of the most passionate rappers about his craft. And as far as the music goes, he’s a genius. Personally, I think he’s underrated as a lyricist. You can’t say that he hasn’t been around long enough to solidify his standing among the greats. That argument is always null and void if any of you consider BIG to be one of the best.

And from a production aspect, I think everything he’s ever done pretty much speaks for itself. He gave Jay the whole soul sampling vibe for The Blueprint. And after that dropped, pretty much everybody wanted a record that at least sounded like Kanye produced it. Of course guys like RZA and DJ Paul and Juicy J were doing that long before him, but they never made it as popular as he did.

A lot of you may not agree with me here, which is understandable. In my personal opinion, however, his influence is undeniable. Just thought I would drop some food for thought for you guys. Do I have Kanye in my top 10? Hell no. But to not give the dude his props is almost disrespectful. Just take a second to think about that for a minute. And if that doesn’t convince you, google a picture of Amber Rose.

K. West vs. J. Wilson

By now everybody is tired of hearing/reading/talking about the Kanye West and Taylor Swift situation. I am too, even though it did make for a few hilarious youtube clips along the way (this is my favorite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxKIcrDsJAs ). But this isn’t about that, it’s about how blatant and rampant racism is still around in this country despite what Fox News tells you. Because there’s no way we can live in a nation full of racism when the president is black, right? I was recently reading an article about the fallout from the K. West controversy at the VMA’s and it pointed out hundreds, maybe even thousands of twitter posts calling Kanye West a “nigger” and how he was just having a “nigger moment.” I was kinda left speechless like Chris Brown during his Larry King interview…”just wow, I can’t believe that happened…like wow!” Now, I’ll be the first to say Ye was out of line for what he did. You know you fucked up when the president calls you a jackass.

This brings me to a side rant. I’ve read a few blogs here and there that have said President Obama is a sellout for calling out Kanye West. So is Obama supposed to support what Kanye did just because they’re both black? Get real, the dude was/is a jackass. The pres was just calling a spade a spade (no pun intended).

So I think we’re all in accordance that what happened at the VMA’s was out of line and inappropriate, and Kanye should receive some backlash (no Kunta Kinte) for his actions. But just a few days earlier, a congressman from South Carolina named Joe Wilson interrupted a speech being given by the leader of the free world by calling him a liar, yet he seems to be getting more popular. He’s gaining respect and support for having the balls to stand up for what he believes in. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that a president’s address is slightly more important than an acceptance speech at an MTV award show. The problem I have is no one condemns Joe Wilson’s outburst as having anything to do with race. Ye got a little too tipsy off the Henny and made a poor choice. I’ve done that plenty of times. But does that make it a “nigger moment?” Like this is something that black people are known for doing on a regular basis: hopping on stage at awards shows and interrupting the recipients. That would be like me giving a presentation at work and expecting some random white guy to interrupt my power point and scream “YOU LIE!”

For a country that’s supposed to be the melting pot of cultures, racism sure is a taboo subject. And because there are so many races and cultures, to be honest, it’s almost too easy to be racist in America. Most of yall won’t admit it, but when you’re boarding a plane and someone of Indian/Arab/Middle Eastern descent comes on your heart skips a beat or two. When the Virginia Tech shooting happened a few years ago, everybody was real nice to the Asian IT guys at work the next day. It ain’t right, but that’s the reality of the world we live in. But the problem lies in the fact that nobody wants to talk about racism. And if we can’t talk about it, we’ll never understand it. It’s really a social problem that should be looked at and examined in the same context as people study crime or education in America. Alas, the more diverse this country becomes, the more people will continue to try to bottle up racism and hide it, which in turn will only make matters worse.
The point I’m trying to make is none of the actions of these two characters should be attributed to race. That excuse for someone’s actions is played out like Iceberg t-shirts. It’s time to just accept the fact that some people are just plain stupid. They do things and say things without thinking them thru.

Questions? Comments? Was Beyonce’s video REALLY one of the greatest of all time? OF ALL TIME?