+johnhamilton08 Well, every time Kanye comes up in conversation, I'm the first to state that I *love* his production work, but his lyrics and raps are average to weak.
I feel like this song works a lot better as part of the album. The first half of Yeezus is him just getting mad at society and trying to project an image of himself as being above it all. Sometimes his anger is justified (New Slaves) and sometimes just ridiculous (I am a God), and this song is a bit of both. The second half is him going into a deep depression because of personal shit (Hold My Liquor and others) to basically show that a lot of his anger is from his private life as opposed to his public life. And then Bound 2 is him moving beyond the anger and depression. So maybe I'm just reading to much into it, but I feel like this song is supposed to be disjointed and a little nonsensical. The 300 Romans thing was probably just a mistake though.
Listen to his discography numb nuts. Quit being blinded by the media and every headline and looking at stuff with preconceived opinions. Kanye has a whoooole lot of validity
there originally 4 heads but then 2 left over contract disputes...they brought another 2 heads in to replace those 2...then one of the original heads was fired for missing a show or something. They were CRAZY successful as trio. But sadly one head was the star and it went solo and married jayz. cool to see them reunited for the video.
When this episode was first posted on Blip, it was frequently preceded by an ad for Motorola smartphones... using this exact same beat. So much for "Not For Sale."
I don't understand the whole "BLACK...BLACK" gimmick. At least, the "DRANK" gimmick works for Swimming Pools since that's what we do with shots of alcohol.
kenterminatedbygoogle the repetition of it throughout the song symbolises what it's like to live with constant reminder that he's black. *(in my opinion)*
Rup Tratin Unless I'm mistaken...Kanye rapped on 7 types of beats before Yeezus and he made Hardcore Hip-Hop and Rap Rock tracks, he doesn't stay in 1-3 styles like most Hip-Hop artists. Kendrick raps on Jazz Rap and Alternative Hip-Hop instrumentals with Funk influence. Kendrick lacks diversity when it comes to genres and styles. How can he rap on Industrial Hip-Hop tracks if he haven't rapped on aggressive beats or more than 2 genres?
Anybody else find it hilarious in hindsight that he released this with the message "Not For Sale," and yet most people heard this song in either a Moto X or Adidas ad?
+Максим Пинчук that's awesome how hip hop reaches so many cultures. Mexicans, British, Russians, Americans, Indians, just so many cultures that it reaches out.
5:40 I agree with most of your other points in this video, but I've gotta disagree with this one. I don't think Kanye's comparing himself to the kids in Chicago, or 'Chiraq' in this case, I think he's saying that the previously mentioned Conservative Baptists are the ones comparing him to the kids in Chiraq, saying something along the lines of "Y'know, you rappers are all just whiners. You're like those kids in Chicago, completely overreacting to a non-issue." Then again, I really like this song so I could just be trying to justify a crappy lyric as meaning something more than it actually does, and I don't live in America so I have no idea what the discussion surrounding Chicago and its violence is like. Kanye is an egomaniac, maybe being criticised by Conservative Baptists is as bad as being constantly afraid of violence in his head.
I think there are a few points here where you're actively ignoring the context surrounding Kanye's persona and the view most of the people who dislike him go with. (Overreacting to everything)
Meaning the entire concept of the production on this song, let alone the album was to create something that was anti-pop, anti-hip-hop. The whole idea was to create a dissonance, it's meant to be jarring. And he's also playing into his imagined persona while making it.
It seems like Rap Critic approached this song with an already formed opinion. He simply found points that supported his dislike for the song without attempting to understand it any deeper.
But he's not jarring, he just sounds like a crazy person. You do know this is the guy who asked Mark from Facebook for over a billion dollars to develop lasers right?
Asking Zuckerberg for a billion came well after Yeezus, it also has nothing to do with the music nor did he mention lasers at any point in that twitter rant. He wants money for fashion pursuits and grander stuff in the realm of design. He essentially wants to be a mordern day Le Corbusier except rather than architecture and industrial design his media are pop-culture, music and fashion. Say what you will but the man's an artist and often times artists operate on a different wavelength than most people. Now on the musical side. Up until Yeezus all of Kanye West's music had clear cut, melodic composition, whether it was in structure, instrumentation or lyrical content. It was pleasing to the ear, and followed pretty logical structures. The whole idea of taking his approach and making it ugly to represent his frustration was why he asked Rick Rubin to do much of the production. The industrial percussion, lack of melody and disjointed song structure was a completely different direction from everything he'd done up until that point, it was also at arguably the most turbulent point of his career. Now the average rap fan doesn't think about this shit, they go for a dope beat, lyrical content/punchlines and a good hook. When something is jarring it has exactly the effect that Yeezus had in hip-hop. It becomes contentious. That's why Yeezus wasn't as big among rap fans but had a good reception from people who traditionally enjoy other genres.
rap critic focuses on the lyrics, which i think is fair. and does say that he likes the beat / sound. i still give this song a higher rating because its just really enjoyable, but his criticisms are legit
Who cares. Either the beat sounds good to the ear or it doesn't. What, do you want him to start breaking down the individual sound channels and describe how they produce a pleasing sound when laid over each other? Cause I sure don't.
ManOutofTime913 ideally a critique of rap music should be half insrumental, half lyrical content and flows. Both are important thematically especially in this song and it’s worth a breakdown. Saying “it’s either good or it’s not” is a disingenuous simplification that I can easily apply to the lyrics. “They’re either good or they’re not, but the music comes from the instrumental, without it there is no song.” If you see what I mean...
Hater ass bitch he's the RAP critic. Rap is rythm and poetry. Reviewing the musicality isn't his job so he's already done more than enough by his fleeting mention of the primal beat.
If it makes Nike more money to sell his shirts at $120 than at $40 you can bet your life that they will no matter what Kanye wants as they know his "brand" is worth charging $120 for as people will still buy them at that price. Kanye made FACTs because he was pissed at Nike.
y'all be making the ONLY excuses for Kanye. Was he on Twitter getting mad over the prices? Was he saying don't buy them for that price? Was he caring at all? No, he wasn't so shut the fuck up with the "Kanye Cares" excuses.
Google Working That goes for a lot of people who have stuff on the market. Companies will overprice their product and they don't say shit about it although they would most likely put it at a lower price, that's called signing a deal and being marketed. A twitter rant wont stop that. Do you see athletes saying don't buy my sneakers although a lot of them are examples and role models for the youth? no they let there fans buy the 160-200 dollar sneakers without a say so for prices.
Well, Rap Critic, what did you expect this song to be from an album which bluntly hints at the fact that Kanye thinks he's gonna be the next religious figure?
i almost lost my shit when Rap Critic kept chanting "BLACK". Too fucking funny. you are the perfect mix of comedy, intellect, and analytical thinking. thank you!
I can't believe the 120 dollar white plain T-shirts sold so well when people can buy that in Goodwill. Seriously, are people stupid enough to buy those shirts because it's from Kanye West?
kenterminatedbygoogle yea. the brand lets everyone know that they paid a ridiculous amount, which makes them look rich and feel good about themselves. This t shirt seems to be a perfect example.
Nunya Bidness That's stupid. I rather buy a plain white T-shirt from Goodwill and lie to friends thinking that this is from Kanye. I am disgusted at people who buy expensive things that aren't worth anything (coughs, Future album, coughs).
the line about his jeans is a reference to an earlier line of his from Good Morning. "i'm the fly malcolm x, buy any jeans necessary". he's trying to establish that he's going in a new direction. having his "by any means on" is also meant to signify that he has a new attitude or paradigm. there are a lot of dumb lines in the song, but that one in particular is actually a pretty interesting one
If this isnt the most biased review ever. You obviously don't like Kanye, so you complain about his clothes for 2 min? tf does that have to do with the song?
"I put my fist in her like a civil-rights sign" "Let them out, your titties; free at last." These are the words of someone who doesn't give a fuck about the civil rights movement.
I wish I had something more substantial to say in regards to your review, but I really just want to thank you for taking your time in making such amazing videos and reviews. I always love to hear your perspective on hip-hop and your thoughts, they're usually very well worded and very exciting to hear. Also, never a bad time for a CB4 reference. blackedy black black
Love your work rap critic. And watch a lot of it even the old stuff but I kinda feel you miss the wordplay on purpose you know, for the sake of the critique
The "my by any means on" line is a reference to a line in his 2007 album Graduation where he says in "Good Morning" - "I'm like the fly Malcolm X, buy any jeans necessary"
This is like Nostalgia Critic but about rap, nice! It would be great if you had at least english subtitles, latin people like me could enjoy this kind of critics (?
I'm a little disappointed that there's no discussion of the title. Skinhead subculture came to the UK through Jamaican immigrants, it was originally black to begin with. Not that Kanye does anything interesting with that fact.
you'd be wrong, he collaborates in terms of writing far more now than he did circa 03 he wrote most of the lyrics for the college dropout before anybody even took him seriously as a rapper
I don't care about this song's so-called 'message' it just makes really good workout music. There's a reason I used this song as intro music for one of my videos. Also the 'NOT FOR SALE' stuff makes me laugh. My brother in Christ... you are literally Kanye West...
ya i was in line at my methadone clinic and this dude was bragging about how his stupid gucci t-shirt cost $100 it looked no diffrent then a hanes white T... Thinking also at a methadone clinic who are you trying to impress with your over priced T
The first shirt that he released (the one RC mentions here) were intended to prove a point that people will buy anything. It plays into the message of New Slaves, etc.
This guy is getting way too serious about Ye’s bars here. It’s like he’s looking for things to dislike. He wasn’t comparing his issues to black kids in Chicago. He’s talking about how black people are often represented as crazy or dramatic by who’re racists.
it's all about Kayne's beats and his great production not all about his lyriscm, not saying his lyrics don't matter but that's the second thing I look for in Yeezy
I can't take mainstream rappers seriously when they try and get into social issues with a few exceptions (Lupe Fiasco "Words I Never Said" being a great serious song.) Most of the time their egos or need to brag and show their materialistic, fake "OG" life dilutes the message they've latched onto, and made it seem less sincere and more of an attempt to scapegoat social activism while still trying to make the show all about them. For a rapper to truly make strong, serious points, they need to put their ego away and keep to the issues when talking about the issues, otherwise it just comes off as a Hollywood slacktivist anthem.
HELPED. He didn't have full creative control over the lyrics. And being friends with another rapper doesn't put you into the same lague as them. Eminem is friends with Drake, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West, but none of them have near the same level of vernacular depth as him.