Kanye is one of the few mainstream musicians who still treat their works as passionate art forms, producing beautiful and inspiring couture music and offering audible filet mignons as an alternative to the pop-tunes’ Big Macs. (Chris Leal)
Last year I was inappropriately offended that Kanye West's album was shut out from the Grammies--inappropriate because the album falls under 2012 not 2011.
But I can now refresh my piss-a-tude because while he's received a lot of nominations, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy wasn't nominated for record or album of the year. While Adèle deserves all the nominations she got (record, album, song etc.) , the Bruno Mars nomination irks me. I bought his album, it's good, it's fun, he's talented... but for the love! Twisted Fantasy is epic, it's cutting edge, it's lush, and the lyrics are clever and deeply personal.
Here are some lyrics from Bruno Mars' "Grenade" (nom for record and song of the year)
Mad woman, bad woman
That's just what you are
Yeah, you smile in my face
Then rip the brakes out my car
Did he go to the Weird Al School of Love Song Writing?
Oh, why did you disconnect the brakes in my car?
That kind of thing is hard to ignore
Got a funny feeling you don't love me anymore (Weird Al, You Don't Love Me Anymore)
There's a cut off age for seriously writing those kind of lyrics.
Here's one of my fave Dark Twisted songs, "Power" which seems to be most reflective upon all the shit he got himself into, culminating in Taylorgate.
Lost in translation with a whole fuckin' nation
They say I was the abomination of Obama's nation
He's behaving himself and saying he thinks he wasn't nominated for record and album because he released two albums in the same year (the second being with Jay Z, and was also nominated for best rap album.) But I'm not the only one who sees a snubitude. Most critics think it's due, not to his antics, but a lingering lack of appreciation for hiphop among the committee peeps. Bruno Mars' inclusion in best record and album does make this seem likely, since it's très Motown. I can imagine an older committee member saying: "Now this is what those young folks should be singing! Not that gol dang rap garbage. Why in my day..."
Did Kanye West Get Snubbed for Album of the Year?
5 Snubs and Surprises
Grammy's Snub Kanye West
Here's the gorgeous song he was nominated for, including Rihanna, Fergie, woah woahs by Alicia Keyes, and several others including Elton John. "All of the Lights" which I suspect is also about his journey through music industry land ("Tell her she take me back, I'll be more supportive.")
Fast cars, shooting stars
All of the lights, all of the lights
Until it's Vegas everywhere we are
In other news... I hope Nicki Minaj wins for Best New Artist.
She was universally acknowledged to have shredded her fellow big boys on the song "Monster" (when you can get everyone in youtubeland to agree on something, that's a small miracle), won best hip hop album at the AMAs, and has been heralded as the next big thing in rap by the likes of Kanye and Rick Ross. But she won't win. :-(
And if I'm fake I ain't notice cause my money ain't
PS - Radiohead got nominated in the Alternative section. Has Alternative just become a genre, rather than a recognition of off-the-beaten-track artists?
4 comments:
Couldn't begin to make an effective comment here since you are so knowledgeable in this area and I'm not.
I struggle with finding new music for soundtracking novels. And much as I respect hiphop and rap - I don't enjoy listening to them.
I know very little about hiphop and rap. I'm an older white lady from the 'burbs. But, I love music and rhythm and have hear songs from both that I liked, starting with Eminem of all people. But most of the time I cannot make out the lyrics (I think it's like language acquisition --- you have to grow up with the fast lyrics and the fast MTV scene cuts to be able to perceive what you are hearing and seeing), which makes the songs less attractive.
I like the Kanye songs you shared. I don't follow any entertainment scene, so I only have the slightest idea about Kanye's career. Thank you for sharing all this; I now have more stuff for the knowledge bank I call my brain!
There might be a place in the storywonk forums for asking for music ideas for that. If not, then on your blog, as I think Bonafide did once.
I usually just listen to music in the background and if I hear something that makes me think of my novel I give it a certain star rating (I listen to music in itunes mostly) and have a smart playlist for all songs with that star rating.
It often ends up being music I'm in at the moment... cause I figure my story mind and music mind are in the same place!
I think Eminem was one of the first rap artists from whom I bought an album, his sound was so original. But it was only about a year or two ago that I think I finally *got* it, in terms of what makes for better rap. I think much of it has to do with making clever rhymes, play on words, embroidering on a theme. Eminem's a perfect example of that.
I suspect that much of the better rapping is actually easier to "hear" (to make out the lyrics.)
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