We all win the pop culture current events award!

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We all win the pop culture current events award!

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist, or Beyonce for that matter. It's equally hard to discount Beck.

Still, for all his money and power and influence, he should take some lessons from his good buddies Jay-Z on how not to come across as so insecure all the time and make boring albums. It's hard to be humble, but it's not impossible to learn, "Yeezus".

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FIFY.

Kanye needs to keep that chip on his shoulder to keep making interesting music.

what are the odds Kanye has even listened to the Beck album? The guys a clown.

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist,

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Are we sure about this?

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist,

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Are we sure about this?

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Yep, we are.

Some of his stuff is great, a lot of it is mediocre. The great stuff is about as good as it gets though, so it balances out. Still an assclown.

I listened to all 5 nominees for Best Album once the nominations were announced. None were particularly great.

I am an indie/rock/alternative guy, but I've never been a Beck fan except a few things. I found his new album really boring.

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Kanye's FIL is currently going through gender reassignment and was in a fatality causing car accident yesterday. I don't think Kanye is really the most top of mind thing for him right now.

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Damn! Sometimes I'm glad I'm out of touch. Damn!

Kanye has made some of my favorite albums so I'll always be a fan of him as an artist. There's no defending his actions though. Or his shoes. Those just look lame

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"I'm not gonna do nothing to put my daughter at risk"

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Hate to break it to you, Kanye: but your daughter is already f***ed. Between the hoar clan's womb she was spawned from to the egomaniacal father, that girl will be strung out and making porn by the time she's 16. By that time, Kim will be on husband #7 and Kanye on wife #4.

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"I'm not gonna do nothing to put my daughter at risk"

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Hate to break it to you, Kanye: but your daughter is already f***ed. Between the hoar clan's womb she was spawned from to the egomaniacal father, that girl will be strung out and making porn by the time she's 16. By that time, Kim will be on husband #7 and Kanye on wife #4.

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Dang, you really don't like Kim and Ye, do you?

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist,

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Are we sure about this?

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I mean, I don't know where he is on the Pritchett Scale, but I happen to think pretty much all of his albums before Watch the Throne were borderline great. Even 808s, which everyone else was pretty meh on. Then again, I didn't really like Yeezus, so who knows.

All I know is he's a sociopath. Makes good music from time to time though

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist, or Beyonce for that matter. It's equally hard to discount Beck.

Still, for all his money and power and influence, he should take some lessons from his good buddies Jay-Z on how not to come across as so insecure all the time and make boring albums. It's hard to be humble, but it's not impossible to learn, "Yeezus".

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FIFY.

Kanye needs to keep that chip on his shoulder to keep making interesting music.

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First of all, it's hard to be humble when you're stunting on a Jumbotron.

Second, I hated Yeezus. But that album can literally be described as any other word before it's described as boring.

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It's hard to discount Kanye West as an artist, or Beyonce for that matter. It's equally hard to discount Beck.

Still, for all his money and power and influence, he should take some lessons from his good buddies Jay-Z on how not to come across as so insecure all the time and make boring albums. It's hard to be humble, but it's not impossible to learn, "Yeezus".

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FIFY.

Kanye needs to keep that chip on his shoulder to keep making interesting music.

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First of all, it's hard to be humble when you're stunting on a Jumbotron.

Second, I hated Yeezus. But that album can literally be described as any other word before it's described as boring.

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I think we're miscommunicating. I meant to imply that Jay Z's stuff has been boring since The Black Album (for the most part). I love everything Kanye has done, besides Yeezus, which I still like and I agree that it's definitely not boring.

Then I agree.

So I'm pretty (blissfully?) ignorant to the genius of Kanye West. As someone who knows nothing about him, can somebody else explain to me what makes him great? Does he and only he create his music, develop the market strategy, brand, etc.? How much of his success is attributable to him, versus the Kanye brand that he may not have been primarily responsible for creating?

I'm asking because I genuinely don't know.

I don't know anything technical about making music, I just know what I like. He was a music producer before he was a rapper, and he produced most of The Blueprint. I love his music and his sound. All of Kanye's albums are different, but still 100% him. Go listen to his albums on spotify if you haven't before.

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So I'm pretty (blissfully?) ignorant to the genius of Kanye West. As someone who knows nothing about him, can somebody else explain to me what makes him great? Does he and only he create his music, develop the market strategy, brand, etc.? How much of his success is attributable to him, versus the Kanye brand that he may not have been primarily responsible for creating?

I'm asking because I genuinely don't know.

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He's a top notch producer, coupled with him Bromance to Jay-Z. College Dropout is probably the most influential album of the last decade in hip hop. He's kept evolving with the changes in music. I stopped being a fan after 808s, but give him credit for being so consistent.

He's still a grade A jerk.

Good question. I know my favorite song of his (Devil In A New Dress) is not produced by him, but i think he produces pretty much everything else on his albums. That break with the Smokey Robinson song before Rick Ross comes in is so great, though.

As for what makes him great, he helped mainstream a new rap style that wasn't wholly dominated by what you typically get out of other acts. He employs lots of musical styles that give his albums more variety and more emotional range. Hell, he used Bon Iver on a couple tracks.

If early 90s rap is equivalent to 70s rock, then late 90-2000s rap is similar to 80s hair metal bands. Not bad in and of themselves and great in the right situation. But generally pretty vacuous. I don't know if that makes Kanye Kurt Cobain or what, but his albums had a tremendous effect on getting a new kind of rap in the mainstream that you used to have to go to indy rap to hear.

Either way, he's still up his own ass and a collasal dill, but I like his music.

I think early 90s rap is more equivalent to late 60s rock. I also think rap is still waiting for its "Kurt Cobain".

Maybe so. Kanye might just be the Robert Smith.

Today's current era is the hair band era for hip hop. And it was ushered by Ye; pink polos, skinny jeans, suburb fashion. When College Dropout came out, it changed the landscape moving forward.

He acts like he is the best ever and he married the woman version of him.

And he acts like no other non black artist has the move the needle type qualities that he thinks he brings.

He has a ton of money and is set for life so he really doesn't care what spews out his mouth now.

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Today's current era is the hair band era for hip hop. And it was ushered by Ye; pink polos, skinny jeans, suburb fashion. When College Dropout came out, it changed the landscape moving forward.

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I don't know what era this rap era compares to, but 808s changed the game, too.

I don't know, man. I think of grills instead of long hair, 20s on Cadillacs instead of Firebirds. Chicks get money thrown in them instead of chicks slathering across car hoods.

808s was his experiment with auto tune. Nothing about it is special. His worst album imo.

Today, you have rappers wearing skirts, Kanye included, and sing/rap emo break up songs. They may as well call them rap ballads.

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808s was his experiment with auto tune. Nothing about it is special. His worst album imo.

Today, you have rappers wearing skirts, Kanye included, and sing/rap emo break up songs. They may as well call them rap ballads.

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I disagree about 808s (I love it), but it's just my opinion. Either way, it had a major influence over the next few years.

I think most people are split on it. You either loved it it, or hated it. Auto tune was at its peak, and Kanye decides to put his take on it towards the end.

Then Jay releases DOA. How convenient of him.