Kanye West – Yeezus

I barely understand hip hop.  But I do understand funk and if you disregard retro soul, hip hop is the funkiest show in town. In my mind there are two kinds of funk – party funk and thoughtful funk – and sometimes (e.g. masterpieces) it serves both masters.

I want to be a Kanye hater, but he keeps putting out masterpieces.  Yeezus is audacious, combative and brilliant.  This is not crossover music, but fuck off music.  Kanye is flipping off the whole pop world and he is doing it with serious swagger.  It is harsh, offensive and in your face, but it is so cleverly executed that it is impossible to dismiss.

Not something that I will repeated listen to, but I have to give the guy props – he is a genius and fearless.  He is capable of being a pop star, but prefers to run down the dark alleys.  The music is austere, yet very interesting.  The lyrics are not something I get – I don’t have a clue what Kanye is rapping about.  I feel like I am eavesdropping on gossip where I don’t know any of the people talked about – it seems interesting, but I am not emotional involved.  Kanye is not speaking to anything I know or living a life I fantasize.  But he is one interesting and intriguing one-man circus.  Worth stopping a few minutes to see if he falls off the high wire or makes it to the other side and back.

All the same