Kanye West

[Alex]

I'm Infant

[Alex]

First Step It Up

[Alex]

Bound Coo

[Alex]

Bassinet Head

[Kevin Davis]

Drool Spirit

[LoathedVermin72]

all i could show him was pictures of my cribs

[Kevin Davis]

Hey Mama

[LoathedVermin72]

Born 2

[Kaius]

I hope Kevin Davis' exceptional skills in aural perception and literal communication haven't compromised his jocular sensibilities; I only say this because I see a "lol" worthy gif on an almost daily basis here on RM. I mean, c'mon--here, amid the admittedly repetitive droll, are a bunch a funny dudes with notable comedic timing.

[Kaius]

KD, I love you man. Your post that I "Wut"-ed was excellent and although I'm mostly ignorant of Kanye it made a lot of sense. I felt smarter immediately upon reading it.

[Kevin Davis]

I hope Kevin Davis' exceptional skills in aural perception and literal communication haven't compromised his jocular sensibilities.

I hope not, too! I was only being half-serious with that comment; there are definitely a lot of funny people here. But I will admit that most internet-oriented humor -- gifs and memes and whatnot -- doesn't really do it for me; the internet is just so saturated with it, after a while it all starts to feel like white noise.

[Kevin Davis]

KD, I love you man. Your post that I "Wut"-ed was excellent and although I'm mostly ignorant of Kanye it made a lot of sense. I felt smarter immediately upon reading it.

I didn't take any offense, Kaius -- I know what my reputation here is.

[Orpheus]

Y'all should give this level of attention to something like Danny Brown's XXX, you'd have a fucking field day.

[Alex]

Y'all should give this level of attention to something like Danny Brown's XXX, you'd have a fucking field day.

in nashville, there's something called the contributor, which is a newsletter/newspaper that the homeless community produces and sells. most busy intersections/corners during rush hour feature sellers of the contributor, some of them more aggressive than others. danny brown the musical equivalent of one of those guys waving a newspaper in your face as you just try to look away.

[LoathedVermin72]

I'm really coming around on 808s & Heartbreak lately.

[LoathedVermin72]

Lil Wayne's voice causes me notable physical pain. I really hope Kanye doesn't collaborate with him anymore.

[E.H. Ruddock]

Lil Wayne's voice causes me notable physical pain. I really hope Kanye doesn't collaborate with him anymore.

I just read where Kanye said Lil Wayne will be on most songs from here on out on any Kanye album.

[LoathedVermin72]

Lil Wayne's voice causes me notable physical pain. I really hope Kanye doesn't collaborate with him anymore.

I just read where Kanye said Lil Wayne will be on most songs from here on out on any Kanye album.

oh ruddo

[Alex]

it's really weird that from about 2006-2008 people were calling lil wayne the greatest rapper alive without a hint of sarcasm

[LoathedVermin72]

So, Nate, I listened to Death Grips, Kendrick Lamar, and Danny Brown. You are out of your mind if you think that shit even approaches MBDTF or Yeezus. Kanye has radicalized the hip-hop aesthetic for me; Lamar and Brown are still stuck in the mire.

I enjoyed XXX for what it was, but I didn't hear anything innovative.

While I appreciate how Lamar is trying to construct a narrative, I found a lot of the ghetto sentiments to be tired and uninsightful. Yes, it's an era-appropriate progression from Straight Outta Compton and The Chronic, but I found Lamar's insertion of Christianity to be annoying; that's not a solution. Kanye ties his faith into his artistry and his own personal needs and doesn't proselytize; Lamar seems to apply it as some kind of answer to social problems. On top of that, holy fuck do I find his voice and sound obnoxious. Like, close to Lil Wayne-level annoying. This was made especially apparent upon hearing Dr. Dre blow him away on the closer. "Swimming Pools" was good, though.

I fully admit this is merely a first impression that may improve upon further listening. But, again, not even close to what Kanye is doing. I mean, even on simply a musical level, I can't imagine anyone trying to argue with a straight face that anything on either XXX or GKMC sounds as luminous, ecstatic, and exciting as "Dark Fantasy", "Power", or "Runaway".

I did like The Money Store quite a bit, but I don't think the comparisons to Yeezus are apt, let alone to point of that album ripping this one off. Sure, both albums have dark, industrial soundscapes, but this album is very dense, busy, raw, and layered sonically, while Yeezus is the complete opposite - totally minimal and polished, stripped of every sound that isn't absolutely necessary, which is what makes its sound so special and unique. Not to mention that you can already hear the roots of that sound taking shape underneath the ornate surface layers of songs like "So Appalled" and "Hell of a Life".

But anyway, I did like it. "I've Seen Footage" is a fucking jam. Not sure why I put off listening to these guys for so long. It also kind of blew my mind when I found out Zach Hill was the producer; I'd heard so much hype about them and had no idea he was involved. Crazy.