Rant: Kanye West's messiah complex is not good for hip-hop

The hip-hop community has an obsession with crowning new royalty. It seems that every time a new buzzworthy artist crops up, the discussion inevitably turns to whether or not he or she is the next great hope. When people aren't arguing about whether or not hip-hop is dead, they are debating who can save it. Hip-hop's de facto savior du jour for the past six or seven years has undeniably been Kanye West. The producer turned rap superstar has enjoyed near universal acclaim since his debut album College Dropout in 2004. His sales are among the highest in the industry and every new release is a major event. Seemingly the only person more impressed by Kanye West than the fans and critics is Kanye West.

And therein lies the problem. West's ego is an entity unto itself. By now it has consumed the rest of his personality to the point that the only thing remaining is a comically absurd real-life Tracy Jordan. The listening public seem more than happy to look past his rampant materialism, his inflated sense of self and his public temper tantrums when he doesn't get the recognition he feels he deserves from award shows. They are willing to look past all of that because Kanye West, as he is not afraid to keep telling us, is a "great artist." Well, I hate to be the turd in the punchbowl folks, but when it comes to rapping, he isn't even very good.

Is he a gifted producer? Absolutely. Is he at least a tiny step above most top forty rappers when it comes to lyrics? Perhaps, but only just barely. At the end of the day, for me West is 90% hype and only 10% substance. His last 3 or 4 records in particular are filled with graceless goofy lyrics that, while they make a pretense to depth or profundity, are ultimately uninspired. What's most irritating about Kanye West's fame is that it completely overshadows the truly talented artists in hip-hop. It's a tragedy, and one in which I think fans and critics are complicit. By passing him off as the great creative mind in modern hip-hop, the hive mind is telling the unwitting public that they need look no further than Kanye West when looking for the best and brightest in hip-hop. But I've seen what a truly gifted MC can do. I've heard verses from artists with a fraction of West's album sales that are powerful, that make you weep, that astound you with their honesty. I've also heard verses where it's clear that the MCs aren't taking themselves too seriously. These artists are self-aware and are willing to look at themselves and hip-hop with a critical eye, to be self-deprecating. And that's something that Kanye West is simply not capable of.

I've heard it speculated that West's larger-than-life persona is all part of the show, that his ballooning ego is some kind of meta-critical performance art. While this is an interesting theory, I just do not buy it. If Kanye West is to hip-hop what Stephen Colbert is to punditry, then I think he would have to be much funnier than he is. Sure, his antics can be amusing from time to time, but I see him in the same light as Charlie Sheen. You cannot help but laugh a little bit at the absurdity of it all, but it seems more like schadenfreude than anything.

It should be said that Kanye West is far from being the first hip-hop artist to have a large ego. And I want to make it clear that I'm not saying that ego and braggadocio don't have their rightful place at the hip-hop table, they do. In fact you can trace this kind of attitude back to hip-hop's earliest days when teenagers in the Bronx were battling each other (on the mic as well as on the turntables or the dance floor). But the difference here is that Kanye West isn't some young kid trying to carve out a name for himself in a ghetto where every brown face is just another statistic. He's a multi-millionaire who is known worldwide, and if he isn't self-aware enough to laugh at himself every once and awhile, then the whole thing falls apart.

Okay, so if Kanye West is not worthy of the hip-hop crown, then who is? Well, that's a question that I'm afraid to say I do not have an answer for. The problem I see is that if hip-hop needs a savior (and I'm not completely convinced it does), then that artist must be able to combine talent with a willingness to be self-aware while still being popular enough to reach a wide audience. I don't see anyone on the scene right now who can do all of that. The closest I can think of is someone I wrote about recently, Lupe Fiasco. Yet, while he's definitely more talented than Kanye and certainly popular, he still suffers from an inability to let his ego take a backstage to talent. He's ultimately Kanye in new clothes. Artists like Mos Def and Talib Kweli who have the ability to write truly gut-wrenching lyrics do not enjoy nearly the amount of popularity that Kanye West does. And artists willing to take the piss out of hip-hop and themselves like Busdriver don't even come close.

What it all comes down to is that the listening public has to start being better fans. I think Kanye's biggest problem is that he's decided that he is the only person who can "save" hip-hop and nobody wants to tell him otherwise. If fans and critics aren't willing or able to see through the cloud of hype surrounding Kanye West, then he will only continue to think that he's God's gift to music. At the end of the day, if hip-hop needs to be saved from anything, it's Kanye West.

TV on the Radio release film with new album Nine Types of Light

If you haven't yet heard the new album Nine Types of Light by art-rock band TV on the Radio, do yourself a favor and give it a listen. Or, better yet, watch the movie...

Not content to be simply the coolest of the cool bands on the block, TV on the Radio decided to venture into film making as well. Packaged with the deluxe edition of Nine Types of Light is a DVD with an hour-long film that serves as an extended music video for every song on the album. Luckily for those of us without the cash reserves to fork over $60, the band has also put the full video on youtube for free.

The film features both live action segments and excellent animation (appropriate, since lead singer Tunde Adebimpe worked as an animator before forming the band) all woven together by interstitial bits which were directed by Adebimpe himself. The film is extremely well put together and compliments the album (which is also excellent) quite well. It's easy to see why a band like TV on the Radio would decide to do something like this, and not just because their lead singer also has a budding film career. There has always been a certain grandeur and vastness to this band's sound that seems to be perfectly suited to this kind of cinematic treatment.

The quality here also makes me wonder why more bands today aren't finding ways to make their music more of a multimedia experience. While it's one thing to make videos for the singles from an album, it's entirely another to create visuals for the entire album. I can't help but wonder if doing more of this kind of creative packaging with music wouldn't help spark some life into sluggish album sales across the industry (though perhaps a less "deluxe" and more cost effective edition with simply the album and the DVD would be preferable to one that includes vinyl, cd, dvd, digital download AND a t-shirt).

Judge for yourself below. Highlights of the film include the animation, bright colors, a Prince impersonation by Adebimpe, Peanuts cosplay, zombie killing andwhyareyounotwatchingthisalreadyseriouslydoitnow...

All versions of the album, deluxe and otherwise, can be purchased at TV on the Radio's website.

Leftovers: Black Moth Super Rainbow - "Sun Lips"

Editorial Note: This is the inaugural edition of a new periodic feature within the Universal Sandwich blog project that I'm calling Leftovers. Leftovers seeks to unearth buried treasures of the music world. Each episode of Leftovers will feature a song or album lost to time and/or obscurity. It's my job to dig out the choicest of these moldy gems from the back of the Universal Sandwich fridge and explain why I think they are undeserving of the trash heap.

Today's leftovers is the track "Sun Lips" by Black Moth Super Rainbow. BMSR are a band I stumbled across completely by accident. I was first introduced to them in 2007 when they served as the out-of-left-field opening act for indie-rap phenom Aesop Rock. Not only were BMSR a refreshing change of pace from the typical no-name rapper that most hip-hop artists pick as their opening act, they also put on one of the most surprising and compelling live shows I've seen.

What drew my attention to BMSR was their unique sound coupled with a strong (if somewhat unnerving) stage presence. In terms of sound, BMSR have firm roots in both psychedelic rock and electronica. Hearing them out of context, one could easily be forgiven for thinking BMSR was the work of a DJ and not a full band. There is something distinctly otherworldly and machine-like about the way that BMSR blend vintage keyboards with rock instrumentation that makes it seem as if it were made by pasting together samples. The reality is that this sound is created by an extremely tight ensemble of fairly traditional instruments (with the possible exception of their persistent use of the vocoder). The performance I saw consisted of a vocalist/keyboardist who sat cross-legged on the floor in the corner of the stage and sang all his vocals through a vocoder, a sweat-band wearing bassist who danced around the stage like something out of a jazzercise tape, and a female drummer who absolutely brutalized her drumkit and whose intesnity left me picking my jaw off the floor (seriously, she killed it). During all of this, a video collage consisting of seemingly ad hoc and at times disturbing clips (I distinctly remember several minutes of a Richard Simmons exercise routine from the 1980s) which added to the surreal ambiance of this band. The whole experience felt like something out of Andy Warhol/The Velvet Underground's Exploding Plastic Inevitable.

"Sun Lips" is probably the strongest track off of BMSR's third LP Dandelion Gum from 2007. What is most surprising about "Sun Lips" is that it proves that despite BMSR's strong experimental and surrealist tendencies, they are capable of writing astoundingly hummable pop melodies. The vocals have an anthemic quality that makes the entire song seem like one giant chorus without any verses. There is a colorful tone to the music, accented by the swirling flute sounds and summery lyrics. But if this song depicts a Summer day, it's obviously one which includes large quantities of psychotropic drugs, something which gives the slightest hint that ominous things are afoot. There is poetic irony in the fact that a song about something as natural and organic as a summer sunrise would sound so mechanical and robotic. What results is something of a machinistic love song, evocative of the clash between the natural world and the world of machines. "Sun Lips" may not be BMSR's newest material, but it is every bit as compelling to listen to now as it was when I first heard it performed live.

Listen to the song, and see the rather unsettling music video here:

Review: Lupe Fiasco - Lasers

Lasers, the third outing by backpack rap sensation Lupe Fiasco, is an album that almost wasn't. Fans have been waiting for a follow up to the concept album The Cool since it came out in 2007. Initially, Lupe Fiasco announced that his third (and supposedly final) album would be a three disc release called LupE.N.D. which has since been delayed indefinitely. From there, the album went through several name changes, from the Great American Rap Album, to We Are Lasers, to simply Lasers (in case it isn't readily apparent from these titles, Lupe has never been one for being understated, his concept for the Cool is only further evidence of this,) But the roller coaster ride was far from over. Despite the fact that it had a release date of late 2009 and several singles had been released (some of which never actually did make it onto the album) Lasers didn't actually get released until last month. According to Lupe himself, the album had actually been complete for some time, but was being held up by Atlantic Records. But after several years of waiting, and an online petition to Atlantic to release the record that quickly received 30,000 signatures, Lasers finally hit the shelves. Unfortunately, the head scratching didn't stop there.

For all the anticipation and hype leading up to its release, the actual album turned out to be every bit as confusing and difficult to pin down. Critical response seems to be a resounding "meh," and I can't say I disagree very much. There has been a considerable degree of rumbling in critical circles about the increasing pop sentiment on this album. The Allmusic reviewer, for example, complained of the album's "lumbering, overwrought choruses." While there certainly are some disappointments here that likely arise from the concessions Lupe had to make to finally get this album released, I for one think that to call the hooks and choruses in Lasers a departure is largely ignorant of what Lupe has always done in his music. Lupe's shtick has always been superb rhymes interspersed with hooks painted in broad strokes. Just look at the two most well-known tracks off his debut, "Daydreamin'" and "Kick, Push." Neither of these is devoid of pop overtones. The Jill Scott chorus from "Daydreamin'" is positively infectious, and the strings sampled from Celeste Legaspi's "Bolero Medley" on "Kick, Push" give the song a syrupy grandeur for which any pop composer should be envious.

While the poppier side of Lasers shouldn't be seen as a complete betrayal, there is no denying that the album has its share of disappointments. To my ears, there are two important things missing from this album. The first is trajectory. While the album starts with some strong tracks, particularly the musical indictment of Obama "Words I Never Said," what follows is a sharp decline in quality. The first signs of trouble come on the song "the Show Goes On," which strangles the life out of a sample of Modest Mouse's "Float On." That Lupe would look to the indie rock darlings for inspiration is interesting, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Easily the best track on the album, "All Black Everything," comes as the penultimate track on the album. The song imagines a comically absurd alternate reality in which racism doesn't exist. In this world, things are completely turned on their head, Bill O'Reilly eulogizes Malcom X (who dies as an old man) by reading from the Qur'an. Lines like "Somalia is a great place to relax in/ Fred Astaire was the first to do a backspin/ The Rat Pack was cool group of black men" illustrate the kind of lyrical brilliance Lupe is capable of. Any sense of trajectory gained here, however, is completely lost on the album ending "Never Forget You" which features John Legend who completely overshadows Lupe in the worst way possible.

But perhaps even more conspicuously absent from this album is any sense of the quirky nerd-friendly side of Lupe that made him a critical success in the first place. Gone are the geeky rhymes about robots, skateboarding and Japanese culture from Food & Liquor or the grand (if silly) prog-rap sensibility of the Cool. What we are left with is a relatively ordinary hip-hop album from an artist whose appeal is based largely on his ability to be anything but ordinary.

The few bright moments on Lasers make it worth at least a listen, but to see Lupe Fiasco in his more consistent, less adulterated form, first-time listeners should stick to his first two albums.

This almost makes up for having to listen to Rebecca Black's voice.

Assuming you haven't been living in a cave for the past three weeks, you no doubt are aware of Rebecca Black's brain-rotting piece of autotune hell known simply as "Friday." If not, I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news. You may also be aware of the dozens of different covers and remixes that have been popping up on youtube. The inevitable death metal cover is but one such example.

But, for my money, the best take on "Friday" came just last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon. In a moment of cross-promotional genius, Stephen Colbert agreed to sing the now ubiquitous song on Late Night if viewers could raise $26,000 for the the charity donorschoose.org. Well, the public did their part, and Colbert kept his promise.

The result is entertainment of the highest order. With backing by the Roots (who deserve a medal for being the hardest working band in the biz) and with a little help from Jimmy Fallon, Taylor Hicks, and the Knicks City Dancers, Colbert completely knocks it out of the park. The sheer exuberance of this (and the hilarious crooner intro) totally outshines the comically terrible lyrics. Also, it's amusing to see a real MC like Black Thought take on the groan worthy "rap."

Like a Phoenix Rising From the Ashes (or that mangy dog you thought you got rid of)

Fancy seeing you here.

Ok, so I suppose the two year absence is worth acknowledging. I was having fun writing this blog and updating infrequently. Then I got restless, and started posting stuff to the Examiner, which was fun for awhile. But being a busy grad student sometimes means that you have other things on your plate, and well, I stopped updating regularly. As it turns out, if you do that for too long, the people who run the Examiner get impatient and delete your account. It kinda left a bad taste in my mouth and turned me off blogging for a few months.

But, like a boxer who doesn't know when he's licked, I decided I wanted to step back into the ring so to speak and start writing again. Of course, I was still a busy grad student (and let's be honest, lazy) so it got put off for a very long time. But since graduating I've found the perfect way to make time for things like blogging: Unemployment! (On a totally related note, anybody looking to hire a Musicologist? My special skills include overthinking music, gluttonous eating, growing facial hair, and I don't want to brag but I'm getting pretty good at drinking beer and doing crossword puzzles.)

So, um, yeah. I'm back baby! I'll do my best to not disappear indefinitely anymore, make this site more awesome by the day. And of course I'll be sure to keep up the snark and over-analysis you've forgotten you loved.


Ok, You (Hadn't) Asked For It: MUSIC!

I'll take it easy for now, and instead of really writing something insightful, I'll just share a few of the artists I've been listening to over the past few months. Here goes:

1) Devotchka - 100 Lovers


Ok, full disclosure, my opinion of Devotchka may be tainted by the fact that they hail from Denver, just a few miles down the road from the Universal Sandwich compound, and that I've seen their drummer in tights (oo-la-la!) as part of a band of drunken patriots who've formed an unholy alliance with the dark side of the force in the name of partying and booty shaking across the galaxy (that's all I'm gonna say about that *wink*)
But biases aside, if you haven't checked out these hometown heroes yet, now's the time to get yourself right with the music gods and give them a listen. I'll let you do the googling to find out how critics attempt to describe this band, and I'll just say that they draw on a lot of musical styles to create some really gorgeous and fun music. 100 Lovers has been on heavy rotation in my playlist since it came out in part because of how well crafted and layered of an album it is. Definitely worth picking up.


2) Mariachi El Bronx - Mariachi El Bronx

Speaking of Devotchka, as I write this, I'm listening to another band that they have recently shared the stage with. The standard boilerplate on Mariachi El Bronx is that it's the result of LA hardcore punk band The Bronx deciding that they wanted to record a mariachi album under the alter ego Mariachi El Bronx. And now they alternate between playing sets as the Bronx and under their mariachi moniker. But the real surprise here has less to do with guitarrons and mariachi horn lines and more to do with excellent pop songs hiding under it all. The consistent songwriting is what allows this album to survive what might otherwise be a somewhat thin gimmick.

3) Gang of Four - Content



The most exciting part here is that I get to write about an entire album of new materials from one of post-punk's most important bands. That it's actually a pretty good album is just the icing on the cake. Sure, it's no Entertainment!, but that's like expecting the Beatles to just keep recording Sgt. Pepper over and over again; eventually you're gonna have to record Magical Mystery Tour. But, as consolation prizes go, you could do a lot worse than Content.

4) Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

Ok, so I'm very late to the Arcade Fire bandwagon. I was aware of them during the Neon Bible but I never bothered listening to them until shortly after The Suburbs was released last Summer. And to be honest, I don't really mind that I waited. I know die-hard Arcade Fire fans would probably crash their fixed gear bicycles if they were to hear me say it, but The Suburbs is just a much better album than Neon Bible. There is just a much greater sense of grandeur here, which is absolutely what their "chamber rock" is best suited for. Also, a belated pat on the back should be given to the folks at the Grammy's for awarding this with album of the year, even if it did cause the general public to utter a collective WHO!??

There are of course more artists I've been listening to (including a recent rediscovery of the Butthole Surfers), but I'll spare you for now, or at least until I collect my thoughts enough to write some actual record reviews.

Dan Deacon's "Wet Wings" takes sample-based music to new heights

Dan Deacon - Broms

I just picked up electronic music artist Dan Deacon's newest album Bromst.  I'm still listening to the album, so I'll spare readers a full review, especially since it's already been done, several times. But there is one song on the album that Deacon gets so right that it cannot be ignored.

The song "Wet Wings" is based entirely around a sample of an acappella rendition of the traditional folk song "The Day is Past and Gone" sung by Jean Ritchie. Deacon stacks multiple layers of Ritchie's haunting vocal loop on top of one another until there is a full choir of voices interlocking and blending with one another in an overwhelming wash of sound. It is something like a modern day version of a tape loop piece by Steve Reich but infinitely more approachable. What works so well "Wet Wings" is the way that Deacon uses the Jean Ritchie sample as a jumping off point for his sonic explorations. Deacon is certainly not the first electronic musician to use samples of folk tunes in his music, but rarely are the samples such an integral part of the song as they are here. The difference between the way that Deacon samples folk music in "Wet Wings" and the way that someone like, say, Moby does on the album Play, is that Deacon is not just peppering the song with samples to make for a "spicier" sound. While Moby may have recontextualized folk songs by putting them on an electronica album, he uses them more as quotations than as true structural elements. In "Wet Wings," however, the sample is not just a sample, it is the entire foundation of the piece. Deacon uses Ritchie's voice like a musical instrument, not like a dusty relic to be trotted out for sonic effect. By doing so, he is able to create something entirely new and completely unrecognizable from its original form. By the time Deacon has added all the layers of voices, the lyrics are no longer discernible and all you hear is a wall of voices bleeding together in a way that sounds worlds apart from Ritchie's lone voice in the original recording. This is a totally different approach to sampling where the sample is an integral part of creating new music, and it is precisely what makes what Deacon has done so breathtaking.

Deacon is currently touring to support Bromst. Colorado residents can catch Dan in concert April 30th at the Bluebird Theater in Denver.

For more info: 

Dan Deacon's Myspace Page

Buy tickets to the show at Bluebird Theater