“Kanye Ran onto the stage saying, ‘I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time!’” (Top 10 Outrageous Kanye West Moments), says Kanye West at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards after Taylor Swift had just won “Best Female Video.” People that are like this have typically not always been this way. They were probably raised as a polite and respectful person before they were exposed to fame and fortune, and other “celebrities,” making them feel like they are the only people on the planet. Causing them to do things like that. Although, Kanye West is an amazing musician based on his 14 Grammy Awards and multiple albums going “Double-Platinum” (Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan). He fell victim to fame and fortune, and turned into an arrogant and overconfident person making him more popular and praised among media. But looked down upon by everyday people. Kanye Omari West, born on June 8th, 1977, is a world famous rapper who, like all other celebrities, started out like a nice person who made nice music for nice families to listen to. West was a confident and competitive person even as a child, “He was determined even then to get out of his crib and be free, even if he split his head in the process—and he did. He has fought ever since to do exactly what he wanted to do—no matter what,” says Donda West, his mother in her book, Raising Kanye: Life Lessons from the Mother of a Hip-Hop Superstar. By the time West was ten, he was already creating his own raps, and according to the people around him, he was pretty good at it even at that young of an age. (Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan) West was not too interested in school as he grew up, but he was able to get by because of his talent. If he dropped out of one ... ... middle of paper ... ...t is not one. It is very possible that West’s future could have changed for the better or the worse if he was a more caring and selfless person Works Cited Dockterman, Eliana. "Kanye West Blames Bad Cinematography for Refusal to Appear on Kardashians” TIME Entertainment. Time Inc., 27 Nov. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. Manheim, James M., and Carol Brennan. "Kanye West." Contemporary Black Biography. Ed. Margaret Mazurkiewicz. Vol. 93. Detroit: Gale, 2012. Biography in Context. Web. 13 Mar. 2014. Rohn, Jacob. "Have We Tired of Kanye West’s Rants?" Sound Off. N.p., 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. “Top 10 Outrageous Kanye West Moments.” Time. Time Inc., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2014. "West, Kanye." UXL Newsmakers, vol. 5-6. Ed. Rebecca Valentine, Kelle S. Sisung, and Carol Brennan. Vol. 6. Detroit: UXL, 2006. 459-467. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Perry, Imani. 2004. Prophets of the hood: politics and poetics in hip hop. Durham: Duke University Press.
He describes the sensation of “measuring one’s soul by the tape of a world that looks on in amused contempt and pity” (2). West tackles double- consciousness in a lot of his songs, but more so I “Gorgeous” and “Power”. He does have slight elements in “Monster”, however. In “Gorgeous”, West is straight-forward in his approach, voicing his frustrations about appearing to fit in with the majority of popular artists (namely the white ones), yet when he does something stereotypically black he gets massive media attention and is berated for his actions. It is even in his clothes: if he is wearing the right clothing he is accepted, but is automatically perceived as ghetto when he is wearing sneakers and a white t-shirt. “As long as I’m in Polo’s smiling they think they got me/But they would try to crack me if they ever see a black me” (Lyrics On Demand). In “Power”, he discusses issues with fame and general concept of power, as well as being a minority with limited options. He talks about how education is limited and that minority children are eventually doomed to prison. “The system broken, the schools closed, the prison’s open” (Lyrics On Demand). His lyrics speak of how the world around him in controlled by the majority, and how minorities are forced to conform to the standards of the rest of the world. In “Monster”, the biggest hint at double- consciousness is the inclusion of Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, a white indie folk musician. Vernon’s appearance on such a quintessential rap track is impressive and jaw-dropping considering these types of songs (posse cuts”) are notorious for featuring all- black artists. His presence plays to the double-consciousness West expresses, by mixing black and white artists together for
Raised as an only child, Dwayne Micheal Carter Jr or more commonly referred to as Lil Wayne, was born September 27th, 1982, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Carter’s mother was only 19 years old when he was first born. He was being raised by both his mother and father until his father abandoned them while Dwayne Jr. was only two years old. After being abandoned by his biological father, his mother was forced to take care of him on her own and survive in the crime infested community of Holly grove, New Orleans. Even though he divorced his mother and remarried, his father forced the two live with his own mother and came by to abuse Lil Wayne’s mother on a consistent basis.This situation went on for three years until Lil Wayne’s mother eventually remarried and relocated to a different part of town. Growing up he did very well in school. He was actually enrolled in his school’s gifted program at a point and received top grades. He got into music at a very young age and wrote his first rap song at the age of eight. Lil Wayne had the drive to be the best and successful at his craft since he first began. At the age of nine he was challenging others twice his age and older at rapping. He would consistently go to neighborhood parties or events to rap and most of the time he was better then whatever adult he was going against. As a testament to this, at the age of nine he start receiving attention from one of the two co-founders of his future label, Slim Williams. From Slim, he then received other co-founder, Bryan Williams, phone number and what he did with it after that was truly caught the Bryan’s attention. He continuously called the number over and over leaving rap songs on the voicemail of Williams until he agreed to meet him in person...
The autobiography of Malcolm X is most widely accredited for its inspirational incentives and exceptionally intense life experiences; the novel itself is a show-stopper. Malcolm X structures his craft through his untold stories and background through the behavior of style and substance. Malcolm creates more than a scene and feel of the novel, but allows the audience to accommodate a tight grasp on his emotions and disposition the life of a young African-American male during a racist time in history.
Malcolm Little, Aka Malcolm X, was a famous civil rights movement activist. He had a hard childhood. He was picked on due to the light color of his skin by peers and family members. He grew up poor and spent years of his life committing crimes and ended up in prison. Malcolm X found Islam in prison, and developed different philosophies which came from his childhood experiences. Malcolm X eventually found peace, and unfortunately was killed after he began to make a positive difference.
The intended audience for the article is teens to mid-aged adults. The age is ranged between fourteen and thirty-five years of age. This designated age group is significant because these are the ages that people would listen to Kayne West’s music. For this audience, gender is not favored due to the fact that both boys/girls and men/women both listen to the style of music Mr. West sings. Even though not obviously acknowledged, race is part of the intended audience. Since Kayne is an African American the African American race is a fraction of the designated audience. Lastly, the middle class is also a big part of the audience. The middle class are the people who usually keep up with and care about what the celebrities have to say or what they are doing.
Watkins, Samuel Craig. Hip Hop Matters: Politics, Pop Culture, and the Struggle for the Soul of
Everybody says who they are and what they are but that’s just being there self and telling others that you are who you are. Kanye West the most influential rapper thinks he is a “god” or tries to connect himself into god. He said he doesn’t have any explanation on it but he said that he is “the number one rapper on this planet” and everybody should respect him. West is also an artist/fashion designer, which he have struggled a lot, he compares himself to Michael Jackson by saying his struggle to break into fashion is like when Michael Jackson was fighting to get his videos on MTV , and he wants to change the whole system of fashion and be the major fashion designer. Kanye likes his music and his overall work to define who he is and how his work influences others.
George covers much familiar ground: how B-beats became hip hop; how technology changed popular music, which helped to create new technologies; how professional basketball was influenced by hip hop styles; how gangsta rap emerged out of the crack epidemic of the 1980s; how many elements of hip hop culture managed to celebrate, and/or condemn black-on-black violence; how that black-on-black violence was somewhat encouraged by white people scheming on black males to show their foolishness, which often created a huge mess; and finally, how hip hop used and continues to use its art to express black frustration and ambition to blacks while, at the same time, refering that frustration and ambition to millions of whites.
He may just seem like another rapper to you but if you actually listen to his lyrics you can see he’s not like any rapper out there. His name is Kanye West and he was born in Chicago Illinois. He grew up in the “ghetto” and learned to appreciate life. He didn’t learn to really, truly appreciate life until October of 2002. Driving back to his hotel late one night after a recording session, the new-coming rap/hip-hop artist was involved in a devastating, near fatal car accident. The crash left him with a broken jaw in three places and an appreciation for life. Just weeks after being released from the hospital he recorded his first major hit, “Through the Wire,” with his mouth still wired shut. He records every song like its going to be his last song and that makes every song better than the last. He’s not only a rap artist but also a producer. He has been responsible for being behind songs like Jay-Z’s Izzo, Girls, Girls, Girls, The Takeover, and 03 Bonnie and Clyde.
Jay-Z’s emphatic return to the rap game with his critically-acclaimed album “4:44” made waves not only throughout the hip-hop culture, but also all throughout America as an album with a lot of racial undertones. In one of his songs, “The Story of O.J.”, Jay-Z raps “O.J. like, ‘I’m not black, I’m O.J.’ … okay.” In a song that takes direct aim at O.J. Simpson for trying to escape the black community, Jay-Z comments on how certain people try to believe that they are higher than the culture they were brought up in, and there is no more of a quintessential example of this than O.J. Simpson.
When West first showed up (late 90s and early 2000s), the world was a different place. Fans of the genre were most likely listening to gangster-rap, artists like: Jay Z, Notorious B.I.G, 50 Cent, Tupac, Ice Cube, Eazy E, N.W.A, Wu-Tang, Nate Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg (Best Gangsta Rappers), the kind of music that dominated mainstream rap at the time. Rappers and fans of rap were mostly in a gangster-influenced mind state. West was foreign to the idea of being a “thug” or a “gangster”. West grew up in an average house while his mom made good money working as a professor in the English department at Chicago State University. He was well educated and attracted to more preppy fashions- sport coats, polo shirts, and sunglasses, quite the contrary to what other rappers were wearing in those times. Like many rappers, West wrote about his daily experiences, experiences majorly ...
Kanye Omari West, rapper, producer, professional celebrity, and with an ego to match, has forced himself into the limelight of the music industry. Kanye West has made a lasting impression on all of those around him, whether it be a good one or bad. With seven full length albums, a multimillion record label company, and a successful fashion business all under his belt, it’s fair to say that Kanye has done his fair share of creating. Over the last twelve years Kanye went from a young Chicago kid just trying to get his flows off, to one of the most decorated musicians of all time. With over 20 Grammy’s and 3 of his albums ending up on the Rolling stones “500 greatest albums of all time”. He has continuously created, entertained, and spoken his mind for years. Whether it be “George Bush does not care about black people” or “Taylor imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had
Although many people give Kanye West a bad reputation, a line during his speech during the 47th Grammy’s has had a profound effect on my life. His quote that I refer to when dealing with a difficult situation is, “If you have the opportunity to play this game of life, you need to appreciate every moment. A lot of people don’t appreciate the moment until it’s passed.” I have had many difficult situations in my life, between my Father passing away and fish year in the Corps of Cadets. Just finding a way to push through was hard, and trying to stay positive seemed almost impossible. To make it through, and to become happier, I kept these words in mind.
McWhorter, John. “Rap Music Harms the Black Community.”Popular Culture. Ed.