I just got back from Kanye West‘s latest concert and it was interesting to say the least. I didn’t let the fact that Kanye’s management wasn’t interested in having Hip-Hop outlets interview him about his new album stop me from going, as I had only heard great things about his “Glow In The Dark” stage show.
I wasn’t really too sure what to expect, considering Kanye’s recent bashing of Hip-Hop as a musical artform and his new album being strictly auto-tuned singing. However, the first hour and a half of the show was good old ‘Ye, performing his vast array of hits off his first three albums.
After messing up his second verse on “Through The Wire“, Kanye kept going and freestyled the rest of the song, and he didn’t hesitate to stop his orchestra either after on “Diamonds Are Forever” he accidentally started rapping the remix, and started over with the original.
His performance was strong and had a good flow, all being backed by the storyline of him being lost in space and trying to find his way back to earth. With “Stronger” being the song that brings him back, he celebrated his return on earth with “Touch The Sky” and “Homecoming“. At this point, I was really only expecting him to end it off with “Love Lockdown“, to promote the new album.
However, he then stopped the music and went into a long speech about his current musical direction. The event that provoked this was an interview he had had earlier that day with an (unnamed) media outlet. “The interviewer had the nerve to ask me disrespectful ass questions, such as whether I regretted making this new album now that it was done. He then told me that when he first heard it, he thought it was a parody! That’s when I ended the interview. I don’t make no f-ckin’ parodies!”
Kanye continued by explaining that what was most important to him was to make the music that he feels, that he believes in and that makes him happy. And that his feelings are bigger than Hip-Hop. That he cannot express what he has in his heart by rapping, that he wants to sing. “I know I’m not no Whitney Houston, but I know that I got melody in me. People say all this stuff about me singing and using auto-tune, but you know why I use it? Cause it’s cool!“, Kanye further explained. “I want to make the music that makes me happy, without caring what people say about it or caring about the sales. If I made the music people expected from me and not what I truly felt, then that’s what I would call selling out“.
After finishing his speech, he proceeded to perform four songs off his new album, including the singles “Love Lockdown” and “Heartless“. While I definitely respect Kanye West as an artist and respect him for following his heart, the fact that he is not a good singer is something I can’t overlook. He can sing all he wants for all I care, I respect it, but me liking it is a different story. I know that’s how a lot of Kanye West fans feel right now, which is why I decided to write this review.
Kanye West’s new album “808s & Heartbreak” is in stores now.
