I’m a Fan of Kanye West

I’m on the plane listening to the college dropout. It brings back so many memories. When we made it I had all 6 parents, 4 grandparents and my mom and dad. Now I have my dad and my grandfather.

Music is so nostalgic. Every song I listen to brings me back to when I first played them for my mom, when I first played from for Dame, when I first played them Jay, when I first played them for Kweli, when I first played them for my niggas back in Chi, when the album first came out, when I first called Ebro from Hot 97 and begged him to play through the wire, when DJ Pharris blew me up in the Chi.

We used to be the niggas rocking polo shirts, Louie back packs, paper denim jeans, and exclusive Adidas from Sporty LA. We were the underdogs. I never feel like I’m not the underdog. I never felt completely comfortable. I’m tormented by the need to create. With the loss of McQueen I feel like we lost one of those faces of modern creativity’s Mount Rushmore.

There were times that the only thing that kept me on this earth was the need and responsibility to create. Maybe McQueen felt his job was done because his last collection was the greatest of the decade. We are all so hurt. I know we’re selfish because he brought us so much joy and inspiration.

I know how it feels when the night demons come. We can’t let them control our hands and feet. Sometimes when it hurts so bad we have to just lay in the bed. Just lay in bed and don’t move please, I know how it feels. I wish McQueen could have just been still. Don’t let the psychiatrists give you their drugs because it slows down your wings. Society and public opinion can beat the wings off of angels. When god sees they can’t take it anymore he brings them back home.

During this new album process sometimes I turn the music up and drink and cry. When something sounds so amazing and ground breaking I’m reminded of why I live. I drink the pain of now 2 generations and breathe our melodies and messages. The music keeps us alive.

I was blessed with the opportunity to bring my and others dreams to life. It’s like performing magic or something. It’s surreal. We bring the unrealistic to reality. “Go hard, go hard, go hard” echoes in my dreams. When I wake up and brush my teeth and look in the mirror it’s like I see Michael and my mom and Malcolm. Who’s that African in the background mom? Oh he created the original layouts for the pyramids but was written out the history books and his MTV award was given to “aliens”.

There’s no such thing as fact anymore, only opinion. The closest thing we have to fact is “common opinion”. Everything is an opinion. The way you dress is an expression of your opinion. Your religious beliefs are your opinion. The music you turn up loud is your opinion. For most people it’s easier to just agree. For me the hardest thing is to ‘just’ agree and that is what sparks creativity, the feeling that something can be better, the feeling that something’s missing. The feeling that something’s needed.

- Kanye West

I’m a fan of Kanye West. Most people consider Kanye to be a life-sized d-bag. Personally, I’ve always found him a rather passionate guy. My mother is a passionate woman, and does a lot of things that seem pretentious, fanatical, and heady; Kanye West is the same way. I think we all know the incident from the Video Music Awards where he wrecks Carrie Underwood’s reception of the award for “Best Video of the Year.” I didn’t really have a problem with it. Was it rude? Completely! Did she deserve it in the first place? Nope. This is one case, in my opinion where two wrongs, made a right. The media didn’t see it that way of course, so Kanye was once again made out to be a life-sized d-bag, and Carrie a sweet and innocent 19-year-old girl. Carrie is fake, and Kanye is real. I’m a fan of Kanye West.

I am going to add College Dropout to my playlist this week, and I highly recommend you do the same. Oh, and go create something this week. Anything you feel is needed.

A note to those who think Carrie rightfully deserved that award: If she deserved that award, then why didn’t she win the “Best Female Video of the Year” award as well? Oh that’s right, because Beyonce won that, which means her video was better than Carrie’s, right? Oh wait, it’s the VMA’s, my bad. I should also note that I thought both videos were lame.

I hate to end posts on a negative note, and to even be negative on the site, so once again I ask you to go and create something this week! I don’t care what it is, and no one else cares! Find something you feel is needed and create it. A painting of a frog, a kick-awesome guitar riff, a good dinner for your family, or a journal for your family to read one day. Just create something.

2010
03/03
POSTED BY
Joseph S.
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Art
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Music
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Favorite Releases of February 2010

American VI: Ain’t No Grave by Johnny Cash

The scrapings of the bottom of a barrel. Stained by longing throughout this compilation, his basso profundo thins out in spots to a ragged wheeze. Longing, not for what he is leaving behind, but for what is next. Nevertheless, he is alive and delivering each song with a mastery of style. If there is any justice, Ain’t No Grave will be the last album released under Cash’s name.

Gorilla Manor by Local Natives

An assimilation of its bi-coastal sways. Most critics say this is some sort of algorithm designed to mine and refine indie rock’s most fashionable trends. I agree, to a degree, and in saying that I guess I disagree. Revolutionary or not, for me, this album is a small gem.

I’m New Here by Gil Scott-Heron

Staring in the mirror with self-pity, but not without hope. This album is best appreciated as whole, when you can really absorb what it is he is saying. So sit down, and just listen to this one. My only wish is that it wasn’t produced so well, I mean, it sounds perfect. I am not a fan of perfect sound. Timeless songcraft makes it all worth it though.

Black Noise by Pantha du Prince

Melody over rhythm, for the most part. I’m not a big rhythmic guy, so when I played the first track from this one, I instantly fell in love. Their looping melodies, which in my opinion is time-lapse photography for the ears, are reminiscent of Tycho. Both bring you a trance, without the trance.

2010
03/01
POSTED BY
Joseph S.
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Lighthouse

There was a fanatical female in the jungle, in desperate need of a shower and dead set on finding her lost child. Hurley provided some much-needed comic relief, and Jack’s emotions got the better of him, leading to a violent mirror-smashing episode. Correct me if I am wrong, but haven’t we seen this episode before? I’m gonna’ say it, and I never thought I would, “Lost is boring me.”

Recap

Claire

Jack’s sister Claire has an appalling case of the Rousseau crazies. She has been out in the jungle, with a little company from her “friend”, being attacked by the Others for three years. Likewise, all she wants to know is: Where the heck is Aaron? Jin winds up at Claire’s camp after being caught in one of her traps, and gives Claire the lowdown on Kate taking Aaron and raising him. Fortunately, Jin’s developed a mastery of English over the past three years, and is able to direct Claire into believing he really lied about Kate, and that the Others do have Aaron. That nippy thinking may have saved him and Kate from the blade of Claire’s axe. Sadly, it was not enough to save our Other friend who was captured along with Jin. Things get a little tenser in camp when we find out, surprisingly, that her “friend” is the smoke monster Locke.

Jack

Hurley’s mission takes he and Jack on another trek through the jungle, which coincidentally leads them by the caves where they used to live, forcing Jack to come face to face with his father’s empty casket. The pair arrives at the lighthouse, which begs the question, “How is it that there are so many things they’ve never seen before on the island?” About half a second after asking myself this, Jack expresses the same opinion. Scenes like this one are making me bored with the show. At the top of the lighthouse, which is ancient in age, we find a mirror system, which is used to direct light. The system consists of pulling a chain to rotate this mirror around a dial, which is marked with numbers. Numbers, which also have names beside them, just like in the cave we saw in last week’s episode. Jack realized this, instantly finds his name on the wheel, and turns the dial to his number, 23. When lighthouse’s dial is turned to 23 degrees, Jack sees his childhood residence reflected in the lighthouse’s mirror and, well, loses it. He demands Hurley to enlighten him on why Jacob has been watching him his entire life, a question everyone else would almost certainly like answered as well, and proceeds to destroy the mirror in a fit of frustration. Then, true to form, he sits on a cliff side perch and broods.

In the new reality we find out Jack has a son. I am quite positive this is new information, as I do not recall ever hearing of a child that he needed to get back to. I am confident that this would have come up before and fairly frequently if so. That said, David’s mother remains a mystery. More nagging than that, though, is the appearance of Dogan at David’s piano performance. He talks to Jack and tells him that David has a “special gift.” He tells him this after they both witness David performing at a piano recital; something tells me there is more to this line than made out to be. One thing that remains consistent between island Jack and alternate Jack is his struggle with the emotions left after his father’s death. He tries to be a more supportive father than Christian was to him.

Thoughts

One thing I am superbly happy about is that we are finally getting something about the numbers. Not a whole lot mind you, but a consistent stream of info is coming in now, sorta’.

I feel like we have seen pretty much all of this stuff before. It feels kinda’ old I suppose is what I’m saying. This is the final season, every episode should be filled with new information!

With all of the appearances, by those who were in the island before, in the new reality, I’m beginning to think that maybe the bomb reset the lives of everyone to ever live on the island. That said, it makes no sense because we have Jacob, Richard, and Smokey who have been there since forever. They died perhaps?

One other thing, and this is on Smokey. For a while my friend Brandon over at [link], has been calling Smokey by the name Esau. I never really paid any attention to this, and now I regret not doing so. I was reading in Genesis today when that name popped up in the footers of my scriptures. I immediately turned to the Bible Dictionary to find this:

Elder son of Isaac and twin brother of Jacob. The two brothers were rivals from their birth and became the ancestors of rival nations, the Israelites and Edomites, Esau sold to Jacob his birthright by which he lost both the leadership of the tribe and also the covenant blessing. He married against the wishes of his parents, and settled in Mount Seir. He was living there on Jacob’s return from Padan- aram. By that time he saw clearly that the covenant blessing and the land of Canaan would not be his, and the brothers separated in friendly fashion. Of Esau’s subsequent history nothing is known.

Something tells me that they are not separating in friendly fashion in this version of the story, or that this has absolutely nothing to do with the Bible. Either way, I’m going to start calling Smokey, Esau as well.

New Questions

Who is David’s mother?

Is the real Claire still there deep down inside her Smokey heart?

2010
02/28
POSTED BY
Joseph S.
CATEGORY
Television
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