onthebeatntrack

Everyone has at least one muso they would say is their favourite – don’t they? I only say that because I have about 47 and … alright, I’ll stop there because I know that you’re thinking 47 sounds a little excessive even for someone as hyperbole prone as me. In my defense, these objects of my affection have been collected over a 20+ year career as an obsessive music spectator/ enthusiastic back-up vocalist.

Some may have earned their deserving place in that special collective of “people I do unpaid publicity work for” after releasing only one spectacular album (Friendly Fires) and perhaps followed that up with one totally intoxicating live show (Fever Ray). Maybe they’ve been around for ages and have delivered two incredible albums over ten or more years (Fiona Apple) and perhaps I’ve been blown away after seeing these two albums performed live (take a bow Christina Aguilera – ah, you weren’t there, you can’t know).

What if someone has delivered FIVE albums of their own in just over a seven year period – ALL of which I’ve LOVED. AND I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing three live shows in that time. Add to this their impressively prolific CV of work as a producer/ songwriter for others, many of whom are amongst my remaining 46-or-so favourites. Now, you couldn’t possibly argue with that person’s inclusion, could you? In case you’re not sure – the answer is no, no you couldn’t.

My first conscious introduction came all the way back the first time I heard Alicia Keys’ You Don’t Know My Name – all those baby baby babys together with the xylophonic-backed oooh, oooh, ooohs totally serenaded me from in amongst the song’s general glorious vintage beauty. I soon learned c/- the CD sleeve that it was co-written and produced by one Kanye West. The curious part of me sorta said “I wonder who that is?” and the complete know-it-all part of me went on a void filling investigation to find out.

In my investigation I discovered that all of those xylophonic-backed oooh, oooh, ooohs actually came courtesy of an old soul song called Let Me Prove My Love To You by the Main Ingredient (lead singer Cuba Gooding SNR: Fact).

AND, without wanting to get too ahead of ourselves, Kanye later then sampled You Don’t Know My Name on a lush track by Lil Wayne and Babyface called Comfortable, from Lil Wayne’s rarely lush but always freaktastic album Tha Carter III.

Kanye’s use of sampling is just one element of his impressive musicality (actual word!) and it’s not only an important part but I reckon one of the parts you’ll find most interesting. Sampling became his trademark as a producer and it’s been satisfying to see, well, hear how this craft has evolved, particularly since much of his earlier work tended to use ‘older’ tracks from previous eras – Pat Benatar, Aretha Franklin, the Doors and, perhaps most famously, Ray Charles on Kanye’s own Gold Digger – taking these to the new generations of listeners who are not necessarily wedded or even familiar with the original. Recently he’s been using more current and famous – at times even infamous – songs, often very dear to his desired audience. That’s risky business. But this isn’t covering the track or even rehashing the sampled section – it’s reinventing it.

Some of my favourite recent Kanye-as-producer samples make a persuasive opening argument:

• T.I. (and co)’s Swagga Like Us using a single line from the middle of one verse in MIA’s Paper Planes,
• Jay Z’s Brooklyn (We Go Hard) using the opening four words from Santogold’s Shove It,
• Kid Cudi’s Make Her Say using a live version of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face exposing the suggestive wordplay in the original so he gets to “p-p-p-poke her face, p-p-poke her face”. Cleverly comedic and still somehow credible, AND
• Kanye’s own Stronger – seriously, who takes on someone as sacred as Daft Punk and wins?!?

(You should be nodding by now. Please start nodding.)

While there have been many important and magic moments created by Kanye for others, it is the work he creates for himself which really substantiates his talent and will, deservedly, be his legacy – well, that and being remembered as “a bit of a dick” thanks to those now infamous Kanyetroversies.

Under the banner of his own name, Kanye’s first four albums were a chronology of consistently impressive, innovative and individually characterised pieces of work. While each deserves recognition as a stand alone effort, they are each even more impressive when considered as part of THIS collective progressive four piece:

1. the class clown meets old soul charm of the College Dropout (e.g. Jesus Walks, the New Workout Plan, Slow Jamz)
2. the grand sophistication of follow up Late Registration (e.g. Gold Digger, Touch the Sky, Heard ‘em Say)
3. the bold electroniclassical vibe of Graduation (e.g. Stronger, Flashing Lights, Homecoming)
4. the self-indulgent melancholy of the divisive 808s & Heartbreak (e.g. Love Lockdown, Welcome to Heartbreak, Amazing) – a fascinating achievement no matter what your view on its listenability. For the record, my view is entirely favourable.

Each of these albums distinctively different, yet each drenched in a character and personality distinctively HIS – and more importantly, each of them absolutely essential in his evolution when considered in the context of his most recent chapter: the MASTERPIECE that is MY Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

I’d been waiting the arrival of 21 November for some weeks – since I asked that guy at a London HMV when the new Kanye West CD would be available for purchase to which he replied “how do you spell Kanye?”. Had my rape whistle been on my person I would’ve blown it until the people came to take the bad man somewhere he won’t do any more harm. Men-that-clearly-should-be-driving-trucks-instead-of-working-in-CD-stores aside, I made the post 21 November purchase, loaded it onto my iPod and we’ve been all but inseparable ever since.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy has many distinct traces of each of those first four albums and yet it’s a superior and utterly unique achievement in itself – Kanye is at the top of every aspect of his game.

Hip-Hop is the one genre that I enjoy talking about the most – and unfortunately the one that is generally received the worst (add Kanye West into the mix and you can imagine how popular I might be in person). I’ve said before that I truly believe there is a little hip-hop out there for everyone – they just have to find it – and I truly believe that Kanye West will be the man to help a lot of people find their hip-hop and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy would be a beautiful dark twisted start.

What makes IT so special? Glad I asked!

The Sampling: I mentioned Kanye’s sampling earlier and how diverse his taste and ear for music is. Those who like their folk with a side of indie will be familiar with the name Bon Iver though wouldn’t generally associate the name with Kanye West – until now. Bon Iver not only adds another personality to the psychosis that is Monster, Bon Iver’s track Woods is sampled on the genre bending Lost in the World: it’s autotune acapella balladry and tribal beats and hip hop poetry and happy clappy church choir. AND it’s magnificent.

The Diversity: While collectively diverse, the previous four albums have each largely worked to a ‘theme’ and been reasonably consistent within their ‘genre’ for their duration, but My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy within one album is a diverse journey through all of what can constitute as credible hip-hop AND how hip-hop can work with other genres of music, something that Kanye West has done arguably better than anyone else (though, Missy Elliott is a worthy runner up). I mean, he’s taking appealing credible indie and pop music to the hip-hop kids and inventive and bold hip-hop music to the indie and pop kids. And not just any 50 Cent ‘hip-hop’ – good stuff. Actually, some of the best stuff. Everyone will find something they like on this album.

The Wordsmith(rhym)ery: Kanye’s tracks each usually tell a story. Whether he’s satirising aspects of the African American culture or discussing the plight of its people, and particularly when he’s reflecting on social, political or moral dilemmas he’s always making a point. It’s not always made eloquently and Kanye West is not someone people are always going to agree with, but his way with words together with his extraordinary grasp on pop culture provides for a damn entertaining musical argument, first seen in The College Dropout which was home to such gems as “she couldn’t afford a car so she named her daughter A-lexus”.

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy shows a few perfect examples of this clever playful wordplay, like  “too many Urkels on your team, that why your wins-low”, “sex is on fire, I’m the King of Leon-a Lewis” and “so much head I woke in Sleepy Hollow” – and that’s just in the opening track, Dark Fantasy. All of those words and more over one of the slickest and most inescapably engaging beats he’s ever created.

AND, of course, THE Tracks: The ambitious grand theatrics of All of the Lights so easily could (should!) have been a greedy novelty mess with its guest list of 11 but somehow he’s not only made it work, it’s an absolute triumph.

A monster by name and a MTHRFCKN MNSTR by nature, Monster is 6:19 of manic bliss. Ohhh, that honking squashed bass! Respect to Nicki Minaj who unforgettably KILLS that final verse – this is what I live for, indeed you motherf’ing monster.

Like Dark Fantasy, both So Appalled and Gorgeous are all sharp verses and anthemic choruses backed by stunning monotonous and mesmerising no-frills beats, albeit they feel a little more morbid than Dark Fantasy which has a definite spring in its step. Kanye has never ever rapped with such accomplishment before – he does find his Nas flow.

The single piano key tapping at the beginning of Runaway sets up one of my favourite moments on the album, when suddenly your ears are enveloped by that beautiful wobbly wall of sound and it’s here, throughout Runaway, when it becomes entirely clear how necessary 808s & Heartbreaks was – and still is. If 808s was the precocious brat having the tantrum, Runaway is a more grown up expression  and sly acknowledgement of his flaws in lieu of a straight out apology. Blame Game sounds like another moment all the better for the uninhibited emotion on 808s.

While I couldn’t pick an absolute favourite, it is the electricity of Power that I return to time and time again, totally submitting to it’s force more with each listen. Like so many of the other tracks the title is so representative of the sound and mood it generates – exactly as the title of the album is PERFECT for its entire contents.

As I read back over ALL of this (yes, it’s a long one – again – soz) it makes ME want to go back and listen to it all, from start to finish and then all over again, again. I truly LOVE his music. Whether you also do, or you don’t, I know that this eclectic taste, musical ambition and interest in all worldly things should endear him to the masses – and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy perfectly showcases all of this, his best qualities.

He might claim “they say I was the abomination of Obama’s nation” but Mr West, I say you are certainly the imagination of my gen’ation (sorry, that was the best that I could do – I said HE was talented, I said nothing of the sort about myself).

Hopefully you’ll start to see the talent over the tantrums. And if not, two words: Gold Digger. I can’t imagine there’s a single person in this world who can’t appreciate the genius of that.

PS. For those that have Spotify, I’ve made two playlists:

1. A sample of Kanye’s samples, including – in chronological order (as best I could) the original track and then the Kanye production that samples  http://open.spotify.com/user/onthebeatntrack/playlist/58ApEGcgB3Y5Ihw5c9s7tH
2. A selection of some of the more generally appealing Kanye tracks, again in chronological order  http://open.spotify.com/user/onthebeatntrack/playlist/4358SFmli69V7kxr8iUipf