I didn't see it on Saturday Night Live (SNL), but supposedly Kanye West really had a bad singing performance. Accused of lip synching or, worse yet, the sound was so bad, not lip synching! The fan comments at the bottom of this TMZ page are kind of funny: - http://www.tmz.com/2008/12/14/the-worst-voice-of-our-generation/ Less than 24 hours after appearing on "Saturday Night Live," Kanye was getting attacked for singing like "bad karaoke." - http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/music_blog/2008/12/digging-kanye-w.html He should probably just stick to rapping/speaking on records - not trying to sing pop songs.
That song as you hear it on the album and radio was Autotuned VERY heavily (i.e., pitch corrected via either a piece of voice pitch correcting software or hardware). He does not have the voice to pull this off raw acapella. I just do not like the guy. He's a mouthy brat. RMX
I actually like his music, but he has to be my least favorite celebrity out there, it really made me mad when he broke a paparazzi's camera a couple months back and all I remember is him getting a slap on the wrist.
Fan of the music but not the person. The kanye as evil kneivel video is good though. Gold Digger is a great song too.
Kanye West has already gone down in history as one of the best hip-hop producers ever, and when all's said and done, I'm sure he'll go down as one of the greatest urban musical acts of our time. Unless you're a groupie or 5 years old, it shouldn't matter if you like him as a person or not because he's a musician and you should be listening to his MUSIC. With regards to the performance, it was brutal, as have all his performances featuring songs from his new album. No surprises there. He's not a singer, and as already mentioned without autotune he simply does not have the vocal capabilities to pull off the songs.
Hammer was a novelty. Kanye is talented and fascinating (though i can't stand him). He'll be around for a long time. That time he got on tv and blamed George Bush for the flood in New Orleans and said he (Bush) doesn't care about black people i wanted to reach through the tv and strangle him. Felt bad that his mother died from complications after a facelift and he (kayne) blamed himself. Oddly fascinating guy..that new song (name escapes me) is good too.
To quote yourself, "You kidding me?" MC Hammer was a manufactured gimmick - he didn't write his own music, produce his own songs, or anything of the sort. He was simply a young black male chosen by the record label to be the face of a project that they were producing. This is no different than how the major record labels operate today. Anyone can rap the lyrics "Music hits me so hard, makes me say 'oh my lord'". To even draw a comparison between MC Hammer and Kanye West immediately discredits you and portrays yourself as ignorant at best.
Yea, some people should really not sing. Compare that to David Lee Roth's isolated vocal track from "Runnin' with the Devil" that was leaked to the web not too long ago and you can hear the difference between what makes a legend and a wana-be. I agree, in 5 or more years this guy will have been another flash in the pan. Vocal track here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlgE5TKXWsA
I'd like to see what David Lee Roth sounds like when he's rapping... If you guys are going to argue something, at least make the points you're arguing valid, and your comparisons COMPARABLE!
"Through The Wire" was and has been his best song imo. He's trying to hard to be a singer when he's not.
I would argue that you cant see the forest for the trees. 99.9% of ALL recording artists...rock, pop, rap, country are FORGOTTEN within a few decades. Kayne did not do anything groundbreaking. He will not be remembered. As far as rap the ones who will be remembered are Tupac, Jay Z , Dr. Dre.
I just find it funny when people who have no idea what they’re talking about try and come across as authoritative on a subject that they’re so clearly clueless about. I don't even like Kanye West that much to be honest, but to deny his talent and impact on pop culture is foolish. He’s explicitly said that he wants to become to Michael Jackson of our time and I have no doubts that he will succeed in doing so. Kanye West brought soul back to hip-hop, and for that he will absolutely be remembered. What did Dr. Dre, Jay-z, or Tupac do that was so revolutionary (or than being killed)?
Michael Jackson has been forgotten. So you have just destroyed your own argument. In another 10 years no one will remember MJ at all. Again...you cant see the forest for the trees. Just because someone is mega famous for 5 years..a decade... TWO decades... doesnt mean anyone will remember them in 50 years. Elvis Sinatra Beatles These are examples of artists that will be remembered forever. Are you saying that Kanye is going to achieve that level of immortality ? PU-LEEZ. And this has nothing to do regarding if he is talented or not. It has to do with the FACT that only 1% of musicians achieve that kind of longetivity. here are some examples of artists that will NOT be remembered in 50 years... Michael Jackson Madonna Prince And at one point all were MUCH more famous than Kanye. Its not up to me to prove he cant..its up to you to prove why he CAN.
Oh, we know rap music. Check this out: http://www.videosift.com/video/Rich-white-kids-in-Marthas-Vineyard-rap-for-their-love-of-alcoholic-tea-products-and-their-sheltered-existence
LOL!!!! Youre a riot. I was comparing his (Kanye's) singing to someone who can sing and then you say that's not a fair comparison, I should compare their rapping? That's not what's being discussed here. The thread title makes a point of his self-destruct on SNL, promoting his new album that he sings on. His impact on pop culture is miniscule compared to rap artist that have come before him. What about Public Enemy and Chuck D?!? As big as Kanye, if not larger in their prime, and they had a HUGE impact on other artist outside of their genre. How many kids these days could name a Public Enemy song????? Exactly. If they've been forgotten by now Kanye will be replaced by the "next great rapper" in no time. Besides the entire genre of Hip-Hop and Rap is on a downward slide.
When people mention MJ in 10 years, If at all he will be remembered only for his jebus juice and kiddy fiddling. For the rest I completely agree with you. Kanye wont be remembered, He's a cocky brat who thinks he's the best thing since slice bread. Fact: Everytime Kanye opens his mouth, crap comes out.
Ok, you had me going until this point. Holy hell. Oh, you all forgot Biggy too, my "fav" rapper. Might as well toss PissDiddy in the mix and Wyclef Jean. Personally I think Kanye brought a lot to the table for many years. Recently he's been mouthy and sure, whatever, that's his style. So are a lot of famous rappers, just not so much in public. That does not mean I agree with his rampant spewing of crap, just that it's normal. To clear the air on a few things, "Autotune" has been around forever, though these days it's just a computer plug-in used during the mix down. If I told you all Sinatra was "vocally modified" would you believe me? Well he was. Most singers are to some extent. Acts like Taylor Swift would require a LOT more processing time (a day a song haha) than someone like Faith Hill (who can actually sing). In the old days they used to slow down and speed up the tape reels by hand to make tuning adjustments. There are a lot of studio fx that can be used to mask improperly sung vocal parts (and other parts for that matter), delays, reverbs, flangers, etc. My point is that "studio doctoring" has been around since the start of time. It's nothing new. Most rappers can't sing worth a hoot live anyway, even some of the best. It's just the way it is, so lets not start a war over what Kanye can do live because I can almost guarantee that your other "favorite" artists can suck just as bad live. Now there are some people out there that can really sing well, but they are few and far between.