Latest Thread Images

Why Kanye West = God?
Apr 23, 2011 at 10:46 AM Post #331 of 378
First of all I have no dog in this fight. I have never heard a song by Kanye West, nor do I usually listen to rap, hip-hop or ‘pop’ (popular) music. I haven’t read the whole thread, but just the last few pages, but the thread (like many on Head-Fi) seems to have meandered into semantics. My personal experience and history in general seems to show that things that are eventually considered art are rarely popular at their onset. This is not helped out by the fact that today anyone that puts out a CD is considered an ‘artist’.
 
The semantics part:
 
Definition of MUSICIAN
: a composer, conductor, or performer of music; especially : instrumentalist
 
In my world, Kanye would be a performer, but not a musician. And I’m with Uncle Eric on this one. I have studied music and play an instrument, but there is still a big difference between me and Eric Clapton. IMO, I am a guitar player and EC is a musician.
 
Definition of PLAGIARIZE
: present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source.
 
By definition, sampling (of music, not sounds) is plagiarizing. Otherwise, any punk with access to Google image and Photoshop is a ‘photographer’.
 
In the old days, anyone who foretold the future would have their words written down and buried in a clay jar. At a later date, they would dig up the jar. If the words were true, you were deemed a prophet. If not, you were killed. On the possibility that andtobis has spotted the future of music, I ask that you suggest a couple examples from some of the better songs by Mr. West so that I may listen to them and perhaps discover something that I am missing. In the meantime, copy your posts to a notebook and read them in 30 years. You will either realize that your vision was too limited (like when at one time I thought Coors was the finest beer in the world), or you are truly a prophet. Either way you’re bound to smile.
 
 
Apr 23, 2011 at 1:38 PM Post #332 of 378
Points taken, I guess people have different opinions depending on the music genres that they like.
 

 
Apr 23, 2011 at 4:19 PM Post #336 of 378
These are quick notes/impressions from a first listen by someone who has never listened to this performer (or rap in general). I won’t comment on the quality of the recording. My software shows an average replaygain of about negative 10!  By track#:
 
1)                  Good until talking (singing?)  childish lyrics. Nice song without the talking (rapping?)
 
2)                  sounds like 70’s rock.  Good.   Same problem though, rapping. Love the guitar (fuzz – left channel)
 
3)                  How many times have I passed this car in the ghetto? King Crimson? This would make a great song to listen to downhill skiing…fast
 
4)                  Nice, very nice. Great strings.
 
5)                  Good song. Reminds me of driving cross-country and you’re hearing a radio that plays Beyonce type stuff, but you’re between stations and some crap from another station keeps breaking in (Kanye talking)
 
6)                  My opinion of music is it requires some type of melody. This song substitutes beat and protest lyrics. Epitomizes rap to me. Probably would’ve liked it when young, but would’ve grown out of it quickly. I might like it better if I took drugs.
 
7)                  Starting to sound the same.
 
8)                  Take out the rap and I’d swear I’ve heard this song before.
 
9)                  Makes me wish I could see the movie this ost type song goes to. This might grow on me. (lyrics are still pretty simplistic though) Punk music by angry young black men? May be my favorite song so far.
 
10)              Metal rap? Iron man on crack? You don’t call this plagiarizing? Nice cover if you called it Black Sabbath West or something. I like it.
 
11)              New favorite from album. Woops, spoke too soon. More rap.  Take out the rapped lyrics and you have a great song. (applies to whole album)  then it turns into a Jamie Foxx routine.
 
12)              ?
 
13)              Music for black panthers?
 
Overall impression is the music is good, but it is periodically interrupted by the drunk guy down on the corner with a microphone preaching. Don’t hate me now  =^)
 
 
Apr 23, 2011 at 8:44 PM Post #337 of 378


Quote:
uncle erik said:
 After you've spent countless hours practicing scales and rehearsing, clicking a mouse deserves zero respect. It takes more effort to tune your instrument.

 
Click to expand...

1+
 
 
 
Apr 23, 2011 at 11:23 PM Post #338 of 378


Quote:
justin uthadude said:
These are quick notes/impressions from a first listen by someone who has never listened to this performer (or rap in general). I won’t comment on the quality of the recording. My software shows an average replaygain of about negative 10!  By track#:
 
1)                  Good until talking (singing?)  childish lyrics. Nice song without the talking (rapping?)
 
2)                  sounds like 70’s rock.  Good.   Same problem though, rapping. Love the guitar (fuzz – left channel)
 
3)                  How many times have I passed this car in the ghetto? King Crimson? This would make a great song to listen to downhill skiing…fast
 
4)                  Nice, very nice. Great strings.
 
5)                  Good song. Reminds me of driving cross-country and you’re hearing a radio that plays Beyonce type stuff, but you’re between stations and some crap from another station keeps breaking in (Kanye talking)
 
6)                  My opinion of music is it requires some type of melody. This song substitutes beat and protest lyrics. Epitomizes rap to me. Probably would’ve liked it when young, but would’ve grown out of it quickly. I might like it better if I took drugs.
 
7)                  Starting to sound the same.
 
8)                  Take out the rap and I’d swear I’ve heard this song before.
 
9)                  Makes me wish I could see the movie this ost type song goes to. This might grow on me. (lyrics are still pretty simplistic though) Punk music by angry young black men? May be my favorite song so far.
 
10)              Metal rap? Iron man on crack? You don’t call this plagiarizing? Nice cover if you called it Black Sabbath West or something. I like it.
 
11)              New favorite from album. Woops, spoke too soon. More rap.  Take out the rapped lyrics and you have a great song. (applies to whole album)  then it turns into a Jamie Foxx routine.
 
12)              ?
 
13)              Music for black panthers?
 
Overall impression is the music is good, but it is periodically interrupted by the drunk guy down on the corner with a microphone preaching. Don’t hate me now  =^)
 
Click to expand...

Im glad somebody here is capable of giving opinions in an unbiased fashion
 
 
 
Apr 25, 2011 at 5:11 PM Post #339 of 378
I've listened to his new album a few times around and it isnt all that bad; took some time for me to get into actually.
 
A lot of people here seem to have the opinion that a person that samples lacks talent and originality. Please check such artists as Dj Shadow or RJD2.
 
Apr 26, 2011 at 5:07 PM Post #340 of 378
1. There's no such thing as an unbiased opinions on music, simply because he doesn't have any expectations to influence his enjoyment of the music doesn't mean his opinion is correct. 
 
2. How many of you people have actually sampled in the way that most hip hop producers do, or just sampled before for that matter? I personally have never tracked Kanye's samples, but some producers the sample is practically untraceable. 
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thWZySbH_Tw
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDHco_rQMHk
 
Take this example. The first video was made out of samples of the second. Would you have guessed that without being first told by me?
 
Most hip hop producers I've traced the samples before 'chop' the samples they take, and in general this involves taking sections of the sample that can be a third of a second long or several and re-arranging them, and often times once they have chopped the sample they change various properties of the sound, equalize it and such, to make it a completely new sound.
 
Another thing to note is that when hip hop producers create drum beats, most of the time they take the sample and chop it and re-arrange the pattern of the drums, so essentially the only thing they are sampling is the sound of the drumset.
 
Apr 27, 2011 at 4:43 PM Post #342 of 378


Quote:
thedreamthinker said:
1. There is no such thing as a "correct opinion", it's an opinion.
 
2. Mr. West samples in an VERY obvious way.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XaDeC2LEdA......compare 
Click to expand...



Opinions are by definition subjective, and therefore biased.
 
Concerning Kanye's sampling, I will say he's certainly not one for chopping, apparently. I'm not going to lie, I do enjoy the way he speeds up samples, however. 
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 2:21 AM Post #343 of 378
The podcast Sound Opinions had a great show about sampling last month.  The first half deals with copyright issues and the second is about artistic ones.  You can listen to it here:
http://www.soundopinions.org/shownotes/2011/031811/shownotes.html
 
And here is a documentary about the world's most famous and heavily-used sample, the Amen Break.
 

 
Apr 28, 2011 at 2:33 AM Post #344 of 378
A sample is a sample, obvious or not. It requires zero musical ability to copy an original piece. You don't have to play an instrument or know a thing about composition to copy someone else. Even if the audience doesn't recognize the plagiarism, the plagiarist still hasn't done anything requiring skill.

Speeding up or slowing down a sample also requires zero talent or musical ability. It's just clicking a mouse these days.

I would not be surprised, either, if Kanye was "borrowing" lyrics from whiny emo teenagers off Facebook, either. They sound exactly like the wrenchingly awful "poems" written by high schoolers who prefer to dress entirely in black. Sincerity does not, in any way, equal talent or quality. Infants are quite sincere in wanting a diaper change. That does not equal art or talent.
 
Apr 28, 2011 at 6:24 AM Post #345 of 378
Aranging multiple samples and making them work together does require some sort of musical ability. Wether it is a lot or a little isn't relevant. Downplaying this because the arranger "clicks a mouse" is nonsense. It requires musical skill to recognize that something sounds better in your arrangement if it's played on a different speed, it doesn't matter how this is accomplished.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 2 (members: 0, guests: 2)
Back
Top