For Paul.

I said I would share stuff to you dude and here it is!

Kanye breakdown. 

He's a much more complicated artist* than many realise because of all the nonsense that goes with him, so you can either love him or hate him, but I feel he deserves respect. I like to think of him as a collective artist, rather than just a rap celebrity.  I may be over thinking him but I like to think his entire life is a performance, and I think he does too given his self reflective lyrics and actions.

Take this song 'Runaway' - this was on his first album after his infamous Taylor Swift stage incident.  It gets passed over as it wasn't a pop hit, and I feel that even the guest inclusion rapper is on there just to offer a comparrison of how that kind of attitude is on normal rap songs, compared to what he is going for.    It's not a rap song, in the traditional sense.  Just an outpouring.

This was his performance at glastonbury.  He's a superstar and if you watch from 09:20 for a few minutes at least in the dark, on the big screen, it's amazing.   Just him, the lights, the music and the crowd.  He gets interrupted by Lee Nelson, but then just starts over, even better.

http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/watch-kanye-wests-full-glastonbury-set-new-video.34388.html

Go to 1.06.40 for runaway live.  Maybe I just like that song :)

Despite all his bravado, he's incredibly self aware.  I think he's needs his ego to feed his perfomances and art, but I think that when you only see his ego and his antics, we miss out on the overall package.

He's also (although often forgotten about) responsible for some of the most revered rap albums as a producer, and his first solo album was stopped due to a car accident where his jaw was broken, and that resulted in 'Through the Wire' where he rapped with his mouth shut.

Regarding him being an artist, I honestly feel he's knocking on the door of something amazing artistically, but it's a 'two steps forward, one step back' as he makes some great art, and transcends his peers, but then does something so incoherant and attention seeking it undoes any credit. Even his current marriage I wonder is part of an overall performance.  Probably not, but maybe so, and we'll find out one day.

Great guide to his early albums here. Worth a 10 minute read, which certainly put some of his other actions in perspective.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Music/comments/1hl2dh/guide_to_kanye_west/

It's not all serious, Dave Chappelle recalls his first meeting with Kanye before he was famous....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4SYIfhzMmU

South Park

You have to watch the last season of SP if you can, and this one is only getting better.

http://watchcartoonsonline.eu/watch/south-park-s19-ep1-stunning-and-brave/

This is the first episode of season 19, and there are only 10 episodes a season, but it's totally worth it.  My only issue with SP now is that they don't censor the swearing.  They used to, and I have no proble, with it, but generally I think it makes it funnier when it's bleeped.

I can't tell you how good the show is getting.