Thoughts On Backlash Against Kanye West Headlining at Glastonbury?
 

Just wondering what other people's thoughts are on this one. Tens of thousands of people have signed a petition against him headlining. I've heard commentary that "any rock band" headlining would be better than Kanye West. But then I also read a column in the Metro yesterday (I can't link to it as I haven't posted on this forum enough to qualify yet) suggesting that there might be some racism or lack of openness to other music genres coming into play. The commentator remarked that Glastonbury is a very "white" festival.

What are your thoughts? Should the headline act at Glastonbury be a rock artist as a rule?

I think it's dumb.

I support anything that doesn't support Kanye.

I signed the petition a couple of times, I can't stand when people have different tastes from me. Especially when it's something as dire as a big festival where I can find some superior rock group that's playing at the same time on a different stage. People need to understand that rap isn't music, and their love for Kanye is perpetuating this anti-music.

I couldn't care less about Kanye West or his music but with all the choices of acts to check out at Glastonbury, his performing there wouldn't bother me in the slightest if I was planning to attend the festival. And I wonder how many of the people who signed it would actually be going to the festival even if he didn't perform there.

Plot twist: Kanye started the petition himself to gain more traction.

I get the most confused/lost look on my face when I hear anyone speak praise on Kanye's 'genius' or 'originality' with his music.

Rap is in a sorry state these days. Outright pathetic.

Check yourself brother.

What for?

We're all outspoken here, last I checked.

My opinion on Kanye is that the fans he has (most of them) give him far too much credit for his music. What's he contributed that's actually worth a damn to music in general? In my mind, nothing but another inflated ego from a guy that really thinks his sh*t don't stink.

Don't give me those 'his music sounds good so I like it" replies. Give me a reason to not write Kanye off completely and the bullsh*t he passes off as music.

That wasn't directed at your comments toward Kanye, I could give 2 ****s about his music. It was your complete dismissal of an entire genre of music because of one artist you don't like.

NO man.

This is not just based around Kanye. I've followed Rap (never been a fan) since 1999. I was born in '87 so I heard more of the older Rap from uncle's and other family or friends within the family. I would rather listen to Rap from the early 80's than a lot of what is out now; where's the heart, the soul, the passion, the raw talent? Because I just don't see a lot of that in many Rap artists right now. I don't just spew sh*t without having some kind of reason to, especially in regards to any kind of music. I have the respect to at least have some knowledge so I'm not just spewing hate.

A lot of the Rap I am calling worthless sh*t, is the popular Rap you hear all over, see all over TV. My opinion...all of that is garbage, but people buy in to simple music like that like it's going out of style. If I asked you what Rap artists out there you think are worth a damn. How many of them would I already know you'd list that are part of what is wrong with the Rap movement present day? And that's if you even listen to it, if not, then whatever.


I just do not hear or see anything worth it that's coming out of the woodwork man. In the underground, and in mainstream. And a lot of what people have shown me here that they assure me is the good stuff...I just haven't had it dawn on me what exactly so special about those artists.

Rap just does nothing for me. And I've tried getting in to it my entire life, because I want to like it. Just sad that all that ever is talked about in it is stupid sh*t like big booty hoes and how much gold is in their mouth (I know it's not all like that, so spare that part of your reply please haha...)

If you know it's not all like that then why did you say that's "all that ever is talked about in it"? :confused:

What should have followed this was "all that is talked about in %95 of what's popular on TV and radio"...or something along those lines.

I don't want to get in a battle of twisted words or poor wording though. Anyone can argue against my claims, completely fine by me.

CoNtrived NiHilism, you should know better than to make sweeping generalizations about genres of music, and then try to act like you know more about the genre than anyone else. As a wise man once said:

So a lot of popular music is formulaic, including rap (which, over the years, has become more accepted into the pantheon of pop); when has that not been the case for a widely embraced genre?

i know next to nothing about Kanye West.

what is it that people hate so much about him?

I think it's mostly that his music sucks and he's an arrogant asshat.

http://img2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb2...9f/Booyah!.gif

Ya, there's that.

I remember saying that.

I'm still that guy that said it.

I'm allowed my one slip up every now and then.

I deserve a pardon.

Let him play there.

I can hardly wait for all the youtube videos of him getting bottles of piss thrown at him that'll result from it.

:D not gonna lie. that does usually make for some good watching.

Frownland- errr how exactly can you argue that rap is not music.

Also Contrivednihilism, rap may be in dire need of reconnecting with its much more compelling past. Whatever happened to original, raw, honest, grassroots storytelling against some killer beats, I ask myself..! But at the same time, I don't see how you can argue that mainstream rock produces anything of much more quality.

On the subject of Kanye's so-called genius: in my opinion, Kanye is one of those artists with unfulfilled potential. Some of the music in College Dropout reflects a person groping towards greatness. There's some flashes of emerging genius in some of the lyrics. But I haven't liked any of his work ever since. I think the fact that he doesn't live in the real world and has embraced a plastic celebrity lifestyle is key to the disintegration in his music quality. To be a great rapper you need to exist in the real world. It didn't do him any favours but Tupac never lost that connection to the tough life he came from. It meant his music never lost its grit. Kanye is just not comparable in any way.

maybe because a lot of modern rap music is tits, bitches, guns and ho's.

maybe i'm not seeing the big picture, but that's all modern rap is to me.

i'm not saying that there aren't good rappers, but to my knowledge, those seem to be 80's and 90's artists.

besides, some rappers have amazing bassists.

i once saw a video of two rappers letting their bassists have a massive bass battle on stage.

i don't remember who they were, only that it was awesome.

Well, actually today's rock does produce better music than some of what you hear from Rap today. I think that's not something I'd label a fact, more so a truth. I honestly feel that Rock has always produced better music than Rap has, Rap has had some fantastic music output in some periods of time but I don't consider today's time one of them. Rock is still writing about a wider range of topics than today's Rap: The topic of sex, women in general, money, cars, a big house, self praise exists in today's Rock too, just it's not the only thing ever being written about, much like in some much of Rap today.

All of this is just my opinion, I'm not forcing my view or anything. I just can't agree with you that Rock isn't producing better music. Because my opinion is that yes, Rock is in fact producing better music or the output of better music is more frequent. I am however frustrated that so much of Rock today though doesn't seem to put in a large amount of effort in their song arrangements or songwriting. The aim is just to copy whatever sound in Rock music is popular at the time to become a national touring band, win those awards, get those platinum album plaques, or things like that. Overall, Rock to me is still the stronger genre of music and still with all the seemingly stagnant or dullness of the music, it's got more going for it than Rap right now. I feel funny saying that though because Rap is a more dominant genre currently...

Nah dude, rock has been kind of stale lately, at least in popular terms. There are still a lot of great artists who are more niche, but I'd say that hip hop is evolving more so.

I know of only scraps of his music but they booked him for a reason, either correctly or incorrectly. I say let him headline and make a fool of himself to justify all of this and more criticism, or let him play a monstrous hit-laden set and entertain millions of people, all the while giving the festival a bit of diversity. You don't have to watch it either way.

Always try and make it into a win-win.

Hm...

Yeah, maybe hip hop has evolved more or is changing more than Rock is. But you know Frownland. I did state that Rock has got a dullness or is in a stagnant period. So we agree there. An rap or hip hop to Rock ration though. I've liked more from Rock this past two years or more than what I have liked from hip hop or rap. It's not really surprising though, because neither rap or hip hop has been music I've really liked a whole lot.

I have to agree that Rock is definitely the more stale genre, it's been pretty stagnant for a long time now. I mean, say what you will about Hip-Hop, but it's definitely a genre that encourages experimentation and the incorporation of different genres more readily. I know Kanye is arrogant and overrated, but for a popular artist to follow an album like MBDTF with an album like Yeezus, sound wise, took a lot of balls, and showed this his interests don't lie in pure commercialism musically, so I respect him for that. Plus it's a really good album even if his rapping is generally pretty bad. I love rock with all my heart, it's my main genre, but I'm not going to sit here and lie that the state of popular rock is anything less than dismal at the moment.

It's my third time saying it now; yes, Rock is in a stale period where pushing the envelope forward has become an afterthought. Rock is my secondary genre, where Metal is my go to. Metal is more experimentally driven, Rock right now is content with being simple and radio driven.

There's no question that Hip Hop or Rap is more experimental than Rock is right now. But does it make sense when I still want to say Rock is producing better music still, even with Hip Hop and Rap being more experimental and wanting to keep things fresh, in a sense? It's probably just me like/dislike for Hip Hop, Rap that's got me saying that.

The 80's may have been a bland or boring point for Rock to some. But I think that today's bands should reference some of those bands and even those from the 70's and further back if they want to get out of this rut.

Well it's only natural, rock has had a lot of time to evolve while hip hop is still developing.

Give it some more time. Rock will bounce back. History shows that it always has.

Hip Hop and Pop music are the best genres to follow right now in terms of experimentation and evolution, at least in my experience. Lots of cool shit going on.

Where's this cool sh*t in those genre's? I've listened to non-commercial/mainstream, to mainstream for both and I just cannot hear anything innovative or that I haven't heard already. I'm picky Goofle.

His talent.

He has too much of it and haters just can't handle it.

Nah, it's his ego that I dislike.

Dude has openly said, more than once, nobody is better than he is. People started telling him he's good when he first started, then he went platinum, won some awards, got told he's really good, so he's taken all of that to extremes and outright claims he's the best there ever is, and ever will be.

Shut the f*ck up Kanye.

You might dig bubblegum bass. Maybe not. I'm guessing you've heard future funk/vaporwave? Neither are likely to break the mainstream, but it's definitely an interesting sub-section of pop music.

And there's plenty of Hip Hop that's going in weird directions, such as Death Grips, Billy Woods, Moodie Black, Ceschi and Coin Locker Kid. Even things like cloud rap and trap music are always evolving and re-inventing themselves.

Edit: Sorry if somebody has already said this, but who gives a flying fuck if Kanye West thinks he's the shit? Can we all not just get over it?

He's not really the first rapper to make that claim, is he?

Do you understand that it's no coincidence he's on everybody's mouths lately? he's a subpar rapper and a decent producer but he is a media icon.

Of all the arrogant rappers out there he's at the top and it's not even cause of his music. he's sticking it to everybody and i luv it.

A lot of people really like him music too, which is kinda mind blowing right?

Holy ****! I had no idea that celebrities could be so self centred. What a unique phenomenon. Imagine if Kanye ever said he was bigger than Jesus, now that would be groundbreaking.