Tag Archive for: Kanye West

Artist collaborations infuse dynamic firepower into rap genre


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Many successful rap songs feature memorable guest appearances. What would Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” have sounded like without Alicia Keys? Or how would B.o.B’s smash hit “Airplanes” have fared without the assistance of Paramore frontwoman Hayley Williams? The hip-hop genre is notorious for eccentric and unexpected, yet highly successful collaborations. They allow rap to […]

Four different songs for the Easter season


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On Easter this last Sunday, if you’re Christian, you might have marked the occasion with traditional choral music. Or if you’re especially unorthodox, perhaps you listened to some Christian Rock. Here, in honor of the recent holiday, are four great songs about Jesus that you will never hear on Easter. Sufjan Stevens—”The Transfiguration“ Sufjan Stevens’ […]

Bands to look out for at Coachella


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Last week the buzz was all about Coachella’s lineup. Much to the dismay of many followers of the Internet rumor mill and Tron fans, Daft Punk was not on the list. That’s fine with me. The world’s favorite costumed knob-twiddler duo headlined Lollapalooza a few years ago. Oh, wait. So did the rest of these […]

A New Breed of Coachella?


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Although Coachella has never been a headliner-centric festival, the 2011 bill is surprisingly underwhelming.

Music in 2010 ranged from appealing to disappointing


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Death Cab for Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard once whined, “So this is the new year / and I don’t feel any different.” Thankfully, in 2010, things were different from the year before. Sobby emo music like Death Cab was no longer popular, and Kanye West pushed the creative boundaries of contemporary music. Now that it’s […]

Retailers and labels shouldn’t interfere with artists’ work


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Kanye West is not a happy man. “Yoooo they banned my album cover!!!!!” West tweeted earlier this week. “Banned in the USA!!!” read one twitpic caption, and another tweet said, “In the 70s album covers had actual nudity … It’s so funny that people forget that … Everything has been so commercialized now.” My Beautiful […]