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August 27, 2007

Kanye Doesn't Dis TV On The Radio

As if it hasn't been obvious, Kanye fessed up to the New York Times in this weekend's article: he's on a mission to make you think he's cool. So if you're keeping score: To the list of sampling Daft Punk, getting Takashi Murakami to illustrate Graduation's cover art, hooking up with Zach Galifiankis & Will Oldham, offering a Way Out performance with Peter Bjorn & John, and flying Vinnie Chase's posse to Cannes in his private jet on last night's Entourage, add this carefully studied non-slam of Kyp, Tunde, Sitek et al:

Via NYT:

“I love TV on the Radio’s production,” he said, referencing the critically acclaimed Brooklyn indie-rockers, “but man, at the end of the day, Keane and the Killers have bigger hooks.” Mr. West stops, considers, then laughs. “The last thing I need now in my quest to be cool is for somebody to think I dissed TV on the Radio.”
No Kanye, the last thing you need in your quest to be cool is to tell people you're on a quest to be cool. But, points for being self-aware (anybody?). And at least he's honest about his favorite rock bands at the moment (the Fray and All-American Rejects). As for Graduation, the Times had an advance listen and describe the track "Homecoming" (featuring Chris Martin) as a "piano jam ... which recalls early Billy Joel." Cool? Maybe? Regardless, it's good to know Mr. West's got big things on his mind. Like becoming a better dresser.
“I mess up so much,” he said of his forays into fashion, art and the like. He pontificated at length about some of his missteps, particularly with style. (The lavender tuxedo he wore to the 2007 Grammys is a particular sore spot.) “For me to not be on the Vanity Fair best-dressed list, it’s good,” he said. “It’s motivation."
At least he's got his priorities straight. And what's cooler than that, kids.

Posted at 1:02 PM
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27 Comments

May Kanye find the cool he is looking for! Maybe not in this lifetime? Sample away kanye!

Posted by: cameron at 08/27/07 1:21 PM | Reply
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So basically Kanye does what all the faux-hipsters reading this site do all day every day?

Posted by: lol at 08/27/07 1:29 PM | Reply
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Kanye is the best producer out today...He is creative and has a great place in today's music scene. When he did this song with Common it showed just how well he works with the best rapper today. His beat matched Commons style so well. A real Pro! http://imf.com/videos/?op=artist_videos&artist=Common*# Check out the video for yourself. Its on IMF and free....Common's other videos are on there.

Posted by: Cool Man at 08/27/07 1:32 PM | Reply
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Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE
Stop writing in the proverbial WE

Posted by: Matt at 08/27/07 1:44 PM | Reply
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whoa whoa whoa whoa. whoa.

common is the best rapper today? no.

i hate kanye, i hate his music, he is this decade's puff daddy. the only reason i might hate him less is because he comes off as slightly retarded in interviews (such as here--how old is he, 13?)

i'm sure there will be 12 posts refuting everything i just wrote

Posted by: Loren at 08/27/07 1:48 PM | Reply
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"No Kanye, the last thing you need in your quest to be cool is to tell people you're on a quest to be cool." 'Zactly.

Posted by: Christopher at 08/27/07 1:53 PM | Reply
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Hey, if he gets a few people who listen to My Umbrella and You and Your Hand 2938 times a day to hear Daft Punk once or twice, I'm onboard with that.

Posted by: mrs at 08/27/07 1:55 PM | Reply
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I can't find any proverbial "WE", where is it? Why the freak out?

Posted by: 2 sheds at 08/27/07 2:04 PM | Reply
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At least Kanye has been improving his skills over the last few years and shows the desire to get better. Puff Daddy just got progressively worse.

Posted by: Sean at 08/27/07 2:09 PM | Reply
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Keane and the Killers? Why am I not surprised?

Posted by: Kiko Jones at 08/27/07 2:16 PM | Reply
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man i can not wait for when this guy falls so hard, like the patrick swayze characther in donnie darko. i can't believe we are giving him so much open space and time to make an enormous ass of himself, the west(ern hemisphere) rewards self indulgence, self exploitation, self confession

Posted by: rory calhoun at 08/27/07 3:02 PM | Reply
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Kean and the Killers - sure, they DO have better hooks, As un-cool as it is go gold in record sales, and actually sell out stadiums the size of MSG, you gotta admit -Those are some good hooks.

Posted by: Ak-attack at 08/27/07 3:04 PM | Reply
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Why does TVOTR hate melody so much?

Posted by: E at 08/27/07 3:11 PM | Reply
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TVOTR hates melody???

have you even heard 'A Method'???

or Dirty-Whirl?

Posted by: Rygun at 08/27/07 3:18 PM | Reply
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Big Kanye fan but all of the tracks I've heard so far from Graduation are not only un-cool, they're totally boring. Maybe Brion wasn't involved enough this time for that extra something, or maybe 'Ye just got a little lazy with the sampling- 'Stronger' puts me to sleep after three minutes of hearing the same Daft Punk sample over and over again.

Whatever the case is, I really hope the rest of Graduation is stronger. Can't Tell Me Nothing is my favorite track so far, and it's not even that good- and you'd think that if he had a great single that could sell this album, he would've released it already. I'm predicting a big, big failure for this one, unfortunately.

At least the new Beirut album is incredible, eh?

Posted by: Sam at 08/27/07 4:13 PM | Reply
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Somehow "Artist X hates melody" has become the Stereogum version of "they have our freedom."

Posted by: Devin at 08/27/07 4:33 PM | Reply
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That should say 'hate' rather than 'have' of course.

Posted by: Devin at 08/27/07 4:34 PM | Reply
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...and it should be "they hate *us for* our freedom"...

Posted by: mrs at 08/27/07 4:45 PM | Reply
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i think the first step to ending a quest to be cool is to admit to liking keane.

that said, i love kanye.

Posted by: christian at 08/27/07 5:23 PM | Reply
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if you mean the royal we.....don't be hating on the it. the royal we is badass

Posted by: jimm at 08/27/07 5:45 PM | Reply
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I like TV on the Radio, Keane, Kanye, and the Killers. What's wrong with me?

Posted by: jgreenwood at 08/27/07 7:15 PM | Reply
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at least we have someone "famous" putting bands like tvotr out there.

Posted by: ant at 08/28/07 1:58 AM | Reply
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the royal we sucks. it makes you sound like the cast of Clueless.

Posted by: d at 08/28/07 1:45 PM | Reply
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Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/
Matt, this is not /b/

Posted by: Eugene at 08/29/07 12:07 AM | Reply
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i'm on a quest to be cool too

Posted by: b at 08/29/07 3:01 AM | Reply
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most people are on a quest to be cool, myself included

Posted by: b at 08/29/07 3:03 AM | Reply
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i'm enjoying the confusion. and at least he admits to what he is doing. even that he is doing something. instead of the coolios who pretend they were born like that under a cabbage leaf all disaffected and perfectly uncoordinated. whoever uses daft punk is also fine by me. i mean "we".

Posted by: SwanDiamondRose at 09/01/07 7:14 PM | Reply
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