New Kanye West (Feat. Chris Martin) - "Homecoming"
While others are filling in the dorms and hitting up the mall for sweet back to school savings, 'Ye's bracing for his much hyped Graduation day (9/11). Inescapable as he's been of late, West had one more big PR party up his sleeve for pre-release buzz: last night's Graduation listening party at Manhattan's National Theater. We didn't make it (busy crossing the Ts and dotting the Is on the 'Gum Drop!), which means we didn't get the free ventilated, venetian shades, banana smoothies, or handshakes from Q-Tip that MTV did. But thanks to the internet, we didn't need to leave our apartments to hear "Homecoming," the tune featuring Chris Martin that New York Times said "recalls early Billy Joel." Does it really?
A little, why not, with Kanye serenading Chi city next to Chris's "Do you think about me now and then ... fireworks at Lake Michigan ..." (Martin even gives ya two "Lo-ee-oh-ee-oh!"s, which he picked up while on vacay with Gwyneth.) Have a listen at Hypem.
Also worth noting about last night's party: Kanye says the Grad cut "I Wonder" is his "City Of Blinding Lights," inspired after watching U2 open to massive applause. But Kanyego wasn't done there! According to him, Graduation is one of the ten best hip hop albums of all time.
But what you really wanna know: Will its opening week outsell Fifty's Curtis? Below, 30 seconds of every song from both albums so you can be a more informed bettor.
GRADUATION
CURTIS
OK, well Kanye sampled Daft Punk AND Steely Dan and has a song that sounds somewhat like Billy Joel, so it's clear who won Stereogum's heart.
The real war will be fought at Best Buy or wherever the fuck people buy CDs these days.
Posted at 11:13 AM in Video
Tags: 50 Cent | Coldplay | Kanye West
this article makes me feel dirty
Posted by: Loren at August 29, 2007 11:52 AM | ReplyScore = 0
i can't wait to buy 'graduation'. i don't care how dirty that sounds.
Posted by: zp at August 29, 2007 12:14 PM | ReplyScore = 0
Rappers have shitty taste in music. It's kind of charming that Kanye thinks calling "I Wonder" his "City of Blinding Lights" is going to turn anybody on. As if putting out the rap equivalent of a mediocre late-era U2 single is something to be proud of. Crank out something on par with "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and I will be beyond impressed.
And why do the rappers love Coldplay so much? Somebody send that man a Radiohead album.
Posted by: Adam at August 29, 2007 12:14 PM | ReplyScore = 0
"City of Blinding Lights" was written 25 years ago
Posted by: bp at August 29, 2007 1:04 PM | Replyand is as good as any song they've ever done. Now go ahead with the snide remarks...
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I'm looking for the big hooks... not finding them.
Posted by: Chaz at August 29, 2007 1:11 PM | ReplyScore = 0
Wait a minute... billy Joel is a good thing here? And you actually care about KW? I'm outta here.
Posted by: Michael at August 29, 2007 1:13 PM | ReplyScore = 0
I am a fan of both but that was pretty lame. Kanye has always been incredibly hit-or-miss in my opinion. Hopefully "Graduation" has 5 or 6 good tracks. I'll support him any day of the week over 50 though. And I can't wait for the new Eno produced Coldplay album to come out.
Posted by: Evan at August 29, 2007 1:36 PM | ReplyScore = 0
the original version of thos song was a million times better. he fucked it up just like he fucked up "my way" when he redid it for late registration
Posted by: shawn at August 29, 2007 1:56 PM | ReplyScore = 0
"'City of Blinding Lights'" was written 25 years ago and is as good as anything they've ever done. Now go ahead with the snide remarks..."
Well, since you asked so nice...I don't care when it was written and no, it's not. If it was as good as anything else it would've been on one of the 794 albums they've released since it was written.
Posted by: Adam at August 29, 2007 2:26 PM | ReplyScore = 0
haha
Posted by: shawn at August 29, 2007 3:01 PM | Replyi hate u2
but city of blinding lights is 1 of only 2 songs of theirs i like (where the streets have no name)
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Um, "City Of Blinding Lights" wasn't written 25 years ago. Bono says he was inspired to write it after 9/11. Unless he meant 9/11/1970 (headline of the New York Times on 9/12: "NOTHING HAPPPENED YESTERDAY.").
Posted by: Shaun at August 29, 2007 3:04 PM | ReplyScore = 0
Sweet spelling error in my snide comment. Nice!
Posted by: Shaun at August 29, 2007 3:05 PM | ReplyScore = 0
WHO GIVES A FUCK?! They're both as shit as each other, and frankly I'm surprised at Stereogum for giving rap music the amount of coverage it's been getting. Doesn't take a genius to work out rap music died a loooong time ago.
Posted by: stephen at August 29, 2007 3:06 PM | ReplyScore = 0
a big LOL at his rapping over the melody of "Spoon"
Posted by: hubert at August 29, 2007 3:28 PM | ReplyScore = 0
ACTUALLY, Adam, I believe Kanye, the "rapper" with "shitty taste" (how diminutive, huh?), does have a Radiohead album as his "Can't Tell Me Nothing" mixtape does have him, Lupe Fiasco, and Skateboard P flowing over a Radiohead/Yorke sample on "Us Placers".
Either way, Radiohead/Yorke suck as much as Coldplay/Martin.
Posted by: texasheat at August 29, 2007 6:02 PM | ReplyScore = 0
The Kanye video has since been taken down, and I'm not sure if the one I watched instead was a final album version, but if it was; I love Chris's vocal line, but the production is just disappointed.
Posted by: alex at August 29, 2007 8:31 PM | ReplyScore = 0
Shawn...
Posted by: Evan at August 30, 2007 2:28 AM | Replyyou're right. The original Homecoming is a million times better. The soul sample is unbelievable on that.
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This song is a disgrace. Kanye West, or the new Puffy, is just doing his thing--rapping poorly over awkward beats, but the fact that Chris Martin (even with his growing Bono-istic behaviors as of late) stoops so far as to sing on this track is just embarrassing for Coldplay.
Posted by: raintheshining at August 31, 2007 1:12 AM | ReplyScore = 0
Wow.....what kind of ears are you guys using to listen to music? The track is very solid. Very progressive for hip-hop but at the same time I dont think it was step back for Chris or Coldplay. You guys really hate Kanye or rap. Does rap have to stay 1D for you to appreciate the product. I find its a damn good song in comparison to a shit load of other songs out there representing hip hop ie; Wipe Me Down, Bay Bay Bay, Crank Dat Soulja Boy, I Get Money.....
Posted by: Mike at September 2, 2007 12:10 AM | ReplyScore = 0
whats the sample song called in homecoming called, the oldies song with the woman in the background i cant figure it out
Posted by: c mac at September 7, 2007 2:52 AM | ReplyScore = 0
radiohead sucks so bad. dont even compare them to coldplay let alone say they are better. kanye's album is good, its the best real rap album i have heard in a while. He goes way beyond where any of these other crappy "rappers" goes. His beats, although he is criticized for sampling but what people don't realize is the artistic talent involved in making a beat. Jay-z's dvd Fade to Black shows the behind the scenes effort that Pharrell, Kanye etc put into their beats. when you buy Graduation, which you should, you should look at the whole thing as art, the rap, the lyrics, the messege, the beat, everything. then you will see why this is a substantially better album then most of todays.
Posted by: Chris at September 13, 2007 10:35 PM | ReplyScore = 0
nice song but chris martin sounds very much like john legend on this track
Posted by: adrian at September 17, 2007 9:48 AM | ReplyScore = 0
Graduation is one of my top 3 albums of all times. Every song is at least a 4 star in my media library. Go Kanye, one of rap's most intelligent and poignant singers!
Posted by: Joshua Bradley at December 18, 2007 7:14 PM | ReplyScore = 0