i know, a website you read comes out with content. how infuriating.

I like the sound. But we all know who had the most impressive live performance moment this weekend….

MIGUEL LEG DROP TO THE FAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!!!!!

This man is a douche. But damn, when he’s hot, he’s hot.

I think it’s entirely understandable why he would be angry. He’s a participant in a music industry that has an agenda on what popular music is released and when, like a well-oiled machine. And while he may be bathing in money and Kim Kardashian’s you-know-what, as an artist who is incredibly successful, he not only has to deal with the successes that such a position entails, but also the unending criticism, paparazzi, expectations, and industry coercion that could drive any person mad.

I find it good that he’s channeling this “celeb/artist anger” in making angry music as opposed to becoming a drug addict like so many other artists who have crumbled under the weight of artistic value vs. industry-manufactured commercial appeal. And in hip-hop, where the industry is fueled by black men but run by white men, the idea of “new slaves” is nothing new, but nonetheless important and interesting. All because he has a lot of money doesn’t mean the structure that gave him the money is not exploitative and wrongheaded.

In a week filled with Daft Punk and LCD Soundsystem comments, new album announcements from Franz Ferdinand & Fuck Buttons and now today with After Dark 2 finally seeing a release… Let’s all pause and acknowledge the most important thing about this week:

*pause*

Vampire Weekend hit it out of the park with their third LP. Seriously. What a damn fine album. I laid down with the lyrics on Tuesday and had a fucking read-a-long. So good.

What’s a black Beatle anyway, a fuckin’ roach?

Those were both fucking awesome.

I agree with the question “Can anyone help me see what I’m missing?” in the literal sense because I’m in Canada and can’t see these videos.

As someone who’s never been all in on Kanye (his stuff is generally hit-or-miss with me, and I thought MBDTN was a bit overrated) I think I can explain – he’s one of the biggest popular music stars in the world, and yet he’s not afraid to take massive chances with his music, make people uncomfortable and push musical boundaries. In this way, sites like Stereogum and people like me and most of the rest of the pompous music-obsessed crowd respect him – even if he generally comes across as an insecure dude who tries to overcompensate for this insecurity with displays of extreme egotism and douchebaggery.

These two songs are PERFECT examples of this: they lack any catchy (or even discernable) melody, don’t have a hook to grab onto, and are lyrically abrasive – all things that would destroy a pop song and push someone to the fringes of the music scene – and yet he can get away with it and does. These songs are phenomenal and make me much more excited about his upcoming release than I’ve been about any of his stuff since 808?s (another great example of an artist unafraid to take a total left turn, fanbase be damned, to pursue a weird muse. Totally underrated album).

TL;DR Sites like Stereogum and the people who read them respect Kanye for his risk-taking, experimental music that succeeds despite how abrasive it, and he, can be.

Seems pretty Yeezy to me.

You meant the opposite of nearly everything that create the punk scene

Really? Downvoted to a hidden rating for asking for an explanation eh? (Well, I guess I did say he was terrible and lame.)

But your explanation is an obvious one but doesn’t change one thing:

His music and lyrics are terrible. And lame.

I mean, The Beatles didn’t give a damn what was expected of them as far as being “Pop” goes either, but nearly everything they put out was pure Gold. Far a more modern example, look at the new Daft Punk record. It’s divisive, it’s a new path for them. They, like countless other acts, look to evolve with each release and aren’t afraid to alienate fans who want them to just do one thing.

But my question about Kanye stays the same: Why do you like the MUSIC? Why does he get away with it?

It’s terrible. And lame.

Seriously, these two songs suck bad.

Kanye west is not an artist at all silly boy. TALK to cee-lo or talk to flo-rida and young jeezey but this man is part of the illumiNOTi so BUGGER OFF with your love for his STUPID breed of music that falls on DEF ear(s) mine do….love for this doooooode…….noo WAY!!!!

Come on; Criminal not at #1?

Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person alive who doesn’t understand why awesome music blogs like Stereogum waste their time with this guy. Terrible. Lame.

Can anyone help me see what I’m missing?

I’ve always wondered what a Gran Prix car’s exhaust would sound like with a vocoder attached to it’s tailpipes. This should easily settle that curiosity.