‘Imma Let You Finish’

Editorial | February 11th, 2015

My all-time favorite rapper, Kanye West, is right on track to win D-Bag of the Year 2015.

Yes, it hurts a bit to admit that. While, as a fan, I’ve tried searching for words to defend him, the only conclusion I’ve been able to come up with is that Kanye got what he deserved.

After Beck won the Grammy for Album of the Year last Sunday night, Kanye nearly hijacked the stage to protest his win. Instead, in a post-Grammy interview, West went on to say the Grammys made a huge mistake and that Beck should’ve given his award to Beyoncé because her album is more artistic and creative. "If they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us," Kanye said.

While he has every right to speak his mind and “fight for creativity,” Kanye flaunted his “almighty” opinion in the absolute un-classiest way possible. The public’s angrily negative response to the rapper is completely called for. It’s in our nature to respond negatively to blatant conceit and extraordinary disrespect.

Kanye is obviously convinced his opinion is indisputable. He calls himself “a god” after all. That’s why he spoke so loudly and arrogantly of how he felt. But there are better ways to channel our disagreements, obviously. Kanye isn’t the only person who feels Beck should not have won. The clear difference is these other people didn’t make a mockery out of their opinions.

Will this ruin Kanye’s career? Not a chance. He’s continued to thrive after multiple of these incidents. One could say this is part of how he generates new and fresh lyrical/musical content. Insanity?

Whatever it is, it certainly works on someone like me. I legitimately obsess over his music, his lyrical craft and his production. I can’t help it. D-bags, assholes and egomaniacs make crazy good music. (To be clear, warm, kind and gentle souls do as well.) I don’t let musician’s non-music behavior influence my opinion of their music. Good music is good music.

Chances are, you too are a fan of a musician who’s a hateful person in real life. For goodness sake, think of all the artists we love that cheat on their spouses (over and over and over again) and abuse drugs. We all have our vices. Some more than others. We just do a better job of keeping them under wraps. Kanye, on the other hand, has no problem showcasing his evils for the whole world to see.

So ... was Kanye right? Is Beyoncé’s album more creative and artistic than Beck’s?

Certainly Beck is a highly artistic being. He’s been an influential alternative-music figure since the ‘90s and is known for mind-bender tunes like “Loser,” “Devil’s Haircut” and “Elevator Music.”

Though non-mainstream music fans may not agree with me, Beyoncé too is an exceptional artist. Her latest album indeed broke into new musical territory. While she may have the help of co-writers, so do other legendary musicians. Collaborative pieces make up some of the best music ever written.

Still, unless a person listened to both Beck’s and Beyoncé’s albums with an open mind and a non-bias could he or she truly muster an opinion that’s worth listening to.

(Pointing out that one musician can play more instruments and write more songs singlehandedly is not a valid argument in this context.)

Kanye has won 21 Grammys (more than most) and is an exceptionally influential multi-platinum artist and producer. Perhaps his opinion has some weight, though his extraordinary bias toward Beyoncé is reason enough to not take his opinion on this matter seriously. Kanye and Beyoncé are friends and their music falls in the same vein.

What do you think? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter.

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