Apologies to all our readers, I’ve been out in LA this week and haven’t had the time to post. You can’t blame me, it’s hard to think about blogging while driving down Pacific highway or walking around Venice beach, it’s just not gonna happen. Nevertheless, I woke up early because I didn’t want to leave you guys hanging. I did a post back in our early days about the complex nature of fame and success, given that SoCal is probably the pinnacle of this I thought it would be cool to bring that back, enjoy.
I saw a recent interview with Kanye in which he was justifying his narcissism by proposing that he is two people, Kanye West the product and Kanye West the person.
I have the right to talk in third person because I’m me as a person, but also I’m a walking brand.”
Interesting. Everyone see’s Kanye West as arrogant and self-righteous, I see him as someone coping with some very important issues we all have to deal with. I think Mr. West is developing into a master of consumerism, a master or a victim – it’s a very thin line. Either way, the one song from 808’s & Heartbreak that I’ve actually willingly listened to is Welcome to Heartbreak, a very authentic song which truly captures the bittersweet aspects of his recent success.
Dad cracked a joke, all the kids laughed, But I couldn’t here him all the way in first-class. Chased the good-life, all my life long, Look back on my life, all my life gone, Where did I go wrong?“
Kanye West – Welcome To Hearbreak (Featuring Kid Cudi)
This song falls in the same realm of Eminem’s Say Goodbye to Hollywood, Lily Allen’s The Fear, Hector Lavoe’s La Fama, Jay-Z’s Success, The Beatles Drive My Car and countless others.
I don’t know what’s right and what’s real anymore. I don’t know how I’m meant to feel anymore.”
The consistent theme in all of these songs is the juxtaposition between success in the public eye and the abandonment of self through extreme levels of sacrifice.
I don’t wanna quit, but shit, I feel like this is it For me to have this much appeal like this is sick This is not a game, this fame, in real life this is sick Publicity stunt my ass, consume my fuckin’ dick… I love my fans but no one ever puts a grasp on the fact i’ve sacrificed everything I have I never dreamt i’d get to the level that i’m at, this is whack This is more than I ever could of asked Everywhere I go, a hat, a sweater hood, or mask What about math, how come I wasn’t ever good at that It’s like the boy in the bubble, who never could adapt, i’m trapped If I could go back, I never woulda rapped I sold my soul to the devil, i’ll never get it back I just wanna leave this game with level head intact Imagine goin’ from bein’ a no one to seein’, everything blow up and all you did was just grow up emceeing It’s fuckin’ crazy Cause all I wanted was to give Hailie the life I never had But instead I forced us to live alienated, so i’m sayin’…”Eminem – Say Goodbye To Hollywood
MP3: Download
MP3: Download
I never went to my econ class in college so I don’t remember much but the one thing I did pick up was that the real cost of something is what you have to give up to get it. A concept I’ve really have to come to grips with lately, because even when you win big in this world your still losing something. That said, ambition is a complicated subject, one needs to be fully aware of who one is and what one wants before devoting to a particular end. The way to do that is by being brutally honest with yourself, a task not many are willing to undertake. In the words of Hector Lavoe:
Porque yo soy La Fama, soy aquel que la gente reclama pero nadie puede compreder…”
Anyways, this is way too complicated for my hungover state right now. Just what I was feeling at the time, enjoy.
I use to give a fuck, now I give a fuck less. What do I think of suc-cess? It sucks, too much stress. “
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4 Comments
huge fan.. as they say on radio.. long time listener first time caller… or commenter.
I think we all are hitting a time where we realise that the ultimate consumerism isnt actually that fulfilling. The nice cars the nice house.. we work hard to get it only to realise it aint that great
its about finding things you love and enjoying it
interesting book on the subject
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Affluenza-Oliver-James/dp/0091900115/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1240164563&sr=8-1
keep up the awesome blog… because its one thing I definitely love
I cant believe you try and justify Kanye wests arrogance with one lame quote. Kanye can put aside all his bimbos and sluts anytime like the rest of us and work on building a family. It’s just a matter of what he chooses to focus on.
And just because he has a brand name, doesn’t give him a right to be a 3rd person douche. There are countless examples of celebrities with bigger names than him that are able to manage in the spotlight. Kanye produces a commercial attempt at rap, and is part of the reason hip-hop has died a little more in pop-culture, and has had to dig a bit deeper in the underground. Get this crap off your site
Above all Kanye is a person and while these issues may seem like light work to you they are very pressing and difficult to deal with. I am not justifying I am just trying to have greater perspective.
Kanyes self-centered attitude is exactly what caused him to have the issues in the first place. If he hadn’t started as such an egoist, he wouldn’t find himself troubled by such matters. But he has, and now I’m supposed to find that deep? This is a perfect example of cause and effect. Kanyes attitude towards himself is reflected in his attitude towards others, and the life he chooses to build for himself. If he finds his life has been wasted chasing the wrong things, are we surprised? No. Would we be surprised if a wholesome celebrity was chasing the wrong things? Yes. Think about why (are you surprised when britney spears does something dumb with her kids? no. would you be surprised if obama did? yes). What would be note worthy would be the struggles of someone who isn’t self-consumed, yet still can’t find their way when it comes to family. You’re not holding some “greater perspective”, you’re focusing on the immediate, instead of the causality. And I don’t think such issues are light work, but I am not surprised when such a person as Kanye West is stumped by them. The guy has ripped off so much music. He’s set such a bad example for youths in terms of educating oneself. Kanye is a person, but that doesn’t mean I need to respect his point of view or anything he’s about.
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