Kanye's Blog

I've never been a fan of Kanye West. He's made a living recirculating the art product of true creators. Is he just a glorified mixer, and narcissistic, semi-delusional self-promoter? Or is he a "true artist?" (Definition non-trivial.)

I'm a composer, arranger, and producer.

I got my musical training beginning in the 70's. Back then, you heard Earth Wind & Fire, Chicago, and other such bands on the radio. Real music. Real arrangements. Real horns. Real, original melodic and harmonic content. And digging into my dad's collection of 8-track tapes and albums yielded more great music. I listened to certain songs on Henry Mancini's Breakfast at Tiffany's 8-track over and over, especially Holly. What a song!! Peggy Lee Christmas Waltz. Nat King Cole. That music was COMPOSED and ARRANGED bwoi! All of Gil Evans and Miles' work together. Later got into all kinds of jazz composing and arranging. I knew the names and music of the composers and arrangers like Marty Paich, Henry Mancini, Gil Evans, Claus Ogerman, Quincy, Rod Temperton, Van Heusen, the Rodgers, and more.

I wanted to be able to CREATE like them!

I worked hard and spent many hours playing in bands, figuring out chord progressions on the piano, studying scores, reading books like Henry Mancini's "Sounds and Scores", playing, arranging, writing, etc. Always trying to figure out HOW the greats did the real cool-ass shiznit -- like on Holly. Why did that song feel so amazing while others fell flat? Later I spent hundreds of hours studying scores and getting my orchestral chops together. You can hear my original work and original arrangements performed by real musicians (no samples here) at Mind & Soul Music. I have some purely orchestral music, film score music, as well not posted on the web.

So back to Kanye.

When I try to put Kanye in a bucket with the greats mentioned above, or even modern era hip-hop original creators that I respect (like Dr. Dre, Dre 3000, J Dilla, Timbaland) it's not even close.

Kanye is a huge fan of pop art. That makes sense because so much of pop art is about collecting existing icons from popular culture that others created and then piecing them together into something new. This is the closest to an artistic grade I can give him.

But even then, there's something so very plagiaristic about his work. Can't put my finger on it precisely. Why do I feel that way while at the same time so admiring the work of Warhol and others who also did a lot of plucking images from pop culture? Somehow their work feels like new original work and Kanye's doesn't. When you look at Warhol's Marilyn Monroe you're not drawn to it just because Marilyn Monroe is in it, although she's "the point." There is truly an added artistic value. You feel like you're looking at a NEW work of art that happens to have Marilyn Monroe in it. But when I listen to Kanye's stuff, like Through the Fire, or the Lauren Hill one, the ONLY thing I like about it is the work of Chaka Khan and Lauren Hill!! In fact, everything Kanye mixed in GETS IN THE WAY!

So I ran across his blog today. I sincerely hoped to read his own words and perhaps get a deeper sense of a deeper individual that I might be able to appreciate more. I was sorely disappointed. His entire blog consists of photographs of ... you guessed it, THE WORK OF OTHER ARTISTS! As if some of it would rub off on him.

Where is KANYE's world class original work?!

peace,
-Forsyth