Why I Hate That I Like Kanye West

There aren't many artists that I know that really get under my skin. I'm talking for the good and the bad. Let's see - we're talking Chris Brown (bad), Rihanna (good then bad), Ne-Yo (really good)...and then, and then there's Kanye West. Sure, most of might dismiss him because he comes off like the cockiest mo-fo you've ever seen. No doubt. I don't disagree with you there.

But that would be too easy.

Because Kanye is one of the only artists who likes to lead. Sure he samples. But as much as he takes he also gives back. What catchy Kanye song didn't make the other band more famous? I mean Daft Punk must be thanking their lucky stars that Kanye wanted to sample their song Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

His collaborations with pop artists like Murakami or KAWS and his willingness to try out new beats makes him a pioneer. A trendsetter that doesn't give a flying f*** what other people think. And for that very reason..I hate that I like Kanye West.

I think this begs a bigger question. Can we love the artist but hate the man? Can we separate the two?

How do you feel about him?

Tags: artist, kanye, musician, west

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Comment by Mark Huckabee on June 30, 2009 at 1:46pm: I hate Kanye for the way he talked about President Bush after Katrina. Like Bush or not he had no right to talk the way he did. His comments were not only lies but they made a bad situation worse. Brian's response below makes him seem like a more normal guy but I don't think I'm ready to forgive what he said.

Comment by Conor Campbell on June 30, 2009 at 11:01am: Daft Punk has been one of the more sampled artists of our generation.
They pioneered the EDM music scene and bridged the gap between mainstream and the (then) underground techno
I think they could care less that yet another person has remixed their music
In fact, I think Kanye should be thanking THEM for coming out of retirement to help produce that song

but once again, Kanye's ego leads him to thinking he did al the work

Comment by Brian Thaut on June 30, 2009 at 10:34am: This post made me laugh because I'm equally torn. However after his response on his blog from the South Park episode, I felt less guilty about liking him so much. I've pasted below what he said. If you'd like to see the response, and a clip from the episode I added a link.

"SOUTH PARK MURDERED ME LAST NIGHT AND IT'S PRETTY FUNNY. IT HURTS MY FEELINGS BUT WHAT CAN YOU EXPECT FROM SOUTH PARK! I ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON MY EGO THOUGH. HAVING THE CRAZY EGO IS PLAYED OUT AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE AND CAREER. I USE TO USE IT TO BUILD UP MY ESTEEM WHEN NOBODY BELIEVED IN ME. NOW THAT PEOPLE DO BELIEVE AND SUPPORT MY MUSIC AND PRODUCTS THE BEST RESPONSE IS THANK YOU INSTEAD OF "I TOLD YOU SO!!!" IT'S COOL TO TALK SHIT WHEN YOU'RE RAPPING BUT NOT IN REAL LIFE. WHEN YOU MEET LITTLE WAYNE IN PERSON HE'S THE NICEST GUY FOR EXAMPLE. I JUST WANNA BE A DOPER PERSON WHICH STARTS WITH ME NOT ALWAYS TELLING PEOPLE HOW DOPE I THINK I AM. I NEED TO JUST GET PAST MYSELF. DROP THE BRAVADO AND JUST MAKE DOPE PRODUCT. EVERYTHING IS NOT THAT SERIOUS. AS LONG AS PEOPLE THINK I ACT LIKE A BITCH THIS TYPE OF SHIT WILL HAPPEN TO ME. I GOT A LONG ROAD AHEAD OF ME TO MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE I'M NOT ACTUALLY A HUGE DOUCHE BUT I'M UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. I'M SURE THE WRITERS AT SOUTH PARK ARE REALLY NICE PEOPLE IN REAL LIFE. THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO DRAW MY CREW. THAT WAS PRETTY FUNNY ALSO!! I'M SURE THERE'S GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN THIS... THAT'S HOW YOU KNOW IT'S ME!"