Mental health is no laughing matter but in fact it would appear that it's not Kanye West that has lost his mind but the vast majority of your readers . . . And maybe even you Bob. Kanye West is arguably the most important American artist of the last 15 years and The Life Of Pablo is without question one of the best albums of 2016. In a year of great tours Saint Pablo was sensational. The influence Kanye has on 15 year olds all over the world - who will be making the best music of the next 15 years - is unparalleled. Our job is to support the artist and give him or her an environment they can be confident in and that allows them to create their best work. You should all be ashamed of yourselves - whether you like his work or not - for not supporting an artist when they need it the most. Trust me from Elton to Bruce Springsteen to Stevie Wonder they would not agree with you.
Merck Mercuriadis
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I think Jordan Wolowitz's comment should have been higher up, he's the only one defending Kanye, making very valid points, and he's super relevant / high profile in this discussion. This is the guy who booked Kanye for Meadows when he walked off mid show to attend to Kim post-robbery. Seeing Jordan defend Kanye is a big deal in my opinion. Jordan is part of Live Nation too.
I'm surprised there was no other defense of Kanye.
I agree with many of your points, but for me, he is the greatest living creative and I care about that above all else.
Sean Glass
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When Kanye saved hip hop in '04-'05 it was overrun by Puffy and Murder INC. Kanye literally brought music back into the art. Is he a nutbag? Yes! Is Kim K a mistake? Yes! But Paul M. chose Yoko and he still got the 'genius' pass. Why not Kanye? Oh I know why, because you're a fucking racist who hates hip hop. Get off your own dick and learn about what people like these days if you want to stay relevant you old fucking dinosaur. If not you will be deemed a moron who never got with the times. Do you want that?
Josh Berman
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The thing that stands out most to me in all of this is how angry some folks got at you for expressing your opinion. I mean people downright insulted you for having your own thoughts on this subject. I'm guessing much of the negativity really comes from jealousy at you having a platform on which to express your opinion. Kudos to you for having the necessary layer to not let that negativity pierce your skin.
Kanye is the same person I met in 1996. Only louder, and more extreme because he now has a microphone. But the truth is he was always the man you see now. Just amplified to an annoying decibel and enabled through a marriage to a fame junkie.
Sometimes douchebaggery can blind us to even decipher if there's talent beneath. I tuned him out in 96, personally. I was blinded by the early douchebaggery.
Wendy Day
Rap Coalition
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Kanye has a better handle on the cultural zeitgeist than any blogger, cultural critic or figure in the public spotlight. His music is not as good as it used (still very solid and innovative) to be but when he was at his peak, he was a savant and pioneer in the hip hop genre. Did you watch the whole rant? It’s 20 minutes. The media dismissively pieced 60 seconds of his soundbytes together to make him sound crazy. If you listen to the whole rant (all 20 minutes of it) he sounds a lot less crazy and backs up his outrageous statements with somewhat logical reasoning. It also seemed to me like the stunt was an intentional move to sabotage the tour. He may be rebelling against someone trying to pull his strings and that rant was his way of lashing out. Now he’s in the hospital against his will. Seems really odd to me. If he really is crazy he deserves sympathy point blank and if he’s not, there’s a lot more going on that we are privy to.
Jose Ho-Guanipa
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SO HAPPY you shared this. Truly amazing to read all the responses. Side note: I'm a 25 year old musician in Harlem and the general consensus is all old people hate Kanye. They just haven't gotten him for years. What comes off to everyone else as wanting attention comes off to the youth as authenticity. Just like your point about The Donald.
I would like to see how you feel about the illuminati. Because I feel like they'r the ones doing this to Kanye. As soon as he trashed Beyoncé in public it was over. Talking about trump and child pornography. No one wants a Kanye. Just like the real elite don't really want a Trump.
Best,
Leah Haxhi
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Dear Bob,
I’m surprised at some of the responses to your blogs on Kanye. I would have never thought this would turn out to be an Emperor’s Cloth’s scenario.
Keep up the truth, Bob…nice job.
Dr. Allen Miller
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you americans are fuckin loonies....kind regards UK
Sal Paradise
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"And Kanye, an African-American, who said George Bush didn't care about black people, he comes out for Donald Trump?"
Bob,
That should tell you something....you're wrong about Donald Trump. Just admit it. If Kanye can see it surely you can too,
Tres Sasser
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It is so funny to me that so many people care. Good for you brother. I could not name a Kanye tune or article of clothing or even which company sells his shoes. I got better things to do but I appreciate your commentary even if unpopular.
Michael A. Becker
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Hi Bob, I am looking forward to the Kanye and Lady Gaga duet of "Guilty" by Barry Gibb and Barbara Streisand.
Thank you for the read!
All the best, Braden Merrick
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Amen.
Evan Rogers
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Bob. I can't stop laughing at some of the comments. Glad you didn't leave the negative ones out.
Erwin Flaming
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For once I think you're wrong Bob. Kanye is extremely talented. Samito
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Forward to Tom Quinn.... he totally missed the point. Lennon wasn't bragging or reveling in the attention, he was lamenting it and finding it quite disconcerting.
Michael Leon
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Genius is relative; in Kanye's case, his soundboard creations are all a function of capital. There are thousands of far more talented people that might be recognized but for the lack of cash. His talent in the 'hoods I serve is garden-variety.
Let's see him hold an auditorium's attention with his naked talent, stripped of effects, for an hour or two before we call him a "genius."
Ken Shain
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Like Sam Kinison said, if you can't play an instrument, get off the stage. That includes West.
But jeez, you must be doing something right, all that vitriol. Pretty funny.
I'm not the Kanye demo and not a fan. Zzzzz. Not a Drumpf fan either. Did enjoy your rant.
Rik Shafer
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Given all the emotional replies, I'd say Kanye IS an artist... people feel strongly one way or another.
What's the old saying? If you're not pissing someone off, you're not doing it right! Kinda like what you do.
Being a musician. That's a matter of taste and opinion. Kanye is an artist though!
Mike Pappas
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But to put it simply, Kanye is a bigger ass than the one he's married to. And that is a difficult thing to be.
Great rant.
Louis Lewow
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So many responders seem to have trouble putting a label on what Kayne's done musically. I'd like to refer back to the 2000-Year-Old Man album where Carl Reiner is interviewing the latest singing sensation, Fabiola (Mel Brooks).
Carl: Now how would you describe your type of singing? It's not folk, it's not rock 'n roll, it's not progressive jazz, it's not swing. What is it?
Fabiola: It's dirty, man.
Larry Butler
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Why do we keep feeding this fire? Can we please get back to some English Rock? That tiny country, that's not Wales, Ireland or Scotland. Though small, it once had an Empire and also a few little bands that the millenniums have never heard of, like that little band from Liverpool or a bunch of unknown lads from Birmingham that had to put "we love you" and kisses on their own van with lipstick and nail polish, in 1968 called Led Zeppelin and would they gross 1+ Billion English Pounds with a 2018 Tour?
SC Music
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I'm hesitant to write you since I'm just an ordinary human, not a rock star, however came to know you through my kids who are musicians. Just want to let you know (if you read this) I find your wiritng brilliant and brave. I'm writing a book at the moment and wish I had half your talent. You take on things that make me cringe because of your honesty and smartness, so used to not seeing that. I especially appreciate your refreshing, self-depracating stories of your life that always hit home - people can relate, at least people I respect can. You also must have a pretty thick skin to handle all the negs. And print them.
Thanks for giving your time and mind. You're a gem.
A big fan,
Bonnie Levine
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Great stuff Bob.
Agostino Scafidi
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No one with an IQ larger than your average turnip cares one whit what Kanye West thinks about anything.
Gary Theroux
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Seriously, that was the whitest bunch of emails Ive ever seen. A virtual who's who of white dude names. Steve David Jim Paul Tim Dennis....and the original email by a dude named Bob.
Is a "lock her up" chant next?
Dont get it? Fine. Kanye fans don't get Paul Rodgers, either.
Kanye is a genius. What did you say once about talent, Sui Generis, etc?
Love,
Nick Lawson
A White Guy (who gets Kanye and Paul Rodgers)
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Are you kidding me?
The people who write these emails have not listened to Kanye West's music. Their hatred of him has nothing to do with his talent, his abilities as a writer, recording artist or a producer.
I'm a 58 year old white male who's been in the business for 30 years. Kanye has redefined the genre of hip-hop and his records are absolutely stunningly good. He is a Fearless musical innovator who takes risks with each and every album the most Indie artists would not even consider.
I'll say it, he has the kind of Genius musically that normal musical artists just don't have. Regardless of how people feel about the exploits that have kept him in the headlines and on the lips of American Presidents, his records speak for themselves. I think some of your listeners should just take the time to actually listen to them.
Best,
Chris Johnson
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I agreed with a lot of your piece. Disagreed with a little. I'm a massive fan of Kanye the musician. Undeniable brilliance. Brilliance that put him here. No one believed in his skills as a rapper. He proved everyone wrong. His fashion talent? Mediocre. If fashion houses can make the money Kanye believes he's worth? He'd be designing leather pants for the king of Italy. But no one wanted a piece of his leather pants. And barfing up every excuse but being untalented is fucking ridiculous. But made for entertaining fodder.
You, Bob, called the dog shit when everyone is/was afraid to. I was disappointed with Ellen when she let him spew nonsensical diarrhea for 11 minutes and didn't with respond with anything snarky. I'm sure she was just figuring out her next dance routine, but still... She didn't let Mariah Carey off the hook during her last appearance? She's always verbally spanking idiot guests. But Kanye got the pass. He wasted valuable airtime repeating Walt Disney and Steve Jobs and the names of actual geniuses with PBS documentaries which Kanye torrents and obsesses over.
Which brings me to my point. Why I can't believe Kanye is crazy. Why all of this is a facade. Because Kanye is sickly obsessed with celebrities. He's obsessed with icons. With their stories. With biographies. He can't go through an interview without mentioning one. And he's not satisfied with his own. He's creating his legacy. A decade ago, when he was nothing, he would tell people he's the next Michael Jackson. And Jacko's story far exceeded his music. And Kanye is just as concerned with that - if not more than his actual music. And like Kanye...we shat all over MJ. Until he died. Then the molestation accusations and rumours and plastic surgery was all but forgotten. We were praying for his soul, whatever the fuck that means.
Kanye told us he went to the hospital, then all of a sudden we were praying for Kanye on Instagram instead of bashing him. All it took was telling people he needed a nap, and was thirsty. And here's a new chapter to the A&E Biography of Kanye West. He wasn't having meltdowns during his rants. That wasn't an example of a medical issue. That was a fucking asshole. A jealous child, angry that Jay Z and Beyonce didn't want to play. Beyonce didn't ask you to charge the stage during Taylor Swift's moment. So don't get angry when she doesn't return your calls. That was a man realizing Drake and DJ Khaled had a better song than you. Not paranoia.
But the fans who constantly eat all the bullshit excuses, like Spose/Ryan (high fives for the quote on paragraphs, because only young, non-white people are allowed to have valid points on Kanye) and half the planet who are incapable of reading between the lines, will welcome West back with open arms. And Jay Z will do a song with him, because it will be major fucking business, when in reality, everyone should roll like the one radio programmer in Sacramento - the only person with balls - and ban him. Radio banned the Dixie Chicks for dissing Bush. Radio is silent when Kanye tells RADIO TO FUCK THEMSELVES? But why not? MTV keeps bringing him back. Because they have nothing going on. And because music is fucking boring. It all fucking sucks. It's all toilet water.
And now I know how it feels to be Bob Fucking Lefsetz. I don't even know who I am anymore.
Wow.
Sincerely,
(previously) Derek Christoff
ps. "Paragraphs". Haha. What a dummy.
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You struck a nerve Bob....I especially love when everyone takes Kanye this seriously ...He's just a musician and a decade ago was pretty damn cool....and I think the Taylor thing just kills him because if you stack up her last 10 years against his she's in it forever and the star of Kanye is fading.
I do love the scribe saying the Kardashians turned one athlete into a drug addict, one into a woman and now one into a very ill young man...Kris Humpries is laughing now.
I did appreciate the writer discussing the ticket sales and merch so let's break that down
I ll estimate he gets 1M guaranteed a show vs 85/15%split
He probably makes some money off merch but let's not forget venue probably gets 20/30% but don't over estimate that most buy the cheapest items in the $10-20 range and the $50 Ts and $100 sweats and $250 jackets DO NOT roll off the shelves
Now not mentioned is does this gentlemen have any idea what the FIXED expenses are to play MSG or Staples....that's just to get in the door!!!
And that little production which very few production companies can do safely and properly is not cheap. And local labor and rigging is insane. And of course the production company rentals staff per diems hotels air ground etc all factor in....
Don't forget the Kanye plane and ground a crew down time at Van Nuys or Teterboro all these vendors get paid.
People cancel tours for many reasons ( love the exhaustion excuse) BUT most do so out of finances......
And FYI those corp sponsors don't pay nearly as much as people think....
And those silly salaries .....a tour that size would probably need minimum people.....but at least he saves by cutting the band.....even Brit got really smart and hit said heck " I ll play to track in Vegas"......
Bieber had (24) trucks out on his last tour and he did 10X as many gigs as Kanye and he worked 5 days a week.
You want to make money as a touring artist bass out of Nashville load up 2-4 trucks and rent busses and hit the road....your rider will cover all bus stocking and you drive all night and guys and girls shower at gigs. And by the way it's a bad way to live and unless flying charter or Business Class which few tours accommodate flying commercial is a nightmare. Anyone whose ever toured will say a good bus with a few empty bunks is heaven. Especially with the roll out coaches now a days....
ELO and ELP tries this model decades ago when I was a kid with full orchestras space ships and lasers. Didn't work then still doesn't work
EGO kills a lot of tours and work for people.....
Chris Apostle
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Smh. This is just ridiculous. Almost as ridiculous as your nonsensical opinions.
Noah Sheer
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