Evil all he wants, but it’s the visual nature of his music videos that gets much more explorative.
Sure, West can channel Austin Powers’ Dr. Some other examples where his storytelling feels like narration in an audio-only film include the jealousy-ridden mental fight “Blame Game”, the incredibly detailed “Roses”, and the recounting of the scariest hour of his life in “Through the Wire”: a recounting of the car accident that almost killed him (he raps, even though his jaw was actually wired shut for reconstructive purposes, to tell his storyĮven though he occasionally channels the sounds of cinema in his production (a clear example being his 007-sounding “Diamonds from Sierra Leone”, which samples Shirley Bassey’s “Diamonds are Forever”, and Jamie Foxx reprising his role as Ray Charles in Ray on “Gold Digger”), I find that he is more blatantly inspired with the music videos attached to his songs. West doesn’t ramble here, either, and it’s a monologue that he clearly put thought and time into. My favourite example is the ending of the final track on The College Dropout “Last Call”, where he sits in the studio and details his journey from a struggling everyman (living with his mother, both trying to survive society) to being the then-latest Roc-A-Fella signee the epilogue is hypnotic, and I find that I can’t tune out for the entire time, as if I’m viewing all of these images in my head as West talks. Sometimes, however, the ways his lyrics are written are what feel cinematic, and not solely the callbacks within them. Either way, his film references are far from abstract, and are usually some of the more identifiable parts of his lyrics. A highly memorable case is when he mentioned how he keeps it “300 like the Trojans”, forgetting that the Zack Snyder film is about Spartans (unless he’s referring to the Roman numerals for 300, being CCC: cool, calm, and collected ).
West’s songs have touched upon Ferris Beuller’s Day Off at least a couple of times, including Watch the Throne’s “Gotta Have It” (with Jay-Z) and the collaboration to promote LeBron James (remember those days?) “Forever” (he also brings up Superbad in the same verse). Even in something a bit more unorthodox like “New Slaves” off of his abrasive album Yeezus, West takes a minute to reference an Adam Sandler picture: The Waterboy (“I’m about to wild the fuck out I’m going Bobby Boucher.”). Whereas Frank Ocean displayed an affinity for film school selections and arthouse (I’ll spotlight him in a similar article in the future), West is much more of a mainstream, Friday night release kind of guy. It turns out that West is a fairly easy-going guy in this department. Often enough, you can tell exactly what his taste in films is like because of his references. The most obvious exhibits of West’s cinephilia comes in the form of his lyricism. Let’s dive into some notable examples, shall we? In a little bit of everything, West’s obsession with cinema comes into play, and it’s part of the identity he crafts and reinvents every era. He tries to get everything going with each release: the music and lyrics (obviously), album artwork, promotional materials, and even how he presents himself are all attached to a specific feel, aesthetic, and intention. When it comes to his artistic side, this gets reflected in his music often each album feels like it is of a different universe, with the palette of whatever comes in this particular territory this time around. One thing is for sure: West certainly will try anything, and his career has proven it for better or for worse. As an art student at heart (he attended the American Academy of Art College, as well as studying English in Chicago State University), I’m able to acknowledge some of the justifications for what he does (but not all certainly not all), since provocation is something he has down to a fine formula or two. Kanye West has been a producer, rapper-singer, designer, businessman and more in his twenty-or-so years of fame. Today is the birthday of one of hip hop’s most iconic - yet polarizing - figures.
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