How can you be the best of anything when you sample so damn much? Every West track is a previously recorded track. I was disappointed when "You Don't Know My Name" came out only to find out it was a complete lift from a Main Ingredient song. Is this creative at all? Give me a sampler and I can be the next Kanye West. Is he given props for his producing skills or for his ability to know a good track to lift when he hears it? On top of that he has more ego then Usher if that's possible.

Thats what suprices me about these young cats(I.E. Usher & Kanye).

So you know you got absloutly NO SUBSTANCE to back up yo ass, yet you're out-there shooting yo big mouth about being the "music industry's saviour"? Whats kinda bullshit is that? I can excuse Marvin Gaye & Miles Davis for being ego-maniacs coz they actualy have something to brag about but what about these 2 knuckleheads?

Everytime I hear them pull up that talk, I start to think that they're 'trying' to convience THEMSELVES about that dilusion. And when you look to their fans, you'll see some poor young bucks who don't know betta

L-Boogie said her peace about 'em long time ago: "Superstar"
[Edited 12/31/04 13:05pm]

Didn't he pitch a fit and some awards show because he didn't receive some award he thought he deserved? Self righteous mofo.

UptownDeb said:

AMA *shaking my damn head*

Carmen Electra was smilling at him like he gave her some,,shiiit, she should've knocked him in the jaw right on his operation spot

What got me about this whole Kanye thing is the fact that he got 10, count em 10, Grammy nominations! Now I won't discount the fact that he's generated hits for a lot of people, but Producer of the Year should not have been one of those nominations.

If I'm not mistaken Prince didn't even get a Producer of the year nomination for "Purple Rain".

It kinda reminds me of when Jimmy and Terry were talking about how they deserved the "Producer" award because of all the hits they generated in 1986, and they did take home the award. But I still say "Graceland" by Paul Simon was the producing achievement of that year. Proving the fact that it's not necessarily how much you produce, but what.

CynicKill said:

do they normally nominate artists who produce their own albums or people who produce for other artists for producer of the year

I thought this dishonor fell to P. Diddly Dang Doodle.

Seriously, he is. I see nothing innovative about him.

I agree, to an extent.

He is overexposed which can be equated with being overrated, but not every single thing he's done is sampled. One song that comes to mind is "The Workout Plan."

I do believe his use of sampling can be very effective, such as the song "Jesus Walks." That song would not have been nearly as good were it not for the sampled gospel choir.

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If you don't believe he deserves the Grammy for best producer, then who does?

I am sincerely asking.

I like his album, but just like always, people who don't know better will heap praise on anything that is different than what they're used to. He's an average producer who relies too heavily on easy samples that were already hit songs. It's unprecedented for a hip hop producer to have this attention from the Grammies, if anyone were deserving of this much praise it should have been Dr. Dre, but he wouldn't get it because of his persona and genre of Rap that he's known for. Only time will tell if he has staying power cause sample clearences are getting more exspensive.

UptownDeb said:

Yep! A real whinner. I think that thing (I wouldn't call it a song) that shred's Chaka Khan's vocals into the Chimpmunks is dreaful and I can't understand why so many people bought that album (that "Workout" signle wasn't so bad) and praised that song in paticular. And the stuff he did with Janet is either bland ("I Want You") or dreadful ("My Baby"). And is he even a good rapper? The only good thing is he probably won't have staying power.

I don't know enough to say he's overrated (frankly, I didn't know people were heaping praise on him ) but I do like these:

This Can't Be Life - Jay Z
H to the Izzo - Jay Z
Sunshine - Mos Def
You Don't Know My Name - Alicia Keys

CalhounSq said:

His work with Jay-Z is good and I heard the Mos Def album all the way through but can't name certain songs (I really wasn't paying attention to tracks but I jut dug it overall) but I did notice one song was just a musical rehash of Jay-Z's "Takeover"...which Jay-Z also redid! What's with that?

VinnyM27 said:

That's "The RapeOver" which I think Kanye did but I wasn't sure so I didn't put it down. That shit is HOT, love that song

Yall have to listen to the way Kanye does his beats not on the way he acts

ABeautifulOne said:

I would listen to the way Kanye did his beats if any of them were original.

OK, maybe because I have Chicago ties or something *I live in houston tho*...but I love KANYE's Productions....u gotta look past all the pop filler, though "You Don't Know My Name" was hot. His Album was hot. he could chunk out at least 3 more singles... His work with Talib Kweli, Jay-Z, and this new kat, JOHN LEGEND...awesome. He IS a lil Cocky, and 10 nominations is a bit much, but he is ALL over the place, and give the boy his due. Its his time.

Contro said:

I'm sorry...Kanye is not all that...the first time I heard THROUGH THE WIRE, I was online and I did start geeking..BECAUSE I am a Chaka Khan fan and I loved that fact that he used her song...I still cant tell u one word of that song except for "Through the fire..to the limit...to whateverereree..." LOL

Well i have to agree that he does use samples, but gosh, not as much as P. Diddy. I can listen to kanye more so than P. Diddy. I think Kanye has more originality than P. Diddy, although he does use samples, I just feel like P. Diddy just steals the songs rather than use some sort of creativity with the tracks like Kanye does. Plus, I feel that Kanye is a way better rapper than P. Diddy.

And I must say, that Kanye did an excellent job with John Legend's cd, cuz its hot!!!

missfee said:

Yes, you nailed it. Kanye's gift is in recontextualizing those songs to fit his song concept. None of the music on College Dropout is mind-blowingly original, I agree, but his lyrical themes (and general lack of fake thug posturing) are what's refreshing and creative. He comes across as funny, smart, and with the eye for everday detail that makes a memorable artist. In short, I hope to see even BETTER things from him in the future. I think he's got the stuff.

HIGHLY overrated. Producer of the Year? Give me a break.

I haven't heard anything original from him yet, and the sped-up vocal trick wears thin after a while.

it's about time somebody put Chicago on the map

VoicesCarry said:

w/e who asked you

sorry folks, I don't see it. All the producers sound the same anymore.

Remember how everyone said P-daddy was the best?? Remember I invented the remix??

Man couldn't buy a hit now, by the way how did DaBands album do??

Producers come and go, Kanye will be one of those guys.

ABeautifulOne said:

You don't really "get" message boards, do you?

VoicesCarry said:

In fairness, I thought All Falls Down was an interesting choice of sample (the one from Lauryn's Unplugged set), and a good lyric - and it worked even when they remade it for the released version. I like his lyrics on Through The Wire too (in fact I'd say it's probably my favourite song about maxillofacial reconstructive surgery - !)... Seriously though, I like both those records, firstly because at least they're actually about something, and secondly that that something is not merely how many "ho's"/guns one has (a la Snoop, "Fiddy", etc...)!

Mind you, that Workout Plan single is a pointless noise! And also every time I see him now I get reminded of him at the end of that Beastie Boys video ("Oh, I did not know there were Sasquatches...") and I have trouble taking him seriously.....

Still, he's a step up from "Diddy" and at least it's a change from Pharell.....

RanMarJam said:

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Here we go. Someone making excuses for excessive sampling. It is okay to use sampling for a sound effect but, to rip off whole songs and run around proclaiming yourself a genius is mind boggling. I don't know who should have been nominated for producer of the year but it should not have been Kanye. He is going to be another rapper who will disappear in 5 years. I can't even decide if I will watch the Grammies because I know this no talent bum and Usher will pick up all of the awards.

MendesCity said:

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Oh my god !!!!, A new way to explain sampling (recontextualizing songs) it is called stealing some else music.

Using sped up truncated samples isnt creative..