Rhondab said:

Word. None at all...they dress like they're about 2 play a game of Basketball instead of rather than performing. So lazy..

the only reason why he could possibly sell out statiums is because he was the open act for Bono.. or U2.. or who ever those people are....

but if it was by himself.. .he couldn't even sell it half out

Christopher said:

anyway...this is actually my fav vid of Hammer and his dancin' because was before U can touch this and before the glam.


They all could dance their asses off....lawd.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=dFzi11ZGh7w

When he starts molesting children...that's when he'll be the next michael jackson.

rebelsoldier said:

Well, a lot of those cats bring a little something different to their shows. 'Ye relies on his production skills and persona to sell tickets. But hey, do what you can do.



How old was that person?

I'm not gonna lie; I have no problem with sampling. I also like much of Kanye's work. But his lyrics wear thin after a while. He's clever sometimes, but he's basically rewriting "All Fall Down" on every song.

Honestly I better listen to West than MJ...

Rhondab said:

Yes hammer was a performer but lyrically he was weak as hell.
I'm an old school guy but mc hammer don't even deserve to be on the same stage with hammer or mentioned in the same breath. I actually like kanye. He bought something fresh to hip hop and he is kind of like the go between current hip hop and conscious hip hop. I don't know if he is drawing more criticism for his arrogance or the fact that he made a statement that is true about george bush on national tv. He basically said what a lot of people felt but were afraid to say. Look at new orleans. If that shit happened in bismarck,nd you think the so called president's response time would have been that slow.

phunkdaddy said:

I like 'Ye's work too. But what has he really brought to the table that has been "fresh."? Political statements? He's made them, but he wasn't the first to do so. Put Chuck D. or KRS-ONE or Paris on that stage and they would have said the same thing. He got there because he was Kanye West and sold a lot of records. The others, and still others more, don't sell like Kanye, so he gets the most attention.

Are his lyrics "fresh" in any way? Not really. He's admittedly pompous and self-centered but introspective in many ways. But again, that's not really "fresh" per se. Com, Mos, Kweli, and others have covered the same ground.

I think he brings a new though not entirely unique voice to the table. His production style adds new dimensions to how samples are used. But his legacy will largely be that he moved hip-hop AND hip-pop forward in the post-Tupac/Biggie/Bling era.

namepeace said:

I wasn't implying that he was totally innovative particularly since there were
guys before him like rakim,common,mos def, kweli, chuck d, black thought,etc. I implying that he bought something different to mainstream hip hop today. All the guys i mentioned before him got very limited airplay and weren't considered mainstream(common is just getting his props as far as mainstream goes). Now of course chuck d and rakim were popular but rakim was only popular for 2 albums and public enemy fell off unfortunately after 3 albums. Kanye has exceeded those guys with just 2 albums and is destined for even greater success on his 3rd album. Common is my favorite rapper but i will call a spade a spade. He probably would not be enjoying the mainstream success that he would if kanye wouldn't have handled the production and sign him to his label and provide that push for common. Whether you like kanye or you don't, you can't deny the fact that this guy is a good lyricist and has had a huge impact on hip hop radio and compared to dumbed down hip hop from artists like 50 cent, young jeezy, young joc, tony yayo, etc. kanye isn't a bad alternative.

phunkdaddy said:

1. Well said.

2. I'd say PE fell off the map after 4.5 albums (Apocalypse 91 and half of Greatest Misses).

3. Kanye, commercially and critically, has had a great 2-album run and is poised to extend the streak to 3. But artistically, give me the runs of ATCQ, De La Soul, Boogie Down Productions, Public Enemy, Ice Cube, Tupac, et al.

4. I like Kanye's work because comparatively speaking, he is a viable alternative.

5. Agreed. Com wasn't made by Kanye, but 'Ye helped put him over the top commercially. And that's nothing but good in my eyes.

namepeace said:

I don't have any problem with sampling but most of these producers have no respect for the track they sample. For them it's just raw materials that they can freely use and pass as their own work.

Common with J Dilla>>>>>Common with Kanye

The soul in Dilla's production is from him and the sample he uses compliments it.
The thing about Kanye is that he made big bucks working with Jay-Z and that gives him a lot of leverage in the industry. Im 100% sure that Common and the Roots wouldn't be riding with Kanye is he had the appeal that Dilla had(i.e underground).

As a common fan, i can honestly say i enjoyed common's work with producers
j dilla and questlove more so than i have common's work with kanye but kanye has provided common with that push to become mainstream. Also i liked common's underrated electric circus more than be but finding forever trumps them both.

phunkdaddy said:

I haven't heard finding forever yet but I was really annoyed by Kanye's appearances on Be. It was almost like a duet album. But I do appreciate how he has helped Common into the mainstream without compromising himself much.

It's weird that Kanye is being compared to Michael and JT is being compared to Prince. I would've thought it'd be the other way around. Kanye is more the self-produced, studio-wiz like Prince and JT is more the mega-pop-star and entertainer like Michael.

rebelsoldier said:

It's all about what you do with the resources you have. Premier, Dilla and Madlib could get 5 killer tracks out of the "Move On Up" loop 'Ye used very effectively. Dilla had true soul because he, like the others I mentioned, understood hip-hop at its essence. I think 'Ye does too, but he's not those cats at the end of the day.

Incidentally, I think No I.D. was a decent producer in his own right. "I Used To Love H.E.R.," and "Communism" remain among Com's best.

DarlingDiana said:

They both are manufactured bullshit !

Slave2daGroove said:

Slave2daGroove said:

Will you quit with that crap! geez...