momentsgolden wrote:Sorry bro, i just took it from the start of the video "This is art and it shall be taken as such." Either way, my question still stands- does anything graphic stand for art for you now? or Are you one to like an artist and REALLY get into them. Tyler the Creator, Eminem on Relapse, This Monster Video and sum other shit i dont remember.
So, are you asking if anything graphic passes as art to me because I liked this video and, because of how much I like
Relapse too?
I've been following Kanye since he came out. From
The College Dropout to now. So it's not like I've randomly paid attention to him now he's done something more graphic.
I'm very obsessive so I pretty much jump from one artist (pretty much just rapper as don't listen to other genres) at a time. I don't feel like I can sort of, handle spreading my taste / attention too thin by listening to everybody at once. Which is why I'm always behind on a lot.
I don't follow the entire genre. I keep an eye on it of course, as I am a fan of hip-hop in general but, a rapper generally has to catch my attention in some way or maybe I just happen to hear something by chance or on a collaboration and if then I'll seek out everything they've done and 'study' them for a bit.
It's not that clinical though. I mean, I am a clinical thinker and I'm bipolar so extreme so I may just be manic for days and then depressive as hell for days but, the extreme mood shifts feed the obsessive thinking to different degrees. I don't know why the fuck I'm saying this lmao, sometimes I go completely off-point which is why I sometimes write so much...
It's because I'm always trying to like, answer as genuinely as I can and get to the truth as I'm writing. So to answer you plainly - yes I like an artist and then REALLY get into them. And I'll pretty much listen to nothing but them until I'm bored or something more interesting catches my ear.
So because of this kind of listening, I don't know of nearly as much material as the
average hip-hop fan even probably. Even though I probably listen, focus, analyze and dissect hip-hop in my own mind, the artistic qualities and appreciate the aims of the artists to a much higher degree. But, there has to be something... unique about them. I rarely will just... like a song because it's catchy or enjoyable for example and just 'bump' X guy for a minute. They have to get under my skin.
With Tyler, I think he has potential but at the moment it's just aimless teenage angst and mood issues that are coming out in bursts of sort of... wannabe creativity lmao but, he's not really saying anything at the moment. But, I can feel a spark in his sound, and he's only like 20? or 21 or whatever, so I think he will develop, evolve and create some very special material.
I think that due to some of his desire to be subversive and divisive as apposed to just creating catchy or 'good' music. And, it's a little more than plain shock value too, even though he doesn't quite seem to know what to do with it, there's a darkness there, an attitude and some character... it'll all come together and he appreciates visuals too. I honestly think that every significant artistic genius (or genius I can think of period) either has, had, or was suspected of having some kind of mental disorder though. Whether it be Bipolar, ADHD, Autism, or OCD.
I think 'genius' is just a word we use to describe people who obsess to such a profound degree they create something which seems 'out of reach' to the norm, or average person and therefore people feel they have no choice but to say the human who created it is in an elite world of their own, known as 'genius'. Which in a sense is true, people with mental disorders are a minority but, I'm not saying anybody with a disorder is a genius of course, but, if you have potential / or talent, or a desire... I certainly think it helps lmao. Especially in art.
But once again totally off-point. I'm kind manic atm as have had no sleep for about two days. So I start to get a bit, addicted to thought and sort of pushing everything I think and say to the max. Trying to hold back now actually lmao as I start to feel the urge to become some fucking dictator of language and passion and just explode outwards with words and logic. Calm now... calllllllllm.
Just to tie into what you started saying though, I do love the marriage of visuals with music. And I think there's few things that can match its
Power and actually.... Tarantino said a similar thing except it was about movies. He said when every element of a movie comes together it's... kind of orgasmic, as in: the visuals, and the setting, and the soundtrack and atmosphere and so on.
So, even the best of best music videos aren't that but, there is that spark to them or that is possible with them. And that's why I was actually so let down with
Relapse. As that was a real chance for Em to just let loose with visuals and create one hell of a fucking experience. And I think visuals can improve your perception of an album, its standing and what's later thought of it.
Because the visuals can help better depict what the artist had in mind and relieve confusion or misconception to many fans or critics and just produce a more clear, stark and effective piece of work. I'm thinking specifically of
Thriller. I mean, do you think that album would be quite what it is without that legendary music video? I mean, I'm not even a MJ fan (of course he was incredible but I mean, I don't listen to him as a fan or anything) and didn't listen to him growing up but am still well aware of that video. Who isn't.
It took the album to a new level and if Em had just had the balls to commit fully to his vision with
Relapse and then
Relapse 2, aww man, it could of been a fucking roller-coaster year of theatrical fucking rap that, maybe even not appreciate at the time but I think could of been looked back on as an epic moment in his career. Instead, he copped out, compromised and produced
Recovery.
Which, is a nice album but... meh.
That's one thing I always love Kanye for, he will never compromise his vision. And he always goes all the way out on the visuals and there's a genuine, genuine desire and strive for truth with him. And I don't mean literal or logical truth - I mean, artistic truth as in he's constantly trying to get to the bottom of why he's written a song or thought of a line, constantly trying to dig deeper and portray what he finds under the soil. It's all you could really ask for in an artist.
(PS. I wouldn't read it all either lmao. Way too lazy. Which may seem ironic given I was the one who wrote it but I didn't intend to, if I had the intention of writing that much I would of left the thread immediately, as again - very lazy.
If you skim it you might find some responses to your question(s) amongst the babble though).