Guest Post: Kanye Reads Your Brain Then Gets Stuck In It

[Editor's Note -- As you may have read, Qualler is temporarily out of commission from contributing to the Blogulator, but will return soon. This week we have our esteemed NYC friend Anita filling in for him with a special guest post on the phenomenon that is Mr. Ego himself, Kanye West. Check out her tumblr, Hello. Nice To See You., and also don't forget to check out weekend postings from OHD and Nicole below!]

Hey Blogulator readers! Anita here - one of the folks linked on the right side over there. Friend of the Blogulator, and fellow lover of pop culture. Bringing you that eastern perspective from a strange microcosm of self-absorbed, urban madness where people do things like this. I love it anyway. I was chatting with Chris a while back I was like, "hey it would be cool if you had guest posters," and he was like, "yeah totally. You should post!" (Or something like that.) It's exciting to be here!

Kayne West has been on my mind as of late. His new single/video "Love Lockdown" premiered on Ellen last week and it has been stuck in my head every since. Come to think of it, new Kanye stuff is ALWAYS stuck in my head. I was thinking about that the other day and wondering what is it about Kayne? It's like he is a purveyor of up and coming culture brought to the masses for popular consumption. Bingo!

Now I know he isn't the only one nor is this even a profound insight but I'm going to write about it anyway because I can't help but notice so many intersecting ideas. Cool? For one, just take a look at Kanye's blog. In his latest posts, he has written about a Banksy installation, a robotic insect, and the new MacBook. Things that have been on your average young, urban person's radar and when you hear about them, you think, "Hey, cool."

His fashion sense as well is derived from the urban and indie kids. I have to give credit to the kid on NPR who said, "Kanye brought the gay street style and made it cool for everyone to rock." He even helped bring skate style into urban culture. In his latest video, you'll see him continuing the trend, bringing Sperry shoes to the street.

Not to mention that Kanye is one of the few artists that has recognized the evolution of music as an industry. Record sales haven't been cutting it and rather than accept that, he is innovating music into the art form that it always has been. When he is not around, he is on our mind.

A subway ad that surfaced earlier this year. What?

When he is around, he is also on our mind. Kanye has a new book, song and video that feels like one continuing art piece. It's no surprise you'll hear minimal drum beats as the base for "Love Lockdown". Minimalist music has been making a comeback in a big way. And it seems perfect that you'll find Kanye on the latest cover of Fader - a vehicle of "cutting edge" culture that digs underground and brings culture to the masses. I can't help but consume the work of Kanye because it is so artfully crafted.

This entry was posted by chris, on Monday, October 20, 2008. You can leave your response.