There are so many things he does well that it's hard to pinpoint it down to one or two. The intelligence of the writing. The great use of samples. The sense of humor. But what distinguishes him most is his willingness to express doubt and uncertainty in his lyrics about himself and the whole hip-hop culture. From "All Falls Down":
I say f*** the police, that's how I treat 'em
We buy our way out of jail, but we can't buy freedom
We'll buy a lot of clothes when we don't really need 'em
Things we buy to cover up what's inside
'Cause they make us hate ourself and love they wealth
That's why shorties hollering "Where the ballas' at?"
Drug dealer buy Jordans, crackhead buy crack
And a white man get paid off of all of that
But I ain't even gon' act holier than thou
'Cause f*** it, I went to Jacob with 25 thou
Before I had a house and I'd do it again
Cause I wanna be on 106 and Park pushing a Benz
I wanna act ballerific, like it's all terrific
I got a couple past due bills, I won't get specific
I got a problem with spending before I get it
We all self conscious; I'm just the first to admit it
I saw an interesting interview with Kanye on MTV yesterday where he decried the homophobia of his peers, demanding that they stop regarding "gay" as the opposite of "hip hop". Interesting stuff.
But I'm worried. Being "the hip hop artist white people respect and want more rappers to be like" is a hard place to be -- ask Lauryn Hill, Arrested Development, Digable Planets, etc. Columnist Jimi Izrael knows what I'm thinking:
Pop culture determines the context of black artistry. America lampoons people critical to the evolution of pop music in America (Isaac Hayes, Barry White) and marginalizes others by giving them only token mention in the annals of pop music history. White music writers have the audacity to declare with paternalist authority that hip-hop and other kinds of black music have finally "grown up," sighting Lauryn Hill, Everlast, Eminem and Kanye West as examples.
When a black music release becomes an American phenomenon, it loses all traces of its cultural roots and relevance. I am worried that West and Hill have been co-opted like Soul 2 Soul, Seal and De la Soul before them, never to have the love of black people again. White pop culture has determined that she is the next evolution of hip-hop. They see her Afrocentricity as part of a "shtick." I seem to recall another media darling with a similar "shtick" Does anybody remember . . . Arrested Development? White critics loved them too, with their black spirituality and post-D.A.I.S.Y. age afro-hippy instincts. The media smothered them with love — there was even talk of a "Mr. Wendal" cartoon — remember? When they dropped 'Revolution' for the Malcolm X soundtrack, the critics cooled on them -- quick! — dismissing their lyrics as "quasi-political black rhetoric." Two albums sold 5 million of copies total (a paltry sum, considering) with the second one selling less than 100,000 copies.
Remember 'Zingalamaduni?' Didn't think so. Nobody does. Kanye, by purposely offering up work with crossover appeal, is fitting himself up for the same bag. So is Lauryn Hill.
So what is the moral obligation of a white hip hop fan? I have no idea. I just hope Kanye is making the music he wants to make, and not the music he thinks I want him to.
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