The Audacity of Dope

I could write an essay on Kanye’s Runaway film, and the ensuing debates it sparked, but what’s the point?  There will be a million analytical pieces by Monday, and none of them will be any more “right” than the others.  It’s art…and I’m really not looking forward to hearing other people tell me how to consume it.

Personally, I’m satisfied with an interesting concept, some beautiful shots & colors, and some really dope music.  The intro scene with “Dark Fantasy” and the “Devil In A New Dress” segment were flawless, though part of me wishes this was the first time I ever heard any of these songs.  That’s always been one of my least favorite aspects of the internet age and I may have to revert back to avoiding music from my favorite artists until it’s officially presented.  Even with all the live performances, interviews, and song/artwork leaks spoiling much of Runaway, I thoroughly enjoyed the film.

Regardless of how you felt about it, you have to agree: no mainstream MC puts more effort and care into his music than Kanye.  Sure, it can come off pretentious at times (ok, much of the time), but he’s really trying to express something in his art and take it to new places.  He doesn’t always hit the mark, but musically, he’s never disappointed me.

A toast to Yeezy.

…but this is my kind of indie rock.  Lost In Translation is so damn classic.

At first, I had absolutely no desire to see Dinner For Schmucks, but I must say, the commercials and the newest installment of BtF has me second guessing that.  I need to see Inception first though…perhaps tonight.

So legendary.

You are not ready for my narration prowess!

But nah, in all seriousness…this documentary is super dope.  Be on the lookout for it on March 9th…shout to the fellas, Chris London, DRG Films, and everyone involved for letting me be a part of it.

Warning: too much truth.

If you have the time, I highly recommend you check out this documentary.  As a music lover and a former media studies major, this really does a great job of summing up all our fears about media consolidation.  Shout to Marcus for passing this through in the comments.

I’ll be honest, I’m swamped with work these days so I haven’t watched this entire bio, but I still felt the need to toss it up here on TAOD.  Y’all should be up on Ali Vegas, but if not, peep the video to see what he’s all about.  I still remember the first time I heard “The Specialist” on the In Too Deep Soundtrack in ’99 and being blown away.  I’m not sure if he’ll ever realize his full potential and reach the lofty goals we all seemed to set for him (“y’all critics got a lot of nerve, I’m [Nas] to the third”), but one thing’s for sure: dude can rhyme.

I don’t know the back story behind it, but this is crazy.  “Comprised using chords, bass notes, and vocal samples” from one of the best films of ’09, Up.

Sidenote, just saw Up In The Air, which was fantastic as well.  Next up is Avatar, but I need to wait until the furor around the 3D IMAX shows dies down a bit…

Yessir!  It’s getting closer and closer to the release of DRG Films’ documentary on U-N-I & Ro Blvd.’s A Love Supreme project.

*cough* narrated by yours truly *cough*

Also, Y-O and Thurzday leaked a new track off the upcoming re-release of the album, due out February 23rd.

U-N-I – “Supreme 2.0”

Enjoy!

This is crazy.

I don’t think anyone is on the same level as Kanye these days – musically, artistically, personally, etc..  There are a lot of different interpretations that you could pull from this short film, but I’d be interested in hearing your take.  Keep in mind, this was filmed before the MTV VMA incident and his decision to step out of the spotlight a bit.  What do you think?

Sidenote: peep the Mayer Hawthorne track playing during the “love” scene.  A-Side FTW!