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Kanye West's BlogRap Star West Opines on Haute Couture, Innovative Design, and More
He produced hits for Jay-Z, Ludacris, and Alicia Keys. He's a hugely popular rapper in his own right. And when Kanye West blogs, people talk about it.
One of the most influential figures in the world of hip-hop in the past decade, Kanye West is also known for his dynamic blog. With a predilection for high-tech gadgets that border on science fiction and futuristic, minimalist furniture, West has become an online arbiter of taste. He posts at an almost alarming rate, causing some to suspect that he employs ghosts. Whether this is true or not seems moot. The style of his blog at Kanye Universecity is playful but refreshingly not ironic. The expansive content features a round-up of creativity, and focuses on all things design with a liberal sprinkling of pin-up models. Here's what's on offer, with a focus on the month of June, 2008. Dates of the posts are in parentheses. The FashionKanye West is au courant about contemporary haute couture, and he incorporates this into his own artistic practice. A post on English fashion innovator Alexander McQueen (06.26.2008) includes a video from a runway show that is a hallucinogenic spectacle. Light, air, and movement mold a female figure in a flowing gown that appears to materialize and de-materialize simultaneously. West, with his own light show extravaganza Glow in the Dark tour, sees a kindred spirit in McQueen. The Far-Out FurnitureThe interior design featured at West's blog is sleek and modular, with molecular lights by Hopf and Wortmann (06.22.2008) and single wire furniture systems by Aykut Erol (06.28.2008) that look like art installations. Things can get pretty fourth millennium: witness the WaSnake shelf by NoDesign (06.24.2008). Its "topology can be reconfigured" and it contains LED lights and optical fibers that can be programmed into display screens. The PhotographyUltra-sleek photos that border on abstraction are preferred. Thierry Le Goue's "Soul Series" (06.11.2008) of slender Black nude figures transcends exoticism even as it embraces it. Gwong Osang (06.30.2008) makes sculptures from hundreds of snapshot-size photographs. They are disturbingly realistic representations of figures that were once human and have now become cyborgs. The Far EastNamely, Japanese style. Takashi Murakami has designed several of West's album covers, and West's "Stronger" video is set in nighttime Tokyo, red Katakana letters flashing across the screen periodically. West's blog features Japanese creative types like Tokujin Yoshika, a designer who makes furniture out of glass (06.30.2008), and architect Kelichito Sako (06.20.2008), who creates organic interiors using pod-like forms. The FemalesBrazilian, Australian, Puerto Rican, or plain old American ladies in lingerie and bikinis turn up regularly. Doe-eyed, they stare mistily at the camera with greased thighs. The speech bubbles added to their bee-stung lips nearly all ask the same question: “Where are you Yeezy?” The Fresh MusicNas and Lil' Wayne are obviously in the mix. But then there's MGMT's video "Electric Feel" (06.25.2008), a dance party in a warm neon jungle like a tropical Hieronymous Bosch come to life. And there's a much-needed flashback to New York in '93, with Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation" (06.09.2008). And The Pharcyde’s Drop video, directed by Spike Jonze. And Das EFX. And... Add one part art, one part hip-hop, three parts design, sprinkle with babes, and you’ve got Kanye West’s blog, right? Not so fast. There's always, everywhere, West himself. In addition to the culture and style, there is the occasional undiluted opinion, notably his own unmitigated version of the skirmish that took place recently at Bonnaroo. Artists, bloggers and other media types go to his blog because of the great content and the big personality behind it. That’s what makes his blog really good.
The copyright of the article Kanye West's Blog in Rap/Hip Hop Music is owned by Kiki Anderson. Permission to republish Kanye West's Blog in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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