Heading Westward

I, by no means, am a hip hop fan. The whole hip hop/rap/R&B scene, with its bling bling, money flaunting sideshow has never really been something that has drawn my fancy. So, I have tended to stay pretty far away from this genre, dipping my toe in with some DJ Shadow every now and then pulling right back out.

But, recently I have grown some admiration for Kanye West. My first foray into Kanye’s world was when I inadvertently saw him ripping up the stage on BBC1 at the “Concert for Diana”. His was the stand-out performance of the night – putting P Diddy (with his “we miss you Diana” calls) to shame. I caught a “Life and Rhymes” episode he featured in over the weekend, and then watched his kick ass performance at the Grammy Awards on Monday night – which has led me to make this statement….I think I like Kanye West’s music.

Controversial I know, but anyone who collaborates with the ever-brilliant Daft Punk must have a bit of talent – shouldn’t they?

Easily the best performance at the Grammy’s, with Kanye shining though, surrounded by a sea of mediocrity – that is the current state of American popular music. A pumping version of Stronger, followed by a touching tribute to his recently deceased ‘mama’, enjoy…