When it comes to throwing Kanghey Zest under the bus that is usually Bol’s lane but today I had to put ‘Ye on blast for the interview here at the X-spot featuring him and his self-help guru Sakiya Sandifer.
Kanye West, Between The Sheets Lines
The crown of the interview is when ‘Ye is asked what might have been the influence for his book’s graphic layout. It seems the book uses a format similar to Saul William’s ‘Said The Shotgun To The Head’. In truth the ‘Ye book doesn’t remark the Saul William’s book to me but it is more reminiscent of 1970 modern ad propaganda. When confronted with the question though KanYe bristled.
“You know what, I’m not familiar with no books. I don’t know no books, dead ass.”
Relax KanYe. Sure you know from books. Why else would you write a book anyhoo? You obviously recognize the power of words to inform and TRANSFORM people’s lives so you decided to put your words on paper so that people could read them and invoke the words that might help them have success in their lives similar to yours. That’s called a book playboy. Accept it and embrace it. The idea of writing informational shit down is one of the pillars of civilization.
I don’t understand how you promote a book you’ve written by telling people that you don’t fux with books? I would hate for someone famous to be promoting a music CD of them rapping when they say that they don’t listen to rap. Something like a Joaquin Phoenix. “Does anyone make real shit anymore?!?” is one of my favorite lines when I witness pop culture doppelgangers at work. KanYe almost becomes one of the people that he rails against.
I think KanYe has some kind of beef with Saul Williams. Ever since I heard that song ‘Never Let Me Down’ that featured a bootlegg Saul Williams poet I thought that ‘Ye and Saul were diametrically opposed to one another. No wonder he got peeved when he was associated with swagger jacking Saul Williams graphic design. KanYe is prA’li still feeling bruised for using J.Ivy to spit like Saul Williams on that college dropout track.
I remember when they were giving out the KanYe book at the end of the ‘Glow In The Dark’ concert. I liked that shit. It was colorful and all Murakami’d out. Simple and clear design. It doesn’t really challenge you to overthink anything. It’s like a compilation of daily affirmation tropes for the Hip-Pop set. I fux with shit like that. The book that pulls me out of my doldrums is the series of joints by Jack Handey called ‘Deep Thoughts’. That shit is the best money you will ever spend on a book.
If you really feel like reading some shit take a look at these books also…
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley – What more can I say?
Hank Aaron: One For The Record by George Plimpton – The story of the summer that Hank Aaron endured prior to eclipsing the home run mark set by Babe Ruth. Hank Aaron is the most hardbody athlete of all time.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess – Get the un-edited joint that has the ending that Burgess wanted the story to have. This is one of my fave all time joints. Them hooligans in London used to get it in.
A few recomenndations custom-tailored for the DP.com family–
* Hubert Selby Jr “Last Exit To Brooklyn”– the movie is just ok so ignore that if you’ve seen it. In fact, this is the fucking “Illmatic” of 1960s American literature. Hell, make that five or six “Illmatic”s because it’s longer. Start with the last section, “Landsend,” set in Red Hook Houses if there’s any doubt.
Selby is a HUGE influence on DP hero Ralph Bakshi by the way.
* Henry Miller “Tropic of Capricorn”– I should have mentioned Selby was so raw that the publication of “Last Exit” was cause for an obscenity trial in England. Miller is another BK kid who was so hot his first three novels were BANNED in the U.S. for decades. “Capricorn” is the NYC and anyone digging on the new Doom cd (which quotes Bukowski, who learned lots from Miller) oughta enjoy it, as well as all of us who 1) have had shitty jobs 2) like to fuck. Presumably that includes most folks reading this.
* Ira Berlin “Many Thousands Gone: The First Two Centuries of Slavery In North America.” REAL history, or as real as can be determined so far and while I can’t speak for others, I find it more enraging/inspiring than (say) the 5% mythmaking and whatever else tries to empower but seems to mostly replace one set of received fables with another.
* Ishmael Reed “Mumbo Jumbo”: now THESE are the African-American in a white man’s world fables/criticism/jokes that I live by. To put it in hip-hop terms, this is like “Nation of Millions” and “Black Planet” PE crossed with the best of ALL the Native Tongues dudes. Reed is a long time Cali dude, I wonder who out there reps him like they should?
FUCK KANYE
FUCK KANYE
FUCK KANYE
(Tho’ I like his music.)
Autobiography of Malcolm X is one of my alllll time faves. That, and Valley of the Dolls. I know, random.
john fante: the road to los angeles
richard brautigan: trout fishing in america
william saroyan: the human comedy
aime cesaire: notebook of a return to the native land
bukowski: ham on rye
hemingway: a movable feast
elie weisel: night
philip k dick: the man in the high castle
seamus heaney: collected poems
gertrude stein: tender buttons
sylvia plath: the bell jar/ ariel
many more but check someof these out if you all get a chance. and ye sounds hella ignorant!
“Read a book mutha fuckr, read a book”
I think Spike put some hoodoo on the Lakes. That was an ill serious tho. Knicks>Lakers all day everyday anyway.
DP I swear you are a combination of this character named Oscar Wao and the narrator, this dude named Yunior from one of my favorite books “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao” The author is a 40 something dominican dude who won a pulitzer for his first novel. This one.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/30/books/review/Scott-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1
Peep the review. It’s part sci-fi, part anti-Rafael_Trujillo for what he did to the Dominican Rep, part hip-hop, part folklore…lol i think I’m going to go read again right now! The New Yorker has excerpts here: http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2000/12/25/2000_12_25_098_TNY_LIBRY_000022398?currentPage=all
Kekes,
Funny you should say that but I consider Junot Diaz (pronounced yoon-yo by todos mi hermanos Dominicanos) to be an inspiration.
I was a little let down by his novel ‘The Brief Wondrous Life…’ mainly because he rambled so much. If you want my copy of the book I will gladly shit it out to you sis.
Hunting In Harlem – Mat Johnson. A rare and hillarious commentary on the current transformation of Harlen due to gentrification.
Great posts. Why have rappers of late become the great deniers? “I don’t read books.” “I never listened to Tribe Called Quest”. “I never snitched”. “I don’t do that blog stuff”. “I don’t eff with twitter”.
Effin corns.
A Clockwork Orange is amazing, and the inspiration for an Usher Video (well, Stanley Kubrick’s interpretation of A Clockwork)….
Remember the “My Way” Video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8otWyLx6IQ
‘Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas’ anyone?
I loved the rambling in Diaz’s novel, mainly because it got me interested in the DR, but I get what you mean. You & Diaz are very similar so you need to get started on a novel DP! And If you can, please send me your copy but don’t shit it out! lol…was that a typo? I’ve been wanting to give a copy to one of the kids at the day job so it will be put to good use.
Haha, Freudian slip I assure you. And to make doubly sure I will wrap it with my “good” hand.
big fan of malcolm
u need to read Chris Rock’s “Rock This” though