I had a good long solo snow walk last night and was finally able to zone out on the new Kanye Album. Pretty awesome scenery as an accompaniment to the music. I’m not sure it’s as incredible as everyone is saying it is, but I do think they’re some truly great songs. “Blame game” is a remarkable record. Probably my favorite on the album. “All of the lights” is one of the hardest/spastic beats in recent memory. The perfect combination of chaos and double time horn stabs. “Ruaway” is a cinematic moment capturing a stillness that I rarely hear in Hip-Hop records. Or maybe it’s just that really still weirded out looking deer in the preview of the short film that conjures up the isolation vibe. Either-way, it’s a provocative song. “Power” is just that shit. And there’s more.

Every time Ye drops an album, the samples he used on the project pop up on youtube (props to whoever finds these). And every album, I’m always surprised by how much he’s still flipping records. I just assume he’s playing the keys on songs like “Blame Game.” Or conducting a choir on “Dark Fantasy.” But nope. He (or someone else) is still digging. And in the essence of the origin, you gotta respect that.

And on another note, this is the most fascinating piece I’ve ever read on Kanye. An in-depth look at the creative process. The part of the art that rarely gets documented, examined and scrutinized. As a fan and a musician these are the types of articles that intrigue and inspire me. Not just who they’re beefing with or how much weed they smoke.

The regurgitated blog/journalist/media world has such a limited scope on how to document the human experience. The current model of generic content pumped onto our browsers has successfully blurred the lines of authenticity to the general public. However, when you read the truth you quickly remember how sweet it is. And Noah Callahan-Bever nailed it. One of the more refreshing things I’ve read this year, because I actually felt like a human wrote it! Not an elitist “tastemaker” with an inferiority complex, but actually a real dude. And believe it or not, writing as a vulnerable, real person is still a commendable and endearing trait in 2010. Well done sir.

http://www.complex.com/CELEBRITIES/Cover-Story/kanye-west-project-runaway/