Tag Archives: Kanye West

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Song of the Day #5,692: ‘Slow Jamz’ – Twista Featuring Kanye West & Jamie Foxx

Today we throw back to the week of January 31, 2004, when Outkast continued to have a stranglehold on the top two spots of the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Hey Ya!‘ and ‘The Way You Move.’ At #3 was another holdover, Alicia Keys’ ‘You Don’t Know My Name.’

In the #4 spot that week was ‘Slow Jamz,’ a collaboration between rapper Twista, actor/singer Jamie Foxx, and a relative newcomer named Kanye West. West produced the track and co-wrote it with Twista, with songwriting credit also going to Hal David and Burt Bacharach due to its use of a sample of Dionne Warwick singing ‘A House is Not a Home.’

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Song of the Day #4,698: ‘Drunk and Hot Girls’ – Kanye West

I stopped finding Kanye West interesting about ten years ago. Even then, it was his music, not his persona, I found worthy of my time. Now, it’s neither.

But 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is a deserved classic. And the quartet of albums that preceded it are all good to great. That includes 2007’s Graduation, on which today’s random weekend selection appears.

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Song of the Day #3,872: ‘Roses’ – Kanye West

Kanye West has been acting a fool long enough now that it’s easy to forget he released some very good music back in the day.

West’s second album, 2005’s Late Registration, remains the early pinnacle of a career that has gone off the rails due to West’s ego and (on a sadder note) his mental health issues.

Co-produced by Jon Brion, who Kanye discovered through his work on the Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind score and Fiona Apple’s second album, Late Registration is still a great listen.

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Song of the Day #3,132: ‘Ultralight Beam’ – Kanye West

kanye_life_of_pabloEach January I like to check out the annual Village Voice Pazz & Jop poll, now in its 44th year, to get a sense of what critics thought of the previous year in music.

It usually leans a little more toward infuriating than illuminating, as critics tend to flock toward the same obvious choices. If Kanye West farts on record, it has a 100% chance of making the top ten in this poll. That said, I have also discovered some great songs there that I wouldn’t have otherwise heard.

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Song of the Day #2,670: ‘Blame Game’ – Kanye West

beautiful_dark_twistedAmid all of Kanye West’s silliness and tabloid shenanigans, it’s easy to forget that he can lay down some fascinating music. Today’s Random iTunes track, ‘Blame Game,’ is a great example.

An emotional climax of West’s excellent 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, ‘Blame Game’ chronicles the end of a relationship with a mix of jealousy, name-calling, self-loathing and bravado. And it’s all topped off with a hilarious Chris Rock monologue riffing on the song’s themes.

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