Bobby Bobby Bobby Bobby Bobby,
I appreciate your rants and love that you are calling out Kanye when everyone else just gives him a pass…
But venting and seeing red and then somehow bringing Taylor’s songwriting ability into your rage is silly. She can do this completely on her own, as she’s established on so many occasions.
If you were to ask any co-writers or co-producers (check out latest Ryan Tedder interview raving about TS’ songwriting & producing ability) they ALL would tell you she makes them better.
people.com/music/ryan-tedder-writing-producing-beyonce-uggs-taylor-swift-adele-onerepublic/ In real time, the latest Little Big Town single, “Better Man”, which will be among their biggest, is a 100% TS write.
When you get it wrong you also have to be called out... You’re wrong… :)
Happy Thanksgiving,
Scott
Scott Borchetta
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Bob
His greatest talent is staying in the press
STEINY
Nobody wants to hear some old white man's thoughts on Kanye. Couldn't make it past your third ''paragraph.''
Spose/Ryan
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Bob-
Nothing says more about the level of his egomania than the reckless stage rig he took on tour....
media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/NEP1487114.jpg You'd appreciate this as well, if you haven't already seen it.. Kanye actually thinks he can compare himself to Jordan in sneaker sales and cultural impact:
www.complex.com/sneakers/kanye-west-adidas-vs-air-jordans Oblivious.
Steven Manuel
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100% agreed: we should only have sympathy for people whom we feel are talented.
Michael Azerrad
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Kind of like Brit when she shaved her head.
David Tobin
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Bob — Kanye’s going to run for President in 2020; he told us so.
Jim Charne
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You just gave him a pass by writing about him. I think, no I know, that you can do better.
Paul
F Paul Mooney, Jr.
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He's just not that talented. That's tombstone material. Each so deep and superficial.....
Great piece.
Paige J. Mann
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Crazy as he is, his talent was never in dispute. He's an extremely talented producer (listen to Jay-Z's "The Black Album" for an idea of that).
Moreover, his work with Adidas isn't bad at all. It may not be your personal taste, but his work was pretty well received.
It's just his insanity that gets in the way of seeing the good in him.
Marksun
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We need a click through analytic on your letter so you can check your diatribes about Trump and Hitler as they spiral downward.
Kanyes not the only one who's lost it.
You're not helping Bob. What you're peddling is a disgrace.Lighten up!!!
Jimmy Murphy
Managing Partner
Momentum Label Group
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Kanye sucks.
Tim Fricke
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Go talk to a psychiatrist, watch "Here One Day" (happy to share my copy) then reread this.
I'm embarrassed I've taken you seriously for so long.
Calvin Rosekrans
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you're not commiting heresy......sometimes, the truth hurts but is necessary..
flickflackmb
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Brilliant.
Sincerely,
A Music Maker and Lover,
Melanie Fiona.
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Mike Judge’s Idiocracy is coming to fruition much sooner than expected.
Jody Whitesides
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I'll say it. He's a talentless fucking clown. Seriously.
Sean Mormelo
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Not heresy. He, like a lot of these "stars", has no talent. I've never understood the preoccupation others have with this guy and his "art".
We live in some crazy, crazy times.
The Firesign Theater was right..."Everything you know is wrong."
Daniel Manella
Nailed it Bob. Look up the definition of a worthless person and see a photo of West. ....
Tom in Sac.
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"Save me the e-mail about Trump's lies, his SUPPORTERS, who got him ELECTED, believed in him and he certainly broke taboos, all the inside the beltway people said you couldn't say that, but he did, and the reporters said Trump was toast and they were wrong, they seemingly always get it wrong and they want our trust?"
Dear Bob:
You are "SO Right" all politicians lie. Trump is no different, however two factors in Trump's favor. Hillary Clinton deleted 33 thousand e-mails, however those that received them still have them and could release them or worse blackmail the president of the united states. Second, this president will appoint at least one supreme court judge and maybe three, as a personal preference I want conservative judge. That is why I voted Trump. I do believe he will "try" to do a good job, but certainly no guarantee on the campaign promises. As far as Kanye West, loved "Gold Digger" and his last couple of appearances on SNL - - he lost me completely. Happy he liked Trump, do not understand JZ & Beyonce (they just mind their own business and bother no one).
Bud Becker
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Fuck Kanye. Tired of his Nothing.
His music isn't amazing, his clothes aren't remarkable, and his mouth just runs afoul constantly.
Gimme 45's/singles from the 50's/60's when songs spoke for artistry. And had impact. When musicians could actually play.
In Studio and Live.
I don't wish any ill will on the man, but I do wish whoever is enabling him would stop. The music just isn't good.
A Tribe Called Quest just put out their first new release in 15 years.
It's a killer record, relevant old school & new school hip hop.
"Boom Bap" style. That's what folks should be talking about. Not the Kardashians victim under the bus.
-b (musician in brooklyn)
(Brad Gunyon)
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I wonder who Kanye will blame it on this time?
Gail Roberts
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Can't say I know how this idiot ever made it in the first place, certainly not through talent. After he intruded upon Taylor's moment, I don't know anyone that was with him, everyone thought he was wrong. And then I'm at the Macy's parade just after that and he's in the parade somehow. So the parade stops down for a few minutes and all of a sudden everyone is chanting "TAYLOR" at him and booing and so did I. It was a perfect moment. How he picked up momentum from that whole thing I'll never know.
And here's that moment on YouTube:
"Kanye West Getting Booed NYC Thanksgiving Day Parade":
www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQNsnlj6aW0 Paul Cramer
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'And when Kanye fades, and they all fade, except for Max Martin, will she cashier him, trade him in?’
MADE ME HOWL…..love him to death, yes, really i do but enough is enough and i too long for the old days……;o)
Kathy Rowe
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"Kanye insulted his audience and people rejected him."
I must have missed something. Was he having trouble selling out shows on this latest tour?
Also that song Ultrabeam Light or whatever it's called on the Chance record is fantastic.
Patrick J. Daly
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Right on
FYI
Watch Trump take the muzzle of preachers so they can freely talk politics from the pulpit.
He will reverse the sneaky little move by Lyndon Johnson the muzzle preachers
Thank-you...
Michael K. Clifford
Venture Catalyst
Chairman
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Truth. Thank you for standing in the light. Kanye is a bully. A fake prophet. When the winds of a fickle fate turn towards he, what does he do? he ruins and claims foul. This is one huge set up. Sympathy for Kayne. Good song title. You started the lyrics. Let's help people wake up and stop believing creeps like West are better then they.
Steven Machat
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Kanye could get out in NYC in the middle of the street and shoot into the crowd hitting a child and his fan's would not care.
Dennis Rubenstein
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"The Beatles never bragged about their number ones"
Newsflash: John Lennon says The Beatles were "bigger than Yeezus""
Tom Quinn
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Finally the truth...Thx Bob for having the balls...Hallelujah to substance not salesmen!
Fiona Bloom
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"The day Donald Trump is good for the black people is the day Adolf Hitler is good for the Jews. Trump may not want to kill blacks, but a lot of his supporters do."
Give me a fucking break. Stop the fear mongering. Statements like this are an insult to history.
Jenny Sjolund
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Absolutely BRILLIANT
Cedric Thomas
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really man - who cares - this long script gives him too much attention just like everyone else has.there's nothing to say.....
Malcolm Clark
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Kanye?
nobody cares, not even Kim!
I chalk this up to more manufactured PR as an excuse to bail on a Tour that was
LOSING MONEY!
We need a Top Ten ongoing list of growing excuses to cancel Tours:
-Injury (Gaga, Drake)
-Creative differences
-Tour Exhaustion
-Sex addiction
-Substance abuse :)
-personal family crisis
-lawyers insisted on cutting loose lead singer due to L.S.D. (Lead singers disease)
-Axl's Psychic said planets were unfavorably positioned
-Killed by Death
Not being insensitive but tours are cancelled when costs override revenue & the excuses issued are designed for appeasement & damage control.
Just like "Fake News" this is about as real as Kim's Facial features.
Joseph Nazitto
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I think this has been your best post so far.You pretty much nailed anything&everything this time.This is my favourite sentence from your letter:
"Because it's become a popularity contest, no one ponders the fact that the President has to govern."
Sums it up so nicely.
Thanks !
Frank Baach
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Amen!!!!
David Kopaloff
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I'm not sayin he ain't a gold digger...But this song whatever with Jamie Foxx was the height of his career.
Susan Nadler
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Hi Bob,
Like us all, I blow hot and cold on Kanye.
Ultimately though, the music IS often genius- he pushes the boundaries.
Put simply, the world would be a less interesting place without him.
I, like many other fans, just block out the other BS. But the noise became too loud.
I went to Kanye's show the last time I was in LA and I have to say, it was utterly phenomenal. I've spent my career studying live shows. Have you any idea how hard it is to be truly original in an arena? He did it. It was like NOTHING I've ever seen. A filthy, dystopian, distorted sensory overload. And LOUD!! Brilliant. Inspiring.
I think most of what you say here is true but you should give the dude some more credit. He's one of the true originals. Genius is an overused word, but he is. We could just do without him telling us that every five minutes.
We wish him well.
Will Bloomfield
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If you think that the right wing labeled Hillary unfairly, you have selective filtering. The most effective criticism of Hillary came from the left. Bernie Sanders told the truth about Hillary's corruption, war mongering, poor judgement, job losing trade deals, fracking, Wall St. and Kissinger loving, and Palestinian hating. If you let Bernie Sanders criticisms in or read the alternative news media you would know that the labeling was TRUTHFUL. If everyone accepts the status quo of corruption and war mongering, we don't have a chance. If people don't adopt alternative news as their first choice, we don't have a chance.
The Young Turks and Jimmy Dore are climbing the charts with a bullet!
John Azevedo
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great piece. kanye's a joke and his comically inflated ego has has gone unchecked for years. can pop culture plz move on.
jeff bratton
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Good one. Tied it up nicely.
Roger Grierson
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Preach. I hope he gets better but it's mostly so we don't have to put up with his bullshit anymore, unfortunately. He's utterly intolerable right now.
Blake Weisel
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Word! I don't always agree with everything you say but I'll keep reading cause of the chance you'll write something like this. Brilliant and sincere to the last period.
Well done.
Damon Munchus
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I could care less what entertainers have to say about politics. They are paid to entertain. If they want to run for politics, then let them, but in the mean time, they need to quit preaching because most times they lack credibility and end up sounding like paid shills.
What is worrying about the Kanye situation, is that this incident sets a scary precedent for people being hauled off in restraints to mental institutions just for speaking their mind.
Carolyne Mas
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He has had success but has burned through his money and then some. His marriage is his bank. He is in denial. His poop stinks like the rest of us. Insanely jealous of JayZ, he cannot accept he's not in the same league.
I'll give him this... There are very few people on the planet known only by their first name. Check that box, but that's about it. Poor Kim, she has to start all over again.... Again!
Mitchell Sussman
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Once again, you're amazing. Thank you for your truth.
With gratitude,
Lydia ((shayne)
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I'm curious if you like rap music. There's no end to the criticisms that can be applied to Kanye, but the guy is talented and has had a remarkable influence on hip hop and pop music in general. He's certainly talented. My question is an honest one. Are you a fan of rap music?
Byron Clark
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Amen Bon
Winifred
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this was AWESOME!!!
Robbie Klein
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Top post
Scary but all true.
Brian Rawling
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YES
Trina Tombrink
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"Trump may not want to kill blacks, but a lot of his supporters do."
Huh? Come on, man, get a hold of yourself.
Lawrence Shore
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Bob Lefsetz has more talent than Kanye! Bieber or Brittany Spears or Taylor Swift do too. He's the milli vanilli of hip hop, it's just his record hasn't scratched yet...
Kanye is a two bit hack! I hate the love he gets for STEALING songs and plus he has ghostwriters which is one of the most frowned upon things in the rap world but somehow Kanye gets a pass? Don't believe me? well, I know you can google things yourself, but here are some links....how this guy has made a name for himself on NO talent beats me! It is one thing to sample a song in hip hop, sure, that is cool, but when sample is done it is done so the listening DOESN'T know where the sample came from or it is changed, tweaked a bit to sound different. Kanye just STOLE stuff.... Even old Bob Lefsetz could do that!
Just read this quote from Aphex on pitchfork.com and the link is below:
On Kanye sampling Drukqs’ “Avril 14th” on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’s “Blame Game”: “Is it a sample? I actually don't know what it ended up being in the end, I'm so slack. I know that he tried to fucking rip me off and claim that he'd written it, and they tried to get away with not paying. I was really helpful, and when they first sent it to me, I was like, ‘Oh, I can re-do that for you, if you like,’ because they'd sampled it really badly and time-stretched it and there was loads of artifacts. I was like, ‘I'll just replay it for you at that speed if you want.’ And they totally didn't even say ‘hello’ or ‘thanks,’ they just replied with, ‘It's not yours, it's ours, and we're not even asking you any more.’” [laughs]
pitchfork.com/news/56459-aphex-twin-speaks-on-his-new-album-being-sampled-by-kanye-more/ just head over to youtube and look at every sample he ever stole, and he doesn't hide it
youtu.be/4XaDeC2LEdA even a hack like nick cannon can claim he wrote for kanye
www.complex.com/music/2016/11/nick-cannon-claims-hes-written-for-kanye-west ghostwriters and more lawsuits and BS
www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/6875189/kanye-west-co-writer-rhymefest-life-of-pablo-quits-says-rapper-needs-counselingwww.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/10/21/kanye-west-s-songwriter-wants-his-due.htmlwww.mtv.com/news/1663302/consequence-kanye-west-rapfix/www.dailyrapnews.com/2016/05/21/kanye-west-getting-sued-big-for-new-slaves-sample/hiphopdx.com/interviews/id.2801/title.cyhi-the-prynce-i-energized-kanyes-albums Michael B
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I predict Kanye will return to the public eye by playing Trump's inauguration in January (besides, who else will?)
tinyurl.com/j77nnyn Kanye's triumphant comeback on 1/20/17 will set the stage for his new role in the Federal Government. Trump will move to appoint him in a key position related to Arts & Humanities, perhaps breaking all rules and inserting him as the new Chairman for the National Endowment for the Arts.
After all, anything is possible now...
Best,
Sam Margolis
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Bull's-eye Bob!....dc
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the definitive statement on our reality right now. bravo
Zach Steel
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AMEN!!
Kevin Becka
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Fucking great rant, Bob. Hats off to you!
Glen Burtnik
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Nice take on that, Bob
Best,
Don Borza
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Metta World Peace, Terrell Owens, and Albert Belle had to have mental illness but to bring it up was to be labeled racist so it was ignored.
Alan W.
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Hi Bob,I can't name one of his songs.Just some stupid headlines.Thanks. Have a great day,Ted Keane
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Bob, you liked Kanye before.
What changed?
--Tyco Tom
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Kanye is a great producer and he needs to get back to that as his main focus. His best music is about heartbreak and struggle. He's like Eminem. Neither of them made good music when they found themselves in the winner's circle. Em is now back as an underdog because rap moved on to Drake and Rae Shremmurd. Em puts out a track like Rap God where he reminds everyone he can out rhyme anyone over 16 bars. Kanye needs to get back to that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy vibe.
Gordon Chaffin
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Well, just YAY to every single thing you said.
And my own nickel: I'm so disgusted when I hear young, talented musicians giving homage to Kanye. It's gotta be... what? I don't know. They can make great music themselves, but cannot recognize a charlatan. I just sit here tsk-tsk-ing like an ancient.
Lavinia
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Spot on. Me for one, Hope we have heard the last of kayne .
Elizabeth Brant
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Hey Bob,
Perhaps you should check the ticket counts on the Saint Pablo tour, which was crushing.
Or check with venues to see the merch sales records he was smashing at most tour stops on this run (i saw it first hand at our festival in nyc in october. we gave KW his own merch lane for both days of the festival and the line was a mile long from the second we opened doors. forget about the fact that he helped our first year festival sell out 50k tix).
Or check with Herbert Hainer, who went on the record with WSJ to sing KW's praises and glow about his shoe line with Adidas, which is also an unquestionable success. Try getting your hands on a pair of Yeezy's.
If the big story here is the wisdom/power/support of the 'people' - haven't the 'people' already spoken...in loud support of KW?
Sounds like you aren't personally a fan of his music, but you should go check out his next show when he's back. It's a hit parade, the production is stunning, and the majority of the audience is having the time of their lives.
Thanks for your time.
Jordan Wolowitz
Founders Entertainment
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I'm thinking you can recycle a good portion of this rant in a couple of years and just change "Kanye" to "Trump"...
John Dlugosz
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