Below is my interview with 88-Keys. We discuss his new CD, a concept album called "The Death Of Adam," which Kanye West executive-produced. We also talk about how Kanye came to be involved in the project, 88's obsession with Polo by Ralph Lauren, his inspiration, his family, and so-called "conscious rap." 88 also debunks my theory of "the two Kanyes." Enjoy!
On last Friday night’s telecast, “A Concert for Hurricane Relief,” aired on the networks of NBC, the tone was appropriately somber. As the death toll from Hurricane Katrina continued to rise, celebrities—many of whom had ties to New Orleans—raised money for the American Red Cross and its relief efforts. A parade of celebs took the stage—Harry Connick, Jr., The Neville Brothers, Mike Myers, Chris Tucker—reading prepared scripts which tugged at heartstrings and purse-strings alike.
And yes, we’re getting to Kanye West and his deviation from that script.
But first I have a few cards to put on the table: I am incredibly biased. The platform that a pop-culture column provides for its writer’s political views is shaky at best. And although I occasionally use this space to follow (and untangle) the political threads and webs that inevitably unite celebrities for and against common causes, it is a constant struggle to keep my own political views out of this column.
On the other hand, I have made no secret of my respect for Kanye West; I think he is a producer, artist, and activist of the highest caliber. His new album, “Late Registration,” is currently the bestselling album in the country, and “Rolling Stone” magazine just gave it a glowing (and rare) five-star review. As an artist he stands, head and shoulders, above the crowd.
During the telecasted concert, West strayed from the prepared script. He attacked the media’s coverage of hurricane victims. “I hate the way they portray us in the media,” he began. “If you see a black family, it says they’re looting; you see a white family, it says they’re looking for food.” While acknowledging that the Red Cross is “doing everything they can,” he claimed that the federal government was “set up to help the poor, the black people, the less-well-off, as slow as possible.” Then he sealed the deal. He put the exclamation point on his rant with a statement that would echo throughout the weekend’s newscasts: “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”
NBC Universal immediately released a statement saying, “Tonight’s telecast was a live television event wrought with emotion. Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him, and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person’s opinion.”
In my opinion, the real issue isn’t whether Kanye’s assessment of the federal relief efforts is correct. It’s not whether George Bush “cares about black people.” And it’s not a First Amendment issue. When it comes to freedom of speech issues, I’m proponent number one. The real issue is whether West should have used a benefit concert for the Red Cross to voice his displeasure with the George Bush, and I don’t think he should have.
It’s easy to call a press conference to speak out against perceived injustices. If West would’ve called one, the press would’ve shown up. Using a program that was intended to unite Americans to aid in relief efforts as a way to divide Americans along partisan or racial lines was an ill-advised misstep on West’s part, and I hope it didn’t discourage a single donation to the American Red Cross.
-From Pulse
September 8, 2005
Last September, I wrote a column for Pulse called “The Fashion of The Christ,” in which I talked about the reemergence of religion in pop culture. It was centered around Kanye West’s “Jesus Walks,” a song that almost single-handedly revived hip-hop as an instrument of social change, in a time when far too many songs were about bling, cars, clothes, women, and parties that don’t stop ‘til six in the morning. Now, Kanye is at it again.
The first single from his upcoming sophomore album, Late Registration, is called “Diamonds from
“The title was always ‘Diamonds from
Set against a sample of “Diamonds Are Forever,” the James Bond theme by Shirley Bassey, the rapper lambastes the diamond industry, accusing it of continuing to mine and sell so-called “conflict diamonds,” or “blood diamonds.” (“Conflict diamond” is a term applied to a diamond that, while being mined, results in the loss of human life or limb.)
It’s an alarming message—coming from Kanye, who was once renowned for his flashy jewelry and close affiliation with the Hip-Hop community’s most famous diamond-peddler, Jacob The Jeweler.
In the song, West draws an interesting parallel between the African children who die mining the diamonds and American kids who die selling drugs to buy them.
West focuses his attention on
Carson Glover, a spokesman for the
In fact, he adds, “the volume of conflict diamonds in circulation is believed to have dropped below one percent, if any at all, and it is virtually impossible for unscrupulous dealers to sell non-certified rough diamonds.”
While Kanye might not be ready to give his bling back, he is doing his part to raise awareness about the dark side of the diamond trade. As he told Billboard, “I wanted to do whatever I could to learn more and educate people about the problem.”
June 23, 2005
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