I have not always had a healthy relationship with rap music. Sometimes the rap world drives me crazy. So, if you asked me what I thought as a hypothetical music critic about someone like Kanye West, who is huge in big, noisy, brash rap music, you'd think that I wouldn't rate him very highly.
And you would be wrong.
I know that I don't completely understand the rap world. I know that some of that bad emotional relationship with rap that I have is me simply not understanding it.
And quite frankly, a lot of rap is not meant for me.
It is meant for its own fans.
I don't have to like every genre.
But does that mean that I think that the masters of the genres that I don't like are hacks? No way.
If I write here about music or film, it is as a music critic, as a film critic.
And as a critic, I would be irresponsible if I did not respect the greats of the genres that are simply not my thing.
Some art genres, some kinds of film or music, are made for a niche audience, for the fans of a specific genre.
I respect that. And because I respect that, when it comes to genres that are not my favorite cup of tea, I still respect the masters.
A lot of people don't like a lot of rap. That is because a lot of rap is like heavy metal or hard-core horror movies- it's made for fans of this specific genre. It's not meant for everyone.
You don't have to write or play music for everyone.
If that were true, fans of a lot of beloved genres would be very dissappointed.
Someone like me commenting on hard-core rap is like a fan of Disney movies and classic sitcoms commenting on a hard-core horror flick.
A lot of it is not meant for me. It's meant for people who love a certain thing.
And it can be really, really great at being that thing without being accessible to most of us, because it wasn't meant to be.
It was meant to please people who like a certain really hard, really heavy kind of thrill.
And if I was to be a responsible critic, I should respect the greats in that genre even if I have no idea which ones are the greats.
No. These guys are not hacks. Not the greats among them.
They are simply writing a niche genre for their own genre fans.
And I respect the talent of the greats in the genre.
Now, the kind of things that Kanye West has said in public, that is something else.
Just because you are talented does not mean that you are good at being careful with what you say.
Especially as Kanye is in a genre that pushes taking bold chances with what you say and courting excitement, and not being careful with what you say. It's really hard to do both.
And as for Kanye's politics, well, he ain't a politician. I wouldn't expect a rock musician to be an expert in politics either. And the political world in America is pretty stressed out right now. I am willing to forgive a public entertainer an awful lot where saying things about politics goes right now. The political world in America right now is simply crazy, I wouldn't expect anything less than crazy from much of the political talk from entertainers and other ordinary shmoes who are outside their expert zone. Wait til the storm blows over, let all the rest just pass out of your mind. A lot of people in America deserve that much from me, and entertainers as much as anyone.
Anyway, just my two cents worth about being a critic and talking about what music is quality!
God loves you! Enjoy what you like!
Sincerely,
David S. Annderson