Kanye West - Grammy comment, re Beck

He's a bigger diva than his wife basically.

He's embarrassing, and he ain't no artist.

Not inviting him back to awards ceremonies would be the best approach. He's getting the attention he craves now.

He's a no-talent race agitator. I can't believe McCartney was on the stage with him!

+1 Mapman

When I saw it, my first thought was that I wondered if Kanye had ever even heard Beck's album. I'd bet that he hadn't.

I personally don't have a problem with his statement. Maybe he was just pissed. I don't remember the category but most of the voting for the Grammy's and especially the Academy Awards is extremely subjective and quite honestly, without any real basis of fact.

Now, I'm not defending this guy, but, in his opinion and many others, no way was Beck close to better than Beyoncé.

so, maybe just maybe he was pissed and voiced his opinion. more power to him. right or wrong. its funny to watch and read about.

Maybe if more people stated speaking up, the subjectivity of these "awards" would be removed and real metrics would be used in determining the "best".

No people of color was nominated for an academy award? Give me a break. enough already!

So, I think he was pissed, right or wrong. and voiced his opinion. Since he isn't a newbee, he can do this and it won't really negatively affect his career.

I think getting a conversation started is a good thing.

People are so hyped on the fact that he made the statement that maybe they are missing the point.

But, you never know.

Its still funny.

enjoy

BTW, I was shocked that Beck won that one. i have not heard that particular album yet but have other older BEck albums. Like his music or not, and I am somewhat ambivalent still on the matter, one cannot deny that he is one of the few these days still carrying the banner of artistry in rock/pop music. Muse is another. Plus the sound quality of everything I have heard by him alone should put a smile on most audiophile faces. His win was a victory for a lot of folks on this site I think.

Having said that I liked the tone overall of the Grammys this year. There appeared to be some effort to inject more class than usual. There were many nice performances and some meaningful subject material. I was happy to see Tony Bennett and the current incarnation of Lady Gaga for example.

BEyonce also did a very nice job at the end. No doubt the talent is there amongst all the rest!

However talented or artistic Kanye is, not my cup of tea, has he not won 20 plus Grammys? How can he accept those awards if he has an issue with how the process works? At least we know he has an issue with Beck winning and I believe more of an issue with Beyonce not winning. Seems contradictory in nature to me?

"Your voting process got it right when I was named the winner so that's OK by me but not tonight when my friend didn't win..."

He pulled the same crap a few years ago with Taylor Swift (some video award show)and who did he say should have one then???? Ah yes Beyonce. To me it seems like he's just sucking up to the Jayzee music/recording machine.

Kanye - with all your and Kim's money host your own award show and hand them all out to Beyonce. Only way you'll ever be happy you dumb-a$$.

I would not give anyone who pulls stunts like that too much credit. I'd yank the awards he won just for being a self indulgent horses arse and having poor taste in women accordingly.

Sidebar: check out this graph on a track off the new Beck:

http://www.stereophile.com/content/beck-track-11

The pointthere appears to be a higher res 24 /96 file was resampled from a lower resolution CD quality one. I'm sure that happens all the time in order to sell high res files. Says nothing about the original CD res file used as the source. Its the lineage of the data that matters, not teh final format. In most cases, the consumer knows little or nothing about that. When it is made known, then one can be more certain about what you are getting. I would not buy any high res material without something that specified the lineage of the source.

His stunts bring more viewership to the awards. That is what the sponsors want. It's all a performance. Its entertainment and designed to bring attention to himself and the grammys.

I looked at it again and once again I laughed. It was funny.

If I was married to Beyoncé and I thought she was better than Beck and thought she should have won, I would have told the reporter asking me this question the same. Maybe in a more classy way, such as, I admire Beck, but I really thought Beyoncé was the better artist and should have won.

Either way, it's entertainment. plain and simple. Take it for what it is.

enjoy

This is not the music thread who cares about this jerk anyway.

Maybe Kanye was pissed that Beck didn't win for "Sea Change"--a much better album than his latest......

Kanye West is a talentless, egotistical idiot, and I could say a lot more that would probably get me kicked off this site. If the Grammy organization has any balls, they will ban him from ever attending another awards…the world would secretly be grateful.

Swigging too much Hennessy

+1 for Sea Change, which I own and find amazing. Haven't heard his new one yet. Also, I'm pretty sure I've never heard a Beyonce song in my life. My neighbor brought over a Kanye cd 5 years ago when I had my huge Legacy Focus. Sounded like music I've got lappers to (but prolly didn't mention that part).

Jackass times infinity

he obviously learned nothing from the Taylor Swift incident...

Kanye is a narrow minded, impulsive, egotistical, but talented rapper. He is not a musician and has no conception of music beyond his genre or what one would hear on a top 40 radio station. As such, he should keep his uninformed opinions to himself as dissemination merely reveals his shortcomings as an artist and as a human being.
Even though I preferred Sea Change, I still thought that Beck deserved the award for album of the year.

Yes Kanye is a media whore! Heck look at all the attention that we the well informed are giving him.

Anyway the best performance of the night went to Annie Lennox and her show stopping, blow the roof off, performance of "I Got A Spell On You" No dancers, pyrotechnics, background videos, or fancy lights. Just pure and powerful stage presence that respected the audience. She let it all out and stole the show from...what's his name? Some one hit wonder who got taken to Church!

I hope Kanye (and many other pop artists) watched that performance, took some notes, and recognized what talent truly is!

If you didn't see the performance click on the link, scroll down, take a look/listen and be impressed!

http://www.inquisitr.com/1828179/annie-lennox-and-hozier-put-a-spell-on-the-grammys-audience/

Annie apparently heard Nina Simone's version which is still my favorite.

Mr. West has sold more records, made more money and won more Grammys (21 at last count) than anybody posting negative comments on this thread. His wife is probably better looking than your wives too.

Keep on hating if it makes you feel good.

I can count the number of CD's I purchased last year on two hands... the Annie Lennox Nostalgia CD being one of my favorites.

The media that glorify individuals like Kanye West need a reality check. Look at what happened to Brian Williams... NBC for months ran ads trying to convince the general public that Brian Williams was really a frontline news reporter instead of a poster person that sits in a New York studio reading a teleprompter. Brian Williams got so full of himself that he self destructed.

IMHO if you want to hear talent, listen to the Iris DeMent "Sing The Delta" CD, or the John Fullbright "Songs" CD.

i can't comment on beyonce's music, which i haven't heard, and i agree with the general sentiment that kanye is an attention whore whose dis of beck is completely classless. however, i've always thought beck was a bit overrated--to me he's more craftsman than genius--a smart, well-connected guy with a knack for trends and a nice way with a hook, but (unlike say, david bowie) not quite the real thing. that said, his last one is impeccably well produced, which counts for something.

Hi Loomis,

My theory is that there isn't that much music or talent to choose from like there was in the great old days. If Paul Simon (or any of the greats) came out with one of his killer albums (and he could still sing), would Sam Smith have swept the Grammies with a song that sounds like Tom Petty's Stand By Me? I'm just saying--

Kanye's entitled to express his opinion but not on their time. I think the Grammy officials should ban him from being in the room. He's had his chance and he's blown it. Don't give him the platform to demean the voters' choices.

"The media that glorify individuals like Kanye West need a reality check. "

Their reality is they need to sell things. Plain and simple. It ain't going to change.

What can change is what people buy into. But it probably won't on a large scale. So best to just ignore the bad and focus more on the good of which there is plenty both old and new. More so than ever. Its the best time ever for people who are interested in music. I think I might even have one or two Kanye tune downloads that are harmless enough. The guy is a monye grabbing attention seeking media whore horses arse though it would seem. HE and his wife might just be the perfect pairing in that regard! Someone for everyone or so they say....

fwiw, the pazz and job (national critics) poll had beck 16th; deangelo was first, followed by run the jewels (?), war on drugs and st. vincent. to arnettpartner's point, i think there's plenty of talent out there, but i agree the less of it is really groundbreaking or original--even the best of the current crop seems more overtly derivative than their 70s/80s forefeather, though i may be just getting old and cranky.

He can suck wind with his wife.

I've got Beck "Morning Phase" on vinyl and it a really good record and sounds big full and warm. Good songs. Not making any comment about whether or not it should have won album of the year. Just saying it is a very cool record and is meant to listen to from beginning to end. Very well done

I havn't watched the Grammys in 25 years +,(hell, I don't even know if it's been on that long) since I can't stand Hollywood and the BS. But the fact that I missed Annie Lennox sing her little fanny off is a bummer. I reckon the show is supposed to be about talent. And Annie sure fits the description, that's for sure.
-John

I am aware that I might be getting old and cranky. But I thought the Grammies were much better than previous few years and choose to think that great music is coming back. And Magman is probably right. But the good music is not as easy to find as it was in the past.

"But the good music is not as easy to find as it was in the past."

The only reason for that I can think of is that there is more than ever and continues to become more diverse.

The only thing I liked about the Grammys was seeing AC/DC.

My earlier statement that Beck deserved album of the year was in the context of the Grammy nominated albums. I thought it was the best of those but not THE best album of the year.

Wasn't the category "Best Rock Album"?

You tell me how in the hell Beyonce was even nominated?

Pop? Ok
R&B? definitely!
Rock? Are you kidding?

Shakey

Beyoncé had 11 producers , I'm not sure how many writers and musicians?, Beck wrote and produced and I think played all the instruments. When I hear Beck's albums , I wonder why more musicians can't produce albums that sound this great? Sound wise

I concur w/ you guys. KW is a ghetto-rat, nothing more-nothing less. He has no talent to speak on. He is strictly the product of pop music branding. The hope is this- go away and never return...we all have better things to do w/ our time.

Todd - don't believe he played all the instruments. Think he had a core group from previous (Seachange?) sessions also used on Morning Phase. His dad did the string arrangements. I agree with you on the quality of his production and overall sound quality. Beck's a great producer if nothing more (though I do happen to think he's more). There's a lot of ugliness in our world. Morning Phase is something of an antidote.

Doesn't matter how many producers an artist has. I do tend to appreciate artist that write and play instruments, but that's me. However, the end result is the music for most artist. Was the music on Beyoncé's cd better or equal to Beck's? That and only that is the question.

But, better to whom? Certain people like certain types of music and not others. This is why there are so many categories.

Beyoncé is a singer and dancer/performer. That is her claim to fame. Beck is a writer/performer.

Beyoncé is a very large Las Vegas show that leaves you breathless at the end, due to the performance, dancing, lighting, pyro, etc Much like Michael Jackson.

So your definition of good music may not be the same as mine.

I personally don't care for Beck or Beyoncé's style of music, but that is just me. Good R&B, Jazz and Classical. Yeah. I can't stand modern singers that can't hold a note and fluctuate their voice all over the place to hide the fact that they can't hold a note. This style is being accepted by younger people as standard. Mostly because it is popular now and they have never really heard good singers.

Stop hating on Beyoncé. She really is a good artist and performer. Same is probably true for Beck.

This is about grabbing and holding onto the fan's attention and keeping one's name in the news.

Kanye West is stupidly rich for a reason. This guy is pretty smart. Don't underestimate him.

It was funny to me what he did. If I were Beck, I would have kicked his butt off of the stage. But, Beck was so shocked, he couldn't do anything.

Its a show. Its entertainment. That is all.

The broadcast of the Grammy's was delayed for a few hours for a reason. So that the producers can edit stupid words, and events. They choose not to edit out Kayne West's antics for a reason. They wanted the TV audience to see it. It makes people talk and tune in.

enjoy the show

ITs crazy to compare BEck and Beyonce much less put them in teh same category in teh first place and then have one win over teh other. Its apples/oranges. So it is what it is..win some loose some. Tell Kanye that!!!

Minor1, Beyoncé is better looking than Beck, I will grant you that.
She also has more class and style than Kayne West, but then so do 99.999% of other folks walking the face of this planet.

Mapman, I take your point. This is no doubt true.

The flip side of the story is that wea are a much more diverse country these days and putting Beyonce and Beck in teh same category for any award shows how clueless the US music industry is in terms of how to deal with it effectively. Someone needs to go back to the drawing room for a reboot in order to sort through things a little better.

I find the antics of an immature young man understandable on many levels, but the obvious bias and closed mindedness of a bunch of old farts is simply unforgivable.

Kanye West- classless and just plain rude.
Annie Lennox- priceless.

In general I thoght the performances at the Grammys have been much improved the last few years. Regardless of its provenance, I think Sam smith sings the hell out of that song (check out the Austin City Limits performance). OTOH, Madonna has clearly jumped the shark and who the hell dressed Taylor Swift?