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Gaaah yes I know Kanye did the VH1 Storytellers nearly a month ago, but I never had the time to comment on it. And, with one of my papers handed in today at 3:58 before the 4:00 deadline, I decided to take a break. Amongst movies, music, and dance parties, I re-watched Kanye’s performance on VH1 and it is sooo much better than the first time, which was already pretty rad.
I relish the fact that an artist of this generation has finally re-appropriated the terms entertainer, performer, and artist. All we see and have seen in the past is just the stage, artist, and equipment. Music was just music for these bands. But, then you see people like Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy, Rufus Wainwright, Simian Mobile Disco, and Daft Punk–amongst many others–project their music with more than just the simple violin, guitar, mic, and decks and mixers.
Kanye West, I think, is one of those artists that have taken music and live performances to the next level. I remember seeing his Glow in the Dark a year or so ago, and it was JUST Kanye on stage. No supporting rappers. No MC on the decks. Nothing. Just him and this ridiculous stage illuminating the journey through space that we were going to share with Kanye. He was super stylin’ as usual, wearing one of his millions of sunglasses, rad kicks, and a khaki colored outfit which he refused to take off despite how much it was making him sweat. It was amazing. Never have I seen a hip-hop show break the conventional boundaries of what a live show should look like. But then again, Kanye is a contemporary hip-hop which allows him to do what he does with his shows.
