Is Kanye West a creative genius or a menace?
Kanye West & MF DOOM: Battle of the musical genius
"Talent and genius operate outside the rules, and theory conflicts with practice." - Carl Von Clausewitz
MF DOOM is better than Kanye West. Someone had to say it. Let’s analyze the intersection between music, capitalism, and the Stem player. Kanye West has demonstrated his ability to innovate with his GAP/YEEZY brand. His album DONDA was the most streamed album of 2021. He’s been revolutionizing live performances for the past decade. Kanye West & Kim Kardashian West are having the most publicized divorce. I can infinitely list his accomplishments. The latest innovation that demonstrates Kanye’s genius-level intellect is the Stem player. Which as of this moment is the only place where you can get his latest album DONDA 2.
“Stop giving Kanye so many props!”, says the comment section. Why not give Kanye his props? Kanye West is a genius and he’s been fearless about pursuing and accomplishing his goals. The Metaverse, Blockchain & NFT’s vision for the future is to create trustless verification when transacting items of value. We’re living in a time when music is undervalued. Spotify currently pays its artist $0.003/stream. That means that an artist with $1 million streams is only making $3000. As a collective society can we honestly agree that a musician’s creative output is only worth $0.003 while a pixelated Monkey is worth $3 million? Kanye’s innovation with the Stem player allows musicians to earn their income at a competitive rate. Kanye West just needs to add an app marketplace to allow his base to upload their music, as part of their subscription plan. Kanye West could become a Silicon Valley Tech CEO. We don’t have to agree with everything he does to acknowledge his brilliance as well as the many opportunities that the Stem player platform could provide. The Stem player has light strips that control, isolate and manipulate various parts of a song. Like a Bob It!
Adam Smith, the father of Economics & Capitalism would praise Kanye West for this market shake-up. After all, productivity is king. The Stem player revolutionizes the way we interact with Music. How we consume songs. Endless variations of those rhythms & sounds. We can play around with how all the elements of the song work and create a whole new song. The Stem player is a catalyst for the next generation of music. He is creating a market that will increase the number of people who can create music and inherently build an app marketplace. Think Steve Jobs launching the iTunes Store in 2002. ITunes inspires the iPhone App Store which then inspires Apple Music. Now imagine how many people became rich from these marketplaces. That is the significance of the Stem player.
That being said, there is only one other rapper who exceeds the brilliance of Kanye West. MF DOOM is a master composer and he did not need a Record Label to become a legend. Pound for pound, MF DOOM raises the bar when comparing composition, lyricism, visuals, and even merchandise. Below are Kanye West & MF DOOM albums. I challenge you to listen to each album with & without a Stem player.
Graduation Vs. MM…Food
The first pairing is Graduation (2007) and MM..Food (2004). The Graduation is Kanye West becoming a master of his destiny. At this point, he’s had two #1 albums. The release of The Graduation battled 50 Cent’s sophomore effort the Massacre, head to head, for the #1 spot on billboard. It was a big thing back then. Graduation is absolutely a great album. Kanye’s performance, attitude and compositions are on full display as he celebrates accomplishing all his goals. MM..FOOD on the other hand is a conceptual album that finds our comedic Villain composing some of the greatest symphonies in any genre. He is a top-tier lyricist with punchlines you put together years after hearing them. Not even Eminem can best MF DOOM’s lyricism on this album. Leave a comment about who wins for the best album.
Graduation (2007) - Kanye West
Favorite Tracks:
MM..Food (2004) - MF DOOM
Favorite Tracks:
Vaudeville Villian (2003) Vs. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
This is the battle of the best high concept albums. In this category, both rappers are aiming to create peak performant sound & immersion. Kanye’s vision for MBDTF is a high-class fashion lifestyle simulated in a world where black Americans are in the political majority. Vaudeville Villian has MF DOOM, becoming his alias Viktor Vaughn assisted by King Geedorah’s impeccably production. Viktor Vaughn is a High School delinquent with genius-level intellect, he lives in the future and causes havoc with his schemes. Both of these albums attempt to have the user experience peak musical immersion with no HUD. They take your imagination hostage and don’t let it go until the end. Leave a comment letting me know what you think.
Vaudeville Villian (2003) - Viktor Vaughn
Favorite Tracks:
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) - Kanye West
Favorite Tracks:
Watch The Throne 2011 Vs. King Geedorah (2003)
There is a backstory to this match-up. MF DOOM discovered the perfect musical note on his song Hey!, where he flips a Scooby-Doo sample.
It’s a great song but notice the high-pitched frequency in the background. That’s the King Geedorah frequency. Take Me To Your Leader is composed with that frequency and provides the most unique listening experience. Watch the throne is the magnum opus of Kanye West’s musical genius. He demonstrates his ability to rap complex bars and not get outshined by Jay Z on every song. He held his own with the greatest rapper alive.
Take Me To Your Leader (2003) - King Geedorah
My Favorites Tracks:
Watch the Throne (2010) - Jay-Z & Kanye West
Favorite Tracks:
Cruel Summer (2010) Vs. Monster Island Czars (2003)
Comparing a posse cut isn’t easy. Cruel Summer feature great mainstream artists such as Chief Keef, Raekwon, Big Sean, Ghostface Killah, 2 Chainz, Common, and more. The Monster Island Czars on the other hand feature Gigan, Rodan, Mecca Godzilla, and King Geedorah. Cruel Summer starts strong but is club banger heavy in the front then dies off at the end. The Monster Island Czar’s fast-paced, high-caliber raps are very entertaining but gets tough to process after a while. Both albums are intriguing for the exact opposite reasons.
Cruel Summer (2012)
Favorite Tracks:
Monster Island Czars (2003)
Favorite Tracks:
Dwight Spitz (2002) Vs. College Dropout (2002)
I used to think Dwight Spitz was an alias for MF DOOM because of how innovative their styles were. Dwight Spitz is an alias for Count Bass D, who is an affiliate of MF DOOM. Count Bass D’s debut is full of experimental sounds & styles, like a futuristic synth with soul. Count Bass D and Kanye West both attempt to shift the fabric of hip hop music with their debut. Kanye West frames his debut from the perspective of a college student experiencing a rough time. Count Bass D is from the perspective of just a regular guy who loves music and his family.
Dwight Spitz (2002)
Favorite Tracks:
College Dropout (2004)
Favorite Tracks:
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Wonderful work
I failed in my project, I’d like to learn about nfts more..