I loved this song the first time I heard it, which happened to be during Kanye’s Runaway short film. Those who follow music much more closely than I do have known about the awesomeness of “All of the Lights” before the rest of the world did thanks to leaks and the like. But I spoke more specifically about the song when I reviewed the album. So as a recap of what I already said: the song it absolutely awesome and if there’s the off-chance I’m rummaging through radio stations and I hear it, I’ll stop to listen to it. It’s one of those songs I’ll listen to in my car, and if I’m a block away from my house, I’ll keep driving until it’s over.
So, like many other songs I love, I tend to either wish or envision a music video. I didn’t exactly have in mind what Kanye did with this song, but I still approve. I’m just glad there’s even a video for this at all. I feel these are one of those songs that’s more about the music than celebrating the celebrity making it. Making music for musician’s sake, if you will. I also feel this is a song that can’t quite be limited to “hip hop” or “rap” because of the way it sounds. All of this is my opinion by the way. But enough of my jibber jabber, let’s watch the video! I guess there is a minor caution to those that may easily suffer from epileptic seizures…
I wasn’t expecting to see all artists involved that contributed to this song, but that would’ve been awesome. I was glad to see their names in shiny blinking lights by the end. I already know Rihanna’s wardrobe might be subject to discussion. As a guy, I’m fine with it. I recently read something somewhere about putting a stop to this “suspenders look” that seems to be trending at award shows and photo shoots. And I may not be a huge fan of her music, but she is nice to look at. Kid Cudi continues the trend of being filmed from behind. And of course there’s Mr. West doing his thing and on top of a police car with all it’s lights… as the song suggests.
I will state that I didn’t need Wikipedia to tell me what inspired this video. (I did use it to keep track if the video had been released, but I first found out via Twitter.) I’ve been aware of this movie Enter the Void for a few months and I have a mild interest in seeing it sooner or later. But what’s been reported so far is that it has the most inventive and interesting title sequences since… I dunno… And if you don’t know by now, I’m a sucker for words in animation or when the typography is the main attraction, as is in this video or the following credits scene for Enter the Void. The film also has been noticed for it’s POV filming style, which is also shown in the music video.
I’ve already wanted to do something like this one day and blatantly copy this very style of blinking in your face style of writing. But this style works very well for Kanye’s music video. In fact, I wish I got to see this on a big screen with full audio… which can be arranged actually.
The highly anticipated Kanye West album dropped a day earlier than I thought… but it arrived with applause nonetheless. Ever since he released “Power” everyone (who are fans) had been drooling and awaiting the return or comeback, and for good reasons too.
Fortunately, a guy like Mr. West is innovative and all about his fans. So along with the usual build up like any artist would do, with live performances, singles, interviews, he also gave us GOOD Fridays. I’ve spoke about this before, somewhat. I’ve also discussed his “videos.” And it’s only correct to put it that way since “Power” wasn’t really a music video and Runaway was more of a short feature film which featured most of what’s on the album, or at least a taste of some of those songs. I’ll refer back to the short film quite a bit.
But thanks to the Runaway, most of MBDTF is semi-visualized for me. I’ll hear “Dark Fantasy” and I’ll imagine the first scenes of the film including the explosion scene with Kanye walking away with his phoenix. And I don’t have a problem with that. In my opinion, I think that was Kanye’s plan all along. A tip of the hat to you, sir. And I’d be tipping my hat to him a lot due to this album, to be honest.
With rap albums, I take more time to listen to the lyrics because some artists have a very slick tongue and I’ll miss a reference or verse the first few times which may make or break a song for me. But what’s most impressive about this album is the production. This doesn’t sound like a typical rap/hip hop album. Granted, it is classified as one, but had you listened to this same album without any vocals, I dare you to put a genre to it.
“Gorgeous” is an alright song. I don’t absolutely love it, but I’ll probably find something to love about it sooner or later. It’s not a song I’d skip over. I don’t really need to talk about “Power” again, do I? We all know that song well. I think I like the remix better these days.
The song that really does it for me is “All of the Lights” which, again, brings me to Runaway. But I gave in and borrowed a copy of the song from the internets for a little while and visualized my own music video for it, taking a few cues from his short film. Musically, I love the triumphant sound of all the instruments involved. Sounds like horns to me and an actual marching band. There is an interlude, or instrumental introduction rather, than now MUST be played before the actual song itself begins. Violins and pianos are featured there. And the guest list of artists… too many to name (I’m just being lazy, but Rihanna, Elton John, John Legend and Alicia Keys to name a few).
“Monster” grew on me. This was one of his GOOD Friday songs along with “So Appalled.” Both of these songs can be considered “posse songs” because they feature quite a few people with verses. I like posse songs. I’m not so much a fan of “So Appalled” and depending on my mood; it’s probably one of two songs I’d skip. Like I said earlier, I need to listen to the song a few more times to pick up all the lyrics and determine if I really like it. But this song introduced me to Nicki Minaj… who at this point I’m still not a fan, but she got my attention on this song with an awesome verse.
“Devil in a New Dress” was another GOOD Friday song, and at first I didn’t care for it. But after seeing it in Runaway, I’ve warmed up to it. I know the sample is from Smokey, but I keep getting a Marvin vibe. It’s all soul though. This is also one of the songs that scared people thinking Kanye is a Satan worshiper. These are just lyrics folks. Calm down.
“Runaway” is the longest track on the album, and obviously get’s the most screen time in the film. Songs like these show his detail and attention to instrumentals. And again, I think of the film when I hear this song (and not his VMA or SNL performance, not that there was anything wrong with them). What he’s saying in the last part of the song with the heavy auto-tune, I couldn’t tell you. It’s also good enough that I don’t really care what he’s saying. I bet those who think he’s Illuminati are thinking it’s a code.
“Hell of a Life” is a skippable song to me. It doesn’t really do much for me and reminds me of Late Registration‘s “Addiction” in terms of themes. There’s also a machine gun beat that reminds me of Alicia Keys’ “Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart.” Not a complaint, just an observation.
“Blame Game” is a soft yet sad song, and definitely on the vulgar side. But being about a broken relationship, why wouldn’t it be vulgar? Surprise cameo by Chris Rock, earning it that rated R status, in case one was needed.
“Lost in the World” is what made Runaway awesome for me. The whole last 5-10 minutes is because of this song and the visuals that accompanied it. However, I also borrowed a version of this song from the internet that was ripped from the film, and there are subtle differences that I’m not sure which I like more just yet. What’s on the album is the completed version. The final product. What’s in the film was still being worked on, I guess. But what’s great about this song is… well… too many things. The short answer is production. “Who Will Survive America” is the next track which is meant to be played right along with “Lost in the World”, like in the film. Or at least that’s the way I see it. Shout out to the awesome Gil Scott Heron.
I overall really enjoyed this album and it’s hard for me to compare it to his past albums, like Graduation and The College Dropout since they all had lives of their own, and existed in their own kind of a world. I can’t exactly figure out this world just yet, other than that of Runaway, but my favorite time and place to listen to this is in my car.
Like the movie Once, a lot of music I listen to I like to give it the car test–riding around in my car with the volume up high to really hear the music on the road. The other thing I like to do is figure out if the music is more suited for daytime driving, or nighttime driving. For example, happy-go-lucky or every bright sounding songs give me a daytime vibe. It doesn’t mean I can’t listen to it at night, surely I do, but it just fits my mood better during the day. Well, MBDTF is a nighttime driving album. Songs like “All of the Lights” and “Lost in the World” lend itself to being heard while driving in the city being showered with streetlights and/or moonlight. And just for those curious, I think Graduation is more of a daytime album. But while it’s daytime while I’m listening and typing this out, I imagine this taking place at night. Regardless, it’s worth the buy.
I could be incorrectly using “Runaway” as a pun for this post, but as a title it works. I’ve watched Kanye West’s short film Runaway twice now and I had to let the images and music soak in before I was able to craft a response to what I have seen and heard. And for the record, viewing this short film is so much better uncut (like on Kanye’s website) than when it aired on TV (which I DVR’d and frowned every time there was a commercial break). (more…)
Technically this song is old news if you are following along with Kanye’s GOOD Fridays. All the songs on his website are free for the taking, so enjoy. Oddly enough, it was difficult to find a YouTube sampling of the remix to stream here, even though I’m sure there are other places I could find the song to stream. Anyway, if you like what you hear, you can get it from Kanye’s website for free (for now). (more…)
I’m back once again with a somewhat ongoing debate with the interwebs. I’m also here to give an update on what I’ve more or less been obsessed with for the past week or so. But this is my blog; it’s my own soapbox to declare whatever I would like to talk about instead of going on various message boards, forums and comment boxes to all the YouTube users who have an opinion different than mine. Plus, people are still looking for answers, meanings and interpretations about this whole Power video thing, and I feel I could help out by briefly educating them on what they think is going on. Or for the people who disagree with me, provide meaningful and educated rebuttals.
First of all, according to Mr. West himself, this clip is in fact part of a much larger project. I’m excited about this; however, I hope in order to see it won’t cost me an arm and a leg. I’d buy a DVD if that’s what it is, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Probably more images to decipher? First thing’s first: how about we buy the album first? He seems to be so busy creatively that everyone is eagerly waiting for the remix to “Power” …so in the meantime he threw us the awesome “See Me Now.”
Second order of business of “Power”: there is an alternate and uncensored video clip floating around on YouTube. I actually saw it the other night and it explains reports I read (and cannot find to cite here) about naked women all over the set. Granted, the “real” video aired on MTV has to be censored to a degree, but this version fits in a lot better to the videos I tend to find on Kanye’s artistic blog of pretty things and pretty girls who tend to be pretty naked. I’m only posting a link to the video and not the video itself due to its NSFWisticness. I feel like I’m going against my “for the sake of art” rule, but this is my soapbox, I can post what I want. So there. There are major differences and subtle ones… more women, some of them in different positions, some of them look different altogether. The lady with the wings, were wings are different. You also see more of the portrait, and it’s not in “ruins”. There are no explosions or cool close ups. In fact, it’s shorter. But you’ll see all of this for yourself. My analysis stays the same for the most part. I’m not sure which I like better though. Probably the first version.
Lastly, and I really don’t want to write a novel like I did last week, but I did some further research into what many claim about this “Power” video being influenced by Free Masons, the Illuminati, and a new world order. And I read that someone mentioned tarot cards used in this video, which I know nothing about but may research in the future. I may have mentioned this before, and basically, conspiracy theories are just that: theories. Ideas that haven’t been proven to be true or false. So I don’t see a reason to get all bent out of shape for something that may not even be there. Some people will go to great lengths to make a point and may end up stretching the truth so it reflects what they believe, thus, make it more of a theory and a distorted truth. But those are the people who have actually done the research and might have bent what they learned for their own use. (I’m not saying all theorists do this, I think some of them are real.) Then there are those who grab a nugget of what they heard or saw and run without fully understanding all of what they heard, and this is how high school rumors start, also known as mass hysteria. Remember Y2K? Good times.
Once again, this will be continued. I would really like to write about some other topics even though I’ve enjoyed doing all this research and analysis. I’ve seen a mailbox worth of movies that need reviews, plus I still have to give my three cents about the VMAs. Although, in the end, it’ll still be a popularity contest. All hail Lady Gaga?
I was going to hold this until my friPod post… but nah.
As I was doing my in-depth write up of Kanye West’s “Power” video, during my research I kept discovering critics and bloggers comparing “Power” to Eminem’s “Love the Way You Lie.” At first glance, I couldn’t understand why these two videos would be compared to each other… but then I remembered they both premiered the same night on MTV. Not only that, they are two of the biggest hip hop performers riding on a comeback wave right now. And both have some equally powerful music videos to keep that momentum going.
Granted, these are two completely different artists and these two songs are on completely different subjects. I really dig both songs. Both videos, as well as the artists themselves, can be considered controversial. Both songs and videos have something important to say. And if you look back at all their past singles, both of them know how to make good and entertaining music videos. I don’t want to call myself a really big Eminem fan, but I really do like a lot of his music. I love his intensity, his voice and his style. He may need his own friPod post just to talk about him. But with all the ‘Ye vs Em going on, I look at these videos like apples and oranges. They are both delicious fruits, but they taste different. I prefer pineapples anyway.
Still, I felt it’s only proper to give some love to Eminem’s newest video and talk about why I like the song and the video. Sure, I’m a week late, but here I am and here it is.
If you aren’t up to date with pop culture world, our troubled couple is LOST‘s “Charlie”, or Dominic Monaghan and the blue eyed brunette bombshell that apparently drives all the men crazy, Megan Fox. I will admit, I’m not really that crazy about her. She’s got the looks, and it really does work for this video, they both look trashy… but in a good way that works for this. It’s no offense to her, not that she’d care. I’m just saying. Anyway, it’s not hard to figure out what’s going on in this video and what the song is talking about. I think what some people may relate to (or at least friends that I know personally that love this song) is the subject matter of the song, having been in an abuse relationship, physical and/or verbal.
What seems to amp this song up to a higher level of reality is not only is Eminem reflecting on his past, but his co-star Rhianna is channeling her scars too. I’m not sure you could find better raw emotion like that from a signer unless they lived it. Well, maybe from Tina Turner. But I’m not going to go down a list of names of victims. It’s a very touchy subject and I know too many people who have gone through similar if not worse conditions.
Fire is always alluring and mesmerizing. Or maybe that’s the ex-pyromaniac in me talking. But this video seems to smolder before the literal flames are released. If only it started raining, maybe these two could calm down. Rihanna could lend an umbrella, but Eminem would still be angry in the rain. Either way, fire is a strong element in the song as well as to the video, and it is easily the 5th star of this hot video.
So as good as this song is, it’s not one that I would personally keep on repeat. It’s similar to watching the Oscar movie Crash. Awesomely powerful and moving, but can be emotionally draining. And for the record, I don’t mind songs and movies that are like that… they just have their time and their place.
Overall, another great piece of work (song and video) from Mr. Mathers. Perhaps we will see him battle Mr. West in the 2011 for best video. Personally, I’d like to see them do a song together besides the “Forever” collabo with Drake and Lil’ Wayne (nominated this year). But that’s just me.
I’ve decided to take another look at Kanye West’s “Power” musical portrait and expand on my “snap judgement” thoughts I posted last friDay. For the most part, I’m still sticking to those original thoughts and feelings I’ve had, but I was curious what the rest of the interwebs had been saying about him and/or the video and how they may have interpreted it’s meaning.
One thing that bothers me, and this is slightly off-topic, but those comments that were against this video, calling it “evil” or “satanic” or invoking the Illuminati, I couldn’t take too seriously due to spelling and grammar issues, among other things. I mean, they were barely making a point as it was, but still… if you want to tell me to “read a book” or “educate myself”, please be sure you do the same too while forming complete thoughts. Just saying.
Anyway, with education and research, you will come to find that not everything that looks weird or demonic is as evil as you think. I really can’t speak for Kanye or anyone else for that matter, but I’m all for visually stimulating content that has something to say, whether it’s “good” or “evil” or just a point of view which could literally mean anything. What I’m talking about here is the women with the horns on their heads. Immediately, people are quick to flock to devil worshiping. On the contrary, this video invokes a lot of Ancient Egyptian themes, and some of the gods and goddesses had long goat-like horns (and staffs). One such Egyptian goddess goes by the name of Hathor, who is the goddess of the sky, love, music and motherhood… among other things. I read an interpretation that compared these Hathor-like women to Kanye’s mother whom probably represented these things in Kanye’s life. I also read someone considered the woman with the wings to also be a representation of his mother, being an angelic figure. Whatever or whoever she is supposed to represent, it’s one of my favorite visuals in this video, which is just so aesthetically pleasing (mirror images, colors, lights, darks, slow motion, etc.).
By no means am I an expert on all of this. The more I read into ancient symbols and what they symbolize, the more I get my own idea of what they could possibly mean to the artists creating this portrait. Artists, as is more than one. This is a collaboration of Kanye West and Marco Brambilla. I’m still researching Brambilla, but from the interviews, it sounds like he may have been the driving force behind how and what visuals are played out, interpreting West’s lyrics to an exaggerated sense of the concept of power.
And let’s not forget, that’s what’s being portrayed in this portrait: power. Or, what does it look like if one man has too much power? Sexy women with staffs, dancing and sitting around eating grapes? Sure. Walking down a pillar hallway that leads somewhere into the sky? Why not? More sexy women hanging upside-down with upward flowing water? Of course!
But with great power, comes great responsibility. Oops, wrong quote. Or is it?
My favorite nugget I found most interesting was the sword above Kanye’s head. This is the Sword of Damocles. As much as I love Greek stories and mythologies, I’m surprised I’ve never heard of it until recently. Rather than tell you in my own words and screw it up, I suggest reading this to get a sense of why that sword is dangling above Kanye’s head:
The Damocles of the anecdote was an obsequious courtier in the court of Dionysius II of Syracuse, a fourth century BC tyrant of Syracuse. Damocles exclaimed that, as a great man of power and authority, Dionysius was truly fortunate. Dionysius offered to switch places with him for a day, so that Damocles could taste first hand that fortune. In the evening a banquet was held where Damocles very much enjoyed being waited upon like a king. Only at the end of the meal did he look up and notice a sharpened sword hanging directly above his head by a single horse-hair. Immediately, he lost all taste for the fine foods and beautiful companions and asked leave of the tyrant, saying he no longer wanted to be so fortunate. Dionysius had successfully conveyed a sense of the constant fear in which the great man lives. – Wikipedia.org
When I first saw the video, I had no idea why it was there or what it meant. But now, it makes so much more sense.
Horus is on the right.
But back to Egyptian mythology, because I don’t want people to think I’m leaving out Kanye’s new bling: that is Horus. He is the god of the sky, kings and protection. It is also said that Hathor is Horus’s mother. So there’s that. But what does Horus have to do with Kanye? Or at least what does it mean in this portrait? Well, it’s obvious King Kanye would want to invoke the god of the kind for protection from all attacks… we’ve seen the Sword of Damocles, and we see, to my count, three potential assassins. To be honest, I have no clue why he chose Horus, but that’s what I came up with. It may require more research or someone just asking him what it all means.
And what about those two (or three) dudes with the swords. (The third dude is actually the first “assailant” with the dagger who is upside down.) What these people represent to me is equivalent to the tragic play Julius Caesar. I don’t even have to take it that far, but it’s clear that anyone who is standing in a position of power is or can be a target to be taken down.
Lastly, let’s not forget this is a work of art, and a moving painting. I know when I was young, even today, I’m intrigued by those classic Renaissance paintings hundreds of years ago that depicted a single scene with so much going on, so much imagery, and didn’t have to move. Surely those are still up for interpretation, and I bet you people are depicting conspiracy theories behind those too. Actually, I know they are. Thanks a lot The da Vinci Code.
If anything, hopefully instead of scaring people or making them jump to easy scapegoats and radical confusions as Illuminati affiliated or selling one’s soul to the devil (which I personally believe is impossible for reason I choose not discuss right now), people will do what the artist might want them to do and investigate what’s really being said. Start educating yourself and do a little research. Can’t we be a little more cultured? And for the sake of being unique, can’t we have some thought provoking entertainment? So when I mean education and research, I mean looking around besides Wikipedia, although that is my first stop to half of what I research. Dare I suggest to crack open an actual book?
Regarding the Illuminati–is Kanye in cahoots with them? I don’t know. My gut is telling me no. Conspiracy theories are just that: theories. Meaning, they haven’t been proven. And some of them may never be because quite possibly, there is nothing to prove. People will believe what they want so there’s no point in the artist(s) trying to tell them otherwise. I think we covered this with Jay-Z’s visually stimulating “On To The Next One.” I’m still doing research on what the Illuminati is all about, but I’m not convinced they are part of “Power” however I wouldn’t put it past Kanye or Marco to incorporate it in this video since it depicts a source of power. Both of these artists are very cultured individuals (Kanye’s blog is truth to this), so why not incorporate these past images in your present work? The theorists say the triangle/pyramid at the end is an Illuminati image, as well as a somewhat hidden eye in the clouds. These are the same things you see on your money and the Free Masons and blah blah blah. It’s not that I doubt their existence, it’s just that I don’t care.
And let’s be honest, if this were some typical video showing off classy cars, would we even be talking about it as much as we are? You personally may not be talking about it, but it’s being talk about. Trust me. (A lot of the traffic that I get comes from my analysis of Jay-Z’s video.) And if I’m wrong and these artists are really part of a secret conspiracy, then I’m wrong. But I am not defending them, I’m defending art and something I find original, unique and thought-provoking. Plus it’s a good song and I can’t wait for the album!
To be such a short video, it gets a lot of people talking… including myself and I still have more thoughts about it. But that’s the point of a good piece of art, right?
In case you haven’t heard since sometime in May, Mr. West is back. Once I heard that the first single was leaked, I was hesitant to take a listen. Why? Lately I’ve been enjoying buying my albums without hearing a single single, and then picking my favorite song(s) without any bias.
Well I couldn’t resist for this song. I heard it was like a superhero anthem. I agree. I heard he was back on his game. I agree with that too. Now all we need is an awesome video to go with it. I put the thought on the back burner for a little while until recently when I read that the video would be airing August 5th on MTV! What the stank? A music video on MTV? And an old fashioned premiere at that? But hey, this is Kanye West we’re talking about. Love him or hate him, he’s a power player.
And power is what he raps about in this song, if the title didn’t already give it away. But I’m not really here to chat about the song… more about the video. I tuned in at 11pm to catch it. I wish I continued reading an article about it so I knew what I was in for. To sum up the article, the video is barely your standard music video only clocking in at 1 minute and 43 seconds.
The video is also described as a living painting. Like those historical Renaissance epic paintings you see in museums and church ceilings, full of imagery that you may or may not understand but all the while is still alluring because there is just so much to look at. Well, that’s what this is. Rather than write 1000 words, why not let the video speak for itself?
I will admit, at first I was a little upset because I didn’t expect it to be so short. I was really feeling it though. I dig the arts, if you haven’t realized. I still may not fully understand it, but I like the imagery and I’m interested in analyzing it later and getting other interpretations. I actually like a lot if not most of his videos. He’s got an eye for art, creativity and originality. Don’t believe me, check his website. Be careful, there are lots of naked girls and media that can eat away at your computer if it runs slow like mine. And for the record, I don’t feel this is “evil” or “satanic” or has anything to do with the Illuminati. Everything isn’t a big conspiracy to rule the world. If anything, that’s sorta what he’s talking about: no man should have all this power.
Quick side note, Eminem also premiered a new music video last night on MTV too. Also a welcomed comeback and a power player.
Continued thoughts, do you think this video (and Eminem’s newest) will be nominated for the 2011 MTV VMA’s?
I wasn’t expecting to see all artists involved that contributed to this song, but that would’ve been awesome. I was glad to see their names in shiny blinking lights by the end. I already know Rihanna’s wardrobe might be subject to discussion. As a guy, I’m fine with it. I recently read something somewhere about putting a stop to this “suspenders look” that seems to be trending at award shows and photo shoots. And I may not be a huge fan of her music, but she is nice to look at. Kid Cudi continues the trend of being filmed from behind. And of course there’s Mr. West doing his thing and on top of a police car with all it’s lights… as the song suggests.
Technically this song is old news if you are following along with Kanye’s GOOD Fridays. All the songs on 
Anyway, with education and research, you will come to find that not everything that looks weird or demonic is as evil as you think. I really can’t speak for Kanye or anyone else for that matter, but I’m all for visually stimulating content that has something to say, whether it’s “good” or “evil” or just a point of view which could literally mean anything. What I’m talking about here is the women with the horns on their heads. Immediately, people are quick to flock to devil worshiping. On the contrary, this video invokes a lot of Ancient Egyptian themes, and some of the gods and goddesses had long goat-like horns (and staffs). One such Egyptian goddess goes by the name of 
My favorite nugget I found most interesting was the sword above Kanye’s head. This is the Sword of Damocles. As much as I love Greek stories and mythologies, I’m surprised I’ve never heard of it until recently. Rather than tell you in my own words and screw it up, I suggest reading this to get a sense of why that sword is dangling above Kanye’s head:
