Up until the late 90s, hip hop prided itself on being sonically rugged, provocative, and playing by its own rules. Ye is one of the foremost artists who promoted the idea that this type of hip hop production and ethos was primitive and obsolete. Between not writing his own raps, emphasizing high-budget, maximalist productions in favor of hip hop's traditional DIY approach, and attempting to "civilize" hip hop by incorporating elements of white music and European high art into his catalog, was Kanye really the maverick trailblazer we branded him as from 2004-2018, or has he always been playing the long-game of denaturing hip hop from its formative roots and softening it for white, middle class audiences?

his most acclaimed album was glorified “stomp clap hey” music & he constantly stole credit from more “street” rappers for their influence (see: Lil Wayne’s use of autotune predating Kanye’s)

and his fanbase is adamant that his music “transcends” rap as if rap is something basic

there’s plenty of other examples, but yea. he gentrified the genre

Between you & 2words

Who will try harder to be edgy?

this forum coming to its full circle conclusion that ye killed hip hop

“Stomp clap hey music” we need your brain examined

The "transcends rap" angle always kills me

Rap has never needed to be transcended. Its rawness and bucking of western musical conventions is what makes it so cool. All good for tinkering with the sound and even pushing it in crazy new places, but acting like rap "needed" that to be consider "serious music" is pure colonizer nonsense.

He's not entirely wrong

Power is like if the Lumineers were actually compelling artists and did a lot of blow.

@op kinda cooking hol up

Despite being a great album, MBDTF is one of the worst things to ever happen to hip hop

lot of artists and engineers took the wrong lessons from the album nah this is definitely a take I kept in my back pocket for a minute.

which album are you referring to, i genuinely don't know

Yep

It's one of my all-time favorites because it's just so brilliant sonically but the people it brought into the periphery of hip hop is why we have the mess we have now.

Yeah let’s blame Kanye meanwhile nas is making this as soon as the culture shifted 10 percent into a different direction

It's all happening

your musical understanding doesn’t stretch further than rapcaviar and songs with hundreds of millions of streams. do you know what stomp clap music is? or the fact kanye had used autotune on jesus walks?

Ruined hip hop by being too good

power is just a retread öf crack music what are you on about

Lost in the World literally samples Bon Iver & put a GSH sample over stomp clap hey

If you think hip hop had only shifted "10%" into a new direction by 2006, you don't really have a solid knowledge of hip hop before ~1997

Oh no a good song

they not saying those aren't good songs.

MBDTF definitely brought in a loooot of "h i p s t e r s" into the fray of hip hop demographic, like it did that in itself is str8 fax.

“stomp clap hey” is derogatory

Elaborate on this
I'm tryna pod talk