kanye west
ART AND JESUS: Is it sacrilegious or can we respect the artistic integrity.
ART AND JESUS
APRIL 13, 2023
I.THE CROWN OF THORNS
Kendrick Lamar during his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers Tour
Is it sacrilegious or can we respect the artistic integrity. I was watching a recent Kdot performance during his Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers run and was noticing he was wearing a diamond crown of thorns, which I believe he wore on the album cover.
As I was watching it, I scrolled through the comments and was noticing a lot of people were concerned about Kendrick’s crown and felt like he was making a mockery of Jesus. The crown look aesthetically cool but I started having the same concerns. I think in order to crack this we have to go back what the crown of thorns actually meant in reference to Jesus.
In the Bible the crown of thorns were definitely a symbol of mockery.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him.
Matthew 27:28-31
As you can see the crown of thorns meant no good when it was placed upon Jesus’ head. Yet you see images of Kdot, the Makaveli album cover (which did it says it did not intend to be a mockery on the cover), and even the Kanye Rolling Stone cover where he was depicted as if he were crucified. I think I can understand what these artists are at least trying to portray.
I think each artist is expressing the criticism and trials that comes with their position of influence. I guess extreme public criticism could in essence feel like a crucifixion. Which is probably a logical/sensible comparison since crucifixion was a common way of public humiliation back in the day.
I believe the issues become though nothing they go through can compare to THEE crucifixion (Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice) and it is probably unwise to compare anything to it. Jesus was completely without fault, unjustly destroyed, and decided to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world from itself.
II.UNJUST COMPARISON
Stop me if I’m wrong but does any of the artists I named contributions amount to something like that?I’ll answer for you, no! So it begs the question why do people continue to do stuff like this? Every generation has an artist and will have an artist that tries to recreate something related to the crucifixion of Jesus but I can’t understand what pushes people to do that besides the earlier point I made. So back to my earlier question, do we respect the artistic integrity or classify the things these artists do as a smack in the face to Christ himself? Bottom line, I can’t find myself that the artists I named had deliberate ill intent in their heart but I know there are other artists out there who have done the same thing who had full intentions to be a mocker!
Though I cannot find deliberate ill intent I can stand on the fact that things like this may be best avoided. Our hardships and criticism just simply don’t compare to what Jesus suffered, even though we can use his suffering as teaching tool on how to deal with suffering, we should never think we have paid ultimate price of suffering as he did especially when it comes to music & arts.
Even I had a line that went “… five stars where they keep us and I wear the same crown that they gave Jesus” and I pretty much meant what I said earlier, the line was meant to show people mocked and criticized me and didn’t think I wasn’t as esteemed as I portrayed myself. But today I probably wouldn’t say a line like that after going through the process of writing this article and realizing what I was saying. So yeah moving forward lets probably stop using Jesus’ execution as a metaphor for our life’s suffering because the comparison is really nonexistent when you think about it.
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"POP WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK, NOW I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE"
"POP WAS THE KING OF NEW YORK, NOW I'M THE ONE IN CHARGE"
February 18, 2022
The King of New York is one of the most controversial titles in hip hop. Even Nas once said “There's more shit than wanting to be this King of New York shit”. However its still one of the most coveted titles in hip hop because New York was once the mecca of hip hop (which we all know is Atlanta now). There has been many kings of NY, including but not limited to: B.I.G., Hov, 50, just to name a few but for a while that title went void and almost became meaningless. With Atlanta currently having their foot, hand, and Draco on the rap game’s neck, New York didn’t have a true hometown hero they could rally behind for the masses because most NY artists had to keep up with the modern sound to stay relevant.
I.YOU CANNOT SAY POP AND FORGET THE SMOKE!
Then came along the Canarsie MC, POP SMOKE. Pop had all the makings of a superstar and was clearly getting ready to be the undisputed king of NY Hip Hop due to being a pioneer of Brooklyn Drill + His aura that was reminiscent of Get Rich or Die Tryin’ 50. When Pop met his untimely demise it felt like once again the King of NY seat would be empty for a while. Lil TJay snuck in some hits, Kay Flock is leading the charge in the Bronx, but are they King of NY material? Who knows beloved. But there is one name that had the potential to take the throne and that is frequent Pop Smoke collaborator and fellow Brooklynite, Fivio Foreign.
II.VIRAL
Fivio may have seem like another notch on the belt which is drill rap but then he got the biggest feature on the critically acclaimed, DONDA album by Kanye West. The track “Off the Grid” which also features Playboi Carti, gives Fivio Foreign the most blatant headstart for a musical run, since 2chainz on “Mercy”. Once the beat switches to the signature Drill slider synth, Fivi goes off for probably 32+ bars of simple but effective lyrics.
That Fivi verse on Off the Grid put him on a whole new radar, next thing you know features everywhere! Also, most of the songs are being tailored to him so he can give that same crushing flow from ”Off the Grid”. Once he dropped “City of Gods” w/ Alicia Keys & Ye, he officially made his claim for the throne,
“Pop was the king of New York, Now I’m the n***** in charge”.
Ok! we all know you have to say it first before we believe it right?! So once he said that he officially placed himself under extreme scrutiny. At this point, we know Fivi is the best doing drill rap right now but what would he have to do to take that King of NY title? A Lot!! He has to have people wanna emulate him, his presence has to be everywhere, but most imporantly that first album has to be a classic!!!
Beyond this point is where I acquired new info for the article after its original written date.
III.B.I.B.L.E. TALK
Fivio Foreign dropped his debut studio album, B.I.B.L.E., April 8, 2022. Let me be the first to say the album is……NOT a classic. It starts off cool and he tries to step out on certain songs but it just don’t capture you like it should. Its definitely a strong debut I would say because he can only go up from here but now we have to ask, can he go up from here? Was “Off the Grid” just a moment? B.I.B.L.E. was apparently executive produced by Kanye but is it or me is it hard to see his(Ye) input on this? With all the hype around the album it felt like we should’ve been given way more.
While Fivi’s debut wasn’t bad its not a undisputed instant classic that it should’ve been for a person who claims to be “King of New York”. The throne is still up for grabs in my humble opinion. Who is worthy of it though? Will it be another new young up and comer or will Fivi make me eat my words and take the necessary steps to become the king he wants to be?
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YEEZY ACTIONS
YEEZY ACTIONS
April 25, 2021
Boy was at TMZ talking crazy lol.
Lately the boy Kanye West has been under hella scrutiny and I guess for good reason. He ran around supporting what some people consider public enemy number one, he said slavery was a choice (even though people knew what he meant they just chose to ignore that), and a host of other things that made people go “wtf kanye”. Regardless of Kanye’s crazy actions we should applaud these actions he’s taken lately.
I. DMX
Turn $200 into a Million!
First off rest in peace, Earl Simmons. You may know him as DMX, the polarizing Yonkers MC gave the world numerous classics and greater than his classics he provided the world with an ingenuity that few possess. DMX was filled with so much soul that radiated with the nation, all colors and creed. When DMX passed hit it us all hard and naturally those in the arts wanted to honor DMX with tangible art.
Kanye did that by partnering with Balenciaga to create a DMX memorial tee. What makes this collaboration special is Kanye could’ve easily released this on his own accord or DMX estate could’ve easily printed up $30 tees for the public to consume. However, Kanye used high fashion and used people love for designer to his advantage.
Adding the designer cache, using a non-hip platform to elevate a hip hop legend, all equals a winning strategy that ended up greatly benefitting DMX’s estate. A $200 shirt amassed over a $1 Million that went to DMX’s estate and will continue to help his family even after DMX’s unfortunate passing. Ye didn’t have to do this. But his love and respect for DMX, especially having early placements on DMX album, drove him to make sure he honored DMX in a way HE KNEW he could. That’s something to respect in my opinion.
II. GEORGE FLOYD
Also, rest in peace to George Floyd. I don’t even have to go into details here, we all sadly know that George Floyd’s life was unjustly taking and stirred up a smorgasbord of emotions across the world! Everyone reacted in different ways..some took to the streets to protest, some was driven to write, some was driven to create art, and some was even pushed to pray harder for change.
“I am one with the people” - Kanye West.
(c) Saint Pablo ft Sampha. The Life of Pablo.
Kanye took action as well by silently making one of the most commendable moves that a person with his stature can make in response to a situation such as this. Kanye donated $2 million to the estates of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.
Not only did he make a monetary donation to the estate, he started a college fund for George Floyd’s daughter! Say what you want but that’s huge! Unfortunately the unjust deaths of blacks & minorities bring out vultures and attention whores who want to use misfortune to their advantage. It serves as think-pieces, social commentary, and many other profit driven forms.
Nothing is wrong with speaking and writing about these situations, but if you claim to be a progenitor of change but you’re all talk and no action then what are you really doing? Ye was not obligated to do this, yes he’s wealthy but his wealth is not owed to society. He may be criticized if he chose to not use his wealth to make change but at the end of the day it is his choice! He didn’t make a big splash or come out screaming from the mountain tops, “Look at what me, Kanye West has done!!!”.
No he saw a great wrong and he did what he probably felt in his heart was right. For someone who’s life was cut without just cause, creating opportunity for their offspring is one of the most respectable things you can do. Its literally putting your money where your mouth is, which is more of what we need!
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PLAIN LANGUAGE: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN LAWYERS AND NON-LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
PLAIN LANGUAGE: THE BRIDGE BETWEEN LAWYERS AND NON-LEGAL PROFESSIONALS
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE IN ANY SHAPE OR FORM AND SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN AS SUCH.
The disconnect between legal professionals and non-legal professionals seem more distant now than ever. There’s clauses for clauses, words the average person would never understand, and a bunch of mumbo jumbo in between you may think to yourself, “screw it I’ll sign this let’s just get this over already”.
The Beginning of One of Kanye’s Many Music Contracts
However thinking back to Kanye’s tirade earlier this year about deceptive business practices in music contracts and even recently with Dave Chappelle’s situation with not wanting the Chappelle Show to be streamed anywhere(due to his lack of just compensation), maybe its just time to write contracts how we are actually speaking.
https://www.instagram.com/tv/CH-rR9znT3g/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link ( Dave Chappelle’s Unforgiven)
Thinking back to my drafting class in law school, our biggest assignment was to correct a lengthy contract and make it as plain/simple as possible. Let me be the first to tell you that was a real chore to do. If I had to see another “hereforth” “thereafter” or some other term we never say I was going to lose my wig. If I was feeling that as law student, with SOME understanding of the law, imagine a young guy/gal with NO LAWYER (or a very sleazy one) feel like.
Plain Language can operate as the much needed bridge between the legal world and those who operate outside of it. Legal Professionals think with a whole different brain than other people, some of the words I use with my non-legal friends, I know they say, “Harry what the heck are you talking about”. So Imagine an experienced Lawyer using their full arsenal of vocabulary in contract negotiations, it makes my head just thinking about it.
Even in my business practices, plain language has been at the core of my contracts, its as simple as “abc” and “xyz”. The question remains is why aren’t contracts reflecting plain language more often? Do Lawyers want to prove their extreme intelligence? Is it to hide deceptive practices in plain sight? Or is it a “this is how we’ve always done it” thing, so no one has the courage to break free from it?
Whatever the reason is, plain language need to be adapted, so each party can know exactly what is required from them in the deal and for absolute fairness to be ensured!
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THIS MEAN SOMETHING
THIS MEAN SOMETHING
KOBE, INC. BY JAEVONN HARRIS ~ INSTAGRAM.COM/THE__CORNER
Today marks the untimely loss of basketball icon Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who’s greatness I’m probably not even qualified to describe, is mourned by millions if not billions, worldwide.
As always, when someone of incredible stature dies there is always an asshole, who wants to drive home the point of “he’s just a basketball player” and/or “you don’t even know him”.
Such words are always wildly unnecessary and does nothing but show how idiotic some people can be.
It is easy to criticize people over their emotional attachment to celebrities, material possessions, and even the intangible things pop culture offers.
However, the emotional attachment to these things can often have a deeper meaning than their surface level presentation.
WHEN THE LEGENDS LINK by Jaevonn Harris
To me Kobe just wasn’t a basketball player. He was a strategist, a person whose physique was overshadowed by his brilliant mind.
The thing that impressed me the most wasn’t necessarily basketball, it was Kobe’s just other-worldly approach to life.
The fact he spoke several languages, his incredible work ethic, his obsessiveness with conquering his opponent, it is something truly to admire.
When a person or thing possess this much enigma of course you’re going to develop an attachment.
People crude remarks about a person just being a celebrity or any phrase that diminish significance just made me think about a classic piece of artwork I did.
The piece “THIS DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING” actually meant the exact opposite, everything on the picture actually mean something!
THIS DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING by Jaevonn Harris
Whether it was the dropout bear that helped solidified my love for Ye, or the kingdom key from Kingdom Hearts, the video game that I can remember playing for countless hours trying to complete it.
This things may not mean anything, but given the right circumstances & the passage of time, anything can mean everything!
#MAMBA4LIFE
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TIME HONORS THE DUPLICATE
TIME HONORS THE DUPLICATE
JORDAN 1s and a host of counterfeits.
I was on instagram the other day and Grailed was doing a feature on Air Jordan I counterfeits. Jordan I counterfeits have become a collector’s item because of its limited supply.
“In September 1985 the original Nike Air Jordan 1 released and with it came some notable counterfeit versions by brands such as Sang, Pro-Joggs and Honors Sports. Over time these fakes have become just as, if not more, valuable than the originals themselves.”
It made me think how over time the duplicate gets honored by consumers. Duplicate may not be the exact word to use but it will be used today to sort of exaggerate the eerie similarities in the products discussed today.
First, I remember when the BAPESTA sneaker by A Bathing Ape came out. The sneaker modeled itself after the Air Force 1. When that shoe first debuted people scoffed and mocked it like they were getting paid for it.
Actually people couldn’t even acknowledge the BAPESTA has its own sneakers. People thought it was a fake Air Force 1. The only noticeable difference a star is on the side of the shoe instead of the swoosh. And the word “ape” is on the midsole instead of the word “air”.
AIR FORCE 1
KANYE WEST X BAPE
KAWS X BAPE
Despite these extreme similarities and mockeries, BAPESTAs went on to become streetwear classics. This is due to collaborations w/ visual artist, KAWS, and Kanye West. And being propelled by the Hip Hop community, BAPESTAs was something you could no longer mock.
More recently one could look at REVENGEXSTORM, a streetwear brand founded by Ian Connor known for its shoes. The shoes are almost an exact replica of the classics VANS shoe. Once again the only difference is with the logo , which sports a Lightning Bolt instead of Vans’ classic logo.
REVENGEXSTORM
VANS OLD SKOOL
Like BAPE, RevengexStorm faced much criticism. Even articles was created informing readers NOT to buy a single pair. When faced with the burning questions regarding originality he simply refuted that NIGO® did the same thing with BAPESTA.
Because I like shoes and shoes are the hardest part to do. I like the Vans silhouette, so I wanted to do what Nigo did with BAPE, basically, as far as footwear.
After withstanding the criticism, the RevengexStorm sneakers are unmarked much higher than the VANS olds kool sneaker and are being regarded as grails.
Much like anything that get cool, RevengexStorm also got it hip hop stamp.
“Lightning Bolt Diamonds cuz I want Revenge” - Gunna
As time progress people seem to overlook the lack of “originality” because the factors of status, validation, scarcity, and simplicity make the product worth acquiring and at times could be worth more than the original.
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NIKE AND THE ILLUSION OF PARTNERSHIP
NIKE AND THE ILLUSION OF PARTNERSHIP
KAWHI’s “KLAW” logo
Recently Kawhi Leonard filed a lawsuit against Nike over his “Klaw “ logo. For those unaware, Kawhi Leonard is a basketball player that currently plays for the Toronto Raptors.
Photo of Kawhi’s formal complaint
According to Sports Illustrated, Leonard alleged that NIKE filed a copyright registration without the permission of Leonard.
Photo of Kawhi’s formal complaint
Leonard was adamant about the logo used by Nike was an original creation of his and was conceptualized way back during his college days.
He insisted that he only allowed NIKE to use his logo on products on a permissive basis. NIKE was to acknowledge they had no ownership of the logo just limited uses that required Leonard’s permission.
Kawhi’s Logo on a pair of Air Jordan V.
This is where Kawhi went wrong. Kawhi is learning what previous collaborators learned the hard way. NIKE is always gonna look out for NIKE first.
Air Yeezy 1
It’s like when Kanye was frustrated doing his “partnership” with NIKE because he wasn’t receiving royalties for his shoes & his collaborations was limited to a pair of sneakers every two years.
When NIKE was finished with Kanye they took his colorways applied them to other shoes with no afterthought about Kanye.
A pair Sean Wotherspoon’s “Air Max 97/1”
Same with Sean Wotherspoon, who is the owner of ROUND TWO, a vintage store with flagships in Virginia, Miami, NY, and LA.
After, they were released, soon after Sean started teasing samples of what to come next.
First peek at the second wave! Still early on the sample process, and there’s a lot that’s going to change! I’m thinking add some color to the sole, make that air bubble infrared, gotta change the sock liner to yellow, maybe a new color insole?!, fix the denim on the tabs, and do a gradient from light to dark blue instead of all light blue?!? What new patches should I include with this pair?! I couldn’t be happier holding these babies in my hand, can’t wait to see the final sample! So much more dope Nike shit to talk about, can’t wait to tell everyone! 🌊🌊🌊🌊 @nikesportswear @nike
- Sean Wotherspoon
He thought that next was going to come but Nike went “NOPE”. No official explanation given, just the end of a partnership.
However, he did have this to say.
"I’ve been done working with [Nike], at least on another SW collab, for a while. Still lots of good friends there. I help when asked, but being able to spread my wings again is the best feeling ever,"
Well, its best to interpret that as NIKE gave him the boot and instead of being salty about it he took the bigger road to ensure no bridges were burnt.
Wotherspoon wearing yeezys with no care in the world
People were concerned with the partnership when he posted a picture of him in a pair of YEEZY DESERT RAT 500’s.
Who knows what his contract entailed but if Nike let a pair of yeezys stopped them from capitalizing more on the hype from those Sean Wotherspoon sneakers, shame on them.
Moving along, I would like to offer up this quote from Parent-Athlete and master wordsmith, Lavar Ball.
“NO NO CHECK THIS OUT NIKE GAVE THEM… THEY CAN’T TAKE THEY BRAND WITH THEM..”
“IF LEBRON AND KOBE LEAVE NIKE THEY WON’T LET THEM TAKE THE DESIGN”
“THATS THE BRAND NIKE MADE FOR THEM”
Lavar, didn’t tell a single lie. Recently Kobe launched one of his post-retirement ventures, Mamba Sports Academy. The sports academy offers a variety of training programs to Youth and Adults and isn’t limited to Basketball. Its all about embracing the “Mamba Mentality” Kobe possessed on the court. Its the mentality credited for getting Kobe 5 NBA Championships and many other accolades.
This new venture is all built off Kobe likeness and image. People will literally sign up for this camp because Kobe is attached to it. So It was kinda odd, when I saw the new merchandise for the Mamba Sports Academy.
On Eastbay, the items aren’t even listed with Kobe name on them. The first word you see is Nike. It’s clear the sponsorship is with Nike so obviously you will see their name but one word doesn’t feature “Kobe” or at the very least “MAMBA”.
That was a clear sign to me that when it come to these partnerships, NIKE will be prioritized first and if you’re not willing to do that they will easily find someone that will.
Hopefully, Kawhi recovers his Intellectual Property and doesn’t make the same mistake with New Balance. Hopefully there will be clauses in his contract to ensure the proper uses with his logo and that He’ll never have to battle a Corporate Giant again and just focus on his Legacy.
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ALBUM CREDITS AND WHY THEY’RE IMPORTANT
ALBUM CREDITS and WHY THEY’RE IMPORTANT
new kanye west album out now , “YE”, https://tidal.com/album/89768255
Today a new Kanye album has released and it sparked something in me about album credits. Being that I heard the album during a livestream it made me wonder about who produced what, who’s featured, what are the name of these samples??!
Gone are the days of flipping through that CD book admiring the fresh photo shoot, reading the thank you note, and of course the album credits(which sometime featured lyrics).
Album credits are essential to an album because you can see everyone who contributed to the sound that are pleasing to your ears.
For example, Kanye West’s All of The Lights from his 2010 album “MY BEAUTIFUL DARK TWISTED FANTASY”. It was like a thousand people on that song and without the credits it would hard to identify everyone who was apart of that song.
1. everyone’s voice wasn’t distinguishable
2. Every person behind each instrument/lyric cannot be identified.
My album. FIRST OF HIS NAME, out now , go to the music tab to listen. Also on all streaming platforms.
Album credits add to the excitement of the album. Even with my own album, if you check the iTunes info you can see the names of people I went to school with and samples I’ve used that may not be identifiable. It makes people wanna listen even more when they can identify with something so close to them like seeing they’re on name or hearing themselves.
With the digital takeover, the CD collector has been at a disadvantage with fully capturing the moment of purchasing a new album.
But thanks to Platforms like TIDAL that include the credits, users can get a sense of the old times once more.
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ALMIGHTYXYEEZUS
IG: the__corner
Yeezy.
Good music happens!
NIkeYeez1