If I don't win, the award show loses credibility.
Kanye WestRead
It wasn't until I hung out with Dead Prez and understood how to make, you know, raps with a message sound cool that I was able to just write "All Falls Down" in 15 minutes.
Interpretation
The quote reflects how collaboration and inspiration can lead to creativity and artistic expression.
In this quote, Kanye West emphasizes the importance of creative influences in his artistic process. His experience with the group Dead Prez showed him that it's possible to combine meaningful messages with a cool, engaging style. This collaboration not only enhances his creativity but also influences his songwriting, allowing him to write significant pieces quickly, such as his hit 'All Falls Down'.
In practice
During a music workshop, I quoted Kanye West's take on collaboration to inspire young artists.
If I don't win, the award show loses credibility.
I am God's vessel. But my greatest pain in life is that I will never be able to see myself perform live.
God show me the way because the Devil trying to break me down
I said Yo Jay, I can rap. And I spit this rap that said I'm killin' ya'll *****s on this lyrical sh*t, mayonnaise colored benz, I push miracle whips.
All these walls that keep us from loving each other as one family or one race - racism, religion, where we grew up, whatever, class, socioeconomic - what makes us be so selfish and prideful, what keeps us from wanting to help the next man, what makes us be so focused on a personal legacy as opposed to the entire legacy of a race.
I didn't want to play it boring and safe. I also didn't want to innovate too much. Second albums, man, they're even scarier than first ones.
I grew up with the Grand Ole Opry, Dottie West, Conway Twitty, Buck Owens... not realizing it was influencing me as much as it was.
It's funny, when bands or younger musicians ask me: 'So, what does it take to make it?' Well, first explain to me what you mean by 'making it': Do you want to be a rock star or do you want music to be your livelihood?
With the Beatles, we'd been very spoiled because we had George Martin who worked for the record label we were going to be signed to. That was very fortunate, because we grew together.
We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we'll go upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...It more or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine.
I don't care where the Cure is placed in the pantheon of rock. I don't care if we're perceived as relevant. We're never worried how we fit in. I don't even want to fit in.
The thing is with hip-hop, it has its waves and the waves crash against the beach and the new waves come in. So to stay relevant you have to roll with that.
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