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Tuesday, October 19, 2010 | 6:38am
Does Kanye’s ‘Banned’ Cover Art Illustrate A Music Double Standard?
SOUND OFF: Is Kanye’s “My Beautiful” any Different from Nirvana’s “Nevermind” cover?
@KanyeWest #MyBeautiful #albumart
Over the weekend, Kanye West unveiled what he had HOPED would be the cover art of his upcoming “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.” I say “hoped” because if you believe Kanye, the brass at Def Jam has allegedly put the kabash on the artwork for being to lude.
In a series of Tweets delivered on Sunday Kanye went on a typical rampage killing Def Jam for censuring his provocative illustration of a nude, demonic-looking self portrait of him laying on a blue couch and gripping a green bottle while a naked winged woman with an equally evil grimmace and a polka dot tail straddles him.
@KanyeWest: “Yoooo they banned my album cover!!!!! Ima tweet it in a few…”
@KanyeWest: “Banned in the USA!!! They don’t want me chilling on the couch with my phoenix!”
@KanyeWest: “I know that cover just blew yall minds … I wish yall could see how hard I’m smiling right now!!!” and “In all honesty … I really don’t be thinking about Wal-Mart when I make my music or album covers.”
I’m gaining more and more respect for Kanye. Although I’ve bashed him repeatedly in the past for his shenanigans he really has brought the “art” back into being an artist. Hip Hop has become too much about RAP. There are far more elements to the culture than just that and although Kanye’s infusion encompasses more alternative components, he’s getting his fans to look beyond the boundaries of where their minds have musically as well as visually been trained to see. Hopefully Kanye will get other artists to begin to consider other album cover concepts than just the hard thugged out head-shot in front of some ladies or tricked out whip.
@KanyeWest: “I wanna sell albums but not at the expense of my true creativity.”
While at first glance the artwork which was reportedly created by artist George Condo is laughable and yes, vulgar Kanye did bring up a valid point.
@KanyeWest: “So Nirvana can have a naked human being on they cover but I can’t have a PAINTING of a monster with no arms and a polka dot tail and wings.”
In theory he has a point. This is a country that is, rightfully so, very protective of its youth and in essesnce the Nirvana cover is KIDDIE PORN by definition. I’ve always argued that. While Kanye’s cover is probably more controversial because of its sexual connotation the two covers do however at very least scratch the surface of inappropriate.
A Def Jam spoke told the Los Angeles Times yesterday Sunday that West’s cover wasn’t exactly banned by the label, but that he was “strongly urged to use alternate art” and that West “was told if he wanted to do it, the label would stand behind him.”
At the end of the day Kanye is creating buzz which leads to media attention which translates to album sales and he’s becoming very good at it. Gone are the days where he had to drum up contrived beef with 50 Cent to push units.
FILED IN Editorials, Music, News
Silly Kanye, art is for white folks. If a person of any other race does something creative, its not always going to be considered art to the masses. If this is a publicity stunt, then how much has he really grown? I don’t want the same old cry baby ass Kanye back…. Just do your music and create your art Yeezy. The rest will fall into place.
I think he knew it was going to catch static and that’s why he used it. Its artistic but yeah perhaps a little creepy as well. At the end of the day its controversial and controversial sells.
That crap is not art, it’s just creepy!
dope. i understand it.
what it do ca$h? is it just me or have you been m.i.a.?
Word he gets the profile then takes off on us.
LMAO!
Now dey really goin say he sold his soul.
That shit is super weird…I can see it being banned at WalMart or Target but the whole U.S.?
How about banning Kanye? I’m all about that. No more records for him! Who’s with me?
And while we are at it, there are a list of entertainers who should join that banning…anyone with lil, young, or yung, in the beginning of their names
I love when people try to call weird sh#t, art. That sh#t is just weird.
dude weird… but everything he does goes hard… Kanye nice top 3 right now…
Personally I don’t see art here, all I see is Amber Rose riding Kanye!!! Come to think of it, this piece of “art” reminds me of the MTV awards where he got drunk and stormed the stage…..think about it.
Kanye is the demonic figure in this painting with bottle in hand and a big booty white girl riding him who is also represented as a demonic figure, but her head is cut off. Maybe to represent the fact that Amber Rose has short hair because it would have been a dead give away if he was being riden by someone with a brush cut.
The polka dot tail on Amber represents her ethnicity, she may look white but her back ground is African.
Verdict= Shit is wierd!!!
WTF said this sh8t is art?!! No art, just creepy evil shit from a creepy weird dude! KW done fell off since Jesus Walks.. not cool. Amber Rose. Taylor Swift. 106&Park. silly clothes… C’mon Man! lol
Art or not he is creating a buzz and that’s all that is needed nowadays 2 feed the closed minded zombies that are out here today . Nirvana can have child porn on a album cover but u h8 on Kanye . Wow, u all r zombiefied . U applaude child porn but a painting, oh hell 2 the naw. If u ban Kanye’s album cover then how about all the Iron Maiden,Rob Zombie,Ozzy Osbourne shit. I am always thiking of how KKKrackuz get away with shit that we can’t .
KANYE HAS LOST HIS MIND, HE NEEDS TO GO BACK TO HIS ROOTS…!?!
end of the day controversy sells sex sells, win win for kanye