first big
“Graduation” 10 years later
“Graduation”, of course, was not the first loud disc in Kanye’s discography. By 2007, the West had the hands of a full-fledged mainstream artist, who wasn’t playing a gangsta authenticity card and telling more close and comprehensible stories to a wide white audience with humor and to think about college, American materialism, faith, love and family. Which, of course, was not an absolute novelty (before Kanye, ATCQ and Outkast, for example, were engaged in such things), but considerably refreshed the hip-hop story space of that time. Continue reading
M.I.A. vs. Everybody: how female rap fights the world system
Matangi “Maya” Arulpragasam – a girl born in London in a family of Tamil activists, famous for her daring deeds and remarkable talent. Singer, producer, clipmaker, designer, artist, rapper, loving provocative punches on the topic of the day, and political activist. In addition to the memorable eclectic style of music, in which she combines the motifs of ethnic music of the peoples of the east, hip-hop, electronics, world-class beats and reggae with acute social implications, Maia created a memorable image of a principled and wise girl who is constantly struggling with a ruthless political machine and injustice. Continue reading
