There are two Chicago artists that are talked about at pretty much every studio session, every discussion about Chicago Hip Hop, and anywhere bloggers are gathered: Chief Keef and Kanye West. One is an intriguing and polarizing upstart, who hit Chicago’s larger consciousness on the heels of viral smashes and hood favorites, who’s fame only grew the longer he stayed on house arrest. The other can be just a polarizing at times, but is nothing short of a musical genius and a favorite son in the windy city.
It’s also known that Kanye West is a fan of young Chief Keef, and especially his song “I Don’t Like”. I first heard about this affinity a few weeks ago while at SoundScape from an inside source, who said that West was playing the song on serious repeat while working on music, something that DJ Pharris confirmed in a recent interview with fakeshoredrive. There have also been rumblings that Kanye may jump on a “I Don’t Like” Remix. And whether or not that’s true, I’m sure Kanye (just like the rest of us) has made up a few of his own “I don’t like’s” here and there. Well, I really hope that this remix happens, cause it will be awesome. Here are 7 things that Kanye doesn’t like, and may just make their way into song.
1. Rav 4’s, Volvo’s and Other Regular Cars
Since College Dropout, Kanye has liked the luxury vehicles. Even when he was broke living out in New Jersey and had to put together his own IKEA furniture he let us know what he was thinking about, “mayonnaise colored Benz, I push miracle whips.” Since then he questioned if a girl could like a guy who drives a Neo or a Geo, and “bought my whole family whips, no Volvo’s”. But nothing topped his anti-Toyota lyric, “What the fuck you think I rap for to push a fucking Rav 4?”. That’s that shit he don’t like.
2. Weak Shit.
Kanye hates weak shit. He doesn’t want to hear it. He first made this known on “Keep The Receipt” a rare cut featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard, telling emcees to take it back to wherever they purchased such feeble material. Then, Kanye repeated his disgust for weak shit on the smash “Get’em High”, this time allowing emcees to keep their weak shit, but letting them know that he doesn’t even have time to hear it at regular speed. Fast forward only.
3. Ma$e’s Retirement
I wish I knew Kanye West back when “Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down” came out. I would love to see Kanye West upon first hearing Ma$e. I’m sure he loved it, as Ma$e has popped up early and often in Kanye’s lyrics. Kanye also played a pivotal role in Ma$e’s comeback in 2004, adding him to a “Jesus Walks” remix, and jumping on Ma$e’s comeback record, “Welcome Back”. But Ma$e joined G-Unit, dissed Fabolous, kind of retired again, and has pretty much drifted into obscurity, or sessions with Omarion, which are pretty much the same thing. That prompted yet another Ma$e reference on Kanye’s MBDTF in which he rapped on “Devil In A Blue Dress”, “don’t leave while you’re hot, that’s how Ma$e screwed up.” Related pet peeve is quitting. Kanye that’s that too (“giving up’s way harder than trying”).
4. Songs He Can’t Sample
On Common’s return to form, Be, Kanye rapped, “God don’t ever give me nothing I can’t handle, so please don’t ever give me records I can’t sample.” That line seems to be totally true. I’ve heard a lot of stories from various people about Kanye’s meticulousness about his records and putting the art before the sample clearance fee. And at his level of success, that’s a great thing. I’ve written about this before, Kanye’s deep desire and need to put the art before everything else is what makes him truly great. Plus, artists are celebrated and paid to soak up the world around them, take it in, and send it back out. Kanye lives his art, and his experiences as well as influences will always appear. Didn’t mean to get too deep on you.
5. Camera Phones, Leakers, and the Papparazi
If there’s one thing Kanye really hates, it’s a gossiper, or someone that divulges classified information. He takes the very seriously, and has banned cameras, phones, and combo-camera phones from studio sessions, screenings, and events. He also hates it when you take the details to the social networks, as he rapped on Pharrell’s “Number One”, “you be giving me my space, and, you don’t be running on Myspace, and some other shit I hate….” Be careful. The Tweets is watching. Always. But perhaps his greatest dislike is reserved for the Papparazi. He really hates them. He even hates them “more than a Nazi.” That’s some strong hate right there. I mean, shit, who can you really hate more than Hitler?
6. The Gap
I worked at a clothing store all through college, and it sucks. And I was at a pretty laidback Steve & Barry’s at Indiana University run by a philosophical hippy, where we were allowed to stop working during IU basketball games, watch movies like “Raging Bull”, and I was given free reign over the store’s stereo. It was so laidback that they let us play “Spaceship” over and over again, a song that has the awesome beginning of “If my manager insults me again, I will be assaulting him, after I fuck the manager up, then I’m gonna shorten the register up…” Even in my retail-promised land of being allowed to stay on the clock while at class, there were times when I wanted to punch of my manager and dash off with a stack of 3 for $20 t-shirts. I can’t imagine what it would be like to work at a place like The Gap. Thanks to “Spaceship”, I know that it stinks.
7. Everything Besides G.O.O.D. Music
Kanye West has dominated the blogs this month thanks to two new records from his G.O.O.D. Music label, as well as the news that he signed Q-Tip. It was in “Theraflu”, errr, “Way Too Cold” that Kanye laid it all on the table. “G.O.O.D. Music, we fresh, we fresh, anything else we detest, detest.” Now, I don’t have the lyric sheet in front of me, so Kanye could be also making a quality reference and employing a double-meaning of good music. Either way, he doesn’t fucking with it. Also see “weak shit” for further clarification.