OPINION: Kanye West Thinks Illiteracy Is Cool
Dead sinners must be wearing snorkels and long johns because low and behold, I agree with Stanley Crouch! Crouch, who has a penchant for attacking fellow Blacks with an almost Uncle Ruckus-like fervor, has recently criticized superstar Kanye West for going on record as saying he’s not a reader of books!
Sacre bleu!
Of all the criticisms that hip hop fans are forced to allow about our stars- that they’re idiots, that they spend too much money on jewelry and cars, that they glorify violence and misogyny, that they’re leading our youth down a path of destruction- we check immediately the clowns that try to tell us that they’re all illiterate.
Almost every single top tier MC has littered his lyrics with book or literary references. Who can forget Ice Cube’s “Unlike Iceberg Slim and all of them be/claimin’ P.I.M.P.” nod to the great Black writer Iceberg Slim? Or Tupac claiming Donald Goines to be his “father figure?” Jay-Z references “The Coldest Winter Ever”, “Monster” and a “Tree Grows in Brooklyn” on his “Blueprint 2″ release. All the top figures in the rap game referenced Robert Greene’s “The 48 Laws of Power”. The best example of rap literary referencing though has to be Common’s breath-stopping “If rap was Harlem/I’d be James Baldwin”.
And the reality is, for the average person, there’s gonna be at least one part of each day, every day, when you’re caught or stuck with nothing to do. Information then becomes like money. Reading is like adding more money to your pocket and not reading is like just counting the money that’s already in your pocket.
But Kanye is too much of a product of his own peer group: a peer group that seemingly thinks that only idiots read because smart people know everything there is to know already.
You know what that makes me then. Well, us, actually.
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KANYE WEST IS ONE UNHAPPY CAMPER, SINCE GIVING HIS SOUL AWAY. HOW PATHETIC.
Lilnono, I agree with you. Just because he says he is not much of a reader doesn’t mean he promotes illiteracy! C’mon people! Most people aren’t readers, most rappers, or anyother form of entertainers. Its sad but true. He didn’t say that he doesn’t read at all. tupac was more of a revolutionary growing up around a movement, common is just deep. Jay z quotes things but I doubt he spends his nights reading books when he’s bored. Some people like to take walks, swim, etc. They are called hobbies so just cause he doesn’t like your hobbie doesn’t mean the man is in idiot. Some stars don’t like to walk, does that mean they promote obesity? This article is ridiculous. Obviously recession, murders, racism, and other important topics that can expand the mind aren’t good enough……….geeeez!!!!smh!
Well, Kanye is influenced by art and music. Maybe reading alters his vision as a recording artist. I don’t know. I recorded music myseldf but I would read and now I read in order to know my competition. It is interesting what other authors put in their books. Their content can be repetitive but they have their own style. I personally feel like I find a way of going against the grain in my novels.
-N.S. Ugezene, author of Shaun Pascal-
Y’know, some it doesn’t pay to be a celebrity. Every statement you make is scrutanized and analyzed ad nauseum. I’d like to feel some empathy with the brotha, except he’s such an immature, damn fool. He deserves the rejection he gets, because he can’t seem to help sticking both feet in his mouth at the same time…repeatedly. I’m with RK on this one.
all books aren’t meant to be read. especially if you can’t recognize the poison that you are putting into you head!
well, considering we provide content that is meant to be …. READ.. i think we’re doing a fine job promoting exactly what kanye doesn’t seem to enjoy doing.
so. yea. illnono: your point makes no sense.
They love to make something out of nothing on blackplanet. If you are so worried about reading do a story about an author instead of rappers all the time.
THIS “WAYNELABOY” IS A RACIST SON OF A B***H. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST POST HE HAS MADE WITH DEROGATORY REMARKS ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE. It’s safe for you to hide behind your computer and write this bulls**t, cause if you ever said it to a black person face to face, you would get your f**king cap peeled back.
(Going solely by what was said in this article)…Nowhere in this article did Kanye say “Illiteracy was cool”…he said he “isn’t a reader of books”…twist it how u want, but it is what it is…Illiteracy means ur incapable of reading, not that u dont read alot…if he don’t wanna read…fine…let him be him…PIMP C said it best…u can’t believe most of what rappers say anyway. So if u c him as an “intellectual” and don’t agree now that he says he doesn’t read, then don’t buy his s**t!!!
keep giving them your money, you idiots. you don’t have to have damage control when you are dealing with the blind, deaf and DUMB. only god can save this bunch of dumb asses, get a life instead of worshipping people who don’t sound good live. if you had one of them you’d find out that they are just ordinary people like your current boy/girl friends. this happens in no other race than the black race as usual. then again from their stand point”even if they are my people i don’t care i can do and act as the white man and say and act as i please with them and they’ll still give me their money because’they are dumb”
I love the Uncle Ruckus reference. It does describe Crouch aptly, although the Uncle Ruckus character takes it to another level. Reading is very important. It is exercise for the mind. If you don’t use it you lose it. Speaking of reading I would like to suggest a must read book for everyone.
James W. Loewen; Lies My Teacher Told Me.
@ASS_BACKWARDS-I think the issue with Kanye in particular not reading is that he tries to rap about social commentary and make controversial statements about race, culture, and politics so the first thing his ass needs to be doing is reading…But then again opinions are like a*****es. I respect the opinions of someone who reads to compliment his thinking, but reading doesn’t always make you right. But a person that doesn’t read’s opinion is about as valuable as one that can’t read’s opinion…
He doeskin read??
So
Didn’t he just put out a book, I guess it wasn’t meant for reading.
As avid reader, my opinion is biased, But I think Kanye can do major damage control by taking a few photo’s in Barnes and Noble or just a photo shoot with him surrounded by books.
Agreed.