Kanye West

Download or read book Kanye West Owes Me $300 written by Jensen Karp and published by Crown. This book was released on 2017-05-02 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this “triumphantly funny” (AV Club) memoir, comedian Jensen Karp tells the story of how, as a Jewish kid from the L.A. suburbs, he became a rap battle legend—and then almost became a star. “The funniest person I follow on Twitter finally got smart and wrote about his unlikely—and hilarious—odyssey as teenage rapper Hot Karl.”—Kevin Smith, New York Times bestselling author of Tough Sh*t When twelve-year old Jensen Karp got his first taste of rapping for crowds at his friend’s bar mitzvah in 1991, little did he know that he was taking his first step on a journey that would end with a failed million-dollar recording and publishing deal with Interscope Records when he was only nineteen. Now, in Kanye West Owes Me $300, Karp finally tells the true story of his wild ride as “Hot Karl,” the most famous white rapper you’ve never heard of. On his way to (almost) celebrity, Jensen shares his childhood run-ins with rock-listening, Southern California classmates, who tell him that “rap is for black people,” and then recounts his record-breaking rap battling streak on popular radio contest “The Roll Call”—a run that caught the eye of a music industry hungry for new rap voices in the early ’00s. He also introduces his rap partner, Rickye, who constitutes the second half of their group XTra Large; his supportive mom, who performs with him onstage; and the soon-to-be-household-name artists he records with, including Redman, Fabolous, Mya, and will.i.am. Finally, he reveals why his album never saw the light of day (two words: Slim Shady), the downward spiral he suffered after, and what he found instead of rap glory. Full of rollicking stories from his close brush with fame, Karp’s hilarious memoir is the ultimate fish-out-of-water story about a guy who follows an unlikely passion—trying to crack the rap game—despite what everyone else says. It’s 30 Rock for the rap set; 8 Mile for the suburbs; and quite the journey for a white kid from the valley.

Download or read book Mr. West written by Sarah Blake and published by Wesleyan University Press. This book was released on 2015-03-09 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mr. West covers the main events in superstar Kanye West's life while also following the poet on her year spent researching, writing, and pregnant. The book explores how we are drawn to celebrities—to their portrayal in the media—and how we sometimes find great private meaning in another person's public story, even across lines of gender and race. Blake's aesthetics take her work from prose poems to lineated free verse to tightly wound lyrics to improbably successful sestinas. The poems fully engage pop culture as a strange, complicated presence that is revealing of America itself. This is a daring debut collection and a groundbreaking work. An online reader's companion will be available at http://sarahblake.site.wesleyan.edu.

Download or read book Raising Kanye written by Donda West and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-05-08 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The mother of rap superstar Kanye West shares her experiences on being a single mother raising a celebrity. As the mother of hip-hop superstar Kanye West, Donda West has watched her son grow from a brilliant baby boy with all the intimations of fame and fortune to one of the hottest rappers on the music scene. And she has every right to be proud: she raised her son with strong moral values, teaching him right from wrong and helping him become the man he is today. In Raising Kanye, Donda not only pays homage to her famous son but reflects on all the things she learned about being his mother along the way. Featuring never-before-seen photos and compelling personal anecdotes, Donda's powerful and inspiring memoir reveals everything from the difficulties she faced as a single mother in the African American community to her later experiences as Kanye's manager as he rose to superstardom. Speaking frankly about her son's reputation as a "Mama's Boy," and his memorable public outbursts about gay rights and President George W. Bush, Donda supports her son without exception, and here she shares the invaluable wisdom she has taken away from each experience—passion, tolerance, patience, and above all, always telling the truth. Ultimately, she not only expresses what her famously talented son has meant to her but what he has meant to music and an entire generation.

Download or read book The Cultural Impact of Kanye West written by J. Bailey and published by Springer. This book was released on 2014-03-06 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Through rap and hip hop, entertainers have provided a voice questioning and challenging the sanctioned view of society. Examining the moral and social implications of Kanye West's art in the context of Western civilization's preconceived ideas, the contributors consider how West both challenges religious and moral norms and propagates them.

Download or read book Kanye West written by Bob Schaller and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 2009-07-23 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Chronicles the life and accomplishments of hip-hop artist Kanye West, describing his childhood, family background, education, influences, personal and professional setbacks, and related topics. Includes a time line.

Download or read book Kanye West written by Kayla Morgan and published by Twenty-First Century Books. This book was released on 2012-08-01 with total page 116 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On his record My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, hip-hop superstar Kanye West "unleashes an array of flavors—old school hip-hop, progressive rock, R&B, classical music—and mixes and matches them," says USA TODAY, the Nation's No. 1 Newspaper. The paper describes Kanye's songs as "sonic jewels." Since releasing his first album, The College Dropout, in 2004, Kanye has taken the hip-hop world by storm. He raps, he sings, and he dances, dazzling audiences with his unique musical style. People cheer when he takes the stage, but his socially conscious lyrics also make listeners think about what the words mean. Kanye has caused controversy by speaking his mind on television and at award shows. But there's no controversy when it comes to his talent. In the music industry, he is known as a quadruple threat because he works in four different roles: producer, rapper, beat-maker, and record label executive. Tall, handsome, and always stylishly dressed, he is also a musical innovator, fashion icon, and all-around hip hop rock star. Learn how this award-winning entertainer created his own musical empire.

Download or read book Kanye West-Reanimator written by Joshua Chaplinsky and published by . This book was released on 2018-03-07 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Of Kanye West, who was my friend in college and after he dropped out, I can speak only with extreme sadness..." So begins this epic cautionary tale of ambition and hubris. A bizarre mix of Lovecraft and hip-hop history, Kanye West¿Reanimator reimagines the classic story "Herbert West¿Reanimator" with everyone's favorite petulant genius cast in the titular role. In it, Kanye West attempts to reanimate a moribund hip-hop scene, only to come to the conclusion that his music is so powerful, it should be used to reanimate the dead. And who better to reanimate than those two legendary titans gone before their time¿Biggie and Tupac? Hilarity and carnage ensue.