Kanye West stealing Taylor Swift’s moment from the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards

The most infamous scene of the 2009 MTV VMA’s: Kanye West (L) jumps onstage after Taylor Swift (C) won the ‘Best Female Video’ award the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West – Run This Town (a J!-ENT World Groove Digital Single Review)

“An awesome collaboration and for the most part, a solid single from Jay-Z, Rihanna and Kanye West and a track to get us all hyped up for Jay-Z’s upcoming album ‘Blueprint 3′!”

ARTIST: Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West

DIGITAL SINGLE: Run This Town

LABEL: Roc Records

DURATION: 4:34

RELEASE DATE:  August 11, 2009

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Fergie and Kanye West at the Black Eyed Peas album release party at Target in New York City

Singer Fergie and musician Kanye West attend the official Black Eyed Peas album release party hosted by Target at The Griffin on June 10, 2009 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Bragman Nyman Cafarelli). Content © 2009 Getty Images . All rights reserved.

Kanye West and girlfriend attending Giles LFW

picapp: Kanye West attends Giles LFW with his stunning girlfriend. Pictured: Kanye West and Alexis Phifer Picture by: Tony Clark/ Splash News. Content © 2009 Splash News . All rights reserved.

EMI Music Publishing songwriters including Jay-Z and Kanye West lead the way at the Grammy nominations

New York/Los Angeles, 4 December 2009 — EMI Music Publishing songwriters once again led the way in the nominations for the annual GRAMMY Awards, which were announced in Los Angeles yesterday. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Duffy, Stargate, Death Cab For Cutie, Snoop Dogg, Mary Mary and Alicia Keys all earned multiple nominations for the awards to be held at the Staples Center in LA on February 8, 2009.

Jay-Z scored a mammoth six nominations, following the release of ‘American Gangster’ which is recognized in the Album of the Year and Best Rap Album categories. ‘Roc Boys (And The Winner Is)’ is nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance, while ‘Swagga Like Us’ (by Jay-Z and T.I. featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne) scores two nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. He receives an additional nomination in the latter category for ‘Mr Carter’, which he co-wrote and performed alongside Lil Wayne.

Kanye West, who won five Grammys at the 50th annual awards in February this year, picks up another six nominations this year. ‘American Boy’, which Kanye performed on alongside Estelle, is nominated for Song of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. He shares two nominations in the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group section (‘Swagga Like Us’ and ‘Put On’), as well as the nomination for ‘Swagga Like Us’ for Best Rap Song. He additionally features on Lil Wayne’s album ‘Tha Carter III’, which is nominated for Album of the Year. Lil Wayne’s chart-topping hit ‘Lollipop’ (recognized for Best Rap Song) was co-written by EMI Music Publishing songwriters Jim Jonsin and the late Static Major.

Duffy, whose debut album ‘Rockferry’ became a worldwide hit this year on the back of hit songs including ‘Mercy’ and ‘Warwick Avenue’, picked up three nominations including a nod in the prestigious Best New Artist category. ‘Rockferry’ is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, while the Welsh singer is additionally recognized for Female Pop Vocal Performance (‘Mercy’). Also nominated in the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance category is Pink (‘So What’), while Cathy Dennis’s songwriting helped Katy Perry get recognition for ‘I Kissed A Girl’.

EMI Music Publishing writers dominate the R&B and rap sections, with nominations in multiple categories. Stargate songwriters and producers Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Eriksen grabbed two nominations for Best R&B Song, for their work on Jennifer Hudson’s ‘Spotlight’ and Ne-Yo’s ‘Miss Independent’. Their songwriting helped Ne-Yo score seven nominations in total, including Album of the Year and Best Contemporary R&B Album for ‘Year of the Gentleman’.

Salaam Remi is also nominated in the Best R&B Song category for his work on Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Bust Yer Windows’, from the album ‘Fearless’ which is recognized in the Best Contemporary R&B Album category. Also nominated are Beyonce (Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for ‘Me Myself & I’), Usher (Best Male R&B Performance, ‘Here I Stand’) and Chrisette Michele (Best Urban/Alternative Performance, ‘Be OK’ featuring will.i.am).

Alicia Keys earned three more Grammy nominations, this time picking up nods for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (‘Lesson Learned’ with John Mayer), Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (‘Superwoman’) and Best Short Form Music Video (‘Another Way To Die’, with Jack White).

In the rap section, Snoop Dogg scores two nominations for ‘Sexual Eruption’ for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Solo Performance. Ludacris is nominated alongside T.I for Best Rap Performance (‘Wish You Would’), as is Young Jeezy (featuring Kanye West) for ‘Put On’.

Death Cab For Cutie earned two nominations following the release of their chart-topping album ‘Narrow Stairs’ earlier this year. ‘I Will Possess Your Heart’ picked up a nod in the Best Rock Song category, while ‘Narrow Stairs’ was recognized in the Best Alternative Album section.

EMI Music Publishing’s writers are well-represented in the rock and metal categories. Dragonforce pick up a debut nomination in the Best Metal Performance section, for ‘Heroes Of Our Time’. They’ll go up against Slipknot, who received recognition for ‘Psychosocial.’ AC/DC  are nominated for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (‘Rock’n’Roll Train’).

Critically acclaimed artist Sam Sparro is nominated in the Best Dance Recording section for ‘Black & Gold’ (written with fellow EMI writer Jesse Rogg). Also nominated in the category is EMI Music Publishing songwriter Rihanna, for hit song ‘Disturbia’. Rihanna is additionally nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with vocals (‘If I Never See Your Face Again’ with Maroon 5) and Best Long Form Music Video (‘Good Girl Gone Bad Live’).

American gospel duo Mary Mary picked up three nominations in the gospel category, with the sisters grabbing nods for Best Gospel Song, Best Gospel Performance for (‘Get Up’) and Best Contemporary R&B Gospel Album.

Country duo Sugarland, featuring EMI Music Publishing songwriter Kristian Bush, is nominated in the Best Country Duo or Group and Best Country Song categories for ‘Stay’, as well as Best Country Collaboration for ‘Life In A Northern Town’ with Jake Owen and Little Big Town.

EMI Music Publishing Nashville writer Jamey Johnson picked up three nominations, including two for Best Male Country Performance and Best Country Song for the self-written and performed ‘In Color’, as well as Best Country Album for ‘That Lonesome Song’. Brad Paisley earned two more Grammy nominations, for Best Male Country Performance (‘Letter To Me’) and Best Country Instrumental Performance (‘Cluster Pluck’), while Lee Thomas Miller was recognized in the Best Country Song section for his work on Trace Adkins’ ‘You’re Gonna Miss This’.

Monty Holmes wrote the title track and single for George Strait’s ‘Troubadour’, which is nominated for Best Country Album, while newest signing Hillary Scott of the band Lady Antebellum scored two Grammy nods for Best New Country Artist and Best Country Duo or Group. In all, EMI Music Publishing Nashville’s songwriters and artists are represented on 16 of the 35 total award nominations in the country section.

British singer and EMI Music Publishing songwriter Leona Lewis, who sprang to fame after winning the UK talent show ‘The X Factor’ picks up three nominations, for Best Pop Vocal Album (‘Spirit’), Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (‘Bleeding Love’).

EMI Music Publishing singer/songwriter Julio Ramos (aka Voltio) wrote on all the songs of his album ‘En Lo Claro’, which picks up a nomination in the Best Latin Urban Album category. Also nominated in the same category are brothers Sergio & Francisco Gomez who, as the band Akwid, wrote on all songs on the ‘La Novela’ album.

Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“Kanye West’s ’808s & Heartbreak’ comes from the soul, using his creative genius to release a painful and personal album that yet manages to capture the listener’s attention and demonstrating this electronic side with dark overtones, but yet continue to be creative and successful at doing so.  West called his fourth full-length album ‘therapeutic’, I call it a ‘masterpiece’.”

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ARTIST: Kanye West

ALBUM: 808s & Heartbreak (Digital Version)

LABEL: Roc-a-Fella Records

DURATION: 52:06

RELEASE DATE: November 24, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. Say You Will
2. Welcome to Heartbreak
3. Heartless
4. Amazing
5. Love Lockdown
6. Paranoid
7. RoboCop
8. Street Lights
9. Bad News
10. See You in My Nightmares
11. Coldest Winter
12. Pinocchio Story (Freestyle Live from Singapore)

When you think of Kanye West, you think about his hip hop music, his well-written lyrics and literally a genius at what he does best.

But West has gone through a lot of pain since the death of his mother last fall, the ending of his engagement and relationship and he’s often under media scrutiny.

In Nov. 2008, it was time for the highly anticipated release of Kanye West’s fourth full-length album “808s & Heartbreak”, a direction which West wanted to effectively put his emotions into his own music and also show off his creative side outside of hip hop through a musical genre he describes as “pop art”.

So, with “808′s & Heartbreak” which features the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the heartbreak described in an interview with MTV, West said, “It’s a little bit of autotune and a whole lot of f*cked up life. This album was therapeutic- it’s lonely at the top.”

As for the “Auto-Tune”, many familiar with T-Pain’s music can identify with his use of the voice audio processor technology which he has enjoyed using and both the TR-808 and auto-tune are showcased throughout the album.  But the biggest surprise to many is that this album is not hip-hop, it’s about music that West enjoys and doing the music that he feels like doing.

The album starts off with “Say you Will”, it has a dark undertone but with a ray of sunlight peaking through the darkness.  With lyrics of “I wish this song would really come true, I admit I still fantasize about you” and “When I grab your neck, I touch your soul”, touching lyrics.

The second tack “Welcome to Heartbreak” is West showcasing lyrics that hit you hard and showcasing the side of him not feeling to content with his life.  The lyrics start out “My friend showed me pictures of his kids and all I can do is show him picture of my cribs.  He said his daughter got a brand-new report card,
And all I got was a brand-new sportscar.”  While singing, you get the deep beats but your mind is so tuned into the West’s personal lyrics.   Another well done track!

The third track “Heartless” is the second single from the album and is absolutely fantastic.  Dig the beat and dig the vocals.   Catchy melody and overall an awesome track!

The fourth track “Amazing” features a collaboration with Young Jeezy.  The style of the track was just awesome how it starts of with cool beats and then West breaks out with this vocal style that was deep.  Overall an awesome collaboration.  I felt this track was just brilliant!

The fifth track “Love Lockdown” features the first single from the album.  Awesome drum transitions from the TR-808 to the tribal drums.  Awesome!  West has since released (on Nov. 8th) another fuller version of “Love Lockdown” on his blog a few weeks before the release of the album.

The sixth track “Paranoid” was a pretty cool track because it has an 80′s vibe and compared to the other tracks, West is singing and rhyming and overall the song is just fun, happy, catchy and one of my favorites on the album!

The seventh track “RoboCop” was leaked online and features a string arrangement with the TR-808 drums going on the background.  I dig the musical arrangement and fun vocals towards the end of the track.

Whereas the eighth track “Street Lights” seems as a song of self-reflection, the ninth track “Bad News” happens to be West’s favorite track on the album.  Featuring deep beats, a cool string arrangement that comes towards the middle of the track and is from a perspective of a woman who broke up with a guy and the guy found a new woman and not having that second chance.  The Audio-Tune is utilized throughout the track.  I dig the drum arrangement on this track.

The tenth track “See You Nightmares” features a collaboration with Lil Wayne and no hip hop in this track, Wayne does Auto-Tune vocal work.  And another track that beautifully incorporates a string arrangement.

The eleventh track “Coldest Winter” is a personal track that West created for his mother.   West sings “Goodbye my friend, I won’t ever love again.  Never again.”  The drums plays another significant part for this sad song.  This strikes really deep into the heart since West was interviewed by British media not long ago and said he partially blames himself for his mother’s death.  The strong bond between West and his mother have been well-documented and as a listener, you can’t help but feel the pain when he sings this song.

The final track on this album is “Pinocchio Story”, a live freestyle track which I’ve read that Beyonce recommended for him to keep on this album.  A song that showcases West’s brilliance as a music artist.  A song that is personal in which West sings about his fame and how he feel’s that he’s not living a real life and that like Pinocchio’s story of wanting to be a real boy.

I’ve listened to this album on repeat over and over again and it may a bit dark for some.  In fact, for him to stepping away from hip hop on this album, personally it didn’t bother me because West is a musical genius.

He’s one of those artists that can probably do whatever he wants and still have people appreciate him for his well-written lyrics, his ability to take his music and almost like a painter, creatively paint these visions onto canvas and have it translated to music.

I tend to view “808s & Heartbreak” like an adventure. Starting off in darkness and walking the field alone and with a track like “Welcome to Heartbreak” being a song of just letting out how one feels about one’s life.  Where Michael Jackson can sing a song “Man in the Mirror” and singing “take a look at yourself and make that change”, I can’t help but listening to these songs and feel that West is just using music as a way to figure out these emotions and self-reflect.

But as the adventure continues, there is that light that West has walked towards and he’s able to laugh again with humorous tracks such as “Paranoid” and “RoboCop”.

But then knowing that you can find happiness towards the light, knowing that there is some more pain that he needs to deal with, such as tracks like “Coldest Winter”.

And obviously, there are some deep words that he sings about in his freestyle live track “Pinocchio Story”.

Kanye West has said that “808s & Heartbreak” was “therapeutic”.  As a listener, I probably looked at these songs as a continual paint stroke on canvas and pop art was successfully achieved.  Sure, the album I’m sure for West was called “therapeutic” but I am more inclined to also call the album a “masterpiece”.

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