Yesterday, February 22, famed rock producer Bob Ezrin took his media perception and applied it to Kanye West’s discography. In a blistering analysis of Yeezy’s impact to music culture that appeared on “The Lefsetz Letter,” Ezrin asserted that West suffered for delusion of grandeur and he wasn’t the legend he claimed to be.
“Unlike other creators in his genre like Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie or even M.C. Hammer for that matter, it’s unlikely that we’ll be quoting too many of Kanye’s songs 20 years from now,” Ezrin wrote. “He didn’t open up new avenues of public discourse like NWA, or introduce the world to a new art form like Grandmaster Flash, or even meaningfully and memorably address social issues through his music like Marshall [Eminem], Macklemore and Kendrick.”
West has won 21 GRAMMY Awards and his 2004 debut, The College Dropout was named “Album of the Decade” by Entertainment Weekly, among other honors. However, that didn’t prevent Ezrin from laying the criticsism on extra thick.
“Instead Kanye’s greatest achievements have been in the form of excessive behavior, egomaniacal tantrums and tasteless grandstanding,” he continued. “What he is a true artist at is living his life out loud – and shoving it down the throats of the rest of us whether we give a shit or not. He’s like that flasher who interrupts a critical game by running naked across the field. Is that art???”
It was only a matter of time before word traveled back to Kanye and he responded via his favorite platform: Twitter.
“Has anybody ever heard of Bob Ezrin???,” he lashed out. “What the fuck does he know about rap…Do something relevant… Please don’t speak on me bro ever again!!!”
He also laughed off the Macklemore ranking, calling the The Heist creator “a nice human being” and brought Taylor Swift into conversation. Ezrin’s production credits include work with Pink Floyd, Aerosmith and even Swift, but his contributions to Hip Hop are virtually nonexistent. (He worked with K’Naan and will.i.am. in 2013.)
“Rock and Roll was stolen…Rap was exploited…it’s guys like you that run companies and don’t invest in Ye even if I’m your kid’s idol!!! I made Dark Fantasy and Watch the Throne in one year and wasn’t nominated for either and you know who has 2 albums of the year,” West spazzed, for none of his 21 GRAMMY wins were for the ceremony’s most coveted honor.
Kanye’s full Bob Ezrin onslaught can be found below.
twitter fingers
TWITTER FINGERS….
You are the dude that I went o school with that no one like but never shut up….
DAVE CHERRY thats the dude at James Madison University that we all couldnt stand but was always around Dave Cherry….
Watch the Throne wasn’t that good Ye. Just saying.
To me this is all media hype. Kanye’s little rants gets clicks and views, his album just came out and he’s acting like a spoiled brat. I’m sorry even if this is how Kanye is as a person, I still don’t for a second buy that Kanye isn’t aware of all the talk this is getting him.
Well MBDTF was great. So what about that snub?
As far as hip hop goes Kanye West will be remembered 20+ years from now. If you think otherwise you either know nothing of hip hop and his contributions to hip hop or just a plain idiot. Btw who is Bob Ezrin? Maybe he should wonder if he’ll be remembered. Oh he’s a producer? Well yeah Kanye is just one of the best producers hip hop has had. How could Bob miss that?
I missed that… completely… lol
I honestly never heard of bob ezrin.
Nothing kanye does will matter a year after he does it…he a pop star…not hip-hop.
Kanye made soul sampling popular back when he was exclusively a producer. Back in the late 90s early 2000s. We’re in 2016 and every rapper still want one of those beats from Ye.
pink floyd > kanye west. its funny how thin this guy’s skin is. dude had an opinion and she shared it with the world just like kanye does every day.
The dig at Swift was dead on though. The Grammys just showed that POP PRIVILEGE still reigns supreme. Taylor Swift has no classic album. Her work is mediocre at best. This isn’t just a black mans opinion. Look up her ratings on Metacritic. Her album wasn’t better than Kendricks classic hip hop album. Lol a mediocre pop album beats the 2nd highest rated hip-hop album of all time? Kanye may be a nut, but he is right Swift didn’t deserve that ish.
If Grammys are for pop music, then why care about getting one? It’s likea black man demanding to be accepted at a kkk rally. Fuck the grammy’s. No one cares that Kanye isn’t getting a pat on the head from them.
I meann damn, the dude has 21 as it is. Seriously, I used to be a big fan, but Fuck kanye too.
Dude that’s what the grammys are for….pop bullshit. Why does anyone give a shit? They mean nothing
“Rock was stolen” that’s right Kanye! Theyll never take any of our other genres. Too many to count!
“Unlike other creators in his genre like Jay-Z, Tupac, Biggie or even M.C. Hammer for that matter, it’s unlikely that we’ll be quoting too many of Kanye’s songs 20 years from now,” It’s nice to see that even old white men know HOV recites the best Biggie lyrics. Old white men don’t know who Nas is and that’s why he is a broke loser. Deal with it Nas stans.
Nas still number one though they like Jay Z cause he sold his soul to them
Whos bob ezrin?????
Kanye vocab is at a 4th grade level. Facts! They actually did a study. Look it up 🙂 he will be remembered for his lyrics like Puff will be remembered for his. Kanyes music is made for radio, period. There is not one verse from ye, not one line or 123 abc chorus that has ever made me go “ooohh!!” “Wow, that was dope” he is a filler mc. U have to either let him start the song or throw his weak diddy verse in the middle of some real mcs to make it a good song. Truth.
kanye hasn’t released a solo radio single since 808’s. nothing he does is for radio.
Bob Ezrin can suck my balls.
Kanye got his soul snatched from him by Kim Kardashian and he dont even realise it… Smh
He has a point with that last one.
How is this stupid nig-g-er telling white people NOT to talk about HIp Hop but when he produces his BS albums he has none but white producers and mixers in the studio. Graduation was produced by a white guy, he made all the samples sound nice. Fucking hypocrite. All the white producers should boycott this black imbecile and let me see where he will end up at. Ask A Tribe Called Quest where they would be if they didnt have a WHITE PRODUCER. Nowhere. Fuck You
Please show me where he said white people shouldn’t talk about hip hop? Smh he said ezrin shouldn’t talk about hip hop
its called google- do some research.
Your a pissed off little d*ck white guy that hates blacks because our d*cks are bigger an your women prefer us nowadays that’s y u have to use N***** every time your mad u racist puss*
He needs to stop talkin bout Taylor Swift already
Well sir when you realize that Bob was a producer for one of T-swifts albums you may begin to realize why he wrote this rediculous article. He was in his feelings. Or maybe hes just trolling Kanye…i realy cant tell its so ignorant.
Has anyone ever heard of Bob Ezrin? Really? Jesus Kanye, you are indeed the king of the morons.
Not knowing who Bob Ezrin is just shows the ignorance of Kanye West and his fans. Kanye has no talent and will not be remembered. Bob Ezrin has done way more musically than Kanye and his music will last much longer than Kanye’s.
Compared to Kanye West….no, noone knows who this guy is. If you are 50 or older or are an industry insider than maybe but in the context of the general population of music listeners no… and i wish i still didnt know.
He had me until the rock n roll was stolen part…. cringe argument.
it was
Cringe because it is true? Lets talk. Elvis presley, the king of rock and roll derived his musical style from two genres: gospel and blues (predominantly africa american genres). When he became famous it was the heyday of jim crow. Therfore all the white artists recieved praise and acknowledgement from the radio stations, labels, and the listeners for using very similar elements of black musical style african americans themselves were still treated like crap. Elvis is in my opinion a great artist but how society reacted to his music has hd a lasting effect on the genre and how it is depicted.
stolen implyes that something of yours was TAKEN and you can never get it back.. elvis did not STEAL an entire genre of music..if anything he helped open up that great music to other people who migh tnot have been..fucked up? maybe. relatability. noone told black ppl to stop making rock music…
and tbh, outside hendrix, white ppl make better rock..fuck it
Dude your posts always have an element of white supremacy or superiority about them . What is it that got you into the predominately black genre of hiphop . *Eminem* I suppose
Wow this was quite racist. So i guess outside of Tiger Woods white people are better at golf, lets just conveniently get rid of possibly the most iconic individual in that field and hand the win to white people. i think you missed the part where i mentioned Jim Crow…lets review,YES, in fact black people WERE told to not make rock music by them not being able to become commercially successful at it. I really have to spell this out for you dont I?
Preach brother! These fucking racist trolling ass white people sit at there computers and waiting for a chance to spew their hatred towards blacks! Get a fucking life your fucking idiots blacks aren’t worried about your lame, culture stealing, fake producers, wanna be hip hop artists ass bitches!
if by “fucked up” you mean fucked up by the prejudiced and racist society at the time. You’re close but not entirely on track. Chuck Berry had invented rock and roll and was immensely popular. They locked Chuck away for fucking white groupies, and Elvis who was a young fan, stepped into his persona and took it from there. “Opening it up” to a larger fanbase being that in that type of society, people would accept him more, but also “opening it up” for the whole history of the music to be misconstrued. Thats all I have to say, because it doesnt make much sense to have a back and forth with someone named “lol”.
Don’t be a cunt.
I used to be a kanye fan before.but his ego, claiming to be God and everything, plus since marrying kim k..his songs have been thrash. True he doesn’t have that lasting impact like biggie,tupac,jay and nas. He’s been very garbage for sometime now.
If you take the song “i am a god” as anything more than a metaphor for being the controller of your own destiny and not letting people tel who how to live…than i dont know how you passed 8th grade english class.
“than”
For someone that cannot write English properly to TELL (note two Ls in TELL moron) another person that they aren’t good at English is just plain retarded. Though you are a Kanye West fan so i’d guess moronic ramblings are your preferred method of communication just like your hero Kanye cuntface.
I used to be a kanye fan before.but his ego, claiming to be God and everything, plus since marrying kim k..his songs have been thrash. True he doesn’t have that lasting impact like biggie,tupac,jay and nas. He’s been very garbage for sometime now.
idk i dont rly see the issue of naming eminem and kendrick as off the bat examples..they are staples in hiphop ..one is a for certain legend.. and the other is promising..assuming he doesnt make any more snoozers like TPAB
the sad part is in 20 years..epople will be talking about how bi polar and ranty kanye is..not his music.. which is sad hes talented but he let his ego completely drown out his talents..thats his legacy unfortunately
Nope. He has always been this way,wouldnt be were he is today without this attitude.
Because he skipped over about 20 years of historic acts such as Public Enemy, The Roots, Arrested Developement, etc. And went straight for the most accesible artists who are adored by basic ass people that listen to literally only those three artists so and say they have such a great knowledge of hip hop
K played into one who wanted to invoke his visceral responds. He can’t help it. With all do respect Ye you’re a rubber band.
Ye falls for troll bait every time… sucka ass dude, smh.
Not saying taylor swift should have won best album (kendrick should have won in my opinion) but kanye is obssessed with swift. It’s downright creepy and indicates he has a huge crush on her.
Bob erzin produced “The Wall” by pink floyd…. if youd dont that album and it importance then you dont truly know music, knowing hip hop a knowing music as a whole are to different things…. but he is seriously underselling Kanye West importance to hip hop from production alone, he’s produced some of the most significant record in hip hop the last 15 years you can’t let your dislike for him just discredit what he’s already done
Sorry, we’re not white, we don’t give a fuck.
That’s the problem. Black people need to welcome some other ideas and art into their culture. Other races use the positive elements of black culture to their benefit, but blacks reject positive elements from other cultures, to their own detriment. Pink Floyd is dope. Kanye West is dope. It’s OKAY to like both.
Still dont know who bob ezrin is. I guess hes gonna get some fam now after that kanye rant
i used to love kanye, i had the pink polo, i thought i was kanye!
Bob Ezrin is Hebrew, not white