Member Since: 4/27/2012
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Madonna = Kanye. Do you agree with Reddit?
I have come across this interesting post.. https://www.reddit.com/r/indieheads/...ories/cta6srd/
Quote:
Madonna and Kanye West. Think about it. Both start off with a handful of albums that are different enough to stand out (Madonna, Like a Virgin, True Blue, Like a Prayer for Madonna, College Dropout, Late Registration, and Graduation for Kanye), yet similar enough to preexisting genres that they gain critical raves and broad commercial appeal. While in their early periods they have a few incidents that they're seen as somewhat controversial (Madonna's wedding dress writhing, Kanye's "George Bush doesn't care about black people"), they're still mainly well loved by the general public.
Then, both of them release an album that marks a complete departure from style (Erotica for M, 808s and Heartbreaks by K), and while both are successful and critically liked, they turn off some of their fanbase and neither will have the same level of commercial success again. At the same time, they both become even more controversial public figures and become viewed as monsters by traditional media (due to M's Sex book and K's "Imma let you finish").
They then spend the next part of their careers trying to gain back the good will of the public while maintaining that they regret nothing (M sings "I'm not sorry" on Human Nature, K's "screams from the haters, got a nice ring to it" on Power"), and, after gaining back some good will, (M's Bedtime Stories, K's GOOD Fridays), they both release classic albums that are praised heavily by critics (Ray of Light and MBDTF) and seem to cement their positions as musical greats, even if they're never especially beloved as individuals by the public. They continue to have reasonable chart success (M had some hits off of Music, K had some big guest spots and a hit with Mercy) and mostly avoid trouble.
Then, everything changes. Both release albums with almost no chart success and which divide their fanbases further (American Life and Yeezus). Neither sell all that well, especially when compared to their earlier albums, and another series of incidents around the albums (M's kiss with Britney and dressing as Che Guevara, K's continued rants and relationship with Kim Kardashian) continue to make them seem like public villains and outcasts. Both of the albums in question are also marked by unusual sound styles and focusing on the respective artist's personal lives, as well as intense messages (M slamming materialism and celebrity on Hollywood and the title track, K slamming continued racism on Black Skinhead and New Slaves). Granted, Yeezus was much more well liked by critics than American Life, but oh well.
Since Kanye still hasn't released SWISH yet, can't really compare beyond there, though Madonna definitely switched to focusing more on chasing pop trends and largely stopped trying to innovate or stand out, though she definitely still courts controversy. In contrast, while I don't think Kanye is going to release an MDNA anytime soon and think he'll still try to innovate, some of his recent songs have definitely been on the more basic side (Only One, FourFiveSeconds). I guess we'll just have to wait to see if the trend continues.
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Thoughts?
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