Kanye West

Kanye announces presidential run at MTV Video Movie Awards

/ peterbohjalian / 1 Comment

Truly one of the most notable, progressive, and of course, controversial artists of our time, Kanye West was honored with a Video Vanguard award at the MTV VMA’s last night, the highest honor that the organization bestows upon any artist.

The award was notable for a number of reasons. First, a montage of Kanye’s many, many visuals was played, drawing attention to just how stylish and provocative the rapper’s music videos have been. Then, none other than Taylor Swift herself presented Kanye with his award, of course referencing the infamous ‘Imma let you finish…’ tirade from the VMA’s a number of years ago, when he famously interrupted her acceptance speech at the very same event. Then, Kanye himself took the mic for an 8-minute-long, somewhat-rambling, yet passionate, and ultimately pretty awesome acceptance speech. In it, he started off with an apology to Taylor Swift, providing really the first public commentary on that event from the man since it happened.

Then, things got really crazy. Kanye transitioned to a more thoughtful, more abstract speech; focusing on everything from the power of ideas, to how we need to teach children to love themselves, instead of compete with, or fear each other. He really touched on some nice points. But then, in the ultimate Kanye-being-Kanye moment, he did nothing less than declare a 2020 presidential run, immediately, and literally dropping the mic directly afterward. Kanye/Swift 2020? Time will tell. Either way it was a hell of a speech.

(Via Elite Daily)

The Weeknd buries himself in high concept new video

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It’s rare for an artist as controversial as The Weeknd to gain as much mainstream recognition as the Canadian crooner has already accumulated. But, when you sound like Michael Jackson, have an attention-getting haircut, and are seriously, seriously talented; sometimes unlikely things happen.

And the stylish new video for the Kanye West-produced ‘Tell Your Friends’ song from the artist’s new album ‘Beauty Behind the Madness’, and helmed by filmmaker Grant Singer, seems to be very aware of the popular turn the artist’s career has taken. In the video, the singer appears to bury himself, or at least a side of himself, perhaps hinting that the popular tones he’s hit recently- the ones that have propelled him to serious popularity, might soon be abandoned in favor of a return to his darker, grittier roots. While it’s certainly open for interpretation, the song, and video are both very cool, and can be viewed below.

Super exclusive Yeezy Boost drops on Saturday

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The third in an on-going edition of super limited edition footwear designed by none other than the man himself, Kanye West, the brand new Yeezy Boost finally drops on Saturday.

The first two shoes sold out day-of, and its anticipated this one will go even faster. Despite criticism that the shoes ‘look like Uggs’ from some members of the sneakerhead community, the shoes are still selling for far beyond their $200 retail price on the after market.

Seriously on-trend, and boasting unique materials and construction techniques, the Yeezy series may not be for everyone, but it has absolutely captured the collective imagine of the street-fashion forward set. Also, it’s not only sneakerheads that are hoping for some luck on Saturday, as Adidas itself has placed a ton of emphasis on this relationship with Kanye, and the Yeezy series he designed, to recapture some of the market share that Nike has been dominating for close to a decade now. More recently, even newer brands like Under Armour have emerged as competitors to the legendary 3 Stripes brand as well, so creative partnerships and promotions such as this one have become a go-to marketing strategy for Adidas. So for the new Yeezy Boost, a huge emphasis was placed on athletic capability, in addition to its uniquely streetwear-focused style. Check out the video below for more details.

Because the Yeezy shoes themselves are so limited, Adidas hopes that not only will they generate serious demand in the aftermarket, and thus, serious buzz for the brand in entirety; but they also hope that this will lead people to buy other Adidas footwear as well. And if this article that surfaced on SneakerNews today is any indication, that plan may already be working.