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What are people getting out of this article? For me, it read like a typical album review that has no point besides getting clicks from people who mistakenly lo

What are people getting out of this article? For me, it read like a typical album review that has no point besides getting clicks from people who mistakenly look for insight from entertainment.

arionhardison 9y ago
For me it provided insight on how white America views rap (specifically K.). As a long time fan of his I have always wondered of people outside of the AA community recognized his greatness or if it was generally accepted that Macklemore deserved to win that grammy.
- weberc2 9y ago
  I liked the article, but I didn't see anything in the article that I would be willing to project on more than a tiny slice of white Anericans. Certainly no valid generalizations.
snakeboy 9y ago
Do you really think that there is no insight to be gleaned from art?
- alexashka 9y ago
  I said from entertainment - and the answer is yes, almost none, most of the time. Every now and again, you get a movie like The Matrix, that's both entertaining and thought provoking. Those are entertainment unicorns, as evidenced by the sequels that had nothing thought provoking left, but were still somewhat entertaining. When it comes to art - if you knew how much shit art gets made and never sees the light of day, you could argue entertainment and art are both equally devoid of almost any value, including insight, to anyone.
mlevental 9y ago
yea man no insight to be found whatsoever in war and peace, Iliad, 2001 space Odyssey, the wall, waiting for Godot, Lolita, Carmen. if it's not obvious I'm being facetious: there's immense insight in "entertainment". good kid maad city, tpab and damn are masterworks of poetry/song. just because you don't understand them doesn't mean they're not valuable.
- robot197 9y ago
  I think he agrees that there is some value in some entertainment. But not as much value as some claim there is. Most entertainment, even the ones which pretend to have some "meaning" is just consumed for dopamine rush.
ElonsMosque 9y ago
Let's take an example I read the other day about recent nobel prize winner in literature Kazuo Ishiguro. He thought he was finsihed writing his book and coincidentally listened to a ballad by Tom waits which left such an impression on him that he changed the ending of the book that won him the nobel prize. In his own words "The song is sung in the voice of a rough American hobo type utterly unaccustomed to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. And there comes a moment, when the singer declares his heart is breaking, that’s almost unbearably moving because of the tension between the sentiment itself and the huge resistance that’s obviously been overcome to utter it. Waits sings the line with cathartic magnificence, and you feel a lifetime of tough-guy stoicism crumbling in the face of overwhelming sadness." This goes to show that insight can come from entertainment. Also Kendrick has numerous songs with similar emotion evoking moments as the one described by Ishiguro.
- munificent 9y ago
  Here's the article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/06/kazuo-ishiguro-the-remains-of-the-day-guardian-book-club https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/06/kazuo-ishiguro... It's a great anecdote. I knew exactly what point in the book Kazuo was referring to.
supernumerary 9y ago
A better review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIGINiBYxis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIGINiBYxis
nanomoose 9y ago
I don't know; I'm afraid it bored me and I didn't finish. I did read the lyrics of a few of the tracks recommended in other comments, but didn't see anything special. Maybe because I grew up in South Africa, the theme of "How much does a dollar cost" (but remove the grammar), although you might then suggest I might then be able to relate - that doesn't make it special. Maybe because rap does nothing for me. I usually can't stand it. The vocabulary alone is dire - "fuck, shit, nigga" all over the place. Each to their own I guess.
- lostgame 9y ago
  Wow. Way to completely miss all of context for the dressing. I’m a white, late 20’s woman and I still have found an inability to ignore K.Dot’s wisdom through the medium. His lyricism and presentation is unparalleled in modern mainstream music. I imagine you’re not a fan of Kubrick, either, because he makes his points with brutal violence? Seeing past the medium into the message is the quintessential hallmark of being a true, educated critic. Otherwise you’re just commenting on your taste, which is fine, but contributes nothing to the conversation.
  - nanomoose 9y ago
    Well, I'm honoured to be in the presence of "a true, educated critic". Late twenties, so I can see how you consider yourself to be an expert on wisdom too. Alas, being considerably older I only see old hat (as suggested in the comment, but you didn't seem to manage to pick up on, despite your quintessential hallmarks). Damned eyes. I see that "K.Dot" is not much older than you (I assume "K.Dot" is the intellectual's name for Kendrick Lamar). Anyway, I'll let you get back to your yourself.

What are people getting out of this article? For me, it read like a typical album review that has no point besides getting clicks from people who mistakenly look for insight from entertainment.

arionhardison 9y ago

For me it provided insight on how white America views rap (specifically K.). As a long time fan of his I have always wondered of people outside of the AA community recognized his greatness or if it was generally accepted that Macklemore deserved to win that grammy.

weberc2 9y ago
I liked the article, but I didn't see anything in the article that I would be willing to project on more than a tiny slice of white Anericans. Certainly no valid generalizations.

snakeboy 9y ago

Do you really think that there is no insight to be gleaned from art?

alexashka 9y ago
I said from entertainment - and the answer is yes, almost none, most of the time. Every now and again, you get a movie like The Matrix, that's both entertaining and thought provoking. Those are entertainment unicorns, as evidenced by the sequels that had nothing thought provoking left, but were still somewhat entertaining. When it comes to art - if you knew how much shit art gets made and never sees the light of day, you could argue entertainment and art are both equally devoid of almost any value, including insight, to anyone.

mlevental 9y ago

yea man no insight to be found whatsoever in war and peace, Iliad, 2001 space Odyssey, the wall, waiting for Godot, Lolita, Carmen. if it's not obvious I'm being facetious: there's immense insight in "entertainment". good kid maad city, tpab and damn are masterworks of poetry/song. just because you don't understand them doesn't mean they're not valuable.

robot197 9y ago
I think he agrees that there is some value in some entertainment. But not as much value as some claim there is. Most entertainment, even the ones which pretend to have some "meaning" is just consumed for dopamine rush.

ElonsMosque 9y ago

Let's take an example I read the other day about recent nobel prize winner in literature Kazuo Ishiguro. He thought he was finsihed writing his book and coincidentally listened to a ballad by Tom waits which left such an impression on him that he changed the ending of the book that won him the nobel prize. In his own words "The song is sung in the voice of a rough American hobo type utterly unaccustomed to wearing his emotions on his sleeve. And there comes a moment, when the singer declares his heart is breaking, that’s almost unbearably moving because of the tension between the sentiment itself and the huge resistance that’s obviously been overcome to utter it. Waits sings the line with cathartic magnificence, and you feel a lifetime of tough-guy stoicism crumbling in the face of overwhelming sadness." This goes to show that insight can come from entertainment. Also Kendrick has numerous songs with similar emotion evoking moments as the one described by Ishiguro.

munificent 9y ago
Here's the article: https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/06/kazuo-ishiguro-the-remains-of-the-day-guardian-book-club https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/dec/06/kazuo-ishiguro... It's a great anecdote. I knew exactly what point in the book Kazuo was referring to.

supernumerary 9y ago

A better review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIGINiBYxis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIGINiBYxis

nanomoose 9y ago

I don't know; I'm afraid it bored me and I didn't finish. I did read the lyrics of a few of the tracks recommended in other comments, but didn't see anything special. Maybe because I grew up in South Africa, the theme of "How much does a dollar cost" (but remove the grammar), although you might then suggest I might then be able to relate - that doesn't make it special. Maybe because rap does nothing for me. I usually can't stand it. The vocabulary alone is dire - "fuck, shit, nigga" all over the place. Each to their own I guess.

lostgame 9y ago
Wow. Way to completely miss all of context for the dressing. I’m a white, late 20’s woman and I still have found an inability to ignore K.Dot’s wisdom through the medium. His lyricism and presentation is unparalleled in modern mainstream music. I imagine you’re not a fan of Kubrick, either, because he makes his points with brutal violence? Seeing past the medium into the message is the quintessential hallmark of being a true, educated critic. Otherwise you’re just commenting on your taste, which is fine, but contributes nothing to the conversation.
- nanomoose 9y ago
  Well, I'm honoured to be in the presence of "a true, educated critic". Late twenties, so I can see how you consider yourself to be an expert on wisdom too. Alas, being considerably older I only see old hat (as suggested in the comment, but you didn't seem to manage to pick up on, despite your quintessential hallmarks). Damned eyes. I see that "K.Dot" is not much older than you (I assume "K.Dot" is the intellectual's name for Kendrick Lamar). Anyway, I'll let you get back to your yourself.