This past weekend, Kanye West appeared on Saturday Night Live as the show's musical guest, performing his most recent singles "Power" and "Runaway." It marked Kanye's first appearance on the program following the Taylor Swift fallout and the Kanye West jokes the program made in connection with the fallout -- and what undoubtedly prompted the line "Fuck SNL and the whole cast" on "Power." Needless to say, there was a lot riding on these performances since they were his first major public performances outside of the VMAs.
Kanye is most definitely an ambitious man, and his performances on Saturday evening proved it. The stage was transformed into a seemingly endless white room -- heaven would be an appropriate assertion -- that brought to mind the borderless prison in THX 1138. Was it possible that Kanye and his artistic directors were implying that power, while desirable and gratifying, is a prison in and of itself? Whatever the case, it was truly something magical and essentially stole the show. There were a few good skits, but Kanye's performances were really the highlight of the episode. It says something when a performance is capable of instilling in viewers a sense that they are no longer watching a TV show or witnessing a studio performance. If anything, Kanye's performances on Saturday night were transportive on account of their passionate delivery and the way in which the music was presented.
It often goes unnoticed, but, at the very least, the way we take in music is affected subconsciously by how it is presented to us, whether it be through a music video or the packaging the album comes in. For example, an album packaged in a deep black, with little to no light colors, suggests that the material contained within is melancholic, or downright angry, even if it's not. When an album is delivered with no artwork or any real packaging, a listener meets the album with no preconceived notions*, and, therefore, experiences the music purely, interpreting the music based solely on its sound and no aesthetic precursors. Presentation is the denominator of reception.
The concept of presentation v. reception came to mind following a Twitter exchange with a friend that took place after Kanye's performances. It was this exchange that inspired me to apply the concept to the performances on Saturday evening. The tweets:
Me: "Kanye West has a vision, and he really knows how to present his music. The man is a true artist."
Friend in reply: "Did you lose a bet or something?"
In my opinion, Kanye West is one of the few remaining music artists that is still active today. Say what you will about his past or his music, but Kanye has a vision. He not only pours a great deal of attention into crafting music, he also cares for how his music will be presented. It's one thing to be passionate about making music, it's another thing to be passionate about how the music will be received. Kanye's ambition lies in his desire to make his music an experience, one that is more than just auditory. He approaches music in much the same way his favorite painters approached their canvases. Great music can leave a strong legacy that people will talk about for ages, but what's even more memorable than this is when music of the same caliber has been paired with equally engaging visual accompaniment. For Kanye West, his music is only half of the piece; the visual presentation of his music is what makes his art whole.
The word "artist" gets thrown around a lot in music, but I believe Kanye West is one of the only ones around today that is truly deserving of the title. Whether it's the "moving painting" or his musical performances, it's hard to deny that the man sees things on a larger scale. He cares for the details both big and small, understanding that what is grand is only as great as the foundation upon which it is built. It's obvious that he goes to great lengths to ensure his visual presentation of the music matches, and even intensifies, the impact his music is capable of. Kanye West truly has an artistic vision for his work and understands the concept of presentation v. reception, clearly demonstrated by his performances on this weekend's Saturday Night Live.
Kanye West's new, as-of-yet-untitled album will be released November 22nd.
*Obviously, if you're familiar with an artist/band and harbor a strong distaste for them, you'll enter with a biased view of the music.
I think it's also important to include a few of Kanye's recent tweets:
@kanyewest: "Thank you the 5 star reviews on Itunes... Thank you guys for believing in me again. http://twitpic.com/2ultwj"
@kanyewest: "Saturday night live... The team effort! I couldn't do these things without a team of people with the same goal. To make performance art"
@kanyewest: "Here's the tweet you all knew was coming... Love to SNL and the whole cast!"
He also thanked everyone who helped make the performances a reality via his Twitter account.
I'd like to think that Kanye West is a lot more humble now and certainly a changed man.
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