Hyper Than All Of Hyperbole…

KanYeezy's 'Love Lockdown' just became my shit last night. It's one of those great Hip-Hop songs that will be carried forth over the globe. Hip-Hop music is based on two things. It's the flagrant expression of the world's oldest instruments. The drum and the voice. Those two things are the essence of Hip-Hop music. It doesn't matter if the drum is programmed from a keypad or ?uestlove is spanking the skins [ll]. The same can be said for the voice aspect which can be people singing or spitting through filters or whatever. 'Love Lockdown' is Hip-Hop music even if it isn't rap.

The song reminds me of the Colt 45 commercial with Billy Dee Williams walking through the hood while horses run crazy and chicks strip nekkid. The beat is tribal and serious. The drums are fucking earnest as all hell. When you hear drums like that you have to pay attention. Remember that the purpose of the drum was to call you to attention. When the first drummer from Africa learned to beat on a tree trunk he did it to pass a message to people.

The message in 'Love Lockdown' is perfect with the piano acting as a second percussive instrument. We all understand that the piano is derived from the drums just like the horn and woodwind instruments are projections of the voice. If you don't understand this and want to argue this point I need for you to sit the fuck down and stab yourself in the eye with your flip-flops. KanYe's handclaps are the third percussion element on this track. Handclaps > fingersnaps.

"I bet no one knew I got no one new"

Even though KanYe wrote this song a few days before he published it there are lines that are beautiful. I can see a remix or two being issued for this track especially with all the time from now until the projected release date of the new album. KanYe will be in the studio around the clock creating music as if his life depended on it. I still don't know how you push yourself to find new levels when your number one fan is gone from your life. I hope this album musically illustrates how we are to survive that type of loss.

'Graduation' was my shit because it was triumphantly anthemic. There were songs that described how to be stronger physically. '808 & Heartbreak' needs to represent how to be stronger emotionally. I think KanYe will get that off.

With the vocoder joint for the whole album.