Is Kanye West More Relevant Than William Shakespeare?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 27 พ.ค. 2017
- One's a literary titan 400 years gone. The other's defining artist of the millennial generation. So who's more relevant? Kanye West or William Shakespeare? That was the topic of a recent debate at the prestigious Oxford Union. Justin Hunte participated along with Matthew Cook, Jensen Karp, Ossian Ward, Big Narstie, Daniel Wilkinson, Anthony Anaxagorou, and Professor Elizabeth Schafer. This inaugural episode of TBD w/ Justin Hunte tackles this awesome yet unorthodox debate.
Produced, Written & Hosted By: Justin Hunte / thecompanyman
Produced, Shot & Edited By: Ahmed Sabir-Calloway / akthentik
NOTES:
Matthew Cook Full Argument: • Kanye is More Relevant...
Ossian Ward Full Argument: • Kanye is More Relevant...
Jensen Karp Full Argument: • Kanye is More Relevant...
Big Narstie Full Argument: • Kanye is More Relevant...
Daniel Wilkinson Full Argument: • Kanye is NOT More Rele...
Justin Hunte Full Argument: • Kanye is NOT More Rele...
Anthony Anaxagorou Full Argument: • Kanye is NOT More Rele...
Prof Elizabeth Schafer Full Argument: • Kanye is NOT More Rele...
ABOUT TCMM:
The Company Man Media: Life Through The Lense of Hip Hop.
Justin Hunte is a former Editor-in-Chief of HipHopDX and creator of DX's popular series The Breakdown and #DXLive. Hunte has debated at the prestigious Oxford Union and is featured on Shade45's "All Out Show w/ Rude Jude," as well as Revolt TV’s “Revolt Live” Billboard magazine, digital campaigns for Lexus, Honda, Brisk, and Simple Mobile. Prior to joining HipHopDX, Hunte spent 5 years working in investment banking at Banc Of America/Merrill Lynch and has covered music, politics, and culture for numerous publications. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.
Follow @TheCompanyMan on all socials. - เพลง
Definitely the right choice starting your own channel, nothing against hiphop DX but the only reason I was subbed was because of you.
Gotta take the leap at some point. No time better than the present.
Jonny Noz yeah i think all the subscriber were there for him.
Saaaaaame
Same!!!
Factz!
Shakespeare might be the greatest of all time... GREATEST OF ALL TIME
...let's break it down.
Lets break it down.. everyone to this day know’s who Shakespeare is.. enough said.
Shakespeare is the GOAT
we didn’t live in his time that’s all I have to say
You smashed it man. Your anecdotal references throughout your speech show youre hiphop knowledge is on another level. Salute!
That's love, Mo! Thank you!
the instrumental in the background big improvement
Thank you brother. Courtesy of Statik Selektah.
Bx
Yo, it's low-key impressive as hell that you announced you were leaving DX, created your own channel, and put out 2 pieces of quality content for that channel in ONE WEEK.. man when you first announced you were leaving I was prepared to wait damn near a month for new content. Glad I didn't tho!!!
#itsallhappening
Thank you! New episode of All out Show dropping tomorrow at 7:30am PST.
Congrats man. Starting here from the ground up! I'll be here all along the way.
Matt Traverso salute!!!
Knock knock
You still here?
kayne is more relevant in the current world climate mentally, shakes has more influence and is more relevant to day to day life and overall human interaction
Shakes themes are so prevalent right now and over the course of the past 400 years. That's the best part of this whole experience: How much I learned about shakespeare. Got a genuine appreciation now.
Its a blasphemy to even put Kanye in the same sentence with a Master...Fuck Kanye!
@Brandon De Oca my apologies allow me to clarify my self...Kanye has seen the light and is opening the eyes of African Americans ...the will soon exit the political trap call the DNC and embace our beloved President and his policies, that as of today have brought African Americans to the lowest unemployment rate in history!! Its so good it even created a job for P.O.S Kaperwhater his fake sjw name is.
I wouldn't even say Kanye is more relevant to the current world climate than Shakespeare either. Shakespeare's insight and work has been relevant since it was made and still is.
@@raulrodriguez5073 ok don’t take it too far. Although Kanye might not be on the same level as Shakespeare he’s one of if not the most critically acclaimed and influential artist of the past decade. Shakespeare obviously had a bigger influence and impact but Kanye’s impact is undeniable
I love it how you always respond to your fans man keep up the good work
Alec Ashby thanks Alec!
Love the Kanye West pieces. Still waiting for the "What does Kanye need to do to be the GOAT" piece. Most Grammy success in rap history and undeniable impact on art & culture.
Keep up the great work Justin!
Thanks Jacob. What do you think he needs? Collaborative writing is something he leans on heavily.
Since GOAT rapper discussions are so lyric heavy, he may never earn it, but for Kanye to enter real GOAT discussion more broadly, we need to see him rise from his current dip (both personally and in his music). Releasing 1 more new Classic album w better lyrics and more inspired than TLOP, covering topics like his children/family, mental health, current events, and showcasing his classic ego. A solid collaborative album with Drake would also help build the hype back up. If those 2 projects happen, he'd be cemented in my GOAT discussion forever.
Being born in '94, he's the greatest rap artist I've ever seen. I believe he is the greatest artist of my generation and I'll throw my argument at the bottom. Lyrically not there with a Kendrick, but Joey Badass has top lyrics and he's not in the discussion. Commercial success, awards, and influence get overlooked far too much in the GOAT discussion I feel.
It's hard to deny his impact and influence. MBDTF, Graduation, and College Dropout are all new classics, with MBDTF overflowing with artistic genius. The promotion he did all over TRL for Graduation, essentially ending 50 Cent's career in it's height, is forever cemented in my mind. With this one of the most awarded and nominated rap artist for the grammys, and with more awards of his awards are for his own projects unlike Jay - Z. Another piece I find unique to Kanye is he makes stadium music. You go to an NBA game, watch a commercial, a movie trailer, and they all sample West's songs like Stronger, Power, Black Skinhead, Clique, HAM, N***** is Paris, Touch the Sky, etc. long after the songs are hot. The legacy of his art lives in these venues far longer than other artist who maintain a summer anthem max. This in addition to stuff you've already covered. IMO Kanye is without a doubt the most influential artist of my generation and I don't see Kendrick or Drake or Chance (maybe chance) matching his influence within their careers. Not many artist get bigger than rap or have influence outside of the hip-hop bubble. Who else has had the type of overall artistic and cultural influence of Kanye ever? Tupac? Ice Cube/NWA? I'd be interested to hear some historical context to my claim.
Kanye GOAT rapper? Maybe not. But GOAT Rap Artist/Most influential? I think he has to be there.
"Is Kanye West as relevant as the old Kanye West" gosh chills through my spine! Masterful!
So glad you started your own channel Justin!! Can't wait for all the videos!!!
You earned a fan for life, Justin. By the way, where did you get that dope sweatshirt??
Thanks Eric! We made it for the episode. Launching a store soon so it'll be available.
I'll be copping one ASAP!
The Company Man Media Even in the past episodes, I've noticed you wear episode specific clothes. Are most of those custom made?
Yep yep.
Great first video glad to see you back, can't wait for all the new breakdowns!
great to see you back Justin! You used to be in investment banking!? Daaaamn bro XD very cool you got statik to create your intro. Great first episode, look forward to many more!
Thanks Tally! Yep yep. That was the gig before I quit to learn how to write about rap music.
Excellent breakdown and loved how you put forth your argument. So far enjoying this channel. Keep it up.
Love the new intro 🙌🏽🙌🏽
Thank you!. Statik Selektah came through in the clutch!
Only 5 minutes in, so not sure if you mention this, but in my AP Literature class we read a book titled, "How to Read Literature Like a Professor"
One of the biggest things I took from the book was the idea that everything is either Shakespeare or the bible. So many movies and storyline arcs in general mirror those of Shakespearean plays.
Much of our society and culture is deep rooted in Shakespeare.
Great point of discussion though, and so happy about the new channel. love ya Justin
Miller Johnston that's a great point Miller. Shakespeare surrounds us... like oxygen. I never had an appreciation for his work. I didn't pay enough attention in my ap lit class. Should've paid a lot more. I find myself leaning on his words often now. My favorite quote is "don't be afraid of greatness. Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. Others have greatness thrust upon them."
Much love for your own channel! Good looks dropping 'the point is this' during your speech: you gave the luminaries a breakdown!
Christian Alexander dope you caught that! 👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿
Glad to have found this channel!
Haven't seen Justin's videos on Complex for a while now
You had a high school teacher with a Doctorate... explains a lot.
Congrats on the new channel. I loved the premise of this debate. It would be great to see more videos like this.
Love it man! Can't wait to see what is to come! Great job Justin!!!
Mike 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 I appreciate that!!
much success to you brother. I'm glad you're back to doing what you do best!
Excited for this channel bro
Absolutely love these videos and so glad youre back creating for us. Youre always positive respectful and so knowledgable. Oxford Speech was tight af
Woot Woot!
Indeed what an honor for you, great first video!
Good stance, great debate. Can't wait to watch more!
Wardo Ramirez thank you!
great job on that debate. love the videos and this channel. happy tp see that there are others that love rap as much as me.
love your covering all the other speeches, i found them all very enjoyable...
Everyone made really interesting points. I had so much fun. One of the coolest experiences I've had.
i thought Jensen Karp and Anthony Anaxagorou really put in exceptional work with different approaches
Jensen's was hilarious!
Congrats on the channel and keep bringing hip hop at all angles!
Best work yet, I appreciate you brother🙏.
Dammmm J, thank you! Great work, I'm so glad that the break down isn't dead. We're here to support you all the way!
Adrian Str VICTORY! Adrian! Thanks for the support!
Been looking for your new channel ever since you announced you were gonna start one. You are a great voice in Hip-Hop.
Thank you!
Let's get this channel to blow 🔥🔥🔥🔥 love all your views Justin and how you explain them
No Mas Pantalones 🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿🙌🏿
As time goes on, I can only hope hip/hop will be studied like poetry. Kanye has assembled some of the most beautiful pieces of art and comparing him to Shakespeare places that in the spotlight. People through generations have appreciated Dr. Suess for his Anapestic tetrameter. But when Eminem performs The Way I Am, it's viewed as vulgar. Kanye is important, just like Shakespeare. Keep spreading that awareness, Justin. Debates like this educate the masses. Congrats on the new channel. Can't wait for next week.
Ryan Ambrus hip hop is getting to that point. Institutions of higher education are now teaching classes on the history of the medium and different artists and it only took 40 years! Ha! I'm glad Matthew put together this topic. Kanye deserves the comparison.
No I don't think so. Kanye assembled beautiful pieces filled with samples from even more beautiful music. So I think based on that, you can't put him at the top of anything.
I was wondering why there were no new Breakdown videos. I had to google @thecompanyman to find out about this new channel. Subscribed immediately. I'm glad you're going to be doing this on your own. I wish you the best of luck man.
Great job! Sounds like an amazing experience.
So proud of you and this channel!!!
Wish you all the best with the new channel! Been loving your content so you've got a subscriber right here
OH man let's go!!!! Been waiting to get home from work to watch this.
I think this is the best video you have EVER done, well done on the first video on the channel.
Wow! That's awesome. Thank you Aziz!
Justin Hunte keep grinding bro! I love your videos very informative and entertaining, your a great journalist!
Thank yoU!
The Company Man this was amazing for so many reasons. Keep it up bro. The culture needs you🙏🏽
Justin you did really brilliantly, well done man. Glad you have a channel for your own stuff now.
Thank you!
Watching this three years later - major accomplishment to make it to the Union. Congrats to you.
Always loved the breakdown! great as ever. Is there a link somewhere to the full debate?
Great video!
I think the fact of the matter is that shakespeare wrote so many exemplary pieces of English literature, from tragedies to comedies to sonnets, that his influence will never be compared to another artist because he quite literally crafted the tools that any writer uses. It's impossible to write in english without owing somethingto Shakespeare, as much as i love college dropout, i dont think we'll ever be able to say something likr that to kanye.
I don't think that's fair to say Shakespeare was a literary figure, Kanye is a rapper producer. I'd argue that Kanye's legacy and influence will continue to be largely musical. It hasn't even been 20 years and at least four of his albums are considered classics. So I don't think you can compare apples to apples on this one. Just acknowledge one is an orange and one is a pear and discuss from then on.
Dope content I just subscribed and will be looking for more.
Wow Justin I'm just seeing this now but I'm really so proud of you. This is a major accomplishment and the way you expressed yourself at the debate just made me throw my first in the air and say "Get em Justin!" ✊🏼💯
I am excited to ride this wave with you Justin. This is gonna be big.
TheManWithNoPlan🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿
Finally my fix is cured! Your vids are always dope to watch. Much love bro
Thank you so much, I was afraid that you would stop presenting these anymore cos I thought you'd moved to another company and that I'd lose some of these done breakdowws
Because your work is really cool and it helps me as a new generation listener better understand the context of what I'm listening to cos most of what you breakdown in such dope detail is my kind of music and you were the only reason I used Hip-Hop DX. Congrats on the move BTW
I just found this and I'm glad I did because you're one of the people that keep my passion for hip hop going
Thanks GMD! Great to see you!
statik on the beat too, good shit
Got 'eem! Looking forward to the new channel, hopefully some more GOAT pieces and other TBD's on hip hop in the golden era, to enlighten younger folk that crave that knowledge. Yeezus!
Fluxtradamus got a piece next week that's not a goat piece. Then the two after will be goat pieces. Then a historical piece on the first guy in hip hop with a camera. Then a Father's Day piece on jay z. Rough sketch of the next TBDs
*Insert "How High" gif of Method Man saying "get em"
Props from Malaysia. New subscriber here.
Yo this is wild Justin, you made it... sorry that it took me song long to comment but I didn't know you were still around lol
Welcome back :) for real for real fr fr
fr fr.... fr fr... ha! Thank you sir.
my man I was worried I would never see another video as greatly explain by you again. The fact that you're a Doom fan and can speak on my favorite radio personality"Rude Jude" all out show makes you my favorite you tube next to one. Brows Held High who does the summer of Shakespeare so I understand the great contrest between the two. love you're work man you'll always have my support
that's love, John. Thank you. The channel is new so we're just now building the routine. But trust, this is only the beginning. Got another episode of All Out Show dropping tomorrow morning at 730am. Then another TBD this weekend. I'll have some more announcements coming soon as well. Thanks for rocking with us!
Must've been such a cool experience. Guru's intro to You Know My Steez says,
"We had the right idea in the beginning And and we just need to maintain our focus and elevate what we do we update our formulas We have certain formulas but we update em With the times and everything y'know So y'know the rhyme style is elevated The style of beats is elevated but it's still Guru and Premier."
This video was certainly elevated, and it was still certainly Justin Hunte. Great video man.
That's dope Lucas! Thank you!! We made some changes to the all out show, too. We added additional camera angles. Gotta keep evolving.
I love Justin. It's obvious he's passionate about his work, brings good points, etc. keep up the great work dude
You are awesome and make amazing videos. Thank you.
I am so happy that you have come back lol
justin I'm happy you're branching off my man. congrats on the win for you're team. the way you ended tho with the "is kanye as relevant as he used to be" that shit hit hard. best of luck with this new channel
LookItsShak thanks Shak!
LookItsShak thanks Shak!
I love/need your hoodie!
cheers man, congrats on the move, will be supporting and sharing. consider starting a patreon if you haven't already.
Sumkilla how do I do that?
Another good one
You should definitely make hip hop Dx to make a video showing your new channel I forgot about it for months and had trouble finding your channel
Yo Justin that profile pics giving me the creeps lol. Subscribed already, keep up the good work!
Destined hahaha! ME TOO! it's a hold over from my google account. Just waiting for it to update
Aye love from India though!
ngl i missed this and now i can unsubscribe from dx without feeling like im gonna miss anything
i believe kanye is more relevant to the personal experience. william shakespeare wrote about such wide broad themes that its easy for him to attain relevance. where i believe ye is all about ye. he isn't aiming to tell the human experience hes aiming to tell his own. where someone like will is trying to appeal to a huge audience. ye is just being ye. and what he raps about happens to relate to the current millennial experience. both good and bad parts. so ye is more relevant on an extreme level to less people where will is slighly relevant to a lot. either way great video. i believe you make great content and im excited for the future. and congratulations on getting to debate at the oxford union seems like you had a great time.
damn you for your broad analogy on hip hop n life. great work , I can tell your professional with your business
Seems like you spoke very well at the Oxford Union. You’re doing great, man.
Great content per usual. I just can't help but to think the word relevant isn't the right phase. While I haven't done the research you have, I feel like we're more impressed by how Shakespeare's work has transcended throughout multiple generations. Kanye is still alive, so it's much easier to critique his faults because it's currently in the public eye. Every misstep he takes now will be seen as him going further from the man he used to be. Take into the account as a musician, especially a rapper, you're often letting people inside your world, your childhood, your story and kanye has been the symbol for that kind of personal experience with his audience for years. We loved him because what mattered to him, matched what mattered to his audience. But now fashion has supplanted social injustices we face (not to say his problems aren't real. Just aren't real to people like us) and you have the disconnect. Just my thoughts
Steve Al well said. I think that disconnect challenges his relevance. If you're not connecting with the people, why should you matter to them? Ironically, I think that's why this convo works. People feel as though they can't relate to Shakespeare because his work is dated. But his themes are still present. On the flip side, people feel as though kanye is more relevant because he's clearly more present, but his messaging has arguably become the antithesis to audience. The juxtaposition is on 1,000-trillion.
Kanye's never been all social injustices (was 808s & Heartbreak not relatable and relevant?), and he's not all fashion now. Lyrically I think he's still relatable, but in a more general way. And it was only 4 years ago that Yeezus came out which included both New Slaves and Black Skinhead, I feel like people wrote off that album because of it's non-traditional elements and never revisited it. I do think there's some of a disconnect between him and the common man, especially on TLOP, but I also think people are misinterpreting the music. Yeezus and The Life of Pablo are a lot more visceral and emotional, I think with those two the music and the feelings it evoke matter more than the lyrics.
YESSS! while I totally agree that Shakespeare is currently more relevant than Kayne, I am not under the illusion that it'll last forever. I could totally see Kanye beating him out in the future. And the reason for that is their difference in medium. when your walking down the street, you're not listening to a play by Shakespeare, you're listening to a song. And thats because if you were listening to a play, youre missing half of the medium. the acting is just as important. it's half as potent. So my general argument for this conversation is, the mediums of art that are easiest to passively influence you, are the same mediums that are more likely to last generations. my point being this, In 3017 it will still be easier to listen to a short song, than watch a long play. Who knows, maybe future generations will be bumping kanye and kendrick like some people listen to Mozart and Beethoven now.
Whoa! No one mentioned that in our debate. That's a huge reason why music is scrutinized more than film. Great point, Jeremy.
The Company Man Media Thanks! Just wanted to say your work is amazing as always! small question though, are the next episodes going to be in a different studio? haha
Jeremy Tanner hahahaha! There's a broader scale that's also happening behind the scenes. For now, this will be it for this show. Expect an upgrade though.
Shakes invented modern English and wrote his own lyrics(debatable).
He coined so many words that we use today. The only word Kanye has coined was Yezus but Shakes had ' bedazzaled' ,'cold-blooded', 'swagger' etc.
Future generations will not know about Kanye or Kendrick as we do not know who our great grandparents listened to. Your only talking about the US; kanye west isn't big internationally. Mainstream Music isn't really an influential medium as it has the most ONE HIT WONDER acts. In literature, you can have a one hit wonder and have it be a classic that will last generations.
The reason why Shakes is influential is that he is taught in English LItterature classes and English is one the most spoken languages on earth.
Rob Roux
Exactly. I was about to dog this dude for saying that shit, but you mentioned everything I was gonna say to this uneducated fool.
Salute
It was so hard to find this channel
Euan O'Neill it'll get easier once I have a unique link. I need 10k views first. Pushing along
The Company Man Media really like TBD and was wondering were it went, you should put it up on the hip hop dx channel
Justin, I am glad to have found this channel. I a a fan of both Shakespeare and (old) Kanye. In Richard the Third when the main character says, "Now is the winter of our discontent…" you have to finish the sentence, "made glorious summer." Richard was not complaining about the absence of peace, but the abundance of it. That speech and play is about Richard destroying that peace. He was the evil tyrant who murders his way to the English throne by sowing discord and death to all around him. Gotta keep 'em honest on that stuff.
I don't really know what to say about this video expect its really good
Can you please post a link where to get you pen please. BTW i love that you made your own channel, Keep grinding!
totalprime24 I'll see if I can find it. I think it was amazon
yes justin do your thing! represent
Yooo Do you make the backdrops for public purchase? I need one asap!
I bet Justin was circling stuff on that pad hard during that debate! Seriously though, that's impressive. Your argument showed your dedication to careful listening and discussion, as well as objectivity when fitting hip-hop into the larger culture. Like a scientist who makes sure to be most critical of his own ideas.
Justin my man. Could you do something regarding Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, Nino Bless or Rapsody? Or is something of this sort reserved for The Breakdown?
THE GAWD IS BACK!
wow, the hoodie with William Shakespeare saying swagger! need that!
brought the heat! oxygen, great perspective
Kalepa Heidegger 👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿👊🏿
he did it !!
What up brother!!
#itsallhappening
where can i find the long story behind you hosting at hip hop dx and then moving to your own channel, and why are there so many eps with rudejude
Ahhhh.Loved it.Glad you are back.Another side of the Kanye vs Shakespeare is that W.S, although quite well off still needed his company to perform regularly to earn a living and there was many ways for him to be shut down.Nearly every summer pestilence hit London and when it did the authorities shut down all theaters to try and stop it spreading meaning no work for sometimes months for W.Ss company.Sometimes religious zealots in the council (who hated the theatre seeing it was a corrupting influence, just like todays Hip Hop) had theatres shut down for long periods. Live was a hard struggle back then and Shakespeare was like everyone else in the fact that 6 months or a years bad luck could see him and his family on the street and so he never lost sight of humanitys basic struggle to survive, which comes out in his plays "The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune".Kanye seems to have forgotten this.Anyway great start to the B D only you could have me talking Shakespeare in a Hip Hop comments site.Welcome back Justin.
JC!!! Never knew you were a Shakespeare enthusiasts. That's great commentary around this. None of that came up in the debates either. I agree, Kanye has forgotten about that.
The Company Man Media Most of us English are Shakespeare fans.Respect I will watch it all.
The iconic circling the paper
Congrats!
I see mos defs album behind you are you gonna do piece on him?👀👀
Great video as always, some suggestions for TBD Shows: Killer Mike/Run The Jewels, a GOAT piece on Rakim and maybe a video on how Machine Gun Kelly was doing this whole hip hop rockstar thing at SXSW years before the likes of Lil Uzi and Travis Scott were credited with it.
Welsh Pirlo great ideas!!
The Company Man Media thanks man, I look forward to more content!
The Company Man You and Jude should also discuss which rappers of today would fit in the 90s hiphop scene
dog i fw this HEAVY
"I knew I was gon see knew I was gon see you again"- Wake up Mr.West kinda fits. Congratulation man happy to see you have your own TH-cam channel
WALTER HARTWEL WHITE ha! Perfect quote!!
Any reason why you changed the beat? Did HipHopDX not let you use the original? Love that beat.
I rocked with that 9th Wonder awesomeness for 4 years over different videos. I love it too. It's amazing. But it's also time for a change.
Damn. That closing line was solid.
Heh up brother I am here and have subbed
Victory!
man I need that hoodie
you should have finished your debate piece with "... I don't have the answer to these questions" haha best of luck with the new channel