THNWBLK.NYC.... these shirts were prophetic! (Too bad my manufacturer was pathetic. They are coming though.)
I took advantage of the .NYC domains a while ago.... but now I am launching it and owning it. THENEWBLACK.NYC & THNWBLK.NYC now link directly to this site. I am excited! This journal and my photography/art are my primary concerns for a while.
So I want to take a moment and let you know what is in the mind of the artist.
I will call this post... "Explaining the Kanye!
I know, dude gets a lot of flak for his outbursts and intense comments.
"YOU AIN'T GOT THE ANSWERS!"
"I AM A GOD"
"I AM THE VOICE OF A GENERATION"
People immediately write him off as a lunatic and an egomaniac.. megalomaniac. I personally think that he just needs to find a way to articulate his message to the world.
The most famous interviews show him behaving erratically and angrily and truth be told, I might've behaved similarly in the same situation.
They told him initially that they didn't want his beats.
They told him he wasn't a good rapper/don't rap on his beats.
He has garnered a tremendous amount of accolades for his work... More than ANYONE that has ever interviewed him.
Herein lies the artist's dilemma.
Most commonly, as an artist, you get really good at your craft, but promoting and marketing your work... not so much. We become reliant on those that have a talent for speaking to the masses. That relationship allows the artist to be judged and the people that SHOULD shape the face of their respective industries usually have little to NO say on what the masses experience. In all fairness, there is a thin line between genius and insanity. Sometimes, the things that come out of the artist's mouths aren't for public consumption.
Be that as it may, we absolutely do have modern day geniuses. They are battling between being true to their art, and dealing with the fact that they want to be part of a society that they feel, does not understand them. So, when you've proven yourself by becoming a musician that has achieved the greatest heights of success (when they said you couldn't), and then influence an entire culture, stylistically and sartorially, it is going to piss you off when people continue to question your art.
ART!! is the most intimate and deep level of communication. It is the true self being expressed through a variety of media. It is impossible to not be sensitive about it.
It is tough. To expose yourself and let people into your deepest expressions, is a very hard thing to do. To be judged by those that DO NOT have any talent other than to criticize, is even more difficult. They will lack (your) vision and inspiration. It is enough to drive you crazy.... or at the very least, drive you angry.
I get Kanye. I understand. They keep telling you that they want the old you back... Not the REAL old you. Not the one that they didn't want making beats, they were wrong about him. Not the one that they told that they didn't want rapping, they were wrong about him. Not the one that they told not to get into fashion, they were wrong about him. Not the one that they were mad at for taking Amber Rose out of the club... they were wrong about him. Wait... which old Kanye do they want? It seems that they have been wrong more than they've been right. These are the same people that cannot fathom YOUR genius. Yes you. Whoever is reading this and understands what I am saying.
I have abstained from so many things because of the headache I knew I would get from the ridicule of my "peers". But I have NEVER been a follower. So here is to TheNewBlack.NYC
Hope you love it.
x-blk