In an auditorium full of world class entertainers, Chris Brown tried to usurp the occasion by trumping the rest. Well, he can eat their sh-t. You’ve already seen the amazingness of the Prince tribute, but Brown’s tears also took a back row seat to performances by Kanye West, Eminem, and Drake. As we’ve already declared, Drizzy > Breezy. Allllll day.
Kanye West gone quiet for several months. Good. Yeah, he f-cked up at the VMAs re: Taylor Swift. Yes he’s an idiot. As I noted at the time:
“I’ve always been a Kanye apologist. I love his music, I find him entertaining. But these stunts, these attempts to at once exploit and then criticise the same ecosystem that made him who he is… these antics are becoming tiresome. And pathetic.
Self created drama in the search for inspiration…
Like his well is empty. And he’s pillaged everything he can from his past struggles and now there’s nothing left, no other option in his mind but to manufacture controversy in the hopes of finding a muse on the other end, a desperate artist fearing his last masterpiece is behind him, and selling his soul in exchange for a vision.
Last night Kanye West announced to the world how afraid he is that he’s finished.
Poor Kanye West.
He’d rather you be mad at him than sad for him.”
But Kanye, he offered his apologies. And then he went away. He didn’t come up in your face demanding forgiveness. Perhaps the distance has given him some perspective. It certainly seems to have reignited his creativity. “No one man should have all that power.”
As for Eminem, well, you know I have a problem for Eminem. And lately it’s full hard. He was great on Letterman on Friday with Jay-Z. He was so great last night. I love him in a leather jacket. I love him when he’s not hating and drugging. I love him with dark hair. I love him enough to maybe put him on the 5. My lesbian friend Emily loves him so much she says Humina. Oh yes, so much Humina.
But not even Eminem’s debut The Slim Shady back in 1999 could rival Drake’s opening last week for Thank Me Later. Drake outsold both Em and Kanye’s first albums, moving 447,000 copies last week to take #1 in an era where record sales are much, much lower than during the previous decade. It’s a HUGE accomplishment. And he totally killed it last night.
Photos from Frederick M. Brown/Gettyimages.com
