It's always been an issue. Ever since "H to the Izzo" when his raps first popped up on the scene, everyone's had an extreme opinion on whether or not Kanye West can rap. Like ... at all.
I've always been one to say his lyrics are under-appreciated while the majority of heads will say he's the most overrated rhyme dropper since MC Hammer. I won't even participate in someone questioning his producing ability, but his spit game has always been under a harsh microscope. It's beyond a love/hate thing. It's a genius/scum-of-the-earth thing. No need to remind anyone, but the debate got even more heated once the 808's project rolled around.
One thing I gotta say is that they can funnel all of their suppressed anger towards his usage of the accursed autotune, but I'll focus more on the bars he's dropped on other artists' records whether they noticed or not.
N*E*R*D - Everyone Nose (Remix feat. Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, & Pusha T) "In the club always the flyest, always got her hands the highest. She stopped drinkin Diet Coke, she on that coke diet. "
Madonna - Beat Goes On (feat. Kanye West) "Is it impromptu I want you? Now I'm goin to tell you what I want to do to you. Your girlfriend, she wants to? Beautiful. Just flew in from Paris. Voluez Vous."
Lil' Wayne - Lollipop (Remix feat. Kanye West) "Don't worry why my wrist got so freeze, tell yo girl like Doritos that's not yo cheese."
88-Keys - Stay Up! (Viagra feat. Kanye West) "Make a old aggin give keys to Jaguar, just to keep from all the teasin laughter."
Young Jeezy - Put On (feat. Kanye West) "I feel like this but aggins don't know the stress, lost the only girl in the world that know me best. I got the money and the fame and that don't mean ish. I got the Jesus on the chain and that don't mean ish. So when the Jesus pieces can't bring me peace, yo I need just at least, uh, one of Russell's nieces."
DJ Khaled - Go Hard (feat. Kanye West & T-Pain) "I flow sick. Aggin, how sick? Sea sick. Got your hand out? Don't look at me, snitch. You lookin at who made me rich. You lookin at who made me rich."
T.I. - Swagga Like Us (feat. Kanye West, Jay-Z, & Lil' Wayne) "My swagger is Mick Jagger. Everytime I breathe on the track I asthma attack it. Why he so mad for? Why he gotta have it? Cuz I slaved my whole life, now I'm the master."
T-Pain - Therapy (feat. Kanye West) "You know how all that gossip is. Next mornin, Bossip, Perez. And me, girl, I take out. Media Takeout, I need a break now before I break now."
John Legend - It's Over (feat. Kanye West) "News flash: shorty we over. We like Def Jam and Hova. We like Bobby and Whitney, except without the kiddies. We like Pamela Anderson's career, except without the titties."
Estelle - American Boy (feat. Kanye West) "Dress smart like a London bloke, before he speak his suit be spoke. And you thought he was cute before? Take a look look at this peacoat, tell me he's broke."
Malik Yusef - Promised Land (feat. Kanye West & Adam Levine) "They say we needin a prophet that could touch on the topics and make it hotter than the tropics. Well you got it."
Really Doe - Plastic (feat. Kanye West) "I see you shinin, shinin like a mirror ball. Why when we're abroad we don't never hear of y'all? You local, retard. I'm the king of the world, so the king of your city by default."
GLC - Big Screens (feat. Kanye West) "I have more beats than I have rhymes. How they say you got more girls than you got time to spend with em? So I throw em all on a team. Only problem is it seem they all wanna ring."
Jamie Foxx - Digital Girl (feat. Kanye West & The-Dream) "When you send a picture, cut off the face and cover up the tattoo by the waste. Let the emcee search till I reach third base. And when I get home I'mma hit home plate."
N.A.S.A. - Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santigold, & Lykke Li) "And I just want my credit. Don't get it, twist it or dread it. I am the king and will not be headed to the morgue no time soon, brethren."
The-Dream - Walking on the Moon (feat. Kanye West) "Where you come from on this lonely night? I swear God must have made lightning strike and I bottled it up. You hit the red carpet and modeled it up. We hopped in the 'Rari and throttled it up."
T-Pain - Flight School (feat. Kanye West) "With all the cars, the clothes, the lights, the boats, I guess I was just tryin to sow my raw oats in the penthouse position with penthouse snitches. See I pimped my crib so I must exhibit."
Keri Hilson - Knock You Down (feat. Ne-Yo & Kanye West) "Wo is me. Baby this is tragic, cuz we had it. We was magic. I was flying, now I'm crashin. This is bad, real bad: Michael Jackson. Now I'm mad, real mad: Joe Jackson. You should leave your boyfriend right now, I'mma ask him."
I mean, I still like his singing anyway, but if it takes this list for you to realize that one of the most polarizing musicians of our generation this side of Lil' Wayne's syrup cup at least can really rap some of the time, then I don't know what to tell ya. I'm not saying that the Ye is Pharoahe Monch or anything, but he's got them words working a lil' bit. Just admit it. Just a lil' bit. And even if you don't like the words themselves, he's still got mic presence. Until he rhymes exclusively about his Louis Vuitton luggage and doesn't hit us with any real tracks, then I still got faith in dude. Even though I kinda expect a corny Louis V commercial jingle at some point from him. My only wish is that he'd hang out with Talib Kweli a lil' more like old times. Ha.
Edit: And I'm NOT posting the tracks cuz that would get this post murdered in a millisecond.
... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.
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