Kanye West's "Monster" Video Leaks

Kanye explores his dark side in new "Monster" video

Kanye West, who I chose as the #1 winner and the #1 comeback of 2010, has decided to celebrate the end of the year with a music video leak.

Ok, maybe it wasn't him, but still, what a great way to get people talking into 2011.

The music video for his single "Monster", featuring Rick Ross, Jay-Z and Nicki Minaj, leaked last night on YouTube in its pre-final version.

Continuing his theme of dark and twisted fantasies, the opening of the video has dead models hanging from the ceiling, with Rick Ross sitting with them. There is a bunch of satanic-teasing iconography in this video, including but not limited to Kanye chilling on a wall with a dead woman's head in his grasp and hands coming from the gates (of Hell?) groping a shirtless Kanye.

My favorite part of the video was Nicki Minaj's part. It appears that two of Nicki's alter egos are in the video, Barbie and either Roman or Nicki herself. Barbie is tied up to a chair in a white dress, while Roman/Nicki is in black dominatrix gear, teasing/torturing her other self.

Basically, this video makes Gaga's Alejandro look like a trip to Strawberry Shortcake's villa in Switzerland.

What do you think of Kanye's new video (in its unfinished form, mind you)?

Download of the Day 12/24: All of the Lights by Kanye West

What is the recipe for a hip-hop masterpiece?

Hmm, let's see. Of course, you need a bombastic, over the top hook. To sing the hook, you also need a huge pop singer who is famous for her hook deliveries, like Rihanna. You probably should throw in some epic drum beats, with an epic horn-driven melody for good measure. If the big pop star singing the hook isn't enough star power for you, you could always throw in, just off the top of my head, Alicia Keys, Fergie, Elly Jackson of La Roux, John Legend, and Elton John, just to spice things up. The pièce de résistance? Absolutely manic, deliciously egotistical lyrics that only a rapper with a manic ego could pull off with a straight face, paired with an absolutely manic, deliciously egotistical production.

If only there were a song like that out there right now....

...wait a second! This recipe seems to match up quite well with a little ditty called "All of the Lights" by a little known rapper named Kanye.

Kanye turns all of the lights on him,
 and the eleven other artists on this opus of a single

"All of the Lights" is one of the standouts on an astonishing album. Boasting an eclectic group of featured artists, cinematic scale production, an amazing hook sung by an equally amazing Rihanna, and some of the most powerful delivery of his career, Kanye has concocted nothing short of a hip-hop masterclass that all songs in the genre should be judged by. It is his most affecting single since "Jesus Walks", which is pretty astounding when you consider his discography, even in this current era. While it can be argued that the song is a bit overwhelming, anyone who is familiar with Kanye's anything knows that this falls perfectly in line with him, except for one thing.

It exceeds them all.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Looking Back at... 2010: The Comebacks

It's that time of year again. It's time to look back at all of the good, the bad, and the absolutely ridiculous of the past year. While you all have been voting for your favorites in the BWU Awards 2010, I have sifted through the year in, everything, to find what's worthy of notice.

So, without further ado, here are the biggest comebacks of 2010!

5. Enrique Iglesias - He blew up during the Latin Invasion of the late 90's, but his career fizzled out at the turn of the new millennium, with his last hit being 2001's "Hero". Thanks to the Gaga-bred dance-pop explosion this year, the Latin lover caught an epic second wind. "I Like It", the first single off his latest album Euphoria, reached the top 10 of many countries, including the United States, where it reached #4. His next single, "Tonight (I'm Lovin' You)", is already burning its way up the iTunes chart, guaranteeing him success well into 2011. I guess we missed the mole more than we thought.

4. Usher - The King of R&B returned to his throne this year with very successful album Raymond v. Raymond, which spawned the ubiquitous smash "OMG", which #1 on the charts. He also celebrated the success of his protege Justin Bieber, who just won Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards. After the disappointment that was 2008's Here I Stand, 2010 was proof that Usher was the premier male pop star of the moment. Now if only he would get that haircut..

3. The British Royal Family - Let's be honest: the thirteen years since the passing of Princess Diana have been relatively uneventful. Sure, Charles married Camilla, and Harry became the troublemaker after bouts with swastika costumes and pot, but compared to the years of Diana, it's been quiet. That changed when Prince William, the second in line to the throne, announced that he would finally be marrying his long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton. Almost instantaneously, the world went absolutely bonkers over the engagement. The world's media plastered them across the front pages, speculating on everything from the wedding date to Kate's future role. Her status as a future pop culture figure has already been set; she was featured on Barbra Walters' 10 Most Fascinating People and the dresses she's worn in public have become instant best-sellers. The world, who probably didn't care less about the Windsors two months ago, now wait with baited breath over the April nuptials of the future King and Queen.

2. Rihanna - OK, so it's not really that much of a comeback, but Rihanna definitely regained lost ground on the pop landscape this past year. The Bajan beauty featured on the biggest record of 2010, Eminem's "Love The Way You Lie", and scored two #1 hits of her own with "Only Girl (In The World)" and "What's My Name". Her new album Loud gave her the highest first week sales of her career, although she hasn't been able to get that coveted #1 spot, yet. Also, she has fans cracking up with her witty, shady comments on Twitter and guessing about her love life, in a good way. It's nice to see that she's moved past the drama of last year.

1. Kanye West - He's a douchebag. He's an asshole. He's a scumbag. He's one of the most provocative musical artists on the past decade. Of course, he knows all of this. After the Taylor Swift debacle last year, it seemed like Kanye might have finally pushed the public too far. Well, being Kanye, he took the criticism and unleashed one of the most critically lauded records in recent memory, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Part-ego trip and part masterstroke, Kanye re-worked the conventions of rap and pop with impressive critical and commercial results. Yes, he's still got his antics (replacing his bottom row of teeth with diamonds, the Today Show interview disaster), but no matter what he does, we still have love for the college dropout. So let's have a toast for Kanye, who kept us on our toes in 2010.

Kanye West's Music Video "Power" Is Actually Kind of Amazing (...When You Get Over The Pretentiousness)

Rapper Kanye West premiered the music video for "Power" on MTV and Vevo last night, and just as you would expect, people are pretty divided over it.

First of all, the music video is only 1 minute and 43 seconds. That's probably because, as Kanye alluded to but no one took seriously, the music video is actually a depiction of a "moving painting".

The painting shows Kanye dressed like some modernized Roman God with a sword surrounded by a crown over his head and a bunch of weird looking people around him. It looks like some of them are even in water. The most striking image, besides Kanye of course, is of the two women with the long devil-looking horns with the staffs standing on guard in front of him. As the camera pans out, we see the full painting as it's subjects move in slow motion. The ending scene has two floating men either attacking Kanye or each other, before "POWER" comes out on the screen.

So, what of the video?

Some people will probably feel cheated over the very short length, and the fact that it really isn't a video at all. Yes, those expecting a complete storyline, maybe featuring Kanye standing on a cliff above a massive ocean, will feel like the video was a fail.Others may be annoyed or offended (depending on how you view Kanye himself) by the utter amount of ego that went into the production of this clip. I mean, who the hell does Kanye think he is making a video with allusions to him as an otherworldly figure and the blatant Illuminati references?

What those people are missing, though, is that this video is actually brilliant. It's a visual masterpiece, no doubt. The fluidity and the richness of the imagery was astounding and artful, something you rarely ever seen in pop music, especially in hip-hop. As for the content of the video, the depiction of Kanye as some sort of powerful being (with the bright eyes) amongst a bunch of dark and potentially evil imagery wis definitely provocative. Even though I am quick to cut the rapper down for his inflated sense of self, I could see the art in this choice. Finally, the video is brilliant because the concept of a moving painting was so unexpected that it was inspired. He didn't just push the envelope, he ripped it open. The only other artist who has done that with her visual output is Lady Gaga (remember, they were supposed to tour before the VMA incident). As a plus, the music video actually makes me like the song more (I thought the song dragged on a bit; I like the short version).

Is "Power" an ego trip? Most likely, but when isn't anything Kanye does somewhat that? However, there is heavy substance behind the heavy bravado, making for a  truly visceral viewing experience.

What do you think of Kanye's "Power"?

Jay Leno Grills Emotional Kanye West On VMA Disaster

Kanye West became very emotional, almost on the verge of tears, as Jay Leno questioned him over his antics at Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards.

The rapper, who now-infamously stole the mic from Best Female Video award winner Taylor Swift, was grilled on Leno's new show before performing "Run This Town" with Jay-Z and Rihanna. Kanye appeared truly repentant over his actions, even offering to apologize to Taylor face-to-face.

Things got emotional for Kanye when Jay asked him how his mother would react to his behavior. Kanye's mother Donda died last year after a botched medical surgery. The question clearly affected him, because it took him a few seconds to answer. Within that break of time, Kanye appeared to be crying.

The embattled rapper claims that he plans on taking a break in order to re-evaluate his celebrity.

After Sunday's behavior, that sounds like an excellent idea. I think he's truly sorry, but he really needs some serious help.

Check it out below:

Me to MTV: Ban Kanye West From Future VMAs, Now!

I'll have full coverage of the VMAs later today, but I had to speak on what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift as she accepted the Best Female Video award.

If you have no clue what I am talking about, here is what happened: Taylor Swift won Best Female Video over Beyonce, who was expected to take the award home. As Taylor, in disbelief herself, gave her speech, Kanye came up on stage, took the mic from her and said that Beyonce had the best video. Everyone in the audience, including Beyonce, was absolutely mortified.

I wish I could say that this was anomaly in basic human decency, but alas, Kanye has a record for being absolutely tasteless and rude. In fact, it's the third time that he has pulled something like this at an MTV awards show.

And this should be his last.

MTV, please teach this A-level jerk a lesson and ban him from future VMA ceremonies. I don't care if he releases the next Thriller. What he, a grown man, did to a freaking 19-year old was inexcusable (by the way, his blog apology is utter BS). As much satisfaction it would give me to see something similar happen to him, I would rather he not attend at all. Clearly, he doesn't know how to behave.

New Music Alert: Releases From Daughtry, Jordin Sparks, Jonas Brothers, Kanye, and Beyonce

It’s looking to be an interesting month for pop music.

Kelly Clarkson won’t be the only Idol alum to fill the radio waves this summer. Two of the most popular contestants are releasing new singles ahead of their summer album releases: Daughtry and Jordin Sparks.

Daughtry, the band fronted by season 4 frontrunner Chris Daughtry, will premiere their single “No Surprise” on this week’s American Idol results show. Their follow-up to their quadruple-platinum debut album is due in June. The week after, season 6 winner Jordin Sparks will debut her new, Ryan Tedder-penned single “Battlefield”, with a radio adds date of May 25th.

Miley Cyrus may seem to be the leader of the teen pop world with her #4 smash “The Climb”, but she may want to hold off on the crowning. Also coming to radio on May 25th is “Paranoid”, the latest single from Jonas Brothers. “Paranoid” is the lead single from their newest album Lines, Vines, and Trying Times, which will be released in June.

Another “Paranoid” single comes from Kanye West, who is reportedly releasing the remix he made with pop princess Rihanna. A video has also been filmed with a release in the future.

Beyonce is preparing another double single release. Like “Single Ladies”/”If I Were a Boy” and “Diva”/”Halo” before, the diva has paired the ballad “Broken-Hearted Girl” and the feisty “Ego” together for a May release. “BHG” will be released to pop radio, while “Ego” goes to Urban stations.

Stay with BWU for the latest in pop music coming your way…

Album Review: "808s and Heartbreak" by Kanye West

808s and Heartbreak can be seen in two ways.

For some, it is Kanye's magnum opus. It is the album that proves that all of the self-imposed hype is true; he is a musical genius.

For others, it is Kanye's declaration of insanity. This is the album that proves that all of that self-imposed hype has gotten to his head, causing it to explode, leaking epic amounts of failure.

Here's how I see this album; if it wasn't a quarter-stroke of genius, I would've believed Kanye has lost his goddamn mind.

Hearing the album for the first time would make you think the second of the previous two statements. That's because its a cold, calculated piece of work, production-wise. The electro beats and the terrible overuse of Auto-Tune/Vocoder gives off this chilly aura, as if Kanye deliberately wants us not to connect to the music. Unlike his previous works, there is little warmth or fun on this album. The sound is harsh, as clearly evidenced on the distorted "Street Lights" and the foggy "Welcome to Heartbreak". The two tracks that carry some kind of energy, "Robocop" and Paranoid", still have the sharp, unconventional sounds throughout. Quite frankly, its a bit of a turn-off.

After a second listen, however, the lyrics are taken in and you kind of understand the point of this record. Apply Kanye's tough year filled with death and broken engagement, everything clears up. Many of the songs are clearly about his troubled times, and they are his most personal and emotional to date. Lyrics like "when I grab your neck, I touch your soul" from "Say You Will" are jarring, but effective. Obviously, he has put the ego aside while writing this album, letting people see the Kanye without the gloss.

Still, the vulnerability that Kanye shows is contrasted by the production. While the lyrics show his passionate anger and sorrow, the heavy beats, buzzing synths, and the Auto-Tuning sound empty and emotionless. Yet, the battling sides don't cancel each other out. Somehow, Kanye has smartly applied one of the basic rules of interaction: "opposites attract".

The only downside is Kanye's voice. It's clear why he chose to mostly sing on this album (sometimes, rapping doesn't quite cut emotionally). It's also clear why he decided to Auto-Tune and Vocode his voice within an inch of its life (1. he can't sing well, 2. the robotic voice counters the powerful lyrics well). What's really unfortunate is that his voice is really, really not suited for singing. In fact, his voice may be a hindrace to the impatient listener; its the biggest detractor from many of the songs that really need a second chance to take. Although the effort is appreciated, Kanye should probably find another way to convey the complexity of his emotions.

Since the album is mostly about him, the guest appearance are smartly scarce. Lil' Wayne's inclusion on "Welcome to My Knightmares" is great and lends to the song. Young Jeezy's appearance on "Amazing" (while obviously a return on Kanye's appearance on his hit "Put On") is also purposeful. On his most personal album to date, Kanye was surely not going to let anyone overshadow him.

Kanye's album is a triumph for many reasons. For one, it proves that he can pretty much get away with anything (let's call a spade a spade here; this is a pop album). Despite the danger of alienating his fanbase, he is willing to take outrageous risks to prove his points. While pompous, its also admirable.

More importantly, though, 808s and Heartbreak is a creative, enigmatic gem. Kanye juxtaposed affecting lyrics with distant, barren production, and created a powerful collection of music. While it's not one of his most understandable efforts, its probably his most important.

So yes, its a bit psychotic, but the brilliance overweighs it completely.

9/10