Kanye West Gets Arrested? But I'm on Kanye's Side (For a Change)

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Kanye West was recently arrested and presumably jailed for vandalism after destroying a paparazzi camera. He really trashes that shit too, as you can see in the video. I love how he casually walks back in line afterwards as if he didn't just get maniacal on someone's ass a few seconds ago.

Kanye's is a man of many antics, and many people think he's just a publicity whore, which is probably true. But in this case--and probably any case where it's papparrazzi versus celebrity--I've got to vote against the camera-man. Sure, taking someone's property and going Incredible Hulk on it is definitely illegal; but following a human being around against their will with a fucking camera SHOULD be illegal.

Wait a minute. It IS. It's called stalking.

How the papparrazi have continuously gotten away with breaking the law even to the point of trespassing, invading privacy, and even, at times, breaking and entering; is beyond my comprehension. I guess the celebrities just don't have the time to pursue legal action.

And I know the video doesn't show what happens prior to 'Ye's outburst, but it's the papparazzi. I guarantee you they were fucking with him. And honestly, following him around while he's trying to handle his business, is bullshit enough.

People are taking the side of the cameraman, presumable just because its Kanye, and we all know Kanye's a huge crybaby and a self-admitted asshole, and maybe we want to see him get a little comeuppance. In this case, however, I see just another case of the paparazzi abusing their inexplicable immunity to the law and another celebrity that didn't want to take it anymore.

The Milk Carton Files

Anybody remember this dude? Well, here's a little refresher course. His name is Glenn Lewis. Back in 2002, the Canada native released his debut album World Outside My Window. Due to an uncanny voice similarity, he was often compared to soul legend Stevie Wonder. Quickly lumped into the Neo Soul sub-genre, his debut proved to be successful by reaching #4 on the Billboard charts. In 2003, Lewis prepped for his second release Back for More and even released a single by the same name. After that, however, he pretty much disappeared. No album ever materialized.

I must admit up until a few months ago I had pretty much forgotten about him. That's really unfortunate because an artist with his caliber of talent should never be forgotten. In the earlier part of the year something compelled me to pull out my copy of Window. After having it on repeat for about three days I remembered why I liked him in the first place. Yes, he sounded like Stevie, but it was more than that. He made beautiful music. Most of his debut had that throwback sound of most "neo-soul" artist of the day, but there was something about his songs that were almost timeless. The fact that I can listen to it almost six years later and see a place for him and his music in today's market is a testament to that fact. Lets be real, this six year old album is better than about 60% of the R&B out now. After thinking about all this I was left wonder what happened to Glenn Lewis. So being the inquisitve (nosy) person I am, I decided to look him up. Boy did I find him!

Apparently, he's not signed to a major label anymore and he's still recording songs. His new stuff sounds much better than his first album. Which says a lot. He dropped the soul-man schtick,which I assume was forced on him in the first place by his label. His newer music seems a lot more comfortable to me. More like he's in his zone. It's definitely a lot sexier. One new song "House On A Beach" samples Marvin Gaye's classic "Sexual Healing", but still comes into its own as a smooth groove worthy of anybody's quiet storm mix.

Another new one titled "Remember Me" showcases his vocal ability. The simplistic track definitely plays up his vocals and the harmonies are to die for.He doesn't sound so much like Stevie anymore. And that's a good thing. All this new music had definitely gotten me excited, but I'm also a little worried. While I was on my Glenn Lewis search mission, I came across an interview he did last year. In it he said something to the effect of the artist with the most heart often get lost in the shuffle. And it appears that is very much what happened in his case. It sucks for him. It really does. It also sucks for the fans. I'm a sucker for a quality R&B track. Especially ones devoid of autotune and other trendy/what's hot in the streets qualities. So giving me access to this great material is like putting a kid's Christmas toys on display in a big glass box but not letting them actually touch them until the day after Christmas. Sounds crazy, but that's exactly how this feels. Which is why I sincerely hope he gets to put out another album. Either way, you can check out what Mr. Lewis has been up to these days at: www.myspace.com/glnumuzk and www.myspace.com/wwwglennlewismusiccom

"Most of my music is entertainment, stuff I've never done in my life," --Fat Joe

Obviously there is a distinction between art and entertainment; entertainment is almost totally geared toward the audience's desires. Entertainers do what the audience wants to hear. Art, on the other hand is as much for the artist and the art as it is the audience. Not to say that an artist would never make up a separate life, or tell falsehoods in his work, but if he/she did, it would always be for an artistic purpose, and not just to entertain someone. Considering this, I want to pose a question to you all. Where's the line between art and entertainment as it relates to the music industry? Does this line need to be drawn at all? Does it matter? it is okay for something to look like art, but be merely entertainment? Is it just for entertainers to make more money than artists, as they almost always do?