FEATURE
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Four Musicians Whose Careers Were Enriched By Ye By Joseph Earp
KANYE
on’t let the biopics fool ya: the music industry can be surprisingly hostile and alienating. Often, there’s very little that motivates big artists to send the elevator back down after themselves, and they actively benefit from keeping the best producers, collaborators, and tips a closely guarded secret rather than sharing the spoils. All of which goes to show that Kanye West really is one in a million. The man isn’t only a prodigious, almost unstoppable talent – he’s a surprisingly generous one too. Despite all that his self-aggrandising interview chatter might suggest, he understands the importance of helping those breaking out in the industry and over the years has come to serve as a mentor for a range of new, exciting talents. To that end, here is a run-down of Kanye’s most beloved collaborators, ingenues, mates, and proteges, all of whom have been enriched by their proximity to Ye.
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Chance The Rapper For at least the last three Kanye album cycles, the music press at large has been anxiously searching for a successor to Ye. This is often how it goes in the biz – everyone’s always keen to pass on the mantle, and to establish emerging artists as cultural powerhouses by dubbing them new versions of yesterday’s titans. Hell, some rappers have tried to self- nominate; since pretty much his debut, Drake has anxiously emulated his hero Kanye, and has repeatedly called him one of the guiding forces in his own career. But if there is any young gun who truly resembles Kanye in terms of sheer, exuberant, tactile talent, it’s Chicago’s own son Chance The Rapper. After all, few other youngbloods have Chance’s scrappily DIY attitude; a driving, all-consuming thirst for success that resembles Kanye’s gritty and energetic ‘Through The Wire’ era. Indeed, Kanye proved a significant force in young Chance’s life before the two had even met – a devout Christian, the young Chance (born Chancelor Jonathan Bennett) listened almost exclusively to Michael Jackson, and soul and jazz performers of yesteryear, before he by chance stumbled across ‘Through The Wire’ on a college radio station. It was that song that redirected the course of his entire life, fostered in him an overwhelming love of rap, and directly led to the release of his acclaimed debut 2012 mixtape 10 Day. Since meeting in person in 2014, Chance and Kanye have continued to play a big part in each other’s careers, culminating in the ‘Blame Chance’ meme, and the younger rapper’s appearance on the ecstatic ‘Ultralight Beam’, the high point of The Life Of Pablo.
thebrag.com
