12/23/2023 0 Comments Work from home no rapIn these lines from the title track of his joint album with Kid Cudi, Kanye boasts about his connection to the design world by offering a coded reminder of the time he held an impromptu listening party for his then-unreleased album Yeezus at the 2013 Design Miami/Basel show, sharing a stage with furniture by Rick Owens to perform the songs “New Slaves” and “On Sight.” While it does have sister shows in Miami, Kanye makes it clear that he’s talking about the event held in the Herzog & de Meuron-designed Messe Basel exhibition hall in Basel, Switzerland. Herzog and de Meuron in an office out in Basel Ultralight buildin' in the buildin' by Miuccia I won't relish on the fact I'm vibin' on the future Kids See Ghosts Kanye West and Kid Cudi, featuring Yasiin Bey Often intended as praise but possibly symptomatic of sensitive perception issues, the following collection of rap lyrics offer insight into contemporary architecture’s cultural reputation, inherited from last century’s modernists and continued by the standard bearers of today. Even so, it might be tough for some architects to hear that popular culture could view the profession as defined by hero worship, immodest extravagance, and consumerism. It must be stated that the established conventions and performative aspects of rap culture create a context where lyrics are generally not intended to be interpreted literally, and some references to architecture in hip-hop demonstrate only a minimal understanding of the figures being mentioned. Within the rapid-fire context of rap lyrics, individual references and name drops are often simplified and abstracted to represent a single idea when rappers mention an architect, the reference is usually intended to symbolize either the status of a famous and well-respected creative genius or a specific designer’s work as an exclusive, virtually-unobtainable luxury item on par with uber-costly fashion and car brands. Hip-hop heads may not recognize their names as easily as Gucci or Prada, but the fact that rappers are name-dropping architects reflects an interesting development in the relationship between architecture and pop culture. Image © Seth Browarnik/, via Surface Magazine's Facebook Page Save this picture! Hans Ulrich Obrist, Jacques Herzog, and Kanye West speak on Architecture in 2013. Architecture and rap music have influenced each other in ways we’re just starting to notice-with the connection between the two even revealed as consciously and conspicuously as rappers including references to notable architects in their lyrics. Kanye’s architectural ambitions have been an interesting factor in the relationship between architecture and rap culture, which seems to be just coming into focus through programs like the Hip Hop Architecture Camps organized by Michael Ford’s Urban Arts Collective, and the research of Sekou Cooke. An outspoken fan and admirer of contemporary architecture, Kanye’s fashion and design projects have been a major focus for him since shortly after the prodigious producer started making his own rap albums. About a month before he unveiled his eighth album Ye in June, Kanye West re-entered architectural conversation with the unexpected and mostly unexplained announcement that he intends to hire architects and industrial designers to staff an architecture practice connected to his Yeezy brand.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |