He’s tries to get them to put their hands in the air, offers snake-oil secrets to women wanting to get ahead, slows down the music because that’s what girls say they want to dance to, then concludes with making “more of that bullshit ice rap.” The line that best summarizes act 2: “Always said if I rapped I’d say somethin’ significant/But now I’m rappin’ but money, hoes, and rims again.” Ironically, the title of act’s final track, “Breathe In, Breathe Out,” is a dumbed-down play on the conscious and thoughtful “Respiration” by Talib Kweli and Mos Def (performing as Blackstar). With “Jesus Walks” and “Never Let Me Down,” we see our hero transition from the life he had known to having a real opportunity in the rap game.Īct 2 is the character’s early struggles in the music industry, too focused on what will make him popular with people. West would put this “movie approach” into practice with The College Dropout, as there’s a very clear three-act structure, with each song progressing the character and plot just like scenes do in a movie.įor Dropout, act 1 is Kanye living his life in Chicago, commenting on the people around him and his hustle to get a chance in the music industry. One of his early, unreleased songs, pre-dating Dropout, was called “ Livin’ in a Movie” that included the chorus: “And I’m livin’ the movies, not livin by rules/It’s just a movie, don’t lose your cool/Sit back and enjoy the show.” This may not surprise long-time fans of Kanye, as his love of cinema has been well-documented and is the stuff of lore. Like a scene from a movie.”Įven in 2003, months before the release of his debut album, The College Dropout, and seven years prior to Twisted Fantasy, West saw albums as a movie, and songs as scenes in a movie. So the songs-the soundtracks are like scores to scenes that’s going on in the movie.”Īfter a brief commentary, we cut to Kanye continuing his thought, “This record ain’t a record. Like say, like, if The Black Album was The Black Movie or something.

West says: “When I did the Twista song, I was making that shit like it was a sitcom itself. At one point in the documentary, we see Kanye in the studio with Jay. Fade to Black is the documentary of the making of Jay-Z’s 2003 project, The Black Album.

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