Rush & Opinions on Kanye West

Famous for its instrumental virtuosity and heady, sci-fi influenced lyrics, the Canadian
Music News
Last Friday a New York judge denied a motion proposed by singer-songwriter Kesha Rose Sebert–known widely as Kesha–that her 10-year contract with Sony Music be dismissed. Kesha claimed her producer, Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald physically, sexually and emotionally abused her, and she wished to record music outside her current label. Gottwald has denied these allegations. Upon the judge's ruling that the contract remain valid, scores of fans as well as music superstars took to social media to post the rallying cry #FreeKesha. Taylor Swift even donated $250,000 to Kesha "to help with any of her financial needs during this trying time." The case is ongoing, and the fight is sure to be a difficult one for Kesha. The music industry has a long history of musicians on the losing end of battles to break free from their contracts.

Gwen Stefani's Make Me Like You live music video that aired during the Grammy Awards is being regarded as a watershed moment in music marketing. In a four-minute commercial break sponsored by Target, which invested roughly $12 million into the performance. Stefani performed alongside 40 performers on 11 different sets, cycling through 7 separate costumes, all live. In the midst of live-TV-event-mania (e.g. Grease: Live, The Wiz Live!), it's possible this trend will carry over beyond Stefani's performance to the rest of the music world and future album promotions. Greg will be watching to see if this exposure does good things for Stefani's album, This is What the Truth Feels Like, when it drops March 18.
Rush

Jim gets to unleash his inner thirteen-year-old this week as he and Greg sit down with Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of the Canadian
The Life of Pablo Kanye West

Recently, rapper Kanye West released his highly anticipated follow-up to 2013's Yeezus. It's called The Life of Pablo (well, sort of). After a large-scale fashion show and album presentation at Madison Square Garden, West decided that the record wasn't quite ready to be formally released yet. It's still not available to purchase, but can be streamed on TIDAL and has been illegally downloaded over 500,000 times. This controversial new record pairs perfectly with West's recent antics, Twitter tirades and confusing outbursts. Jim's biggest problem with T.L.O.P. is its misogynistic lyrics - nothing new in hip-hop, but a new low for West. Jim adds, it's a shame because the music is fantastic. He gives it a non-enthusiastic Try It. Greg largely agrees, finding Kanye's disdain towards past romantic and business relationships to be petty and old news. Music-wise, he thinks there are just too many tracks on The Life of Pablo and wishes he had edited more diligently. He gives it a "Trash It."
Featured Songs
- Kesha, "TiK ToK," Animal, RCA, 2010
- Gwen Stefani, "Make Me Like You," Single, Interscope, 2016
- Rush, "YYZ," R40 Live, Anthem/Roadrunner, 2015
- Rush, "Finding My Way," Rush, Phonogram, 1974
- Cream, "Spoonful," Fresh Cream, Reaction, 1966
- Rush, "Digital Man," Signals, Mercury, 1982
- Rush, "2112," 2112, Anthem, 1976
- Rush, "Fountain of Lamneth," Caress of Steel, Mercury, 1975
- Rush, "By-Tor and the Snow Dog," Fly by Night, Mercury, 1975
- Rush, "Xanadu," A Farewell to Kings, Mercury, 1977
- Rush, "The Trees," Hemispheres, Mercury, 1978
- Rush, "Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres," Hemispheres, Anthem, 1978
- Rush, "The Spirit of Radio," Permanent Waves, Anthem, 1980
- Rush, "Tom Sawyer," Moving Pictures, Mercury, 1981
- Rush, "Freewill," Permanent Waves, Anthem, 1980
- Rush, "Subdivisions," Signals, Mercury, 1982
- Rush, "Stick It Out," Counterparts, Atlantic, 1993
- Rush, "Roll the Bones," Roll the Bones, Atlantic, 1991
- Rush, "Closer to the Heart," R40 Live, Anthem/Roadrunner, 2015
- Rush, "One Little Victory," Vapor Trails, Anthem, 2002
- Rush, "Limelight," Moving Pictures, Mercury, 1981
- Kanye West, "I Love Kanye," The Life of Pablo, GOOD Music, 2016
- Kanye West, "Ultralight Beam," The Life of Pablo, GOOD Music, 2016
- Kanye West feat. Kendrick Lamar, "No More Parties in L.A.," The Life of Pablo, GOOD Music, 2016
- Aretha Franklin, "Call Me," This Girl's In Love With You, Atlantic, 1970
- Patti Smith, "Kimberly," Horses, Arista, 1975
- Sonny Rollins, "The Freedom Suite," Freedom Suite, Concord, 1958
- Kendrick Lamar, "The Blacker the Berry (Live at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards)," To Pimp a Butterfly, Top Dawg/Aftermath/Interscope, 2015
- Kim Weston, "Lift Every Voice and Sing," Wattstax: Music From The Wattstax Festival & Film, Stax, 1972
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