Kanye West Back in the Studio, Inspired by "True Poets"

In his first blog post of the new decade, Kanye West revealed he's back in the studio working on new music. West also expressed a desire to avoid the usual career trajectory of a hip-hop star, writing, "It's funny how so many rappers get worse as their careers stretch out but true poets get better. We will follow in the footsteps of Maya Angelou, Gill Scott Herron [sic] and Nina Simone. Their work improved with time."

Behind the scenes with Kanye West: shots from his Glow in the Dark tour.

Last year was a shaky one for West, and he spent more time making headlines than actual music. The highlight, or lowlight, came when he infamously rushed the stage at the 2009 MTV VMAs to interrupt Taylor Swift's acceptance speech. The aftermath of that stunt possibly led to the cancellation of West's Fame Kills tour with Lady Gaga. With all the negative press last year, West writes that he hopes his art is remembered for "accurately representing what is happening now" in culture. "Let us look past headlines and deal with just a bit of reality in this new decade. We have our own outlets now. We don't have to believe everything anymore," West writes.

For West's full blog post — presented lower cased and spell checked courtesy of RS — keep reading:

First of all, I want to thank everybody for their constant love and support over these past 6 years! I'm so happy to be back in the studio making new music. I will bring you the best I have to offer with the same dedication that Kobe has on the court. It's funny how so many rappers get worse as their careers stretch out but true poets get better. We will follow in the footsteps of Maya Angelou, Gil Scott-Heron and Nina Simone. Their work improved with time. They documented what was happening in culture. That is our responsibility as the modern day artists and poets, to accurately represent what is happening now, so when the powers that be try to rewrite history you can always look at our works and find truth and sincerity in a world of processed information. Let us soak in positive forces and look down on upon those who masquerade as truth tellers and objective fact givers when in reality everything that is projected has an agenda of brainwashing us, the "consumer", the public, to believe what they want us to. Let us look past headlines and deal with just a bit of reality in this new decade. We have our own outlets now. We don't have to believe everything anymore. Now I'll figure out a way to make that rhyme LOL!

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• Kanye West Storms the VMAs Stage During Taylor Swift's Speech

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Song Stories

“Is It True”

Brenda Lee | 1964

As the British Invasion reached its peak in 1964, Brenda Lee went from Nashville to London to record one of her hardest-rocking hits, her perky vocal backed by a stuttering, squalling guitar. That guitar was played by session musician Jimmy Page, yet to skyrocket to fame with first the Yardbirds and then Led Zeppelin. "She said to me, 'I've come here to make a record with the British sound,'" remembered producer Mickie Most. "She felt she wouldn't get the same sound in Nashville because they're only just catching up on the British beat group sound of about six months ago."

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