The Contradictory Sides of Kanye West Explored in 'New York Times' Profile

The only people who spend more time talking about Kanye West than the man himself are members of the media, and it's hard to say which is more full of misinformation and bluster.

Video: Kanye West's Surprise Visit to Rolling Stone

Which is why an article like Jon Caramanica's feature in this weekend's Sunday New York Times is a breath of fresh air. In light of Kanye's controversial appearance on the Today show, the Taylor Swift/VMA incident and more, Caramanica examines one of pop culture's most confounding and contradictory figures and calls him out on his flaws, examines them and assesses why they help make him the great artist he is. In other words, he essentially says Kanye is a genius and a bit of a jerk at the same time, although not exactly in those words:

"In the future maybe [West] will become like Bono," Caramanica writes, "giving one or two interviews per album cycle, never revealing too much, waiting around long past the point of appearing intriguing. "Except that Mr. West could never be like Bono. Mr. West isn't content without feedback; his effort is valueless without response. Plenty of artists insist their work speaks for them, but as spectacular as his work is and likely will continue to be, Mr. West will never be one of them. A blowhard with subpar records wouldn't merit the trouble."

Kanye West, Still Unfiltered, on Eve of Fifth Album [New York Times]

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Song Stories

“I'm Yours”

Jason Mraz | 2008

Jason Mraz re-emerged after his disappointing second album with this lead single, a Jack Johnson-esque ditty about giving yourself fully to someone else. The success of the reggae-tinged song (it earned two Grammy nods and a spot on the Billboard singles chart for well over a year) was something the folk-pop singer never predicted when he wrote it in 15 minutes at home. "I played a happy-hippie chord progression that would probably work without 50 different Bob Marley songs," he told Rolling Stone. "I thought, 'It's too novelty. This is a nursery rhyme,'" concluding that "you can never guess what's gonna be a hit."

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