When Kanye West unveiled on Saturday Night Live the first single of his recently released album, Yeezus, my first reaction was: “What is this Marilyn Manson shit?”
The song has since grown on me.
Black Skinhead is a primal, raw, and visceral tune that is a far departure from West’s grandiose pop sensibilities (seriously, how sing-along worthy is the entire Graduation album?). For that alone, West deserve praise because, really, how many megastars, once they’ve made it to the top, have simply played it safe (looking at you, Hova¹)?
But then you factor in Black Skinhead’s lyrical content, and the usual damning portraits of American racism, and classism, and, to quote Lou Reed, “no one is doing what Kanye is doing.” At least not on a mainstream level.
Shit I Love, A lot 