The bizarre world of Pablo, after the break!
"I'm gonna evacuate my bowels into this cup..." That was my constant thought after picking up a cup of Soda Water at a KFC off Crenshaw BLVD on my trip to The Forum to be apart of the buzzworthy Kanye West “Famous” Music Video premiere last Friday night. Chose not to empty my bladder upon exiting Jinya Ramen. Worst. Mistake Ever. Driving 55 minutes through LA to the far reaches of Inglewood with a full belly isn’t ideal for a very tall white guy in a ruby red Prius. Definitely not wrong, but you are riding through some controversial sections of LA. Growing up on ’90s gangsta rap made Crenshaw, Compton, & Inglewood legendary cities where my musical superheroes lived. Probably would’ve been able to admire it more if I wasn’t looking desperately for a potty.
That’s real talk. Actually getting to The Forum for the show was my normal affair. Parked directly underneath the Forum tower marquee, ran inside three minutes before the first countdown ended, found my seat, Kanye announced the show would start in 45 minutes, and then I found the bathroom.
Kanye could’ve showed us anything: a nature film with bears ‘phucking’, 2001 a space odyssey, his face for 20 minutes… didn’t matter. The energy alone was electrifying. We were really in Pastor Yeezus’ supersonic hands. The floor crowd kept turning to Kanye, His Kardashian Family, and Friends like a Emperor in an coliseum. We are his congregation of believers in his minimalist Yeezus uniforms.
Each celebrity figure in the video got a cheer (or in Trump’s case, a Boo). Most of us thought they were real people upon first glance. Not Wax. The second time he played it, the initial shock wore off and all of us realized what we were seeing… a piece of tongue/cheek Copy Cat art with creepy breathing.
Personal opinion: I didn’t think much of it. Almost forgot that I even attended by the time Monday hit. A Gaudí presentation like this is all about shock value. Understand that a Gemini will always be controversial. Other famous Geminis are Angelina Jolie, Donald Trump, Kendrick Lamar, Prince. They take great pride in expressing art at its most extreme (whether simple or complex). The song is sexist enough, and I sing “I made that ***** famous…” at the top of my lungs each time it drops. Hard not to. Weird fantasy of a nudist addict that is Kanye.
The after show DJ party was the best part. Kanye took over the sound system by playing some popular tracks from Pablo, his new GOOD Music single – “Champions”, and classic hits from his friends like Desiigner’s “Panda”. We, meaning everyone in The Forum, raged until Kanye & The Kardashians left the building. Then I got stuck in hordes of fans line to buy his overpriced shirt. I don’t tend to wear white, so I chose not to waste $30 on it.
Quite happy I was able to attend. To experience his hour long remix of Father Stretch My Hands was worth the $20 enough to feel the ear bleeding bass echoing through my body. A spectacle like this doesn’t happen often enough. Mr. West visits The Forum once again in the Fall for the Saint Pablo tour. Can’t wait for more Yeezus!
