“Hypnotic… His Most Thought-Provoking Work Yet…ambiguity
goes to the core of what he’s trying to say about the mythos of contemporary
celebrity…West has pushed the format of the music video before… But this is his
most naked attempt to raise the music video to the level of an art piece.. he
raises expectations only to confound them.” – Vanity Fair
“Unsettling and Brilliant…possibly his most genius but
terrifying work he's ever given us.” - Paper
“Damn genius…"Famous" is a spectacularly
bizarre and enthralling experience…everything about the video for
"Famous" feels obsessively deliberate.” – The Verge
“Powerful…Kanye’s long been interested in art, and
“Famous” is yet another example of him melding the musical with the visual. But
as familiar as that combination is for Yeezus, the results still have the power
to surprise…one thing is clear: In 2016, he has recaptured the throne and is
again the king of rap. More than a decade after The College Dropout, no one
else can make listeners cheer, squirm, or stare in amazement the way ‘Ye can.
The visual for “Famous” gave us exactly what we expect from Kanye: the
unexpected…It’s thought-provoking, problematic, and most importantly, it
created a larger-than-life moment that asked viewers a variety of uncomfortable
questions about celebrity at large, and Kanye’s relationship to it. It’s everything
we demand of Kanye, and this far into his career, he still delivers better than
any of his peers.” - Complex
“The bodies—tangled in sheets, peacefully at rest—are
being filmed by an intrusive, voyeuristic third party. It's uncomfortable, shot
with a scratchy, dated, night vision camera. It's fascinating: Are any of them
playing themselves? Who in this bed is real? It's aggravating. But more
importantly, it shows our obsession with celebrity culture. Even at their most
vulnerable, even when we hate them or love them, we can't bring ourselves to
look away.” - Esquire
June 28, 2016 – Los Angeles, CA – On Friday night in Los
Angeles, Kanye West again asserted himself as one of the most daring,
thought-provoking, and dominant artists working today. Turning the sold-out LA
Forum into a theater – and livestreaming to a worldwide audience of millions
via TIDAL – Kanye upended the idea of what music video can be with the visual
for “Famous,” the lead track from his #1 album The Life Of Pablo. A “comment on
fame,” the visual has been hailed by fans and press alike as “powerful,”
“fascinating,” “brilliant,” ‘unsettling,” and “damn genius.”
The “Famous” visual is currently streaming exclusively on
TIDAL .
As a trained multi-disciplinary artist, Kanye West works
fluently in mediums ranging from music, to design, video, graphic design,
performance and more. His list of collaborators includes contemporary artists
Takashi Murakami, Steve McQueen, George Condo, Vanessa Beecroft, Marco
Brambilla, Jackie Nickerson, and Michel Gondry, among others. West’s language
encompasses fantasy, sex, beauty, celebrity, faith, darkness, power and above
all, truth. Last year, West received a doctorate from School of the Art
Institute of Chicago in recognition of his many accomplishments in the fine
arts, and was introduced by artist and SAIC professor Nick Cave.
In a commentary from Art Basel Miami in 2014, New York
Magazine asked “Could Kanye West Be the World’s Most Committed Artist?,”
stating “Commitment is a big part of what we admire in fine art. When Jerry
Saltz recently shared his memory of seeing a performance artist in 1990…we felt
punchline giddy when he revealed this was Matthew Barney. An artist’s
commitment over the decades illuminates a narrative that makes us feel secure
watching individuals push their boundaries…Kanye West has this quality; he is an
artist who commits, even when it isn’t prudent, comfortable, realistic, or
flattering.”
