I've always been confused by this blanket: "(Insert band name here) isn't good because I don't like him/her/them" argument.

What makes someone good to you?

Is it sales? Kanye has sold millions of albums.

Is it acclaim? He has 3 rap albums, and 3 best rap album grammy awards. I think he also holds the record for most grammy awards in one show.

Is it popularity? Hmm, again, he has a ton of fans as is indicated by his album sales and chart positioning. His concerts literally sell out in minutes.

Certainly one could argue that the masses don't always know what's best artistically, however, not only is he selling a ton of records, but he is largely critically acclaimed.

I covered exactly why I don't think Kanye is not a musician. No reasoning was subjective.

For a pop artist, she is brilliant. Songs like bad romance are epic pop songs - does she write the lyrics, arrange, etc, etc? The thing with Elton John was great. As a true lover of music I don't know how one can't at least appreciate what she is doing for what it is, even if you hate it.

Really cool medley of her songs:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoNdr0AbttI

you're suggesting she has no singing ability and that she and Elton John were faking?

Oh and how fked up is the music industry that there isn't a site to go and see who worked on an album, wrote and produced songs, etc like IMDB?

Seems like all those starving session musicans, unsung writers, etc would be craving to have their name plastered on the information superhighway and accessible by google. WTF

I got this weird David Sklansky echo here. DUCY?

I think there's a major difference between being A, a musician, B. a songwriter, and C. an Entertainer...somewhere along the way Miss Gaga decided that to get where she wanted to be as A and B she had to become C as well.

She actually does sing her performances (alebit thru a live autotune sometimes methinks) - and she can actually perform an instrument pretty damn well - as far as the visual and the Haus of Gaga is concerned - (her visual team) - it's just one more part of a group of people behind an artist who enhance the music thru a visual representation.

Actually, given that most female videos are just dancing booty calls (Does Beyonce do a video anymore where she just doesn't dance for 4 min?) - I find the videos to actually be somewhat entertaining as visuals -

I don't buy the music but I'll watch the videos when they come on - but no doubt part of this is influenced by the fact I think she has a pretty big hand in the creation of all the stuff she does - don't get me wrong, she's cute, but she's not the image of the pre-fab artists that labels and management teams put together - so I suspect most of it is of her and her friends creation, which I will respect.

I do find it strange people feel music performance should be more audio than visual. Grant that it should be able to hold it's own as music, but all of history used visuals with music: costumes in opera and ballet, broadway musicals, Jimmy Hendrix torching his guitar on stage, David Bowie performing naked, even Elvis's leather, hair, and hip-swaying were all parts of a whole in music performance.

Be honest, not including mtv or the radio, how many Kanye west songs have you actually listened to?

Do you consider any other rappers/hip hop artists to be "musicians"?

Do you respect the body of work of any other Rapper?

Yes, I do enjoy rap, and there are quite a few artists that I enjoy.

wow tht medley is really good, not massive fan of the GaGa but this might have changed me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3R3KqrJAI4

This is a pretty sweet acoustic performance by her, not sure if it was already mentioned. Really showcases her raw musical talent

Gaga is pretty brilliant btw and I feel bad for anybody that's too narrowminded to see that

I'm totally addicted to the Paparrazi video made by Jonas Åkerlund. One of the best videos I've ever seen because it's so fresh.

FYI, I also enjoy Akerlund's latest video for Jay-Z's latest release.

I really enjoyed this version, it's actually really good

you realize that you are being a pretentious douche right?

http://www.metacritic.com/music/arti...collegedropout

http://www.metacritic.com/music/arti...teregistration

lol, the worst review is "above average". Pretty impressive.

I always figured I'd be the last person on Earth to take this particular plunge, but I think I'm turning into a Lady GaGa fan.

And I owe it all to 2+2.

"pretentious" means I am attempting to act elitist about stuff I know nothing of. So you're saying I am not knowledgeable about music. All I do is lay a basic groundwork of "music" with no qualifications of what is "good" or "bad." I am not even claiming to be a Gaga fan. I am only judging based on minimal standards to start. The real test of anyone's music is if people that may not be fans initially would still be able to appreciate the music on a basic level. If he could even get 2/3, I could accept that maybe it is okay musically, but not sound.

Wanna see some Gaga Vajayjay?

Probably on purpose to put away all those stupid "she's a man!" rumours to rest.

Welcome to the club. She's just the most interesting artist out there, hands down. She always brings something new to the table and I like that.

In a world of Miley Cyrus, an aging Madonna, increasingly stale hip-hop music, Lady Gaga is a breath of fresh air.

you are being pretentious by laying down a basic groundwork that doesnt really mean anything just to prove your point that kanye sucks. your groundwork is wrong. you dont think kanye is good, fine, but to call it something that isnt music is just ridiculous. MUSIC REVIEWERS gave his first two albums "universal acclaim" according to metacritic

and this "real test" makes absolutely no sense. you are just making up random qualifications as you go along as to what constitutes music

What's that got to do with anything?

fans of rap may very well believe he is good or bad. All I qualify as music is that it sticks with basic miusic theory a five-year-old could understand. If you walk up to a piano and play only the white keys you are playing in the key of C. I have incredibly low standards for a definition of music.

fwiw i bought a lady gaga shirt today.