That New Kanye West Video

It’s no secret that I’m into hip hop.

Working at the home of Joel Chandler Harris has only intensified my appreciation, what with issues of dialect, dual personalities, and stories deeply rooted in race, class, and region.

Plus, working on Saturdays has given me an opportunity to watch hip hop videos, especially when it’s quiet and I’m bitter about not having a traditional weekend.

Kanye West is one hip hop personality that I appreciate.

He’s as literate as he is brash (and boy is he brash!), and has a way of honestly framing his own contradictions that I don’t think many hip hop artists have been able to touch.

Recently Kanye has been in the news pretty much solely for being a brat, and just when you think he’s spoiled, stale, and maybe even a little washed up, he hits you with a video like this one. Wow.

(The staff at the Wren’s Nest can’t stop watching this one)

Zach Galifianakis, the ostensible star of this video, is a very funny comedian with an unwieldy last name. I love that this video is silly, but beautifully shot, seemingly earnest, and somehow poignant.

It’s not easy to overlook the fact that it’s a white guy giving voice to a song written by a black guy. Joel Chandler Harris, anyone?