So what if Kanye fought back on tears on Jay Leno's new show last night? Whether or not he was truly apologetic about pissing on Taylor Swift's parade, Leno asked the dude WHAT HIS DEAD MOTHER WOULD SAY. What type of peanut butter and jelly ratings-starved ethically questionable type of bullshit is that? We're lucky Kanye was feeling emotionally vulnerable, otherwise today we'd all be talking about how Yeezy beat Leno all in his enormous chin with a well-placed black Timb.
The thing is, there's a long history of crying in rap, from Ghostface's verse on "Impossible" to DJ Yella shedding a tear when Eazy E announced he had AIDS, but consider this: The 2000s, more than any other time, has been a high point for lachrymose rappers. We don't know if it's that every concertgoer is armed with a flipcam, or that people are just that much more comfortable with their emotions, but we think overall it's a good thing. Besides, ain't nothing wrong with letting it run down your eye (ayo!), even if you're the hardest of the hardrocks (ayo!). We took a quick look through the past decade to find a few of your favorite rappers getting emotional like Carl Thomas...
EMINEM, "KIM"
YEAR: 2000
REASON FOR THE TEARS: The bitch just did him so wrong. Plus, it's hard to make a song fantasizing about killing your baby's mother without really getting yourself worked up. Don't believe us? Listen to our mixtape, I TOLD You to Stop Fucking the Mailman, Vol. 1.
THE GAME, MUSIC CHOICE'S "THA CORNER"
YEAR: 2008
REASON FOR THE TEARS: When he tried to rally rappers to appear on a track about the 2006 Sean Bell shooting, people weren't interested: "Hip-hop didn't used to be like this, man. I just get so angry that hip-hop is in the state of emergency that it's in, because people just don't care anymore." That's real talk, sniffles!
YOUNG BUCK, ON THE PHONE WITH 50 CENT
YEAR: 2008
REASON FOR THE TEARS: "I done got out of line a little bit with you. I'm wrong. A nigga just get confused." Man, we feel bad even rehashing this, so check our girl's recap of the fuckery.
KANYE PERFORMING "HEY MAMA" ON HIS EUROPEAN TOUR
YEAR: 2007
REASON FOR THE TEARS: YOU try losing your mother unexpectedly and then having to perform a song DEDICATED TO HER a week after her death. Even being asked manipulative questions by a bitchass talk show host pales in comparison to that.
MAINO BREAKING DOWN IN CONCERT
YEAR: 2009
REASON FOR THE TEARS: While the big homie was out on tour, his man 80 got shot in the back by the police and had been paralyzed ever since. Ten years in the bing, now that? Even if we didn't fuck with his music, we'd be cosigning Maino just off the strength of what he's been through.
Biggavelli September 15th, 2009 at 05:48 PM
"lachrymose" ... every now and then complex pulls out crazy vocab just to let you know the blog isnt run by a bunch of high school drop outs.
Tone September 15th, 2009 at 11:07 PM
The question was fair. Of course it was manipulative, it's good TV and it made his dumb ass think! GOOD for Jay. Hopefully he'll think about what his mother would think before the next time he decides to drink a bottle of henny, get on a stage, snatch a mic out of a teenager's hand and rant on some bullsh*t. I like Kanye and felt bad for him when Jay asked the question, but he brought all this sh*t on himself.
jaydon the don September 16th, 2009 at 03:23 AM
No DMX? He cries often.
Bring Cookies September 16th, 2009 at 01:50 PM
That question was a gift to Kanye. Until that point, most of America was thinking "this guy is a real piece of sh#t! how dare he rain on that poor little white girl's parade". Leno's question and kanye's lack or ready response made people think "you know, i'd be all screwed up losing my mom like that too, maybe he just needs to grow up" Like I said, that question was a gift to Ye
mac DIESEL September 18th, 2009 at 11:23 AM
FUCK JAY LENO!!! WUT THE FUCK DOES KANYE'S MOM GOTTA DO WIT THIS!!! Y IS THIS DICK CHIN BRINGIN' YE'S MOM INTO THIS??!! HE A TALK SHOW HOST TURNED PSYCHOLOGIST??!! THE NERVE OF THAT FUCKIN' ASSHOLE!!! IF A WHITEBOY LIKE EM OR TOMMY LEE DID THEY WOULD BE CELEBRATED N "COOL"!!! TIRED OF THESE WHITE HYPOCRITES!!! FUCK U GAY LENO!!!! DON'T HATE ON MY OPINION!!!!
CassavaLeaf September 20th, 2009 at 06:42 PM
fuck leno's bitchass..
D September 25th, 2009 at 06:49 PM
Initially, I thought Leno was outta line, there are just some questions interviewers shouldn't ask. Even Oprah might have paused on this one, but if it get Kanye to quit acting like a jackass and redeem himself in the public's eyes, he gotta grind some teeth and bear it. He gotta sell records/tickets, plus what his fans think of him matters. If people dislike him, they're not going to support him.