It's hard to imagine where hip-hop would be right now if Kanye West was never in the game. He's been an icon for the production, rhyme, and overall style of how many MCs portray themselves today. With hip-hop embracing more dance music vibes, it's interesting to take a look at how Kanye's interacted with the dance music scene over the years. Be it a disagreement, big sample, or full-on collaboration, Kanye's growth has occurred during dance music's rise in popularity in the mainstream. DAD won't say this happened hand in hand, but take a look back, see who he's interacted with, and ponder how he'll work alongside electronic music from this point on.
Crashing Justice's MTV EMA win
"Stronger"
Year: 2007
On his third album, Graduation, Kanye West took it to another level by sampling Daft Punk's "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" form their Discovery album. He reportedly mixed the track 27 times to get the feeling right, but it was worth it; he won Best Rap Solo Performance at the 50th Grammy Awards, where he also performed the track live with a special cameo from Daft Punk.
"808s & Heartbreak"
Year: 2008
While not and out-and-out dance music album, Kanye didn't look at this project as a "hip-hop" or "r&b" album, calling it "pop" or "pop art." Many critics even flirted with tags like "electro-pop" due to the heavy use of the Roland TR-808, AutoTune, and synthesizers on the project, giving it an '80s electro vibe throughout the project. Many tracks, like "Paranoid," maintain a dance groove, and this could be seen as 'Ye at his most "electronic."
La Roux's "In For The Kill" remix
Year: 2010
La Roux's electropop was inescapable when it dropped, and remixes by Skrillex and Skream obviously helped maintain its staying power. The official U.S. remix of "In For The Kill" featured a verse from Kanye, and seemed to both continue in the vein that 808s & Heartbreak left off, but also saw 'Ye replacing some of the loneliness with aggression. He sounds at home over those '80s synths either way.
"Who Gon Stop Me"
Year: 2011
We doubt that Kanye and Jay were saying "you know what this album needs? Dubstep," but they were given a chance to rock over Flux Pavilion's "I Can't Stop," and it fit well with where they were going on their Watch The Throne LP, which already featured bass-heavy bangers like "Niggas In Paris" and "H.A.M." Many had already been mixing hip-hop and dubstep, but this solidified what many DJs already knew: the two genres fit like a glove. The track caught so much attention that it hit #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 without ever being released as a single.
Tiesto remixing "Lost In the World"
Year: 2011
Tiesto told a story about how Kanye West, who is reportedly a big fan of Tiesto's music, had been wanting the EDM giant to remix one of his tracks for some time, but didn't have something he felt was appropriate until "Lost In the World." Tiesto said it was "amazing" to do the remix, but for some reason, this remix never got an official release. It's barely been played outside of Tiesto's radio shows and live sets.
His verse on "Mercy"
Year: 2012
We've always heard that hip-hop producers who rap on posse cuts will do something to the beat during their verse to spice things up. For some reason, when it came time for the G.O.O.D. Music single "Mercy" to get recorded, Kanye took it upon himself to go from the brooding 808 banger that Pusha T, Big Sean, and 2 Chainz spit over to go full-on goth rave. It works VERY well, but was unexpected.
Collaborating with Skrillex
Signing Hudson Mohawke
Year: 2013
It had been rumored for a while, with Hudson Mohawke contributed bits to three tracks on Cruel Summer, that Kanye would be signing HudMo to G.O.O.D. Music, and in early 2013, 'Ye made good on the rumor. The move made perfect sense, considering that the 2012/2013 sound of hip-hop is so close the the future hip-hop that Hudson is making, both as a solo artist and with TNGHT. Speaking of TNGHT, who could forget when 'Ye hit the stage during a November 2012 TNGHT performance in NYC?
"Black Skinheads"
Year: 2013
Taken from his forthcoming album Yeezus, Kanye got to work on an original track with Daft Punk (one of two tracks they reportedly collaborated on during their studio session in Paris). It's a step to the left for both Kanye and Daft Punk, with many saying the track has a "punk" sound to it.
