Ihsahn is a Big Kanye West Fan

Though Emperor haven’t put out any new music since 2001, frontman Ihsahn has been releasing solo work that’s clearly been born out of the mind of a genius. And yet, amidst his incredible creative prowess, he’s smart and humble enough to recognize the talent in other influences outside his sphere of music. In an interview with the Czech Republic’s Metalshop TV, he praised Kanye West for his bravery and his importance in moving music forward:

“Let’s be honest, as a person, the character, he’s not the most easy to empathize with. But sometimes your relationshhip with the person, the artist, if they act the way you don’t [like], you bring that with you when you listen to the music. But in spite of that, there’s no denying that it’s so brave. And I think the kind of megalomaniac ego that goes behind it makes it that genius; that is so brave. There’s no commercial thought when you do an album like that, when you just scream out this lyric: ‘I am a God.’ It’s crazy, and I love it.

“I have this theory that the really new creation in music, the real genius happens in the underground, where there’s no money and people just do it for the artistic ambition, and all the way at the top where’s so much money that they don’t even care, and they can do anything. And there’s all the rest in the middle who try to do the ‘right’ things and [make] those compromises to get there.”

Gotta say I’m with Ihsahn on this one. Kanye may be a notorious d-bag, but anyone who thinks his music is “generic” has probably never actually listened to his work. He knows exactly what he’s doing, creating a “god-amongst-men” character and feeding into the system that’s driven by the dumb stunts of celebrity culture. As long as he keeps pushing boundaries and making dank music, I’m all for it.

[via Blabbermouth]