Maus & Kanye West - dealing with fame.

     As you may remember in class when we read page forty-one from Maus II I got really excited. I saw an instant connection with how Art Speigleman was talking about fame and how Kanye West talks about fame in his song "Everything I Am" from the 2007 release Graduation.
    The similarities are as follows. First above and outside the cartoons on page 41 Speigleman says "Time flies..." This signals to the ready some since of nostalgia right at the beginning. When you talk to a friend and say "damn man, time flies." They are talking about the past, and usually about the good old times in a bittersweet fashion. However, I think the context of Maus II "Time flies..." is less sweet and more on the bitter. Compare "time flies" to Kanye West's beginning of "Everything I Am" which goes "damn, here we go again." You get the same feeling from both pieces of very different art. The feeling is this reminiscent incredulity at how things are now, compared to what they were.
     Aside from nostalgia Kanye West and Art Speigleman are both dealing with fame. A line in the song goes "You see how I creeped up? You see how I played a big role in Chicago like Queen Latifah?" While this is more of bravadoesque stance, then Art Spiegleman's words of "At least fifteen foreign editions are coming out. I've gotten 4 serious offers to to turn my book into a T.V. special or movie. (I don't wanna). Both authors are addressing their new found fame from taking their area of artistic specialty to a new level. Kanye West has done wonders for the Chicago Hip-Hop scene with artists like Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper flourishing. Art Speigleman's work has achieved new levels for graphic novels. Speigleman's tone is a little different about fame than Kanye's, but don't worry Kanye reflects later in the song in a much more Speigleman manner.
     Kanye and Spiegleman make statements from their art that similar artists do not make. For example Art Spiegleman uses graphic novels to portray the Holocuast. Using graphic novels is innovate, unusual, and exciting. Kanye West, in everything I am, uses the song to speak about gun violence in Chicago. If you're not aware, you should know that Chicago has one of the highest murder rates in the country. Gangster rap, speaks terribly often about guns. It must be said the artists who make the music that addresses guns say that they are not glorifying gun violence, but they are portraying a reality. That is what artists do. They portray truths. Still, talking about guns in a harsh way is rare in the hip-hop world. The lines go
"I know that people wouldn't usually rap this - Art talking about the Holocuast
But I got the facts to back this - Art's father experienced the Holocuast, Kanye is from Chicago
Just last year, Chicago had over 600 caskets - 6 million jews died in the Holocuast
Man, killing's some wack shit - Both Art and Kanye agree.
Oh, I forgot, 'cept for when niggas is rappin'" - Kanye's commentary on hip-hop's love of guns. 

     Romey mentions often in class how Art is the only one who has license to speak about the Holocuast in the manner he does. While Kanye West is not the only one that has license to speak about gun violence in Chicago, he does have a more authentic voice on the matter due to being from Chicago. 

     Another comparison between Art and Kanye is the pressure from the press. Kanye says on the press "My fifteen seconds up, but I got more to say...That's enough Mr. West, please, no more today" There is a scene in the bottom right on page 41 in Maus II where the press is saying to Art "Alright, Mr. Speigleman...We're ready shoot" First off, they are both ways to end the scene/or song in a creative way which is cool. Secondly, they are both ways of showing the overwhelming nature of the press. Art wants to keep writing his story, but is made to stop and do a photo shoot. Kanye would like to say more, but is told "no more today." 

     One last point I would like to bring up is the artistic similarities in hip-hop verses and graphic novels. Hip-Hop verses are short generally. They range from 8-16 bars. Sometimes 32 if you're Kendrick killing it on Nosetalgia. Still, one cannot say much in even 32 bars. In addition to make a verse run smoothly a rapper has to put the same amount of syllables in each couplet which limits the artist even further. Graphic novels rely on both pictures and words. However, the words in a graphic novel are limited. The amount of space in a graphic novel, especillay Maus since it's so small, is about the equivalent of one line from a song or sometimes up to a whole verse. Both forms are limited to a point where word choice is paramount. 

    At first glance one might think that these two art forms have little in common, but I think it is clear they have more in common than is apparent. The same goes for Speigleman, and Kanye. Two vastly different people from vastly different backgrounds, but still artists in the game. 

...Ok Mr. Church, please, no more today.