Leave or live with it
Say what you will about Kanye but he’s got some audacity.
Performing this track at the closing of the MTV Video Music Awards was an audacious move. I didn’t see it, but it was audacious. The site of what was the previously-celebrated hip hop star’s greatest downfall was, from a story-telling standpoint, the perfect venue for a “comeback.”
But he’s smart enough not to put all his eggs in one basket. West has been releasing track after track after track after track this summer through his twitter feed, his blog, and various other outlets. He’s also smart enough to hold only the best stuff back for his next album. That’s where “Runaway” really becomes relevant: this is the best Kanye West track since “Through The Wire.”
There are similarities; it feels like West is trying to be more up-front than he was on the couple of albums leading up to 808s and Heartbreaks. He’s admitting some of his shortfalls, something that was once typical for him, part of what made him stand out. Admitting his penchant for troublesome, trifling women and a fear of intimacy is pretty mature for a guy that is obsessed with the trappings of wealth, fame, and material possessions (especially one that so famously called out women that target rich men). He does sound like his singing is improving as well, although his recent Saturday Night Live performance, while visually mind-blowing, was a far cry from what it could have been. The use of the live sampler is an interesting way to remind people that he creates music in addition to being a part-time jerk-off (but don’t drown out your guest vocalist with samples, jerk). The music itself is lovely, continuing his recent trend of chilled electronic work that’s set off with the patient piano notes that open the track and carry it through.
He does seem to be contradicting himself a bit lyrically; telling his lady she should run away as fast as she can and then admitting, “I don’t know how I would manage if one day you just up and leave.” The underlying vulnerability says a lot about the man but unifying his message would probably be helpful. Of course, depending on who you ask his lyrics are often a garbled mess (the result of him not reading books and being proud of it perhaps?) but his early career was marked by interesting and honest work. I would love to see more of that.
The cynical side of me wants to believe this song and his entreaties to Taylor Swift are nothing more than calculated measures to try and soften his image. But a track like the ferocious “Monster” handles that much more capably. Perhaps he’s pulling out all the stops to try and come across not as the insensitive provocateur but as a genuine artist. The Saturday Night Live set would seem to suggest the same. That would be fine with me. Despite my earlier reservations I loved his last album and the singularity of it.
Pay money for the single on iTunes — or download it here until we get the cease and desist letter.







