Through the Wire: The Words and Lyrics of Kanye West Illustrated by Bill Plympton
by Kanye West
Published by Simon & Schuster / Atria Books, November 2009
This is a rare partnership between two geniuses at the top of their crafts – Kanye West, who was named “the smartest man in hip-hop” by Time Magazine, and Bill Plympton, an Academy Award-nominated animator, cartoonist, and illustrator.
Through the Wire is a graphic memoir that illustrates the lyrics of twelve Kanye West songs to tell his story, from his decision to drop out of college to pursue his dreams in music, through his days spent folding chinos at the Gap while struggling at night to make a name as a producer, through the pivotal car accident that eventually set him on the course to stardom and the epiphany of realizing exactly who he had become:
“… They say people in your life are like seasons
And anything that happens is for a reason…”
Plympton illustrates each of the songs in detail, his vision of Kanye’s world. The songs are annotated with explanations of the references in the songs, biographical components that illuminate the lyrics, and their meaning on a deeply personal level.
The result is a one-of-a-kind book that initially grabs you, and stays with you forever.
About Kanye West
Kanye West is a major hip-hop music star and the winner of eight Grammy Awards. He lives in Santa Monica, California.
Bill Plympton is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker and illustrator/cartoonist whose work has appeared in such magazines as Viva, Penthouse, Rolling Stone, National Lampoon, and Glamour. He personally draws and colors each of the cels for his animated films. He lives in New York City.
Praise
"Aesthetically, the book is not far from the mind-warped visuals that Mr. West so often gives us, like his recent publicly released video short with director Spike Jonze... this will once again be a Kanye West collectors item."
-- SlamXHype
"By interweaving picture with song, THROUGH THE WIRE illustrates a remarkable timeline of Kanye's journey, undoubtedly providing readers the most vivid analysis of Kanye's life and lyrics to date. It offers not only a collection of the life lessons behind the songs that propelled Kanye into mainstream stardom, but also gives a closer look at the rise of pioneering superstar."
-- Radio Facts