Many people claim that The Beatles are the greatest artists of all time, but they fail to realize the fact that there are many other artists far more talented and far more accomplished. While The Beatles have the effect of nostalgia on many people, it does not mean that they are the best band to ever play music. In fact, it should go without saying that the music we’re hearing today is unfathomably better than any music made by The Beatles. Did The Beatles make “Bad and Boujee”? I don’t think so.
One artist that is indisputably better than The Beatles is Kanye West. Kanye has been more influential in our society, and has made far better music than some boy band from the 60s. However, it seems as though many people oppose the fact that Kanye is a better artist than The Beatles, so I hereby present my case of why this is true, and also why The Beatles are just simply overrated.
1. The Beatles aren’t consistent.
Kanye, Beyoncé, Rick Ross, Jay Z, and even DMX have all had a higher frequency of number 1 albums than The Beatles. Kanye has an 85% success rate of a No. 1 album (only his first album, "The College Dropout," did not go number 1), while The Beatles have only a 70% success rate. The only person with a higher frequency for number one albums is the legend, Beyoncé, with 100% of her studio albums going number one.
2. The Beatles have received less awards for their music.
The Beatles have won about 16 awards and 35 nominations. Kanye West has won a colossal 92 awards with 380 nominations. That means Kanye has won almost six times the amount of awards The Beatles have won. Furthermore, if we look at only the Grammy Awards, Kanye is ranked 8th for most Grammy Awards won, and 5th for most nominations with 21 wins and 57 nominations. The Beatles have only won 10 Grammys, and have only been nominated for an additional 27. Even the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences believe that Kanye is better. The Beatles also haven't won a single Teen Choice Award, while Kanye has.
3. The Beatles’ fashion was not as influential as Kanye’s.
With Kanye’s collaboration with Adidas on his YEEZY sneaker and clothing line, he has changed the world and the way we look at fashion/streetwear. The Yeezy Boost sneakers have sold out every release and the brand itself continues to grow. GQ has even described Kanye’s sneakers as “The Most Influential Sneakers of 2016.” While Kanye’s fashion, from his "College Dropout" days to the recent present, has influenced many of society's clothing choices, The Beatles' fashion statements are long and gone. Remember those terrible bowl haircuts? Remember the oddly fitting pants?
4. Kanye has had Beatles members featured on his music, and not the other way around.
Recently, on singles such as “All Day,” “FourFiveSeconds,” and “Only One,” Kanye has collaborated with former Beatles member Sir Paul McCartney. Kanye, the gracious artist that he is, gave a co-sign to McCartney, who claims Kanye is “a monster...a crazy guy that comes up with great stuff.” While Kanye has featured McCartney on his own tracks to give him more exposure, he has never needed to be featured on any Beatles’ music to gain popularity.
5. The Beatles steal other artists’ music.
The Beatles have, on multiple occasions, stolen material from other artists, including the legendary Chuck Berry. Beatles member George Harrison was even found guilty for plagiarism and had to pay a fine of $587,000 because “My Sweet Lord” was found to be too identical to The Chiffon’s “He’s So Fine.” Hell, even the name “The Beatles” is a direct ripoff of one of their main influences/sources of stolen material, Buddy Holly’s band, “The Crickets.”
6. The Beatles' lyricism is not on the same level as Kanye’s.
“He bag production, he got walrus gumboot / He’s got Ono sideboard, he one spinal cracker / He got feet down below his knee.” These are the actual lyrics from verse three of “Come Together,” the opening track on “Abbey Road,” an album I simply cannot get myself to like. On the other hand, Kanye’s lyricism is truthful and eloquent. How can The Beatles compete with lyrics like “Crack raised the murder rate in DC and Maryland / We invested in that, it’s like we got Merrill Lynch’d / And we’ve been hanging from the same tree ever since,” or clever lines such as “I’m living in the future so the present is my past / My presence is a present, kiss my ass”?
7. John Lennon was a pretty bad person.
The Fab Four were very insincere with their messages of love and peace. John Lennon was particularly awful, and wrote songs about the problems with consumerism (“Imagine no possessions / I wonder if you can”) while also having a net worth of $800 million. He also abandoned his wife for Yoko Ono and also abused his son. Overall, he was simply a hypocrite. He would plead for peace, and then hit “any woman.”
And there you have it. The Beatles are grossly overrated, and the facts are there to prove it.
