Michael Bolton Opens Up: Has a Problem With 'Some Rap Music,' But Loves Jay-Z, Tells Kanye West to 'Chill' (VIDEO)
Michael Bolton has opened up on a range of topics, speaking about Kanye West and Jay Z, as well as speaking about his private life and becoming sexually active at a young age.
The Connecticut-born singer spoke in depth to the Huffington Post on May 24, revealing that when Kanye West and Jay-Z covered a song of his a long time ago he actually had no idea who they were. Bolton admitted that he had to ask his daughter who the two rap stars were.
Asked bluntly about what he thinks of Kanye West, Bolton explained that he believed the rapper was undoubtedly talented, but would also like to see him "chill out" a bit more sometimes.
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He also revealed that he is a big fan of Jay-Z, but also explained that he had some issues with "some rap." He was clear to indicate his problems were with just some artists and some areas of the genre, and not an issue with all rappers at all.
He further explained that his issue was with the way that some rap music debases women, singing about them in a derogatory and disrespectful way.
Bolton said, "In general rap can push the wrong buttons with me. Primarily because of the association and the suggestion of a certain value with women. There's a kind of diminishing in self esteem," in some of it, Bolton said.
Bolton originally performed in the hard rock and heavy metal genres from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, both on his early solo albums and those he recorded as the frontman of the band Blackjack.
He is best known, however, for his series of soft rock ballads, recorded after a stylistic change in the late 1980s. He is noted for his distinctive tenor-countertenor voice and "strained" vocal style.
Bolton's achievements include selling eight top 10 albums, achieving two number one singles on the Billboard charts, and receiving awards from both the American Music Awards and Grammy Awards.
Here is a video of another interview with Michael Bolton as he toured Romania:
