American Boy

Posted by Adam Stanhope in Music, Travel & Places, Video Clips on June 19, 2008 at 8:43 pm



This is the video for the UK’s Estelle singing American Boy (with Kanye West). Estelle is beautiful and the song is nothing short of awesome, is it not? What do you think? YouTube.


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48 comments to "American Boy"

  1. Ashe
    June 19th, 2008 at 8:54 pm

    I detest Kanye West in any way, shape or form. He ruined this for me and for Estelle, what a shame...
    (oh now I'm gonna have some haters)

  2. mattytiz
    June 19th, 2008 at 8:56 pm

    Kanye has gotten a little too big for his britches lately. She has a good look and voice, but the lyrics are pretty crappy if you ask me. I don't get it.

  3. bean
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:07 pm

    No Ashe, you're totally right. This is just mindless pandering to preteens to sell albums and merchandise. Lame.

  4. Parker
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:22 pm

    I saw this for the first time in a club last night. She is absolutely beautiful and so are the 'American Boys' used in the video.

  5. Adam Stanhope
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:27 pm

    Yeah!

  6. James Tracy
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:33 pm

    Lame post.

  7. Onym
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    Lame? I thought it was pretty cute.

    It's nice to see something different on Neatorama every once in awhile.

    I can't stand Kanye West as a person, but as a musician I think he has a few things going for him; or he had them before his arrogance got in the way.

  8. Anon
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:50 pm

    Wow! This song is just now reaching the US? Is the US's image really hurting abroad when this song is topping bilboard charts in Europe? As "awesome" as the Euro is, Europeans are vactioning in the US more than ever now. They are still amazed at how cheap that our petrol is too.

  9. priscilla
    June 19th, 2008 at 9:52 pm

    How weird to see a music video here...

    I like it.

  10. Onym
    June 19th, 2008 at 10:15 pm

    And, as an addendum to my last comment, even if you can't stand his music, you have to recognize his contribution in that he showed that rap without a shallow and violent message can be marketable to a mainstream audience. Maybe now the underground hip hop I love so much will get some exposure and decrease the stigma that surrounds the genre.

    *eyeroll* I won't be holding my breath on that one though. Anyway, off my soap box and on topic it's a neat song.

  11. dokodemo.dj
    June 19th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    better song, possibly cooler video:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=dnezldGu7JU
    and good music in general:
    http://dokodemodj.blogspot.com/

  12. Smap
    June 19th, 2008 at 11:05 pm

    Onym,
    'Ain't nuttin buta gold digga' Not a shallow message? Really don't like his MC style or rhymes. Not really familiar with his production- hasn't caught my attention.
    never heard of her but estelle is pretty charming. otherwise the song is pretty derivative...nothing spectacular.
    J Dilla is the best producer of the last 10 years in my opinion. Far and away better than Kanye. I don't know how he made it into this video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCU-qgR_4bM
    but at least premier, rakim, nas, and krs one can still perform. they make kanye look really awkward.

  13. Smap
    June 19th, 2008 at 11:08 pm

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4odPgvkt2vg

    sorry this one looks like its better quality than the last link i posted.

  14. Tacolicious
    June 19th, 2008 at 11:55 pm

    How is this "neat" at all.

    Just crap from a woman who looks like a man and sings with a low annoying voice with an overly narcissistic man who believes he is the most important and good-looking man in the world.

    In my opinion this is crap.

  15. Parker
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:12 am

    Haters be hatin all the time here.

  16. mrmark
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:30 am

    "How is this “neat” at all.

    Just crap from a woman who looks like a man and sings with a low annoying voice with an overly narcissistic man who believes he is the most important and good-looking man in the world.

    In my opinion this is crap."

    agreed sans negative comment about the female singer.

  17. Kina
    June 20th, 2008 at 1:57 am

    You really shouldn't post here anymore man... You should go to the nature and think, think hard. Ok?

  18. shea
    June 20th, 2008 at 2:03 am

    This gets a huge "SO?!" from me...

    Try again, Neatorama.

  19. Colo
    June 20th, 2008 at 2:28 am

    Ugh.

    Can you say "it was good for a week"???

    This is the kind of music that gets thrown out like last week's magazine.

  20. Lin
    June 20th, 2008 at 3:03 am

    I was listening to the intro and I was confused and could've sworn I had heard it before. Samples from a will.i.am song, haha. I like this though. It's nice. And Kanye sounds decent for the first time! :x

  21. Lenore
    June 20th, 2008 at 3:49 am

    Not down with Kanye... don't really like it.

    And wow, ahole jerry... you're a dick.

  22. Tim Giachetti
    June 20th, 2008 at 5:23 am

    Adam! Hold out your hand! /me slaps the skin loose.

    Bad boy, BAD! Don't do it again or no inflatable Kanye for you!

    Boring advertisement for what? As bad as spam in my inbox Adam.

  23. ted
    June 20th, 2008 at 5:39 am

    We're sorry. This video is no longer available.
    Looked kinda dumb, anyways. Who's Kanye West?

  24. Pol x
    June 20th, 2008 at 5:55 am

    I like Estelle, especially the track 1980

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5ZEvQD7Pas

    aside from the overly long piano intro.

    Very very London.

    Kanye West could drop dead for all I could care.

    God is he really the current apax of Hip Hop?

    Atonal adenoidal whinging bitch.

  25. Jenny
    June 20th, 2008 at 6:36 am

    I'm not a Kanye fan, but that woman is absolutely stunning, and the song is catchy as hell.

  26. Adam Stanhope
    June 20th, 2008 at 7:57 am

    I'm not sure if I've EVER deleted a comment here before today, but "ahole jerry's" comment merited a delete. Jerry: I didn't block you from commenting in the future, but please try to keep it in your pants next time, ok?

    Love,
    Adam
    xoxo

  27. cherishimo
    June 20th, 2008 at 8:37 am

    I rather like it and it's rather strange for me to be so out of sync with other Neat-o readers. But then again, I don't mind Kanye.

    No one mentioned it, but doesn't Estelle strike you as a black version of Lily Allen? That hit me immediately.

  28. El Capitahn
    June 20th, 2008 at 9:03 am

    I don't get the post, either. I dig the song, but i don't think it was neatorama worthy. more appropriate for a myspace bulletin or something. Please stop posting the music videos! : ) (unless it's got something "neat" about it.)

  29. thats too bad
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:19 am

    because it's the truth. I can already picture this song blasting in pattaya bars filled with digusting english 'blokes' looking for a good time.

  30. wirkhorse
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:22 am

    I wish the bassline was a little more prominent here. The backing track is a sample of a will.i.am song ("Impatient"), and that one has more of a disco/house feel due to the way it's mixed. Still, this is a good song, and I guess we have Kanye to thank for whatever chart success it's had in the US.

  31. Nathan Miller
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:23 am

    Nice. The song is catchy, and relatively lyrical. I love the shadows.

    As for Kanye, a lot of people (in and out of Neatorama) keep saying things like, "I respect his music, but not him as a person." When I hear this, I can't help but wondering a few things. First, do you actually know him as a person? Second, what would any rapper have to do to glean your respect?

    It seems that if someone in the hip-hop community is successful, people jump on every mistake he makes. It's an interesting flashback to an era where a video like this could never have been made, simply because the people in it are black.

    I can't help but ask if these people who speak ill of Kanye actually care about anything he's said or done, or if they would rather just find any excuse to hate success.

  32. hmm
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:25 am

    looked at your profile just now, no wonder, my comment must've hit close to home..

  33. Wiggum
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Hehe, nice try Neatorama. I guess backlash is what happens when you try to 'Culture' a few ignorant Americans.

    Love the post though!

  34. fact10
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:48 am

    Piece of shit video, i want to punch her face in every time i see this video on mtv.

  35. syraquse
    June 20th, 2008 at 11:31 am

    I'm not really a fan of music videos in general, but it's interesting to see all the negative comments about Kanye West's personality and arrogant, boastful lyrics, when it's likely that their favorite artists may be that way in person, just not so much in their lyrics.

    Regardless of said level of arrogance, he's actually very talented, and many other artists tend to think so. He's an aficionado of a range of genres, and the more eclectic and well-respected producers do enjoy and draw inspiration from other genres.

    By the way, do people expect 100% satisfaction and intrigue with every post on Neatorama? What ever happened to just saying "meh" and moving on to the next post? And for those who felt so strongly, did you actually sit through the whole video and complain, or did you just watch a little bit and decide to spill your soul in a comment?

    Just wondering...

  36. James Tracy
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:29 pm

    I personally just found no enjoyment in watching it. Yes, I watched it, but really, it wasn't very good and I really don't think Neatorama is the place to be posting music videos at all.

    If you're going to post videos, you'll have to start posting all "good" videos, and then this will degenerate completely.

    Moreover, this is not a particularly "neat" video to begin with. A good example of something neat would be the White Stripes' Lego video, or Weezer's video for "Pork and Beans". Whether or not you like their music, those videos deserve a lot more merit than this one based on creativity and awesome level.

  37. JerzyDudek
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:34 pm

    How can a cute pop song be so controversial?

  38. chris
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

    why is this posted here?

  39. Thadeus Cockswallow
    June 20th, 2008 at 12:49 pm

    Even 30 years later, the Brits are still making their mark in disco. You Yanks could learn a thing or two from us.

    Ta!

  40. joaquin
    June 20th, 2008 at 1:20 pm

    what is wrong with this video?

  41. Christophe
    June 20th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

    George Bush doesn't care about Kanye West!

    Adam made it again : just with a little very nice song (imo), he launched another inflammatory comments round! :D

  42. Nicole
    June 20th, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    I'm feeling this song and Estelle -- sans Kanye West. His rhyme is just as whack as he is. This song matches with the wonderful weather I'm experiencing.

  43. Alex
    June 20th, 2008 at 3:35 pm

    Just popped in to see what all the fuss is about. It's no Lakmé, but it ain't bad :)

  44. Jayshun
    June 20th, 2008 at 6:17 pm

    If it makes British girls dig American men more I'm all for it.

  45. Joe
    June 20th, 2008 at 10:55 pm

    Possibly the lamest post I've ever seen on Neatorama. Not neat or special at all. It simply doesn't fit the spirit of the site. Especially disappointing in light of Neatorama's usually high standards. I hope this is an isolated incident, because the competition is fierce out there...

  46. Lenore
    June 21st, 2008 at 11:51 am

    I don't like Kanye West. I don't particularly like his music style, but I was indifferent to him til I saw him a couple years back. He was incredibly rude to the tech guys, and when they were given the wrong light cues to one of his songs, he went OFF on them. He actually said, "Since the light guys seem to be having a little bit of a problem with this song, we're going to start again- from the beginning, guys, let's see if you can handle it this time." Later in the show, someone told him that it had been a mix-up with what the tech people had been told, the songs had been out of order. He was like "Oh, well it's not my fault no one knows when I'm gonna switch it up- I'm an artist!"

    I don't care how talented he is or how bad other people have been, I thought it was rude and don't like him for it. I don't like other people for their diva behavior, I'll do the same with Kanye. Oh, and Nathan... how is saying "He's arrogant, we don't like him." comparable to "They can't be in music, they're Black!" I'm a little confused. I thought everyone was entitled to their own opinion...

  47. Lenore
    June 21st, 2008 at 11:55 am

    Oh, but I do like the video, and Estelle's voice :)

  48. heather
    June 24th, 2008 at 1:57 am

    this is probably my favorite song so far this year.


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