Kanye West's new book offers, um, Kanyeisms

Saturday, June 20, 2009
By TOM SHORTELL
JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Rapper Kanye West, a former Hoboken resident, was a self-confessed book-hater. But a book by a Jersey City resident made him change his mind. The 32-year-old music star says he was blown away when he came across J. Sakiya Sandifer's book "Think, Think, Think and Think Again."

"His book was simple and to the point," West said in a statement. And it inspired West to write his own book in a similar format, with Sandifer's help.

The result is "Thank You and You're Welcome," what West calls "a fun collection of my theories and philosophies about getting the most out of life."

West's book is not traditional, admits Sandifer. Spiral-bound, only five square inches, the 52-page book contains West's personal proverbs - Kanye-isms, as West calls them - such as "Believe in your flyness . conquer your shyness."

Sandifer said the book breaks all the rules of a traditional book. "But that doesn't mean . it's missing any content," he added.

"Thank You and You're Welcome" revolves around the concept of using and being used by people, Sandifer said. He and West challenge the negative connotations of the word "use," arguing that if people can't use you, then you are useless.

"When you say thank you, you just focus on what you're getting. You're not leaving those people better, just on what you took," Sandifer said. "We felt that was the basis of what we were trying to tell people. You have to focus on what you're giving as well as what you're getting."

Sandifer claims that the book, which costs $10.99, has sold 500,000 copies at West's rap events and another 16,000 to 20,000 in bookstores. The book will be featured at Barnes & Noble's new arrivals table from July 14 to 27. While it is ranked high at Amazon.com (hovering around 8,000), it comes accompanied with several reviews that are less than raves. Wrote one reader: "Kanye West seems mildly amused that these things called 'words' can actually be written down and combined into interesting groups called 'phrases' or sometimes even 'sentences.' It would be adorable if he were 5 years old."

Jersey City author and Kanye West to appear on CBS' 'Early Show' tomorrow

by The Jersey Journal
Thursday May 21, 2009, 6:56 PM


Sakiya Sandifer of Jersey City, who co-authored a book on positive thinking with superstar rapper Kanye West, will appear with him tomorrow on CBS' "Early Show.''

Jersey City author J. Sakiya Sandifer is scheduled to appear with superstar rapper Kanye West on CBS's "The Early Show" at 8 tomorrow morning where the two will discuss their collaboration on the best-seller "Thank and You're Welcome."

As young men, Sandifer and superstar rapper West traveled in the same circles while growing up in Chicago. Years, their paths crossed in New Jersey and a new relationship formed, Sandifer told The Jersey Journal last year.

Sandifer, a businessman and writer who defines himself as "a natural thinker,'' helped West put his ideas into the self-published, motivational book.

"We wanted to write it in one voice," Sandifer said at the time. "We wanted to share with people some of the skill sets and tools we've applied to attain success. It's about getting people to know that it's up to them to think about building their own houses."