A true narcissist, West likes to hear himself talk. He's a Gemini, after all.
When Yeezy isn't asking for handouts from Mark Zuckerberg, he's comparing one of America's greatest tragedies—slavery—to fake news. And Trump? He's off somewhere, patting his belly in the comfort of Obama's dead presidency.
Kanye West. One of the biggest, most successful, most loved, and most notable rappers in the 21st Century is either having a mental breakdown or has inhaled too much of Kim Kardashian's hairspray. Nothing short of a textbook megalomaniac, West's worldview has always been entertaining. He's a man with big ideas and, apparently so, a man with a lot of time on his hands. Either West has been reading up on men's rights (!) activism on Reddit and this is a performance in which he enacts the virtuous plight of white men, or it's his final descent into madness as a man who's always been a little crazy. And if it is the latter, sadly, Kanye West and all of his very humble sexist, racist, and xenophobic sentiments will have to be put away in a box where so many other talented male artists have gone, one designated for great artists who say and do terrible things.
The problem—and what so many of his most supportive fans and critics understand—is that West has always had a tumultuous relationship with fame. And it's hard to hate someone whose biggest crime to date is being unequivocally in love with himself (among other great American tragedies like 2009's VMAs). A true narcissist, West likes to hear himself talk. He's a Gemini, after all. But lest we not forget, fame took his mother, catapulted him from Amber Rose—after several showers, of course—to Kim Kardashian, and fame, now, is taking West for his final ride.
With lines like, "Poopy-dee scoop/Scoop-diddy-whoop/Whoop-dee-scoop-dee-poop/Poop-dee-scoopty" on "Lift Yourself," West's genius seems to be spiraling out of grasp. Is he for real? Is this all one big show? Why do we care? He's hardly the first black celebrity to publicly support a Republican. Yet, most of black America is asking: Kanye knows he's black, right?
West's neurosis, too, seems prompted at extremely inappropriate times. He has a really bad habit of interrupting discussions that don't require his input. Aligning himself with Trump who, for many, is a walking symbol of white supremacy, West has divided his audience: there are those that want to understand him in fear of losing the artist they love and those that have moved on. (If only West could make all of his amazing ideas less obscure, less anti-black, less…what's the word…Trump-tastic.)
In a recent Twitter rant, West declared "we don't know how to think for ourselves," continuing to admonish the general public's lack of emotional intelligence. There's a time to be a teacher and a time to be a student. Kanye graduated long ago, but he could close his mouth every once in a while, take a break from instilling the world with his wondrous wisdom, and listen for once. West should know by now, real activism is selfless.
Shaun Harris is a poet, freelance writer, and editor published in avant-garde, feminist journals. Lover of warm-toned makeup palettes, psych-rock, and Hilton Als. Her work has allowed her to copyedit and curate content for various poetry organizations in the NYC area.
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