There’s a lot to be learned from a Kanye West interview, but whatever message he intends on spreading usually gets caught up in random outbursts, and gratuitous mentions of his influence on the world.
And now it’s time to address the elephant in the room, class is in session, Mr. West.
To be clear, West has been his own biggest fan since the day he was born, but something else has him on edge these days. Fame is the monster eating away at ‘Ye, the Chicago rapper/producer/designer’s biggest adversary and not-so-secret addiction. This doesn’t demote Yeezy’s self-proclaimed genius by any means; the man has become everything he said he would be as a solo artist. West has sold over 20 million physical albums, more than 60 million digital downloads, and has countless well-deserved accolades for his music. He is therefore entitled to carry himself with a certain air of confidence. But as the Bible verse goes, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
West’s inner turmoil is nothing more than the pain of being an artist, the battle between fighting for a voice, and then quieting said voice just to be heard. This struggle is nothing new. Had West studied his apparent new idol, Tupac Shakur’s, lyrics on the track “Fame,” he may have been more prepared for the bad side that comes with public adoration.
“The one thing we all adore/Something worth dying for, it’s been nothing but pain/Stuck in this game/Searching for fortune and fame” -Tupac Shakur
An easy person to blame for his behavior is Kim Kardashian, and her own undeniable thirst for fame. Yes, Kardashian got put on for taking her clothes off, then changed her public persona to end up right back where she started with an amateur sex show; only this time in West’s “Bound 2” video rather than a hotel room with Ray J. Her love for self-objectification shouldn’t be an issue or a means of judgement, though. She and West appear happy together, and to be honest his issues really have nothing to do with her. They were there before the two even met.
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Photos: Instagram/Fader
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