Kanye in Crisis

Kanye West knows what you’re thinking and he’s said it before- “Name one genius that ain’t crazy.” The astronomically inflated ego of Kanye West has been apparent for years now. Perhaps the truest expression of his narcissism came on his sixth studio album, Yeezus, in which he not only titled himself “Yeezus” (a play on Kanye and Jesus), but also put down tracks such as the eponymous “I Am a God.” It became quite clear that Kanye saw himself as a transcendental figure of not only the music industry, but of the modern age itself. Three years later, he released the highly anticipated album The Life of Pablo, in which he compared himself to three different iconic Pablos- Pablo Picasso, Pablo Escobar, and Paul the Apostle. During the Saint Pablo Tour, Kanye famously had a breakdown and was hospitalized. His psychotic break was credited as being triggered by his wife Kim Kardashian’s recent robbery in Paris, as well as dehydration and sleep deprivation. Ye disappeared from the public eye, leading many to speculate about the state of the music mogul’s psyche.

On April 13, 2018, Kanye returned to Twitter with the conviction to use the social media platform as a way to release a working novel 140 characters at a time. He immediately shocked fans by expressing his support for President Trump and posting a selfie in a Make America Great Again hat. Outrage was sparked instantaneously, with many once devoted fans terminating their loyalty to Ye. Close friends even reached out to discourage him from aligning himself with the controversial president. John Legend urged Kanye to use his platform carefully and rethink his tweets. Kanye later tweeted a smiling selfie with John Legend with the caption “We got love. Agree to disagree.”

Kanye promptly released two new singles, “Ye versus the People” featuring T.I. and “Lift Yourself,”  In theory, "Ye vs. the People” could have and should have been an opportunity for Kanye to clarify his seemingly erratic behavior on Twitter. However, in regards to his notorious selfie with the MAGA hat, Ye says “wearin’ the hat’ll show people that we equal.” He expounded on his idea that by wearing a hat with negative connotations, he was putting it in a positive light. Listeners quickly attacked this notion and Kanye’s apparent disregard for the meaning behind the hat. It immediately became evident through Kanye’s new single, his tweets, and subsequent interviews that his political knowledge barely scratched the surface of the true ideological discrepancies he was promoting. On April 27 he even tweeted this sentiment to confirm that he is by no means an expert, let alone informed in any relevant way: “I haven't done enough research on conservatives to call myself or be called one. I'm just refusing to be enslaved by monolithic thought.”

Kanye’s agenda, as he describes it, is driven by his newfound desire to promote love rather than hate. This viewpoint emerged in the wake of his mental breakdown and hospitalization. He initially tweeted that he planned to use a portrait of Dr. Jan Adams, the cosmetic surgeon who performed his mother’s final surgery, as the cover art for his upcoming album. Dr. Adams hastily sent Kanye an open letter in which he asked West to cease and desist with his intentions for the album art. In what was quickly becoming typical Kanye fashion, he tweeted out the letter with the caption, “This is amazing. Thank you so much for this connection brother. I can't wait to sit with you and start healing.” 

Previously, Ye’s music has been full of emotion bordering on rage at the circumstances that took his mother from him when he was 29. His subsequent albums, 808s and Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, divulge Ye’s ongoing battle with his inner turmoil. If there was any mystery regarding Kanye’s psychological state, he uses a sample of King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” on the MBDTF hit “Power.” This song in particular addresses Kanye’s awareness of the exponential influence he possesses as a celebrity. And yet, eight years later we are witnessing this same man abuse his power.

Charlamagne the God’s highly anticipated interview with Kanye on May 1, 2018, offered the promise of a closer look, and perhaps a clarification as to what exactly is going on with Mr. West. In the nearly two hour long interview, we see Kanye as composed, relaxed, and accessible. He still boasts some lofty ideas, such as his intention to build a sort of housing complex on his several hundred acres of land, and his well-meaning, if idealistic plan to turn Yeezy into the biggest provider of apparel to those in need within five to ten years.

As he talks with Charlamagne, Kanye takes long pauses in order to fully compose his thoughts, which are quite articulate. The subject of his mental breakdown and hospitalization inevitably come up, and Kanye shifts the meaning by relabeling it as a “breakthrough,” saying, “I’m happy it happened - I’m happy to have...gone to the other side of that.” In an isolated setting, this sentiment is incredibly relevant and astute. Discussions regarding mental health have gained precedent, and having a public figure who has so often been scrutinized for “crazy” behavior express his gratitude for his mental crisis is profound. When asked about his yearlong hiatus from Twitter, Kanye responds, “I didn’t have a lot to say - I had a lot to learn.” One cannot help but be hopeful for Kanye, who has often been such a difficult artist to love. And yet, what could have been a precious moment is so swiftly lost at his own hands.

The TMZ interview was something of a shot heard round the world, and the shot was condensed into four words: “Slavery was a choice.” How could this be the same man who once said on national television, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people”? Kanye, who had become a hero for his brashness, had turned into something unfathomable. The Kanye in the Charlamagne interview versus the Kanye in the TMZ interview were night and day- one composed and perceptive, the other manic.

One of the foremost topics in the Charlamagne interview is Kanye's upcoming album. Ye explains the pressure that he puts on himself to create a superior piece of work, and mentions the universal acclaim of Graduation. He is driven by a desire to achieve this same level of near perfection again. The genius of Kanye West is bogged down by the madness of Kanye West, and truly and regretfully, you cannot have one without the other. Kanye’s manic states that produce groundbreaking and often polarizing music are the same states that result in moments such as the TMZ interview. That is in no way a means of justifying Kanye’s statements. But it is a halfhearted plea to understand (or at least try) where Kanye is coming from, which is not a mentally sound place. And yes, it may seem like a cop-out to credit something so hurtful and offensive and untrue to mental illness, but it is certainly easier than seeing Kanye as an enemy of his own race. He has come a very long way from the youthful, coy College Dropout, and one of the most fascinating arcs of hip-hop in this century has been Kanye's development as an artist. He has experimented, he has offended, he has delivered, he has improved, he has digressed, but he has never truly stopped challenging himself and his audience. At this moment, the most we can do is wait patiently and hope for another breakthrough.