Kanye West X Donald Trump
My heart broke a little as the gold-haired Kanye West walked out of golden elevator doors shoulder-to-shoulder with President-elect Donald Trump Tuesday. The media spewing questions and there Kanye stood with his patent stoic face.
What the fuck, Kanye?
Years ago, as White America struggled relating to Kanye’s passionate tirades against racial discrepancies, most people of color understood where he was coming from; he was tired of coming in second. Kanye challenged everyone by speaking louder, and over those opposing him. He insisted former President George W. Bush did not care about black people and has routinely expressed his disdain for the inherit biases the Grammys hold against black artists.
He also was the only rapper hip-hop legend Jay-Z ever teamed up with to produce to a mainstream, collaborative album (Watch the Throne). It was one of the most satisfying gifts any two artists at the top of their games have ever given their fans.
We had his back, and he had ours.
Kanye taught me so much as a person. He influenced me to be my own individual without anyone’s permission, how to trust in myself and how to be outspoken when people want me to shut up.
And yet, there he stood, next to an orange man who routinely calls people of color “The Blacks” or “The Latinos.” He stood next to the man who advocated for the death of the Central Park Five — four Black children and one Puerto Rican kid — even though they were exonerated over a decade ago? He stood next to a man who appoints his bigoted pals in position of power for his presidential cabinet.
Kanye went from pushing the culture forward with his actions to simply looking at it from his rear-view mirror. He now exploits the people who love him, and continue to love him because it is Kanye they learned so much from. I don’t want to bring the old Kanye back, but this is a moment we all should reflect on.
We should reflect on the fact Kanye has done little to push our identity forward besides producing overpriced crew-neck sweaters with holes in them, a pair of Yeezy Boosts, and an album that wasn’t really saying shit as far as content and lyrics.
TLOP’s “Feedback” is the epitome of where Kanye stands today. He briefly raps, “Hands up, we just doing what the cops taught us/Hands up, hands up, then the cops shot us,” then breaks into an outro about giving people fur coats?
This is not My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Kanye, this is not College Dropout Kanye, and this is not 808’s and Heartbreak Kanye. This is a man who has taken for granted our unfathomable devotion to him.
This ain’t art.
After my initial heartache, I tried to piece together why Kanye was doing this. Was he doing it as a power move against Jay-Z, a known Hillary Clinton supporter? Was this an enemy-of-my-enemy-is-a-friend moment?
Is this how people felt when Hulk Hogan joined Kevin Nash and Scott Hall forming the New World Order for the first time?
Then I realized I needed to stop making excuses.
This isn’t chess for Kanye. This is man who is too far removed from issues, and no longer deserves the benefit of the doubt. Besides, there is no need to yearn Kanye especially when artists like Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper are really pushing the culture forward.
