Kanye West
When I think of contemporary propaganda, I think of social media and modern-day media. Therefore, when deciding what to select as my example of harmful propaganda, I decided to focus on pop culture. As many of us know, Kanye West has become one of the most controversial public figures in Hollywood today. Therefore, I decided to think back to one of his earliest controversies when looking for a contemporary example of propaganda.
One of his earliest controversial incidents took place back in 2009 when he interrupted Taylor Swift’s VMA acceptance speech. As a result, his fans quickly separated from any supporters/sympathizers of Swift. The two remained distant, yet cordial, with eachother for the years to come. However, he re-opened this wound in 2016 when he released his obscene music video for his song “Famous.”
In relation to his rise to fame, Kanye wrote “Famous” about his long, controversial experience in the spotlight. In this video, he used a visual of naked celebrities, whom he has had some sort of relationship with, to represent the connection they have had in his rise to fame. This voyeuristic visual came to my mind when thinking of modern-day propaganda because it features 13 public figures- and I consider celebrities to be one of our largest influences.
I would say that this is an example of propaganda because the song’s video and lyrics were deliberately created to be misleading and change his viewer’s opinions. Specifically, he was hoping to change his viewer’s opinions of Taylor Swift’s success and harm her reputation. He wanted to convince his viewers that he made Taylor Swift famous, as stated in the line “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous (Goddamn). I made that bitch famous.” To back up this claim, he placed a wax figure of her naked body next to him in the music video. This is an example of propaganda, as he was inciting false claims about her and her fame.
In addition to Swift, he also included other celebrities in the visual. By including the naked bodies of his celebrity enemies, wife, friends, relatives etc., he was taking power over them, in their most vulnerable states. This was his way of indicating that his fame has made him undeniably powerful. For example, Rihanna sings on the “Famous” track with him. However, in the video, he still decided to place her naked body next to the body of Chris Brown, her abuser. His ability to do this was representative of the power that has come with his fame.
Overall, I would say that I did not struggle with selecting and understanding my example of propaganda. Because of how often Kanye West is in the news recently, I figured he was one of the best examples of a contemporary propagandist. Prior to researching this song and its meaning, I knew that it had misogynistic undertones, as he made many claims about women owing him sex. However, now that I have looked further into the meaning of the song, I was able to uncover information about his never-ending power trip and the undertones of narcissism that are scattered throughout the song and video.
Works Cited:
https://genius.com/Kanye-west-famous-lyrics
https://www.elle.com/culture/celebrities/g28419/guide-to-celebrities-in-kanye-famous-video/
SCRIPT:
Script:
As I’m sure many of you know, Kanye West has become one of the most controversial public figures of our generation. From his friendship with Donald Trump, to his own political campaigns, to his very public divorce from Kim Kardashian, Kanye has been making headlines over and over again for the past couple of years.
Although he has done some pretty problematic things in the past few years, I would say his music video for “Famous,” which he released in 2016, was his most memorable piece of contemporary propaganda.
Inspired by his experience with fame, Kanye wrote “Famous” to comment on his longevity in the spotlight. However, the song is best known for its lyrics written about Taylor Swift and the art that is displayed in the music video.
Back in 2009, West rushed the stage during Swift’s VMA acceptance speech to display his dismay that Beyonce did not win the award. This occurrence sparked public sympathy for Swift and controversy for West. However, West still decided to refer to the incident in his song, “Famous.”
His song features the lyrics “I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex. Why? I made that bitch famous (Goddamn). I made that bitch famous.” In these lyrics, he’s referring to Swift’s popularity and success as a result of his own. He claims that his remarks at the VMA’s are what made Taylor Swift famous, and as a result, she owes him everything.
These lyrics are dangerous as they are misogynistic and imply that public power equals power over others, specfically their bodies. However, the truly harmful propaganda lies in this video’s visuals.
Inspired by the painting “Sleep” by American artist Vincent Desiderio, Kanye features a controversial mix of 13 naked celebrities all in one bed, including himself and his wife at the time, Kim Kardashian. According to West, this visual was supposed to be representative of fame. He was using this visual to campaign his beliefs on pop culture and how everyone is connected in Hollywood. According to West, each celebrity in the bed had something to do with his journey of fame, whether they were ex-lovers, friends, enemies, etc.
The visual includes Taylor Swift and George Bush, two people he has conflicted with, fellow artist Rihanna and her abuser, Chris Brown, controversial president (and Kanye’s friend), Donald Trump, his wife at the time, Kim Kardashian and ex-girlfriend, Amber Rose, his relative Caitlyn Jenner, and convicted sex offender, Bill Cosby.
This visual is a harmful display as it reinforces public exploitation and supports the claim that Kanye’s fame gives him the power to do whatever he wants. This is a harmful message to support as this is how many dangerous people in power think. For example, we can compare this to the propaganda used by hate groups. Often, hate groups use their power to incite fear in groups they dislike, or they will use misleading information to convince others to believe their hateful views.
