Kanye West: A Public Disruptor
graphic by Sarah Wong
Kanye West has a complicated and robust resume. As a pop culture icon, fashion designer, and ex-presidential candidate, West is no stranger to controversy and spotlight. But even after a multitude of scandals and incidents that would have ended literally any other celebrity’s career, his music remains to be well loved.
If you ask Kanye fans what they think of him, some might say that while they can’t defend his behavior, they can continue to listen to the absolute “bangers” that he releases. We won’t lie and say that we don’t like “Praise God” when the vibes are right, but isn’t there something so blatantly immoral about supporting a person who has said so many problematic things in the past and gotten away with it? At what point does it become an issue to stream Kanye’s music - monetize his good work - and ignore all of the genuinely bad things that he’s done?
Kanye’s most recent scandal involved a series of t-shirts debuted at Paris Fashion Week with the words “White Lives Matter '' plastered on the front, the newest item at the top of a very long list of offensive incidents. He objectified Taylor Swift in his “Famous” music video and interrupted her VMA acceptance speech to publicly embarrass her. He’s compared himself to Jesus, defended sex offenders, allegedly attacked a fan, and (maybe the worst one, which is SAYING something) said that slavery was a choice. That last one had the masses in uproar for weeks.
Maybe Kanye’s albums have been the background music for your day to day activities for years. Maybe his rags to riches backstory inspired you to work for what you want in life. Maybe seeing him overcome every obstacle (including himself) has made you feel like anything is possible. But even so, we’re starting to think that it’s going to take Kanye becoming the next serial killer turned docu-series for people to finally remove him from the spotlight for good. .
No stranger to the “public disruptor” method of gaining media attention, Kanye intentionally stirs the pot to get people talking, making him a prominent social figure with a diverse and wide reaching audience. While Kanye’s controversy is entertaining to the masses, reinforcing his toxic behavior with positive feedback gives his platforms power. It’s about time that Kanye used his fame for something productive, and it’s even more essential that as a society, we demand that content from him rather than entertaining harmful messages. It’s time for both Kanye and his audience to step it up.