Kanye West has been the center of attention in all circles
over since his hit single, Through the Wire. From comments about George W. Bush
not liking black people to the recent outburst and stage crashing involving
Beck and Taylor Swift, Kanye has not been afraid to say what he wanted. This
outlook along with the recent changes in status have pushed Kanye to be a man
that many love to hate. I have even personally lost interest in him since the
song Devil in a New Dress. This song made me label Kanye in my mind as crazy. I
truly wasn’t feeling the demonic representations. Maybe you enjoyed it. In my
eyes, Kanye had seemed to stray from the conscience rap filled with messages
and inspiration. He kind of lost the music. Just a year ago many were talking
about him and his rants on shows like Sway in the Morning and Breakfast Club.
Today, we see a new Kanye. He seemed to have turned the corner, giving a very
insightful interview with DJ Envy, Angela Yee and Charlemagne tha God on the
Breakfast Club.
In this interview, he
address various issues that many of us have had on our minds such as a naked
Kim, Amber Rose, sticking up for Beyoncé, new projects and fashion. He did this
while dropping nuggets of wisdom like bread crumbs all the way to the end of
this hour long interview. Kanye explained how he has finally past the Gucci
Store and has started becoming a good man and father. As I am embarking on my
own full time parenting journey, finally, I can completely understand the
changes that that brings. He says that he wants to continue to be innovative
and embrace the music for the service of music. He went on to say that the
Yeezus album was really a “take my ball and go home moment” and at the moment
he was suffocating. He claims that the new album will go back to the music and
lyrics. On the subject of a naked Kim Kardashian, he had some very insightful
words. He explained that Kim’s body and beauty is asset in itself. Since she
has the opportunity to work with the best photographers, that’s what she does
and clearly it works in her favor. Kim Kardashian has done things in the
reality TV business that I couldn’t see anyone else do and she has made all of
her friends famous in their own right. That show was on before the Kim K
sextape and people such as Terrence J and Erica Mena were on the Kardashian
show before they had fame. He did also say that the marriage between the two
caused him to lose many friends. Friends that feels that he has proved wrong
due to the success of their relationship.
As for the new projects, he addressed the vast majority of
it. He is reported to currently be working with Damon Dash with movie
production. He even went on to admit to being disloyal during the split of
Rocafella Records when he went on to join Jay-Z. He stated that he did this
because Jay-Z was his idol and the reason for coming to the label in the first
place even though Dame was the one who gave him the deal. Kanye spoke upon his relationship
with Minister Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam (NOI) and how he is currently
working with the minister on a documentary. Minister Farrakhan is idolized by
some and hated by others due to his views on race. This documentary is meant to
highlight Minister Farrakhan’s life and his love for playing the violin, which
he was forced to stop playing to fully focus on the NOI. Along with this he
addressed more political topics such as race and class. Kanye went on to
explain how fashion has been used to promote class separation and how he did
not want the new shoes from Adidas to be limited or so high. Kanye said that he
has plans to have more control over his fashion exploits and to make a brand of
high quality apparel of a cheaper price. He has even gained designers and other
employees from his experiences in Europe’s high level fashion companies. He
claims that he will flip the apparel industry on its head. Even Teyana Taylor
was brought up and he admitted even though she had a great album, he needs to
give her more attention and she really has not been his priority. It will be
interesting to see if his deal with Adidas can get her shoes released. I know
plenty of women personally that were looking forward to them.
This interview showed a Kanye that looked happy and calm.
Someone focused and that knows exactly what moves need to be made. He touched
on the ability for the rich and wealthy to neglect the responsibility to help
the less fortunate. He went to explain that he is creating a regiment to juggle
fatherhood, music and other ventures. A task that is not always easy. I know
this as I am trying to do the same with finishing graduate school. He touched
on the fact that when you are in love, you can sometimes lose focus on the
things that should be held close. He even said that he is watching the amount
of things that he gives North West to make sure that she isn’t too spoiled and
he wants to make sure she has some aspect of street smarts. He even admitted to
purposely say out of the Mike Brown situation due to his father’s wishes. In a
nutshell, Kanye West is being to fulfill the role in the black community that
some may feel that he was neglecting. Admitting mistakes left and right. I have
personally taking an inspiration as he tries to juggle career, family and
personal growth. As he has a talent to bridge the gaps and bring different
kinds of people to the lunch table, Kanye’s unique insight may very well be a
small piece of inspiration that people have been looking for. Kanye along with
many other African American public figures such as Jay-Z, P.Diddy and other
have a responsibility especially in a social media age. A responsibility that
sometimes isn’t easily fulfilled due to our ability to see their everyday
actions. These type figures may not be the change and are susceptible to
mistakes but their stories may spark the mind that changes it all. Salute to you,
Kanye. Salute.
Quinn Young
Urban Echelon Magazine & Blogspot
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