I’m just going to say this really quickly, before I begin: I don’t know how y’all can support the same man who told Bush he “didn’t care about black people” who now supports an openly racist President, brazenly states that slavery was a choice, suggests that others are famous because they got “d*ck” from him, and openly delegitimizes mental illnesses.
The problem with Kanye is that he is allowed to do whatever he wants without any consequences socially or artistically. In today’s world of “cancel culture,” Kanye would have been cancelled long ago. But my question is: why do we still give Kanye our energy, money, and time?
Artistically speaking, Kanye should be appreciated for what he has done historically for hip-hop and rap. He greatly contributed to the overall direction of the genre, but that is not enough to make up for his actions towards others.
This is not an article about Kanye’s past controversies, such as his overall actions towards Taylor Swift over the years, but rather about his inability to apologize for his problematic behaviors and how he continually acts problematic to this day.
Recently, Kanye’s album Jesus is King was released, which is his usual style infused with gospel and Christian elements. However, what is this album for? What is Kanye trying to say to us? By demonstrating his love for Jesus, is he attempting to atone for his past actions? Or reconnect back to the folks who once felt spoken to by Kanye?
In any case, Kanye is not representative of his fan base. The man who now openly blames black people for once being enslaved, and for continuing to be discriminated against today, cannot atone for how he has spat in the face of his own communities.
Moreover, can this album really exemplify the strength of his religious commitments? Few of the songs are over three minutes long, whereas most gospel songs are at least three to four minutes. If Yeezus were really trying to demonstrate his love for Jesus and his commitment to Christianity, then perhaps he would change the way he acts and speaks.
At the end of it all, Kanye continues to win. He is a man we love to hate, but not at all in an endearing way. We refuse to cancel Kanye because we can’t let go of the old Kanye. He will continue to become more and more monstrous and problematic so long as we continue to stream his new music and give him clout.