What to do when one of your favourite artists is a constant public disappointment? Nicole Vassell examines the annoyance of Kanye West – and how to live a Ye free life
I’ve mentioned before that the gripe about writing for a magazine that publishes monthly is the fact that the topic of discussion could be weeks old by the time it reaches our readers – and with the ever-increasing pace of the news cycle, something that’s hot one day could be all but ancient history at time of print.
Luckily, the subject of this article has a track record of saying or doing something every few days that ensures pieces like these stay relevant – because, of course, I’m talking about Kanye West – rapper, fashion designer, and what seems to be a full-time cheerleader for US reality star turned president, Donald Trump.
Since the former The Apprentice star was elected to the highest governmental position in America, Kanye West has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Trump, and with fervour, making plenty of the people who were fans of his music question just who they’d been supporting for so many years really was.
And it’s not simply because there’s been a change in his politics; this reads as more like a complete U-turn in everything the public thought he stood for in the earlier stages of his career – as Trump is no ordinary president. Even before his election, business mogul Trump was someone that most reading this wouldn’t want to be aligned with. From declaring that famous people could grab women by their genitals because ‘when you’re a star, they let you do it’, to mocking a disabled reporter, to promising to build a wall to separate the USA and Mexico, the list of his transgressions are seemingly endless. Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to have deterred Mr West, as in 2018 alone he’s appeared on multiple occasions reaffirming his backing of the president.
In October, West attended a (predictably) highly publicised meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. His wife, Kim Kardashian West, used her time in the office earlier this year to expedite the release of a woman in prison, whose story touched her deeply. Kanye, on the other hand, instead used his time in the White House to talk about time travel and why the 13th Amendment (the declaration that ended slavery) should be abolished. Altogether now: huh?!
The person who declared on national TV during Hurricane Katrina that ‘George Bush doesn’t care about black people’ is a complete departure from someone who then went on to say that slavery sounded like a choice. Kanye West’s politics are not simply different; they’re shocking, and ultimately result in turning his back on the people who’ve been by his side the most.
It’s natural to care about the opinions of people you admire – that’s why many black women feel genuine pride when Beyoncé goes on a global stage and declares how much she appreciates her black womanhood. At one point in time, Kanye was one of these people whose opinion on the things we all deal with, had weight. Yes, he was arrogant and obsessed with having the world acknowledge his ‘genius’, but the quality of his work and its refreshing lyrical content about the realities of black people in America and worldwide made him a figure that many felt proud of. You buy into the product as well as the person – and while the products like his albums might stay the same, it’s difficult to hear his old words in the same way with the knowledge of who he is today.
From this standpoint, the time where people should waste their energies in trying to understand, rationalise, and see the good in the things he says has long passed. By now, we already know that whenever you see a headline with the name ‘Kanye West’ in it, it’ll be something you wish you hadn’t seen.
So, it’s time to turn away from Kanye. Like a child throwing a tantrum on the naughty step, if you give in to their wails, they know that next time, all they have to do to get your attention is wail harder and louder. Kanye wails harder and louder with every new transgression. One day he’s praising the most outwardly offensive Western politician in recent memory in front of news cameras, who knows what’s next: going on an international Trump-sponsored lecture tour?
If all of his recent antics are part of a ploy to ensure the public keeps his name in their mouths, it’s working – for now. But he’s shredding his integrity for the sake of celebrity, and that’s sad. Don’t worry: I recognise the irony in that this article can be contributing to this nonstop media attention. However, until he starts making sense again, take this as a personal promise: I won’t be writing about him again.
If this is a case of poor mental health causing his behaviour, then something feels wrong in obsessively watching and writing about a man in rapid decline, when what he’d really need is help and support.
I’m letting go of Kanye because at this stage, there is little use in trying to make sense of him. I’m sick of people making excuses for him, and I’m sick of seeing his name so often that I start thinking about his absolute decline and weighing up what on earth has happened – I’ve given more than enough time to that pointless endeavour! So, I’ve taken steps to remove the interference of Ye in my life – here are four to get you started…
1. Block him on social media
Like an ex who keeps creeping into your newsfeed long after you’ve ended things (“for good, this time”), Kanye West consistently happened to find his way onto my Twitter timeline, despite the fact that I haven’t followed him for at least two years. The algorithm means that when people I follow ‘like’ his Tweets, they’re suggested to me as content I too, might enjoy. While this might be the case for memes with talking animals, or Spongebob animations, this is not true when it comes to the nonsensical rambling words of Mr West. If this happens to you too, go into the settings of your app, enter all related words to Kanye and hit that ‘block forever’ button. Some terms fall through the cracks occasionally, but on the whole, it means that things he posts will become invisible to you, even if others reference and ‘quote-tweet’ him. (It also works for the likes of trolls Piers Morgan and Katie Hopkins – give it a go today!)
2. Block his family too
That’s right – every Kardashian, every Jenner. That might not be too much of a tragedy for many of you, but if you usually can’t get through the day without checking on Kim’s latest attempts to break the internet, you may have to bite the bullet and get rid of her too, as it’s more than likely she’ll include something with her husband before long. Plus, those pesky algorithms will once again make the quick link back to him and you’ll see him with that red ‘Make America Great Again’ cap once more. Cut the Ks from your life and Kanye will be gone too.
3. No more news
Kanye’s name in the headline? Don’t click it. YouTube link with a ‘hilarious’ clip of his latest wacky doing? Scroll past it. Front page of the newspaper? Don’t pick it up. I’m sure you see where I’m going: resist every and all temptation to read about what he’s doing. It may be hard, but going cold turkey could be the thing to help you realise that what he’s up to has no real importance to your life.
4. Mute his music
Now, this might be the toughest of all – and I don’t blame anyone who finds this near impossible, or if it’s just a step too far. But I feel as if the way to no longer have thoughts of Ye going around in my head is to forget about his main redeeming factor: his body of work. I’ve never cared for his clothing items, or particularly for his looks – for me, the interest has only ever lied in his music. Though I haven’t listened to any of his newer releases from earlier this year (and I won’t be), I’ve also taken his old stuff out of my playlists and away they’ll stay until this circus show ends. Partly to preserve the memories I have of the good ol’ Graduation and The College Dropout days, partly to not help fund his ‘MAGA’ lifestyle by streaming his songs, Kanye is mostly a ghost when it comes to my Spotify subscription. For me, it’s just too disappointing to be reminded of just how much my opinion of him has changed. ‘All Falls Down’ doesn’t hit me as meaningfully when I remember that the man uttering these lyrics now aligns himself with politics that harm so many people. And if I think about it too much, it makes me wonder how much truth there was to his words in the first place.
