YEEZUS ? - Kelly Whybrow (20/12/13)

Kanye West has been keeping the media busy with his controversial and outlandish comments so the last thing that the world needs is false quotes which are designed to manufacture outrage.

It seems that someone’s downfall seems to be more entertaining than someone’s progression; negatives become more believable than the positives. There has been a lot of controversy around Kanye West as people seem to cling onto every last word the media releases about him. He’s caused a lot of stigma this year; releasing his new album ‘Yeezus’, proposing to his woman Kim Kardashian and the birth of his little girl North and a number of interview appearances.

 There have also been a flood of articles released about Kanye that have been of interviews that never took place. Does this reflect the manipulation of media today?

 Kanye was under fire for claiming that he will soon be a bigger cultural rights icon than late Nelson Mandela. The false quotes consisted of “Nelson did a lot of work don’t get me wrong but I think I’m on the track to do something even bigger. I liberate minds with music, that’s more important than liberating a few people from apartheid or whatever.” Many took offence and it caused major uproar on the twitter-sphere so Kanye took the opportunity to address his 10million followers tweeting:

“Respect to Mandela and his family, despite recent media reports, I’ve never said anything to dishonour or trivialise the life or transition of one of the most inspiring leaders.

He continues; “Thank you Mandela, for your life’s work and may it serve as a guiding light to illuminate our future.”

Another set of fake quotes attributed to an interview that also never happened with WGCI radio in Chicago where he was accused of saying “I am going to make Kim Kardashian a bigger performer than Beyonce. Kim and I will soon be the first couple of Hip-hop.” He addresses this saying his true belief is that her talent lies in her being a shrewd business woman.    

In his Zane Lowe interview he talks about the codes to self-esteem that “if you are a Kanye fan you are not a fan of me you are a fan of yourself, you believe in yourself.” Many insult Kanye for trying but his beliefs are in seeing an opportunity and going for it as we’re all going to die one day. Russell Simmons talks on Kanye saying: “What’s often misunderstood about Kanye is that people believe he wants this all for himself, in fact quite opposite, he wants all this for the rest of us.” Kanye addresses that a lot believe his motivation to be self-orientated when he just wants to help.

Although very strong minded he says he’s going to grow from each interview and says he’s not flawless. One of his most recent interviews on the Breakfast Club Power 105.1 with DJ Envy he confesses his inability to always get his point across the right way.  “When I get loud it’s too loud. When I’m talking sometimes I feel I’m just blowing somebodies ears out, my technique is too harsh, I’m beating it up too harsh. I be talking to people the wrong way sometimes and rubbing them the wrong way.” He continues to express Jay-Z’s talent in talking to people and says: “Maybe when I get to Jay-Z’s age I will have achieved more of my dreams and I can reach that Zen, you don’t understand I’m so frustrated.”

Kanye describes his new album Yeezus which had mixed reviews as “this is what frustration sounds like” and built to make cracks in the pavement. It was album where he was able to speak his mind and not have to write with the textures of the time. Kanye has received a lot of backlash for his new album and specifically the new music video ‘bound 2’ being parodied on South Park. On the breakfast show he reveals that he wanted it to be as phoney as possible and isn’t afraid to look stupid. He’s exposing white supremacy, the only difference is there is a black guy in the middle.

You may not agree with all of Kanye's views, but they evolve from ambition and determination. Some believe that he is mad and others believe he is genius. Russell Simmons says “It’s a different kind of mad, a mad that keeps you up at night, knowing that if you fall asleep, you’re wasting your time. It is a mad that makes you go into the lab and work seven days with no sleep, cause you want to perfect your craft.” Whether you love him or hate him West is one of the most powerful influential black male artists of this generation. We can all learn something. It’s his tenacity, creativity, relentlessness and madness, that will allow us all one day have the ability to ‘touch the sky’.